panthony

Edward, As your modeling of a structure contains more and more 3 dimensional objects any sections you cut will reflect the detail of the model. The more complex your 3D model gets the information must be processed in cutting sections which can slow down the ability to quickly add items such as text, dimensions and misc. graphics in section viewports. So I tend to create the majority of my 3D modeling to get elevations to my level of expectation and when it comes to sections I turn off much of the solid modeling and concentrate on walls, floor slabs, ceiling and roof objects in order to get the important section cut profile I need. Adding notes, dimensions and graphics is much quicker when I need to show structure detail and components. I have also needed to show framing cut sections for floors and ceilings...which really slows down the screen refresh and is frustrating to deal with so I just grunt through it. After awhile you learn what work best for you and tend to stick with success through trial and error. I wish I could give you a trick that made it easier but sections are a time consuming part of the process with no cheap way out, however VW does give you some really nice tools to get things going in the right direction. Pa

I would like to know if there are any users who may have a source for CAD drawings for Asian bathroom plumbing fixtures. I have a project that I working on where I need to show Chinese squat toilets with cisterns, vanity wall hung sink and bathtub/shower units. I would like to be as accurate as possible so if you have anything I can use thanks ahead of time. PA

Just a note: I usually will isolate a single brick for any seamless image or texture. If you have brick images that vary widely in color I will assemble cropped individual bricks into the overall image spacing them appropriatly for the insertion of the mortar joints. This way I can get a good seamless texture (image). If there is alot of color variation with different bricks it lowers the seamless characteristics of the texture over large areas as you begin to pick up the pattern. In the case of varying colors or textures I will build a larger image to include a greater varity of colors and textures to limit patterning. Takes longer to build the texture but looks better on the model (2D or 3D).

Christiaan, You can use the EuroBuffBrick.jpg file as an image fill. Just create a new resource importing the jpg file into the images category. VW will convert it properly as an image fill and you can then use it on 2D shapes as a fill. Prints to greyscale in black and white or color with an appropriate printer. Ask them for mortar color images...the mortar I created was from scratch in corel...looks ok but not accurate to manufacturer specs. PA

Christiaan, Below are file attachements showing the brick you provided above. And yes the resolution could be higher but the results are ok with what you provided. Takes about an hour to make a decent texture. PA

Christiaan, I usually make my own brick textures by taking a high res picture of several brick (white or black backround) and make my own colored mortar than assemble the picts in photoshop or corel draw creating a seamless texture. Works good and looks realistic. I also make a bump map of the assembly to add depth for presentation. If you can get your hands on some good (no shadows) picts I can make up textures for you. PA

If you have veiwports set up pre-configured with Non-Plot class set as not visible it will not plot.

Don't forget to set the transparency.

More texture files

see attached files OSB,Treated lumber and Rough Sawn Cedar.

ADT/ACA compared to VW with the many different tools available to each system will not solve the issue posted in the original post. There are tools available in VW along with different processes provided to the user in order to build a model that not only looks good but tracks the material quantities to the individual components of a wall systems. The VW system controls components similar to real field conditions with adjusments made to that reflect just the components. Learing VW takes a mindset committed to VW which in my opiniion is superior to many other systems. PA

Thank You Shaun... I appreciate the work and effort that went into your festive 3d arrangement. If done in VW than cudos to you....job well done. I hope someday to be half as skilled to produce a gift that produces a smile and comforting note.

I use (5) directional lights. The main overhead light slightly skewed from center to front and right set at 60' above the model. The reaming (4) lights are set at 80' above the model and set on the corners about 60' distance from the model. These lights are put on seperate labeled classes where I can modify class on/off per viewport. All of my classes are ordered with a prefix number so I can group them according to the way I build the model. I also insert directional lights under all porches and large overhangs to provide a small amount of light adding depth to covered areas. Cast no shadows for these lights. Recently within the last year I have been using HDRI environment lighting to flood the model with ambient light (no shadows. I stick the model in a 3d open box with a white texture. The sides of the box are classed on and off to allow the viewport camera to see the model. I have also been experimenting with Dark Colored Lighting as shown below. Still learning.

