Farookey Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Hi... Working on Vectorworks 2011, Architect with Renderworks... Whilst creating some custom plants for the office (standards), and toggling through the different 2D rendering options, more specifically the ability to add shadows to the plants, it hit me: This would be great if it can be applied to other objects. Especially 2D symbols. Attached are 2 object I created, the plant pot can easily be used as a plant definition, but I also tried it with a 2-seater sofa I had created before. The shadow on the seat is embedded in the symbol, but the shadow (bottom left) is generated using the plant prefs dialog to match the embedded shadow angle. Ideally, I would like to have a 'Place Symbol' dialog, where I can control the shadow angle and distance just as in the 'Place Plant' dialog, but also the ability to choose specific rotation angles within the dialog, that applies to the symbols on an individual level. And maybe this could be a place where records can be attached and kept for these symbols as well! What do you lot think? Quote Link to comment
bcd Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 I think it's very cool. What happens if you were to save your sofa and other symbols as plants? Will the shadows behave as expected? Quote Link to comment
Farookey Posted September 30, 2011 Author Share Posted September 30, 2011 Hi... Yes, and No... The sofa in my example, IS saved as a plant! The shadows can be placed at any of 8 places (the 4 corners or 4 sides). But the problem occurs when the sofa needs to be rotated. The only option available, is 'Random Rotation' in the Place Plant dialog. This is fine, and actually quite handy for plants, but a symbol such as a sofa that needs to be rotated a certain angle to another sofa in the drawing would not work the way we want it to. Yes, you can rotate it manually, but this would also rotate the shadow. Some may say this isn't major, but one can easily notice the different shadow angles. This is sometimes annoying when you try to create some nice crisp presentations etc. Quote Link to comment
Bryan G. Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Interesting, but on the lighter side could this get confusing in a landscape design? Is the genus couchus 'sofiesii' ? 1 Quote Link to comment
Dieter @ DWorks Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 (edited) I use a combination of 3D and 2D viewports to get a shadow on presentation plans. My floors, walls and furniture are in the 3D viewport and renders nicely when you set good lighting. Then overlay it with a 2D viewport, and you'll get nice results. You will need renderworks for this. I'll try to post an example of this next week at work. Edited October 1, 2011 by DWorks Quote Link to comment
Kaare Baekgaard Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I dont think I have this plant function with VW Architect...? A simple drop shadow for any 2D object - like you get with most 2D programs - would be nice. 1 Quote Link to comment
Farookey Posted October 3, 2011 Author Share Posted October 3, 2011 KB... you would need to go into your workspace > site planning, and add the 'Place Plant' tool. The problem would be getting the plant objects available from VW. I recall that they were somehow available back in VW2008 when I was at my current office last (unless my system had on VW Designer at the time), and luckily I found a file where I used the plant plug-ins in that version and imported them. They are a Landmark feature from what I know, but by getting just one 'plant' for Architect, you can duplicate and multiply them, and use them with the very handy 'Place Plant' tool (and have shadowed plants). They seem like symbols in the Resource Browser, but are actually read as 'Plant' (plug-ins), and that's why Architect cannot create them from scratch (as they are a product of Landmark). DW... Yes, 3D shadows using Renderworks, gives you better, accurate and easier control of the shadows, but not everyone has Renderworks, and that's why, some type of 2D drop shadows would be cool. Using symbols the way the 'Place Plant' tool is constructed (to an extent of course), could allow for this, for the symbols at the very least. I can explain what I have found is the way the plant symbol needs to be in order to cast the correct shadows. Quote Link to comment
Dieter @ DWorks Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 DW... Yes, 3D shadows using Renderworks, gives you better, accurate and easier control of the shadows, but not everyone has Renderworks, and that's why, some type of 2D drop shadows would be cool. Using symbols the way the 'Place Plant' tool is constructed (to an extent of course), could allow for this, for the symbols at the very least. I can explain what I have found is the way the plant symbol needs to be in order to cast the correct shadows. If you really want this, it can be scripted, but it will take some work. Quote Link to comment
Farookey Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 DW... ... Do I smell a volunteer?! Quote Link to comment
Dieter @ DWorks Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 DW... ... Do I smell a volunteer?! If there are enough people who want this and are willing to pay for the final product, I would consider it. It's not a thing you can make on an hour. If you want it to be done right, it will take some time. 1 Quote Link to comment
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