Cricket Lane Mat Modelling - Best approach

[Michael Siggers]

Hi

 

Another question on my long journey to mastering Vectorworks 🙂

 

Attached are a couple of images showing a Cricket Lane which, over the last 5 - 6 years I have been modelling in Sketchup. I am slowly replacing Sketchup with Vectorworks as my main Software and so far, so good.

 

So, hopefully a simple question. This 'Mat' is 9mm thick and as can be seen, the surface is divided up into different finishes, including such elements as the three Training Lines. It has to have a thickness as it is also shown in sections along with the various supporting substrates.

 

In Sketchup, the entire Mat is one object/solid with the top surface divided and then different textures added. The $64000 question is, what would be the best way of modelling this in Vectorworks? I can create a divided Flat surface with no thickness, but what would be the best way of creating this solid, with various textures on the top? As well as being used in the drawings, the model is then exported to Lumion for Visuals, so it is shown in 3D views as well as Plans. I did think of using a Hybrid 2D/3D Symbol, but then the 2D Texture would not show in 3D. Or, I thought I could model each bit as a separate solid and then group them, but that seems rather tedious.

 

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

Kind regards

 

Mike

Edited May 2, 2023 by Michael Siggers

[Tom W.]

If I understand you correctly you want a single 9mm thick solid with the top surface divided into different textures (so that when viewed in section it looks like a single object). I would do this using NURBS surfaces set 0.1mm above the surface of the solid. So create a solid + give that a grass texture (or the top surface a grass texture). then create NURBS surfaces for the other areas, raise them slightly + texture them accordingly. All the objects could be used to create a single hybrid symbol with whatever Top/Plan representation you want to give it.

 

If the scale is such that the NURBS surfaces are visible in section you could put them in a separate class + turn them off. Or create a dedicated cut plane 2D component.

 

Or you could probably assemble the mat with the different textures, take a screenshot of it + create a single texture from it + apply that to the top surface of the 3D solid + forego the NURBS surfaces.

 

[Pat Stanford]

If you don't need it to show in Shaded renders (only Renderworks), you could use a Decal to put a different text onto the overall object.

[Michael Siggers]

Thank you @Tom W. and @Pat Stanford

 

I think I have done a sort of variation on the Nurbs proposal.

 

I created a 9mm thick solid, then added 2D Polygons on top, with no gap, assigned to Classes with Image Fills. Created a Symbol, but I suppose technically it has no 2D element.

 

I've attached the file and would appreciate your comments. This seems to work though as the finish shows up in both Plan and 3D Views. Although the file size seems quite large for a simple carpet, but I guess that is down to the image fills. These were ones chosen from Vectorworks, so I suppose I could find some image fills which are not so large file size wise.

 

Mike

2012403163_Practice9-ECBCarpet.vwx

[Jeff Prince]

2 hours ago, Michael Siggers said:

The $64000 question is, what would be the best way of modelling this in Vectorworks?

what is a cricket lane?  This looks like a portion of the pitch for the field sport cricket.  Is this the case?  If so, use hardscape objects.  I’m going with that assumption….

 

2 hours ago, Michael Siggers said:

This 'Mat' is 9mm thick and as can be seen, the surface is divided up into different finishes, including such elements as the three Training Lines. It has to have a thickness as it is also shown in sections along with the various supporting substrates.

2 hours ago, Michael Siggers said:

As well as being used in the drawings, the model is then exported to Lumion for Visuals, so it is shown in 3D views as well as Plans

 

Yeah, use hardscape objects and do some virtual construction.  All the dirt looking stuff (presumably infield mix) is one hardscape style, including substrate.  All the green stuff is a different hardscape style (presumably turf) with its unique substrate.  The lines are then floated on top of the “dirt” with a simple surface made from 2d curves converted to NURBS surface(s) or simple extrudes and make them auto hybrids to display in 2d correctly.  That’s how I do parking lot and athletic field striping.  It looks good on plans and renderings.

 

the rendering below uses this technique for the white stripes.  They are floated 1/2” above the paving for this distance, less if the camera was closer and model smaller in context.

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by jeff prince

[Elite Exhibits]

Michael Siggers

 

My take

 

You need bitmap files of the brown & green in your design (Grass n Soil) (I used a quick n dirty screen shot of your attached render...)

Create a 2D Lane - all out of simple 2D rectangles

Green Outside Strips, Brown inside strips - 2.4Mx25M overall in the attached

Add the three central light stripes, also as rectangles - (You can add the cross lines as you are aware of where they reside ...)

I like to color the rectangles to match (as close as possible) the Image color to be used. Helps to identify.

 

In the Resource Manager, Import the Green and Brown bitmap files noted above as Images.

Select the desired rectangle and apply the Image from the Attributes Palette 

Bigger basic bitmap file = less evident the tiling will be.

 

For the three center stripes, I simply selected a color that looked apropos.

 

Select all and Group.

In the Object Info Palette, make sure that this group is at  (Zero - Zero) (...avoid VW container edit aggravation later on.)

In Top/Plan view You should now have a full color 2D Lane.

 

Select a section and take a screen shot. This will be the texture for the 3D portion. (Longer is better)

       You may need to edit this in a pixel editor.

