James Russell
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Posts posted by James Russell
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A few major things I do with external & outdoor renderings.
Matt Panzer's CameraMatch is pretty awesome at the whole outdoor reference image manipulation. In the past when I've used it, for say two perspective shots, I'll CameraMatch them, render and export, and then touch-up in Photoshop with highlights and blurs.
Otherwise Image Props are probably the other big time saver as Jim mentioned. I probably rely on them too heavily sometimes if anything, as they represent organic structures (most of the time) better than you'll ever be able to draw them.
Somewhere on the forums (and I'll need someone to link if they have it bookmarked) there was a post a while ago on grass textures, and it was a great discussion with really nice resources. I'll have to find it again for my use and the greater good.
J
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I'm in great agreement with the steps forward in terms of 3D CAD plans being distributed, getting clients to navigate in 3D. A lot of my time is spent investigating AR technologies and the progression of options such as interactive 3D PDFs.
I think there is an underlying factor which that is we won't (for the foreseeable 10 years?) ever be able to leave the physical plans drawn on the 'tangible' Sheet Layer. It's a generational change like physical newspapers vs. digital newspapers, there will always be people who require them. Although it's really good to want this change immediately I have a feeling that it's going to take a long time to migrate over for the majority and a lot of double handling for us a drafts-people from this point forwards.
J
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Hi all,
Anyone know if it's possible to rotate a position label on a Light Position Object?
In the attached example I want a result like Battern #2 but the only way to achieve that so far is with a text box. Battern #1 is the default.
Also is it possible for Light Position Object's Labels to be within a class so you can turn them on and off independent to the Position itself?
Cheers,
J
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Firstly Wow.
Secondly can someone sticky this for the month (if it's not done so already)?
That's pretty cool MK. Close all headers shouldn't be too hard, ObjectVariable 82 should take care of that from memory... or was it 84...
Amazing.
J
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I've used Blender to do this in the past, mainly to reduce the amount of polygons and convert to NURBs surfaces.
Any of the aforementioned programs (Blender, Rhino, 3DSMax, Maya) handle scanned inputs much better than VW currently so I'd be starting there.
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Dexie,
See the file attached. It's where those two lovely properties lay, so close, yet so far away.
If you were doing this at the spreadsheet level in Vectorworks you'd be able to throw a value() around it and you'd be sweet, similarly with the custom dimension tails you could pop on your ha.
But as you require the label front and plugin wise though I don't know. I think you'll probably run into someone who uses the number field in it's text format for notes. If you're really keen you could write a script to update these text fields and write pretty things but it's really a time vs necessity thing.
J
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@Kevin - Must be the time difference!
In actuality it's not a perfect curve, it's a series of concentric trapezoids that tier down gradually. For these current purposes and given the warping in the entire surface I'm going to call it close enough, and just tweek onsite during potential construction.
Curves upon curves, that's the plan.
J
Ps. I suspect you would have worked with several of my colleagues/associates in Sports Presentation, would have been a blast I'm sure!
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Firstly: Old weird venues (in this case an old [1960s?] cinema floorspace) that people have decided to turn into their own theatres (knocking down several walls in the process).
Secondly: It would feel wrong to refer to a stage in any other way. How could you mention such a thing. Haha!
Thirdly: Yes!... to self intersecting geometry which is why I understood extrude could not feasibly work from concave NURBs (convex NURBs in theory would be fine self intersecting wise but probably a calculating nightmare). I'm going to have to experiment with the limitations of this new found power.
Fourthly (and yes I know you didn't notate it): It's not quite truck packing (although I'm sure we'll get to that), it's track creation for sliding trucks (decks? I don't know if you call them something weird above the equator) in arcs on this surface. Welcome to a whole new level of crazy.
J
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@Kevin - Several crease lines is right, I was temped to do a circular duplication array to attempt a subtraction but it's a pain. Slice is what I normally jump to.
@Alan - Loft is the first thing I thought about for this, post not being able to simply extrude the NURBS surface. Michael's loft below is a much more cleaver way of lofting than I had thought of.
@Mk - Firstly cheeky. That loft direction/approach was not on the plane that I had thought of at all so kudos to that. Secondly can you explain how/why you've chosen to Shell Solid on this NURBS surface. I can see the result (which is exactly right btw) but I'd like to know how you came across using the Shell Solid on an NURBS and how the growth (depth/extrusion) works in this instance, does it elevate perpendicular somehow to the surface?
Thanks for all the input team. I can finally start figuring out truck configurations.
