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Realistic lights


ChrisB

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I am new to Rendering in VW but i know how to turn on lights and use the visualization light tool. What i don't know how to do is make the lighting fixture front actually have a color to it versus just the black look of the symbol. I can see the beam with fog i see the light on the ground just not hte glow on the instrument. I hope i explained that ok.

Thanks,

Chris

windows vistas ultimate 32bit. quad core2.6 8 gb

VW 2010

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It doesn't really work that way.

There are a couple problems:

1. The light from the instrument actually comes from the center of the body of the instrument and vectors towards the focus point. It doesn't really care which way the instrument is orientated. So you often get light coming out of the bottom shutter.

2. While the instruments understand Rosco, Lee, and Gam color numbers and will attempt to color the light an appropriate color, those colors can't be accessed in the color library. (That would be a good wish list item...)

Your best bet may be to photoshop the image.

But if you want to stay in VW, there is a work around. But in this case it is a long way around.

1. Create reasonably accurate symbols for gel frames.

2. Create symbols that contain the gel frame symbol and a disc that has a custom texture that has a close approximation to the gel color and a constant reflectivity.

3. Insert them as accessories to the instrument.

Still not great. It requires creating a new symbol for each gel color and each size of gel frame. But it might do in a pinch.

hth

michaelk

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Chris

I haven't had time to look too closely at it, but I suspect that there is a bug in the Accessory Insertion tool in 2010.

I'm able to insert accessories that I created in earlier versions, but not accessories that I created in 2010. They don't associate w/ their instruments.

Of course, it is more than possible that I've just become suddenly dumber, and I'm doing it wrong.

I've found it's usually more productive to investigate the latter first.

I'll post something if I figure it out. Or if the procedure has for creating accessories has changed, maybe Kevin will enlighten us.

michaelk

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

Accessory insertion works fine for me.

Remember it's 2 clicks (or 3 clicks if you are using click-click rather than click drag)

Make sure you are using 2010 SP2. There is a bug in 2010 where accessories do atatch to instruments but may not move with the instrument.

Also make sure you have the light info record filled out corectly so the tool knows that it's an accessory.

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Kevin

I think I see what is happening. While there is ample and mounting evidence that I have become suddenly dumber, I also think that there are two issues w/ accessories in 2010. One only affects user generated accessories, and one affects all accessories.

In 2009 this was possible:

1. Create hybrid symbol

2. Make symbol active in RB

3. Select Accessory Insertion Tool

4. Insert Accessory

....1st click to place

....2nd click to rotate

....[Curser changes to a target] 3rd click to associate with an instrument.

In 2010 this is what happens:

1. Create hybrid symbol

2. Make symbol active in RB

3. Select Accessory Insertion Tool

4. Insert Accessory

....1st click to place

....2nd click to rotate

....[Curser does NOT change to a target]

symbol is now inserted as a hybrid symbol - not as an accessory.

The solution seems to be this:

1. Create hybrid symbol

2. Select an instance of the hybrid symbol in drawing.

3. Modify>Convert>Convert to Accessory

4. Double click symbol in RB

5. Accessory Insertion tool should now be active.

6. Insert Accessory

....1st click to place

....2nd click to rotate

....[Curser does NOT change to a target - but cue on top of window asks for a 3rd click on an instrument] 3rd click to associate with an instrument

Issue 1: I think the confusion is that while step 3, converting an instance of the symbol, was normal prior to 2010, it was not required. Just using the Accessory Insertion Tool was enough.

Issue 2: And the use of the standard symbol insertion small cross curser instead of the "target" cursor for the 3rd click makes it look like you are about to insert another symbol...

So if there is any bug at all, it is the dropping of the "target" cursor (unless that was intentional) for the 3rd click.

That explains why I've been able to merrily go along inserting accessories created in earlier versions - they'd already been "converted" - but in this case, trying to do a quick one off accessory, it kept inserting as a regular hybrid symbol.

whew

michaelk

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  • Vectorworks, Inc Employee

2010 works just the same without the cursor change.

You don't need to convert it to an accessory.

Rather than a cursor change the lighting device will be highlighted in red so that you know you are picking the correct object in the third step.

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Thanks again Kevin

I did a system update and restarted my computer, and it now works correctly.

However, I'm positive that I saw this behavior before the system update and restart.

In 2010 with a brand new symbol active and the Accessory Insertion Tool selected:

....After the first click the Accessory Insertion Tool deactivates and the regular 2D Symbol Insertion Tool became active.

....After the second click the symbol was inserted as a regular hybrid symbol. No message at the top of the window about associating w/ an instrument.

....The 3rd click started another insertion with the regular 2D Symbol Insertion tool.

Since running the system update and restarting the computer it works correctly:

....After the first click the Accessory Insertion Tool deactivates and the regular 2D Symbol Insertion Tool became active.

....After the second click the message appears at the top to pick an instrument to associate with. (2D Symbol Insertion Tool still active)

....After the 3rd click the accessory is successfully inserted and the Accessory Insertion Tool becomes active again.

I'd pass this off as just another of my many mental slips out of gear and into neutral, but I was very careful testing it, I did it several times, and ChrisB was having the same problem.

In any case, I can't make it happen any more. And I got an email from Tim at NNA saying they will try to restore the target cursor for the 3rd click.

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