Jump to content

Mattheng

Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    205

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by Mattheng

    Which 3D Tool for which job..?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I feel our issue is less with how many tools we have with overlapping functions than it is with our lack of educational materials that explain how these tools can be used on their own or in combination with one another, something I intend to remedy with a combination of new material from us .....

    Exactly. Any clues as to when we will see this?

    Which 3D Tool for which job..?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I have been looking at the 3D modelling thread and admiring a lot of the work that has gone into some of the creations but it really got me thinking about efficient 3D modelling.

    Every time I start a 3D model I don't know where to start.

    Do I use Extrudes and then deform them? Do I use NURBS instead and all the associated tools or now do I use the new thing Subdivisions...?

    Why do we have all these various 3D objects and what are they all best suited for?

    This is really becoming a problem as I was struggling before subdivisions (e.g. what exactly is a Mesh if it isn't just a group of 3D Polys, in which case how is it any different from a group of 3D polys....)

    I appreciate that we all have our favourite ways of working so I am not talking about what we have ended up using.

    I am much more interested in what the guys at VW think they SHOULD be used for, why they were stuck in the program in the first place and, perhaps most intriguingly, why they did not get rid of the older methods when they introduced new ones (e.g. why keep NURBS modelling when you have subdivisions)?

    Jim?

    Matt

    Displacement mapping: problems with Edges and settings

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I am using Displacement Mapping to create some ribbed planters.

    I have set the texture to Very High quality and self shadowing.

    I set up Custom Renderworks to also have Very High quality on Displacement Mapping.

    First question, why do you have a quality setting in the texture itself AND the render settings?

    Once you have set the quality in the texture itself surely you just need to turn Displacement mapping on in Custom Renderworks as the Quality has already been set in the texture...?

    When I create a viewport the Edges phase just seems to run continuously. i.e. the render took about 5 mins but the Edges phase was still going after a further 30 mins and was showing no progress at all....?

    If I drop the Displacement Mapping setting to Low in Custom Renderworks the Edges pass takes seconds and, to my surprise, the results look pretty similar.

    Second question : why does Displacement Mapping on Very High in Custom Renderworks send the Edges phase into what looks like a continuous loop?

    Third Question : why does the end result look pretty similar when the texture is set to Very High on Displacement mapping and the Custom Renderworks setting for Displacement Mapping is either Low or Very High?

    It looks to me like all increasing the Custom Renderworks setting does is make the render MUCH slower and send the Edges phase into a tailspin for no appreciable difference....?

    If I had to prioritise these questions I am more worried about the Edges phase blowing up but I am baffled by the two sets of settings for Displacement Mapping.

    Anyone...?

    Cheers,

    Matt

    Uninstalling VW and licensing

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I recently found and old laptop that had Vectorworks on it that I had given to an employee.

    Over the years as we have upgraded to new Macs I have had numerous problems with licensing to get my two copies for each licence on the relevant latest Macs we are using.

    I think this might part of the problem.

    I would like to uninstall the copies of Vectorworks (2014 and 2015) in such a way the VW central recognises this and takes the computer off their database.

    I have checked out the knowledgeable on uninstalling and it more or less tells you what to delete so that nothing is left in any hidden directories etc.

    This is fine, I normally use an app called App Zapper which does a pretty good job of finding all the hidden files but have no problem doing it manually.

    The question is how can I make sure that VW knows this and takes it off their records..?

    Cheers,

    Matt

    Export to VW 2010 not working

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Mattheng

    I am trying to export a textured 3D model to VW 2010 to see if it works in the last version of VW before the C4D render engine was used.

    The model is a mesh and works fine in VW 2015 and 2016 but when I export it to 2010 the textures disappear.

    I had a closer look and saw that the texture mapping fell into a category I had not seen before called "imported" which is not an option in 2010, or at least it doesn't appear to be

    Is this something that has only been implemented recently and does not export back to previous versions?

    If I make the model out of Polys it does export but it is much bigger and not so usable so I am keen to get it to work with the mesh.

    Oh and I noticed that the option to export to VW 2010 is no longer in VW 2016 but is still in 2015, anyone know why this is?

