Danielj1

You can only extract the image used for the Color shader, but not for any of the other shaders if those use different images. If you right-click on a texture in the RB and choose Extract Image, what will be extracted is the image used in the Color shader only. If you edit the texture to eliminate all images used in the various shaders except for the Bump shader, for example, you won't be able to extract that one because the extract image command will not be visible then.

This often happens when rendering at a relatively low resolution, and can be especially visible when rendering viewports at 72dpi and sometimes as high as 100dpi or 150. As Nicholas mentioned, it is worth altering the output resolution a bit to see if the problem disappears. If you're rendering in a viewport, changing the sheet layer's DPI will change or eliminate this moire both on screen and in the exported image file. Another cause of this is the use of excessively large image files used for textures. There's a relationship between the size of the originating image file and the final output when such an image file is converted to a texture. In this situation, a large image file may represent a small texturing tile (for example 400mm square), but using an image file of, say, 1 or 2 MB in size. If this is the problem, consider opening the image file in an image editing application, and saving it as a smaller size prior to re-using it in a texture. Dan J.

The linear material tool has a limited number of controls that allow you to do some customization, although perhaps not to the specific level you need in this case, Donald. If you need significantly more control, consider using the 2-D polygon tool with components, which works similarly to the wall tool, and allows the insertion of hatches, patterns, tiles, class control over appearance, etc. Dan J.

If you're doing commercial work involving multiple spaces, and indeed requiring complex space planning activities, this is a wonderful tool in the arsenal (along with several of the other tools in the Space Planning palette). Even if you're doing smaller projects, the space tool has capabilities that speed up the process of moving from bubble-diagram planning to quickly creating 3-D volumetric representation of spaces, to the installation of walls, calculation of volumes, and other useful data-aggregation activities. Dan J.

I've been using OSX 10.7.4 on both the office iMac (i5) and the home laptop (Core2 Duo). No problems with either, although the i5 is far speedier than the Core2 Duo machine. Dan J.

This is not my own experience, however. Not to belabor a point, but after installation did you repair permissions, etc., then restart the computer followed by relaunching the application? Dan J.

By the way, the program is far speedier (2012 also) on post-Core 2 Duo machines, in my experience. Dan J.

Not my experience at all. Have you tried quitting, repairing permissions, restarting the computer and then relaunching the program? Dan J.

Here's a version using VW2013's Surface Array command. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/31777101/pillows2013.vwx Dan J.

I hope you don't mind my asking, and I do so sincerely without intent to criticize. With this advice you're providing (as well as many other comments and suggestions you've made elsewhere on the site), I'm curious why you're still using Vectorworks?

I generally draw the ceiling-only components on a separate layer, showing walls in a lower layer. Saved views save the right combo. Class control also, to deal with doors, etc. Dan J.

Check out the Kohler and Duravit 3-D symbol libraries at the manufacturers' web sites. Kohler: http://kohlerprocatalog.kohlerco.com/onlinecatalog/landing.ktp Duravit: http://goo.gl/I7Ibo Also available are what appear to be over a thousand Sketchup models of kitchen sinks: http://goo.gl/KwOt4 Dan J.

When importing the .3ds version, unzip the downloaded file and you'll find TIFF files that can be used to make image props in VW. Dan J.

One quick solution: export from a rendered sheet-layer viewport. But make sure that the export image resolution matches the sheet layer's resolution; this will remove the re-rendering action and export the image directly. In other words, set the sheet layer's resolution to, say, 250dpi, and then export the image at the same number but in pixels-per-inch. Dan J.

Alas It's not a hatch, but rather a plug-in object, the characteristics of which are modifiable in the Object Info palette. And yes, it's not linked to a component's width, so must be adjusted appropriately when things change. As I mentioned, not the same thing as adding a hatch to a component, but in certain cases it may still be sufficient. Dan J.

You can also use the batt insulation tool to place insulation directly into a wall (not a component, but the wall itself), automatically adjust the insulation's length to that of the wall, and control the centering of the insulation within the wall. Not the same as adding batt insulation to a component, but it might be still be sufficient in certain cases. Dan J.

