jarjones

Never mind. Converting it to mesh did the trick. Thanks for the help!

Mesh smoothing enabled: Now it is. I don't think it's technically a mesh at this point, but a group (within a group within a group) of 3d polygons. Should I convert to mesh? When I set the pen to none, the object disappears in wireframe view, unless there's something I'm doing wrong.

I'm trying to render a bathtub that I've imported from a dwg file. Everything in it is filled, but when it renders, it displays all of the mesh lines. I've done this before and never had this problem, but this one just won't cooperate. Also, is there a way to get smoother renders from imported files? As a scenic designer, I don't want to model every single furniture prop I need to use (especially when exactly what I need already exists online), but I fend that when these render sometimes, they are very chunky looking. Attached is a screenshot of what I get on Final Quality Render. Thanks for any assistance.

The current pieces are in 1/4" scale. The largest is about 2.5" tall. (Our proscenium is 60'w, so I'm limited to 1/4" unless I want to deal with a 5' wide model, which I don't.) I'm guessing these are too small for the 3d scan. Are there places you can rent/use a 3d scanner?

I hate to say I only understood about half of that, and it wasn't the important half. If I did want to 3d scan, what would be the process? Is it a special scanner or multiple scans on a flatbed? What is a point cloud (I'm guessing a collection of points generated by the 3d scan), STL file, and Autohybrids? Jeff A.R. Jones

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm usually able to structure my workflow to make an object in 3d with a 2d symbol so I can create build drawings and renderings using the 3d and plan views with the 2d all in one pass (maybe one and a half). Looks like I'll have to forego that for this one. I would like a decent 3d representation for rendering/vis because these elements play in a wide variety of positions and angles, so I'll probably try the loft from section profiles approach. I didn't know if there was a way to basically create each face on its plane then join them for 3d. I wasn't sure whether loft from sections would be better or some version of a rail/birail sweep. I've done things with nurbs surfaces before. I understand them intellectually, but in practice I can never get them where I want them without tons of time spent (they either end up moving where I don't want them or I end up unable to select the points I want out of all the points that overlap in 3d) For displacement maps, how do you create one. The help file seems to tell how to apply them, but what are they based on? A bump map-type image or something else? Thanks, Jeff A.R. Jones

I need to create 3d rocks for a scenic design (think Stonehenge, which I could probably find on Sketchup) but I need them to have specific sizes and 3d features (gouges, cracks, etc.). I have sculpted them to scale in clay and scanned them. Is there a way to basically take each side of the item on its plane and build it into a 3d object? Any recommendations for the best and/or fastest way to approach it? (I'm also fighting the fact that I've been on 12.5 until last year and am now on 2015 and am still learning my way around the way some things are done differently. I've attached a picture of some of them. While we're at it, I also need to build the tree trunks. Thoughts? Appreciation in advance. Jeff A.R. Jones

I have a document with the origin set to a specific point. When I view the file from the front/side/etc. the rulers on the side show measurements based on the 2d origin. Looking at the rulers, that point is 5'11.162 down from 0, so my floor is below zero compared to the rulers. If I make a new extrude however, it puts it on the floor at the correct relationship to the floor. How do I make my front view floor zero coordinate match my rulers? I'm back on VW 12 Thanks, Jeff

Thanks for the offer of assistance; I found a plug in for the free SketchUp that lets you export as a dxf file, and that seems to be working quite well for the importing. Then the converting to mesh you suggested makes a selected bunch of polygons behave like an object. Thanks again. Jeff

It would be great if you could take a look. How do I go about posting the file? Jeff

I've imported an object that came in as 232 3D polys. Is there a way to group/join/add them so that the parts will work as a single texture? Right now the texture seems to treat each poly as a whole so the texture does not wrap from one side of the object to another. I've tried adding surfaces, joining, combine into surface, converting to generic solids; all tell me I have illegal objects selected. Is there a way to make, say the faucet of a sink that is in 3D polys into an object that is separate from the sink it's on and that will apply a smooth texture? Thanks for your assistance Jeff A.R. Jones Resident Designer Carolina Ballet

Aha. After some playing (set transparency of glass layer so not completely transparent and changed base object color from turbulent to solid) I have a reflection. Now I'm going to find out if I can keep the turbulent color. Thanks for your help.