    Cheers,

    Matt

    Cannot install SP2 update

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Mattheng

    Solved it.

    I had set myself up as a new administrator account and I had to log in as the old admin to install the update.

    Not sure why.

    Also when I run the migration manager on the new admin account it tells me that there is nothing to do but none of the templates have come across....?

    At least it basically works with SP2 now but it looks like there is a bit more digging to do...

    Matt

    Site modifier - pad with retaining edge - how do you set it up?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I am working on a site model and I want to model a swimming pool.

    I am using a site modifier that is a pad with retaining edge to sink the pool base to the required depth and then I would like to set the paving around the pool with another pad but:

    When I try to put a second pad around the first one in the shape of the path by drawing a polygon and converting it Vectorworks just ignores the fact that it i a path and acts as if it is a solid poly with the outside of the path as the edge..?

    The lower pad is supposed to have a retaining edge to lift it to the height of the paving but I cannot see how you input it.

    If I draw two polygons with one just slightly offset and select them both before connecting to a pad with retaining edge Vectorworks just ignores the inner one.

    How do I input the retaining edge polygon and why does a poly shaped like a path just get completely filled in when I turn it into a site modifier pad?

    Cheers,

    Matt

    Which symbol components scale and which do not?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Ok, I have simplified things quite a bit so I am going to post the file here.

    I have been scaling using the symbol options in the OIP. Or at least trying to.

    Interestingly, OpenGL models the scaled symbol correctly, the Renderworks modes and wireframe do not.

    There is another question :

    I am using a decking texture to represent wood cladding but I cannot find the right texture map to get the planks to all be a certain size.

    As it is they all change width depending on how steep the curve is on the wall.

    I have tried all the other mapping options (plane, auto align plane, cylinder, sphere etc) and none of them give a regular width plank.

    Is there any way to do this?

    Hmm just tried to attach the file and there is a 2MB limit. The file is 3.5MB. Is there any way round this...?

    Matt

    Which symbol components scale and which do not?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I have made a fairly complicated 3D model of a building with quite a few solid sections, subtractions and intersections.

    I have also extracted two NURBS surfaces and shelled them to create 3D shapes that flow around the outside of a solid subtraction.

    All of these 3D components are placed together in a symbol.

    I need to scale the symbol but when I adjust the x and y factors the shelled NURBS surfaces do not change size at all.

    Every other object whether it is a solid section, subtraction or intersection scales just fine.

    I have tried converting the shelled NURBS surfaces to generic solids but they still refuse to scale.

    It is really causing me a big headache...

    What are the rules about what will and what will not scale in a symbol?

    Matt

    Renderworks 2016 "Edges" problem

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Just had a massive problem with Edges and I have managed to narrow it down to NURBS surfaces.

    I had a couple on the front of a structure I am designing for somebody and it takes almost the same time to run the Edges phase as the render.

    If I render the rear view, where you cannot see the NURBS surfaces it is done in seconds.

    And, for the avoidance of doubt, the surfaces are filled with standard Renderworks textures and not empty.

    I cannot post the file here because it is for a client sadly.

    Cheers,

    Matt

    2016 Plant creation problem

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Having real problems with the plant database in 2016.

    Just tried to create a new plant.

    First off it duplicates the 2d geometry which is new.

    VW 2016 then makes a big deal out of installing the plant database.

    This is fair enough but if you try to create something not in the database it asks you if you would like to add it and there is no way to say no.

    This is extremely annoying as I do not want to enter anything random into the plant database just to create a plant.

    Short of using 2015 how can I get around this?

    Matt.

    Transparency Image Mask not working in 2016

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I use the image mask in the transparency section of the Renderworks Textures creation dialogue a lot and it seems to have stopped working.

    It just makes the whole thing transparent, i.e. it wipes out the whole texture...?

    The workaround is to use 2015 which is still fine but obviously this is a pretty dumb way of working.

    Does it work in a new way compared to 2015 and I just don't understand it or is it a bug......?

    Cheers,

    Matt

×
×
  • Create New...