Here's an interior FQRW sample, with Lit Fog. First go-around with little or no tweaking done yet (sorry for the interior-only view; it's all I had on my home machine at the moment). Dan J. [img:left]http://www.danjansenson.com/FQRWlitfog.png[/img]

One key thing to keep in mind is that control of the rendering and lighting qualities are now two separate things, so even if you use FQRW, you must still go to the Lighting Options to make a quick couple of adjustments there, in order to get optimal results. As a reminder, the previous technology (i.e. Lightworks) went through a number of FQRW setting iterations throughout its life; FQRW in the 2010 version looked and acted differently than in the first version, years earlier; not that it makes much difference in this particular case. I disagree that FQRW no longer produces as good a quality render as it did previously. If you have your Lighting Options set well, the resulting images are far superior to previous ones (in my opinion, anyway) with global illumination and zero artifacts to boot. And if you've worked with HDRI coming in through windows and bouncing off interior glass elements, it's not even just a quality difference any more--we can now produce images that were previously impossible to make. I'm not promoting my book here. But do take a look at the settings for the different kinds of scenes shown there, for some initial hints on setting up files for rendering. You'll see a workflow that is quite different than previously. It may be inconvenient to figure out a new workflow when the previous one was useful to you. But I think you will ultimately be very pleased with the results and the rendering speed. Dan J.

Bill, It all depends on which HDRI background you use for lighting purposes, and its brightness. You can increase or reduce the HDRI's brightness to provide additional control. You can create a background that is brighter on one side than the other, and that will impact the image as well. You can also render in Custom RW and make adjustments to the Indirect Lighting, Soft Shadows and Environment Lighting settings to help with the scene's contrast. And, of course, you can adjust the Image Exposure (%) as well. So there are a number of settings that you can combine to avoid blowing the scene out (or to do it if that is your preference). Dan J.

Well, the date on NV's download page link is 15 February 2000, so I have a slight suspicion they're unlikely to be newer than those in 2011. Just a hunch but I'm goin' with it. Dan J.

You may not see a crop outline because the section viewport was created without a crop object. If you double-click the section viewport and select Edit Crop, you can then create a new crop right there, moving it around as preferred. When you exit Edit Crop the new crop will be effective and showing only the portions you wanted. Dan J.

Pat, That is exactly how it works. A brief summary proof exercise is this: 1. Create a scene in a design layer and place a Directional light in it, representing the sun. 2. Create a sheet layer viewport of this scene, and leave it selected. 3. In the Visualization palette, click on the Light tab, and then select the Directional light. Turn it off by deselecting the check mark in the "on" column. And then click on the "Selected Viewport(s)" radio button at the top left of the palette. 4. Now, render the selected viewport in Fast Renderworks (in the Object Info palette, next to Background Render, select Fast Renderworks and then update the viewport). Note that the scene is dark (although not black). 5. Switch to the design layer containing the original scene, and render in Fast Renderworks. Note that the scene is fully illuminated, and displaying shade and shadows. 6. Go back to the sheet layer and make sure the viewport is selected. In the Visualization palette, turn on the Directional light by clicking in the "on" column. 7. Update the viewport and observe the now-illuminated scene. Dan J.

"Fair to say I was about to start calling my solicitor when my colleague saw one of Dave's renders and said, "Ooo that looks really good, better than normal" What? You mean that after all that you are NOT calling your solicitor? Here I've been hanging on, breathlessly waiting for the inevitable denouement and now you deprive me of the payoff I've been anticipating for so long. Well I'm not taking this sitting down, rest assured. I have half a mind to call my OWN solicitor now. This is just intolerable. Dan J.

A modicum of civility would be helpful to this otherwise very interesting discussion. Jes' sayin'. DJ

"RW2011 doesn't have this capability anymore. (i wonder that nobody complaint about that loss)." I strongly suspect that the reason for the absence of complaints is that the capability is certainly there and working better than ever. Go to View>Lighting>Set Lighting Options, the Lighting Options dialog box opens. Select the Indirect Lighting drop-down box to the number of bounces desired, and Bob's your uncle. Works particularly well in combination with HDRI lighting, in which a HDRI layer background can be used as a source of lighting for a scene. Dan Jansenson