David, I make my soldiers (mortar joints and brick seperate) in photoshop to scale then create a texture in VW. Works good and even better when you invert to B&W for bump map. Round tops...now there's the million dollar question. I model the individual bricks and mortar joints with pattern array (slick). The only way I have found to get the textures to map in the proper direction. The goal is to buid a model that does not look electronic. Pete

In the window settings dialog under the view tab check the glazing setting.

David, Nice job on the elevations. Glad to see another mechanic from North Carolina. One thing I noticed with your elevations is the the splotchy shadows on the rendered roof. If you tweek the Bump Cast setting in the roof texture you can get rid of the classic North Carolina black algae stain look. It's in the scale and detail settings...reduce the scale to 1/4 of what is set by default and increase the detail. Test the settings with a small roof. It will make your elevations look better coming off the greyscale plotter. Attached is a sample roof with adjusted Bump-Cast settings Pete A

Jonathan, Yes.... Hidden line VP on top of FQRW VP. In order to speed the VP gerneration I usually will make the Hidden Line VP first from a front view that I visually inspect on screen, place it to a pre-defined sheet then copy it, change the settings to FQRW and send it behind the HL. Make sure the HL VP has no fill attribute assigned to it. Foreground/background settings as well as line weight overrides will change the visual look of the HL on top. Pete A. Ashville...I was there a couple of weeks ago for the Southern Energy Expo...small world.

Jonathan, There are many places to manipulate line weights in VW. Class properties Layer Properties Attributes (object properties) Overrides (viewport advanced properties) There is one basic understanding though that you need to get is that there is a difference between what you see in 2D and 3D. This is defined at the wall style definition level when establishing base wall line properties under component attributes. This is kind of buried but one of VW's core set-ups that define what a structure is going to look like in view ports. Viewports show elevations in hidden line rendering of the 3D model...therefore the line weight setups are defined in the wall styles which govern the 3D presentation aspect. I would reccomend that you start a new project with just one simple wall and tweek the setups to see what you get with differing setups so you can get a good idea of what VW is attempting to provide you with. Print all of your test docs to pdf in order to save on paper though as getting through this to get to what you prefer may take some time. Pete A. P.S. there is a users group in Charlotte, NC that you may want to get aquainted with, and they have some powerhouse users that can give you a tremendous amount of tips and tricks. Look them up...I'm sure they would be very accomadating. There are a few of us NCr's who are only a few hours away so meeting once a month is really benificial for all.

Don, Doesn't final shaded polygon show curvature lines when rendered? I've used that option before because it gives you hidden lines and the curvature affect you are looking for. You can modify the viewport setting to display in black and white only for on screen image export or change the doc setting to black and white prior to export or print. Pete A

I model each component seperately in their own respective class within the roof layer so that I can cover the display of elevations and sections appropriately. This takes a little more time on the front end but saves time in marking up viewports. Viewports get a little clunky when there is alot of 3D objects to display so the less time I spend working with them the better. It's much easier to work on an "active only" class speeding up the front end draw time. Pete A

You must be attaching your texture incorrectly. Roof faces handle textures to the top surface only. Go back and make sure your setups are correct in the class the roof face is residing. Pete A

Mike, Is this for mac only. pc does not find the vso file in plug-ins. Pete A

Radius top window with no attributes showing only a blank opening. Than insert a symbol with the scooped out niche to the opening and set the "Z" height appropriatly.

Ray is correct in that the system needs to see the objects and 3D poly's which can only happen if you extrude to "0" or convert to 3D poly's. If text or dimensions are involved than they to will need to be converted to 3D objects. In any case 2D will only show on the "X/Y" plane and not the the "Z" plane if you require dimensional rotation. This is true when you rotate 3D objects and show 2D...the 2D will be visible in thier respective "X/Y" plane. Pete A

Under document preferences is the "Create dimemsions in dimension class" selected. This one got me...somehow I selected this and then spent hours trying to figure out why dimemsions never went to the active class. Pete A