markdd

Use the Clip Cube. Display the amount of model you want with the clip cube, highlight a surface you want to section and then Right click on that surface and at the bottom it will say create section viewport. It should generate a section viewport which you should put on a separate layer from the model. Play with the advanced properties tab if you want to change the depth/height. I've included my file. Clip Cube SECTION.vwx

Is this what you are after?

Are these image props? If so, check that the textures are set to emit light. That may be the difference between the two.

I tried your file and all is fine. The colour in the texture is set top object attribute. If you turn the colour of your extruded rectangle to black then I get exactly the result as you see in the first of your pics.

If you post the file, I'll check with my install later this morning.

First thing that springs to mind is your lighting might be very different. (Not in front of computer so can't test for myself)

Right click on the rendered viewport, copy and then paste (or better still) in your favourite image editing app create a new file from clipboard......

Very nice effect. Not quite what I'm after because the light doesnt project through the glass but I will use it for something someday soon I have no doubt. Thanks for sharing.

Sadly I don't know photoshop at all well and that might be a software package too far for me. Vectorworks already provides too much of a distraction on its own!! It would be great if the caustics could be improved a bit so that single light source renders like this one could be less grainy. I got some pretty neat effects while I was investigating this though.

Tripling the sources gives this result which is a big improvement. This is exciting for me as I am always needing to replicate this kind of effect. Could I put in a wish list request for a more robust Caustics light object that will create smooth images? A google search brought up a few forums for other 3d render software packages where this issue was discussed without any satisfactory solutions (that I could understand!) Thanks

What I would like to achieve is the soft light that comes through frosted glass. This is an example of what I have managed to achieve so far, but the graininess is not good. But the lighting effect is just what I am aiming for! Thanks Soft_Light_effect.vwx

What layer scale are you drawing in? This can make a big difference.

Thanks for this post Jim. It's useful to understand the effect of colour on the light objects themselves and I'll definitely experiment further. As a theatre lighting designer, I often like to render single sources to explain the effect of light on a piece of scenery, actor or set and also to show directors what might be possible. For that reason I often run in to the splotchiness problem. Would a good idea be to enclose the set or stage if you will in a kind of bounce surface and then use a camera to "see in" or is there an HDRI background that might be useful. (I've often wondered what the Spotlight Curvy Dome background is meant to be for.

Thanks Kevin and Grant. I'm pretty pleased with the results so far. I like the soft light through the glass. I'm going to add another layer with a glow texture and see where that takes me as well. Here is the file and an image. If anybody would like to make some improvements or suggestions then please feel free! For instance, I would love to know how to get rid of those tile shaped artefacts in the shadows and also if there was a way to get rid of the graininess. frosted_glass.vwx

I am working on a set that is almost entirely made of heavily frosted Plexiglass or Perspex. I am OK with making a texture for the glass itself but can see no way of stopping the light passing through the glass in the way it would if it was clear. Is there any good work around/technique/trick for creating the effect of the light hitting the perspex and seeing the "shadowless" light that passes through the glass? Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks

I would strongly recommend a line light or a glow texture. Either a solid colour or one a bit like the one I have uploaded if you want to try and get the effect of the individual chips along a tape. I really wouldn't bother using what could be hundreds of separate lights unless you have an awful lot of time on your hands waiting for it to render. The model on the left has a texture applied to an extruded rectangle the same shape as a piece of LED tape, the one on the right uses a line light. PS. If anybody out there could give me a bit of guidance on how to fix the "splotchyness" then I would be really grateful! LED.vwx

Thanks! It would be good to know what causes it.

Here is the file plus a crash report. If you select the symbol "crate" and then toggle between the working plane and the layer plane in the object info palette it crashes after a couple of presses. seems only do it in Top/Plan though Test.vwx Crash report.txt

You could try deleting items to see if there is a particular abject that is causing this. Are any items grouped? Sometimes groups display this lind of behaviour (for me anyway!)

Looks good here. Opened it in 2017 and the wall wraps around your symbol perfectly.

I had this happen a while back. I think I solved it by importing the image as a png file having already removed the background in photoshop. You can then use the Alpha channel for when you create your image prop.

Sorry, I meant brightness in the colour shader....

The white walls idea is a really good one. Set the texture to 75% reflection. I think it gives slightly more realistic results.

Aren't you opening a Pandora"s Box here?! It depends on what you consider to be white.... It is all relative from there. You could take a look at this page from LEE filters which gives filter values when converting from various sources to 3200K Tungsten. You can of course set the native white point of the model in the lighting options and then use the light objects' emitter set to Candelas to show the relative colour temperature.

When I toggle working planes in the object information palette with regard to Hybrid symbols and plugin devices I get an instant crash. This happens on both of my installations of VW 2017 SP3. This seems to happen in a Top/Plan view. Is this a known issue? What's the solution? Many thanks Mark