A good idea, but I got no results. I have around 12 lights hitting the objects from different angles. Maybe it's in the settings on the glass layer? What do you recommend?

I am replicating a shiny black dance floor, which in reality reflects the object on top of it. I can't seem to find the right reflectivity options to achieve this. It seems logically that I sould use Phong or Plastic, but neither produces a reflection. If I change the setting to one of the metals, glass or mirror, my black floor turns grey. Any suggestions? Thanks for your assistance, Jeff A.R. Jones [ 01-31-2006, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: Jeff A.R. Jones ]

I am working on a theatre with black curtains. If I set the curtains to a solid fill wih no texture, they show up in the picture as shaded objects, but look solid and plastic. I scanned some of the fabric that the curtains are made of (black velour) and turned that into a texture, but no matter how I set the reflectivity, they appear as solid black, which makes them basically vanish in the picture. I have spotlights focused on them, but they still only show up if no texture is applied. Thoughts? [ 01-31-2006, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: Jeff A.R. Jones ]

I tried that, but couldn't tell which way the settings affected the outcome. I played with the settings somewhat at random, but never got a result I liked, ie, a painted scrim going transparent when backlit. I also tried using translucency settings for a piece that was going to have shadows cast on it from behind (without becoming transparent), but couldn't get what I was looking for there either.

Please do. The address is jarjones@nc.rr.com. Thanks.

With the rp screen, I'm looking to have it afected by light. I work for a dance company and we regularly backlight an rp as our cyclorama and occasionally to cast shadows of dancers onto the upstage side of the rp. Any suggestions for settings for something like that? Thanks. Jeff A.R. Jones

What settings did you use for the grid transparency? I played around with the setting, but didn't find anything that seemed right. I was also trying to replicate a painted scrim, so there was an applied texture that I still wanted to look good.

What is the best way to create a scrim or Rp effect in spotlight? Ideally I'd like to show the scrim lit from front (opaque) and from behind (transparent) RP screens seem easier: Make a rectangle, set its transparency and reflectivity to a certain amount and add backlight. Does anyone have settings that work for this effect? Thanks, Jeff A.R. Jones

After some experimentation, I have determined that it is something in the file rather than the printer-application relationship that is causing the problem. As a workaround for this file, I am making pdfs and printing them, which works just fine and maintains the scale. Thanks for the assistance. Jeff

For several hours now, I have been trying to print to an Epson 2200 at 11x17 in OS X.2. I'm having several troubles: The first is that I'm trying to print a sheet layer. When I set the print area to 11x17, it tells me I need 4 sheets to print the drawing, whcih is set for an 11x17 sheet. I can manually reduce the size to 10.5x16.25, but that doesn't seem to matter because... The first time I printed, it worked ok, except I had checked "Print current view only" so it scaled my 11x17 down to fit the print area of an 11x17 sheet, so the scale was completely off, so... I tried printing just the first of 4 pages at 11x17 with the "print current view only" box unchecked and all that happens is the 2200 spits out severl blank pieces of paper before loading one, which it then decides is not properly ejected, which stops the printer. I have downloaded the current drivers for the printer as well as gimp-print, but none seem to do the trick. I also have an Espon 1520, but it's not setting up easily. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Jeff

I'm working on a deisgn for a show with a band. I downloaded a dxf drum kit file and imported it. It took forever and created an object with 161,000+ 3D polygons. I don not need this level of detail for my 1/4" scale drawing. Is there a way to quickly simplify the object into fewer surfaces. I don't really want to go through tthe hassle of creating a drum kit from scratch, but any time I try to do anything with this one, it hogs the program for about 20 minutes (on OSX with 1.5 GB RAM). Anything to simplify or speed this up? Thanks, Jeff

I have selected the chair (which imported with a locus point 30,000 feet away; I ungrouped it from that) and attempted to apply a wood varnish texture via the OIP. When I select OpenGL render mode, the screen becomes all white. I try clicking the button that lets me see everything that is currently selected, but nothing seems to change; it does not zoom to an object. Thanks for your assistance.

Also, is there any preference for dwg vs. dxf formats for importing?