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@mk - Mmm I don't know about 6, In the ideal world I have a feeling it's a slightly curved. Check it out in side profile. Correction - I see where you're talking about, I see 5 lines. Still doesn't help with my stupid curve upstage. ;p
@Alan - The cutting plane and subtraction are both vaild options, the problem in this scenario is the curve at the top needs to be mapped correctly so it isn't as easy as a straight cut.
@all - See the image attached, it's the closest thing to me drawing contour lines to explain this weird stage. The Prompt and OP sides slant by the approx amounts shown. Note I'm currently showing my 'cutting' NURBS as green here, the true stage outline is black.
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Alright all,
I've been trying to do this raked stage for a little while now, and now I need inspiration/suggestions.
As you'll see in the attached file I've created a lovely solid, and a nurbs curve showing the cutting plane.
The thing that I'm finding tricky is manipulating this object into something that can interact with the solid. I can't seem to loft it into something to subtract, I can't seem to project it.
All ideas welcome. At least one beer can be claimed in Melbourne, Australia on your next adventure here.
J
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Super description of what the Drawing Title uses above me.
Two titbits from me:
I always tell my students that the Viewport Name is what you'll see, the Drawing Title is what your client will see.
As Michael mentioned the Viewport Name will appear in your Navigation listings and the data related to the Viewport. The Drawing Title should appear whenever your make a reference to the viewport at the sheet/annotation level, most commonly through the Drawing Label tool.
Secondly the Drawing Label tool has a frustrating catch that you'll need to look out for. Upon first insertion you'll most probably be faced with the setup dialog. The biggest tip is to ignore filling the fields out and just hit OK. This make VW pull the handy data out, such as Drawing Title, Scale, Sheet Number and Consecutive Numbering.
J
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Thanks Jim,
It's something that I don't run into everyday but when I do it's really annoying.
Cheers.
J
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So I'm going to have a grumble about this one.
I have a dongle license of VW 2014/15. That's not the problem, I quite like it actually, it allows me to move between my PC, iMac and MacBook Pro when I choose without the whole you forgot to log out of one of these serials.
The issue I do have is this:
I leave the house to jump on a 1 hour train commute to work in the city. 90% of the time I'm going to be playing with VW in some form. I'll open a document, do some things within it and then a situation will occur (my station will appear, or I'll stand for an old lady or take a phonecall). I'll close my laptop and go about my business.
The ISSUE is that when I reopen my laptop (and I will have removed the dongle for transport safety) I immediately only get two options: Save or Cancel.
What if I want to do neither?
I want two more options, Save As... and Retry.
If I've opened a file and made some changes I don't want to overwrite the previous one, but I do want to keep the new one. I can't.
Save as to keep and close files, retry to keep working when your dongle is back in.
Please.
J
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Michael (and Chris),
Didn't we talk a while ago about using the bounding box parameters to calculate these three values; Length, Width and Height?
There will always be obvious flaws with any of these systems; Rotational values, mitres, non-rectangular shapes, slope variations, notchouts.
I'd be very interested one day to see the script that runs for the Wall Framer tool in the Architect package, I think that would tell us some interesting things.
Back to the aforementioned bounding box, I'll have a play on the train tomorrow and see where I got to on that project.
J
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...
Thanks
... Urgh.
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So I couldn't sleep. Learning challenge accepted!
Seriously though the knowledge base's four examples on this subject are pretty hardcore for beginning! You might find a few bits here on the forum on this stuff but as to the logic I have no idea if it's actually document properly anywhere.
Below is my attempt at your dialog problem. They are a mind bender and I had to refresh my memory with one of my old scripts to see how I'd done it previously.
Sorry it's not annotated better but at least it will give you structure. I've changed most of your fields to Real values as text would just mean an extra conversion step, downside is Static Headers, so you'll noticed the numbering changed in the layout order. I've included a GetEditText field still just so you've got the example for headings and such.
Let me know how you go!
