Lit Fog

[Ed Neuhaus]

Hi, I just updated to VW2009 designer and I am having issues with rendering lighting in renderworks. In version12.5 there was a "lit fog" check box in the obj. info pallet for lighting instruments. I have noticed that when using a lighting instrument the "litfog" option is not available. While the draw beam as 3d solid is nice, how do I make it light up fog like it would in show conditions? I find it available for "lights" that come from the visualization tab, but not for lighting instruments. I have tried adding a renderworks background of fog as the vectorworks help suggests, but no luck. Anyone out there know what I am doing wrong? Any help would be great.

[klinzey]

All the lights used in the lighting devices are shown in the visualization pallette. You can set the properties there.

You can also select a lighting device and right clitk on it, select "edit light..." to access the properties of the light.

[cad@sggsa]

So NNA has made it more difficult and time consuming to use lights in 2009.

Now I do not know the visualization palette in '09, but am I correct in saying that 'If you have to edit the light in order to change the litfog option instead of selecting several lighting instuments and simlpy deselecting the checkbox it will take twice as long' ??

[klinzey]

You can select mutiple lights in the visulization pallette and change the attributes.

[cad@sggsa]

Ok Thanks.

[John Hoey]

All (...anyone that can help),

I'm having the same problem that Mr. Neuhaus was having. The beam of light from a lighting instrument doesn't appear to have the same "lit fog" effect that it used to. Is there anything that can be done to the lighting instrument symbols (ie., Source4's, Pars, etc,.) to make the light they emit visible, the same way the other lighting sources do from the Light Tool palette?

I've tried Mr. Linzey's solution. Unfortunately, going through the Visualization palette still doesn't give the "lit fog" option. I've also tried the suggested "fog background/weather effect" but with no luck.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

John Hoey

[michaelk]

The only way I've been able to do it is this:

Whenever you turn on lit fog on an instrument, VW creates a RW background called Background 1 (or something close to that)

That background lives on the Resource Browser. You can edit the fog effect there. (Greenstein fog???)

The problem is when you want more than one kind of fog effect in the same rendering. Then you have to start splitting lights off into different viewports and you can give each viewport its own RW background.

HTH

michaelk

[michaelk]

I just Googled "Greenstein fog".

David Greenstein is was named the CEO of London Fog (the raincoat people) in December 2004.

Is this evidence of NNA programers' humor?

I hope so.

[John Hoey]

michealk,

Thanks for the info. But I'm still at a loss as to how to get the "lit fog" option turned on for a lighting symbol (the Source4's, PARs and other assorted theatrical lighting symbols that come packaged with the program).

And let's hope the programmers have a sense of humor like that.

j

[michaelk]

John

Go to the Visualization Palette. All the available lights will be listed there. Right Click on one of the lights, choose Edit.

A Properties dialogue box will open up. Lit Fog is near the top.

HTH

michaelk

[John Hoey]

Michael,

I've been trying that. I'm on a Mac with system 10.4.something.

When I "right click" on the visualization palette (control-click on my Mac, or through a small buttoned window on the right side of the palette), I get the edit option. When selected, a Properties Dialogue window comes up. Unfortunately, just the "Draw Beam" or "Draw Beam as 3D Solid" options are there, but no "lit fog". This window is also all but identical to the the layout of the Object Info palette. And when the "Edit" button near the top is activated, VWs crashes. (It's actually kind of fun. I can crash VWs in three moves.) Could this possibly be a resource error that simply differs between the two platforms?

Am I missing something obvious?

I'm doing some wicked cool stuff, but I had to go back to 12.5 just get the lights to turn on.

j

[michaelk]

j

This is the properties dialogue box I get.

michaelk

[klinzey]

Right (control-click) on the lighting device in the drawing and select "Edit Light..." not "Edit" or "Properties"

[michaelk]

I think the confusion is that the dialogue box for both Edit Light and Properties are called Properties.

michaelk

[John Hoey]

Kevin and michaelk,

I dream of the day when I get the properties window like you do. I'm not sure why, but I don't get that layout with the lit fog and beam shaping diagram. I simply get a repeat of my Obj Info palette with only the braw beam option. From poking around, I believe it's either a problem with the lighting instrument symbol (ie., no light source embedded, which might explain why I don't get the "edit light" option), or something about the VW's access to the properties window.

My next option is dial a prayer.

Thanks,

John

[michaelk]

John

No need for divine intervention. Yet. Let's try it this way.

Do you see lit fog in this file?

btw, it helps if you create signature with your version and computer info.

michaelk

[John Hoey]

michaelk,

Thanks for the files. I was dealing with a composite file that came from so many sources that a lot of things were a little messed up. I was able to get the lit fog option to work. I ended up deleting all my symbols and replacing them in a document that tech support provided. Yours worked also. Somewhere along the way, mine got corrupted. But my big issue was getting my file out of that 12.5 version that doesn't let anyone else open the files (including me for about 3 days this week). I'm doing (at least what I think) is some pretty cool stuff, but now my rendering of "gobos" has gotten weird. I've been looking at so many versions of software that past week I'm a little bleary, but am I correct in that a lighting unit with a gobo in it (through the gobo resources), and the lit fog option on, should show the pattern of the gobo in the Fast Renderworks with Shadows version of the rendering? The gobo shows in the Final Rendering and the beam shows in Fast Renderworks (no shadows), but there's no light emitted in the Fast with Shadows. What have I screwed up now?

John

[michaelk]

John

It works with Final Quality. Not Fast or Fast w/ Shadows.

You can also use Custom Renderworks. I'm not positive about this, but I think the important settings are

Lighting: Use Shadows & Ray Traced Shadows

Rendering: Use Ray Tracing

I also have both options under Texturing turned on. Don't know if that matters.

HTH

michaelk

[LMalkin]

Hi all,

I have been reading you posts and decided to try it as i have had some problems in the past. I can get it to work in rough renderworks but rough with shadows or final only gives me half the lights. will be happy to send the file via usendit if anyone is interested in seeing it. any suggestions please let me know. I also figured out how to flip a truss vertically today in a very simple way. if interested let me know.

Leo

[michaelk]

Leo

What version of VW are you using?

By rough renderworks do you mean fast renderworks or sketch>rough?

Are you rendering on a design layer or in a viewport?

michaelk

[LMalkin]

2009

fast renderworks

design layer

mike would you like to see the file

[michaelk]

Sure.

You can post it here.

michaelk

[LMalkin]

it is a little large I and I would like to usendit to you my email is drlights@earthlink.net.

leo Malkin

[michaelk]

Leo

I got it to work. I think the trusses are blocking the lights. Not sure where you got the symbols, but they seem to have the light coming from the insertion point.

Which is exactly where the trusses are. (This used to be the way all symbols were done.)

You have a couple of options.

1. Move the instruments slightly away from the truss.

or

2. Apply a texture to the truss that doesn't cast shadows. The default instrument texture is a good example.

Then you can render with Final Quality Renderworks or Custom Renderworks to get both the light and fog.

HTH

michaelk

[LMalkin]

Hi mike thanks for taking a look. that is interesting and weird. The symbols are in the vectorworks 2009 library for varilite. Does anyone know if this is a common problem with the vl1000 symbol? as you probably notice all the have the light coming from the c clamp. is that supposed to be that way?

"(This used to be the way all symbols were done.)"

To all I would post it but its really large (40mb) if you would like to see just email me at drlights@earthlink.net and I will usendit on to you.

It seem Nemetshcek hasn't corrected the problem.

Leo