 

On top of this 2D Lane draw a new 2D rectangle.

In the attached example, I created a 2D rectangle directly on top of the above 2D Lane 

One could also double click the rectangle tool, enter dimensions (2.4Mx25M) and position at (Zero - Zero) 

Extrude this rectangle, and set the value to 9mm (The desired lane thickness)

 

In the attached example, there is a duplicate (2.4Mx25M) extrude.

One is simply colored green in the Attributes Palette, the other is textured.

Green Extrude is 9mm thick, and the Lane Texture is applied to an Extrude that is zero mm thick

The Z of the Green Extrude is -10mm 

In the current Version of VW/RW (2023) you should be able to apply the forth coming texture to only the top surface.

     So far I find this feature perfect in the training videos, and awkward in reality. 

 

In the Resource Manager, create a texture with the screen shot taken from the 2D Lane in Top/Plan view

Set the Texture Dimension to match the lane width (2.4M) Select the desired extrude and apply the Texture from the Resource Manager.

 

Render to test check orientation. Adjust rotation in the Object Info Palette - Render Tab. (¿ Should be Zero or 90° ?)

 

If it is hard to select the specific Extrude to texture, from the 2D Lane , Group the Extrude and Edit Group, this will isolate the object.

Even more so if the Show Others Option is unchecked in the Display Tab of the Vectorworks Preferences.

 

In the Top/Plan View, select all the items. Create a Symbol from this combination of 2D and 3D (Modify Menu)

Should be a Hybrid Symbol that looks finished in the Top/Plan and also in a Rendered State

 

See Attached

 

Peter

Cricket.vwx

[Elite Exhibits]

Michael

 

Good job ! - In your VWX file attached above, it utilizes one of the interesting, yet confusing items in VW/RW

      2D objects that are 3D objects. 

                A  "2D"  Layer Plane  object (3D Plane Object) is able to be positioned in 3D space and have an Image applied to it.

Like wise, the bitmap itself, is able to be imported and positioned into 3D space.

Both will retain their look without Rendering.

 

Peter

[Michael Siggers]

Hi @jeff prince

 

This is actually one piece of Carpet 3.65m wide with the different finishes woven into it, so the edge banding, central banding, and lines are all woven into one piece of 'carpet'. Kind of like a high end Astroturf. The length can vary but is typically above 30m. As well as longitudinal three lines, there are also lines to mark the Cricket Creases, where the stumps are located. I have attached an example.

 

The high end facilities can have 10 lanes all next to each other, some with training lines and others not, all covered by a steel canopy with lighting.

 

Also, tested my previous attempt and it did not work in Lumion.

 

I may try importing one from Sketchup and seeing how that works.

 

Mike

 

 

[Michael Siggers]

Hi @Elite Exhibits

 

This works a treat, thank you so much.

 

So, it seams, assemble the layout in 2D, with the textures in the correct places and the white lines. Have to admit, I did not think you could group the 2D objects.

 

Then, create the 3D version. I have experimented and had no problem applying your image to the top face of the 3D element.

 

Once again, thank you so much for this. I'll start going through the various Carpet versions and create a library for use, working through your instructions.

 

Kind regards

 

Mike

[bcd]

The most straightforward way is to model it in Vectroworks as and extrude and assign textures to it in Lumion.

 

Draw a crosssection of maybe rectangles with different colors representing the different materials & sizes.

Extrude t to length

The colors will be preserved

LiveSync it to Lumion

Map the grass/sand etc to the colors.

 

You can even resize to suit it in Lumion by scaling along one axis only.

Edited May 2, 2023 by bcd

[Michael Siggers]

And @Elite Exhibits

 

It works perfectly in Lumion 🙂

 

Mike

[Jeff Prince]

@Michael Siggers glad you found a solution that works for you.

 

Here's how a hardscape behaves using a Material to represent the "mat" and lines.

 

Works in Vectorworks as hardscape Shaded or Renderworks

 

Works in Twinmotion, presumably would work in Lumion.

 

 

I think I would use the hardscape method if I was generating plans as it brings the workflow into alignment with other Vectorworks processes for sections and such.

If I was just rendering it, a decal applied to a simple rectangle would be quickest.

 

[Michael Siggers]

Hi @jeff prince

 

Definitely something I will explore as, like you say, this can also be used for the substrate.

 

MIke

[Michael Siggers]

Hi @jeff prince

 

Would be interested to know;

 

1. How the Carpet texture can be mapped on the top to be the correct width, and
2. How this appears in Top/Plan view.

Mike

[Jeff Prince]

On 5/2/2023 at 9:48 AM, Michael Siggers said:

Hi @jeff prince

 

Would be interested to know;

 

1. How the Carpet texture can be mapped on the top to be the correct width, and
2. How this appears in Top/Plan view.

Mike

 

1. you draw the layout of the texture to the correct size and set the texture size accordingly

2. It will appear how you decide to set it up.  If you use a Material in the hardscape components, you can set the 3D view to display the texture and the 2D view to display whatever you want (hatch, image, fill, etc).  If clickable vectors are desired, you can add polygons or lines to the surface and then add it all to a symbol if it will be repeated across a project, grouped otherwise.