J
PROCEDURE CreateDialog;
VAR
success : BOOLEAN;
id, result : LONGINT;
WidthReal, LengthReal, WidthOffReal, LengthOffReal : REAL;
ExSTR : STRING;
PROCEDURE Dialog_Handler (VAR item :LONGINT; data :LONGINT);
{---------- Values to Vars --------------}
BEGIN
CASE item OF
1:
BEGIN
success := GetEditReal(id,6,3,WidthReal);
success := GetEditReal(id,8,3,LengthReal);
success := GetEditReal(id,11,3,WidthOffReal);
success := GetEditReal(id,13,3,LengthOffReal);
GetItemText(id,15,ExSTR);
END;
END;
END;
{---------- Layout Creation --------------}
BEGIN
id := CreateLayout('Panel',TRUE,'Generate', '');
CreateGroupBox(id,4,'Shell',TRUE);
CreateStaticText(id,5,'Width',28);
CreateEditReal(id,6,3,100,26);
CreateStaticText(id,7,'Length',28);
CreateEditReal(id,8,3,200,26);
CreateGroupBox(id,9,'Armature',TRUE);
CreateStaticText(id,10,'Width Offset',28);
CreateEditReal(id,11,3,25,26);
CreateStaticText(id,12,'Length Offset',28);
CreateEditReal(id,13,3,50,26);
CreateStaticText(id,14,'This is an Example Text Field',40);
CreateEditText(id,15,'An Example Text Field',35);
SetFirstLayoutItem(id, 4);
SetFirstGroupItem(id,4,5);
SetRightItem(id,5,7,0,0);
SetBelowItem(id,5,6,0,0);
SetRightItem(id,6,8,0,0);
SetBelowItem(id,4,9,0,0);
SetFirstGroupItem(id,9,10);
SetRightItem(id,10,12,0,0);
SetBelowItem(id,10,11,0,0);
SetRightItem(id,11,13,0,0);
SetBelowItem(id,9,14,0,0);
SetBelowItem(id,14,15,0,0);
{---------- Run the Layout --------------}
IF VerifyLayout(id) THEN BEGIN
If RunLayoutDialog(id, Dialog_Handler) = 1 THEN BEGIN
{---------- Verify and Make your Rectangles here! --------------}
Message(Concat('WidthReal: ',WidthReal,' Length Real: ',LengthReal,' Width Offset Real: ',WidthOffReal,' Length Offset Real: ',LengthOffReal,' Random Text: ',ExSTR));
End;
End;
END;
RUN(CreateDialog);
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Hey all,
I just can't seem to get this right. The script is ment to take the group of selected objects and move them a specific class and specific layer, as specified in the CONSTs.
I keep getting an Expected ; and Expected a Run but for the life of me I can't find them.
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Procedure SelectandMove;
CONST
classstr = 'Venue - Walls - Primary Wall';
layerstr = '_Stage Level';
VAR
objecthnd, layerhnd : Handle;
sucess : Boolean;
lname : String;
PROCEDURE SetCandL(objecthnd :HANDLE);
{Procedure to set the class of selected object to classstr and layer to layerstr}
BEGIN
SetClass(objecthnd,classstr);
layerhnd := GetLayerByName(layerstr);
sucess := SetParent(objecthnd,layerhnd);
END;
BEGIN
ForEachObject(SetCandL,(SEL=TRUE));
End;
RUN (SelectandMove)
-------------
Any help much appreciated.
J
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Thanks JB, legend!
J
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Alright so an hour of searching and I'm done.
We have the SetClass(h,'') command. What is its layer equivalent?
I would have thought SetLayer(h,'Design Layer-2'); would work, but I can't find a reference anywhere!
J
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This is one of my favourite responses ever.
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I'm currently using open source AR technology to achieve similar results from VW files.
I'm currently showing models on a QR tracking basis running through either iPad Gen 4's or an Oculus Gen 1 (waiting on my Gen 2...).
It's pretty good on the whole reach out and touch the model thing, rotate it in real time, even basic scene transitions. If you could improve the GeoReferencing and/or location tracking on site breakthroughs could probably be achieved too.
There's no doubt the future. At the University of Melbourne I'm starting a 3rd Year elective on 3D Scanning, 3D printing and Augmented Reality. I'll let you know how that goes in semester 2!
J
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@John Whyte,
Sorry for the delay in replying. This would make sense as it only comes in my Architect AUS workspace and not my Architect (General).
A shame really because it nails what you're trying to do. It's a great tool that although ludicrously more advanced and troublesome sometimes that its Door Tool Standard equivalent, does provide great results.
@Jim, do you know why this tool is AUS only?
J
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John,
This kinda makes sense that it's greyed out. The OXOX arrangement style only really works for Sliders in terms of their internal track arrangements.
The only way I've ever been able to do the door style that you're asking for is with the more advanced WinDoor component available in the Architect package (I don't know if it comes with Designer, you'll have to let me know!).
Attached is a screenshot of the functionality of it within your file. Note the Object Info Panel and the ability to choose the number of doors L and R.
If that option is unavailable then I'd probably say draw your own symbol and with the doors and such as you'd like them, insert it into the wall as is or use it as a custom door with the current door tool.
J
drawing labels flipping
in Architecture
Posted
I have this same issue all the time. Normally resulting after nudging a label 5+ times it will start to alternate the lines order.
I've always thought it was a submitted bug. @JimW If you need me to capture footage of the occurrence I'm pretty sure I can make it do it on command.
J