Meshes (from DWG)

[zoomer]

How to deal with DWG Meshes ?

Is there any way to convert them into anything useful ?

Like Parasolid Solids ?

I mean the don't get the nice red clip caps and are difficult

to select as a whole and to edit.

Edited October 2, 2014 by zoomer

[zoomer]

I see that I can do a Solid Addition and then convert that to a Generic Solid

Would like to convert Meshes directly to Generic Solids.

Edit :

Oh, I think I expected to much from Generic Solids,

can't f.e. asign a Material to one Face.

Beside that they are great for the 3D Modify Tools.

OK,

I see that I can do everything with a Mesh that I can do with

a Generic Solid plus assign materials in Subobject Mode.

(Had experienced strange things in 2014 so I didn't think

that would be possible)

[zoomer]

I recapitulate :

Meshes are fine.

1. Wish :

It would be nice if Meshes could get the beautiful red Clip Caps

when using Clip Cube like other Solids.

2. Wish :

Would be fine if I could convert Meshes directly into Generic Solids

though.

Generic Solids are fine too in most cases too but they don't export

well as DXF. They lose solidity and fall into single non welded faces.

3. Wish :

It would be very helpful if GS would be exported in welded Faces

like Meshes.

If needed to be edited on face level, each can be easily converted

back to meshes.

Edit :

4. Wish

It would be very helpful if I could select more than one GS and to

Convert them into Meshes - not just into one Mesh.

Edited October 2, 2014 by zoomer

[zoomer]

I see I'm probably in the wrong Forum,

should be better in DXF/DWG or Solids Modelling :blush:

Meshes from VW export really well in DXF and come nice into Modo.

I am really happy with that.

But beside Generic Solids and their Faces not welded,

the biggest Export Problems I have with all Architectural Objects.

Windows and Floors missing Polygons,

Stairs have miss aligned Polygons.

[zoomer]

As you can see,

WALLS :

are fine now in 2015

STAIRS :

have all Faces but many of them miss aligned

DOORS

have all Faces but many of them miss aligned

[zoomer]

WINDOWS :

Faces are missing.

(Front and Back sides)

As long as you do not set export to triangulate.

(the Missing faces have 4 edges but 5 Vertex Points

therefor they come in as 8 2-point Polygons)

SLABS :

There are most Faces missing.

Faces that are there are missaligned.

[zoomer]

This is what it does in Rendering.

If have a normal version with a 1-sided material

and a second version with a2-sided material

A 2-sided material will help to show miss aligned

Faces but it makes it a) much harder to select these

Faces and b) leads to problems in OpenGL and

errors in GI calculations.

A 2-sided material will not help in case of missing

faces though.

If I reimport the DXF to VW which works fine in 2015

(but needs hours in 2014)

Even in VW you will miss the corrupt/missing faces.

(WINDOWS and FLOORS)

Miss aligned Faces won't attract much attention in VW

as it Volume Modelers don't care for Faces Orientation.

Even Cinema as a Polygon Modeler does show them but

I have seen problems in GI though.

But any other Polygon Modeler like Modo or 3DSMax etc.

do care about face orientation.

[PVA - Admin]

To clarify a few things:

Where are these DWGs coming from? You're exporting to DWG with meshes from Vectorworks or you are importing DWGs with meshes in them into Vectorworks?

Are you using DXF or DWG format, or both? It seems to alternate in the descriptions.

[zoomer]

Sorry Jim,

these were to pairs of shoes

Part I of this thread is about an very old DWG file I found on my disk.

It's Le Corbusier's Villa Savoie I imported as a test.

Don't really remeber where it is from, I think this could have been

done in Microstation Architekt many years ago.

This is about Meshes from DWG which is fine now for me

except the wishes I listed.

In Part II I re-checked if there are any 2015 imperovements

of how Architectural Elements can be brought into Modo for

Visualization. (The one whith the images)

It's a completely different File.

This was done completely in VW 2014 doing some BIM modeling.

Walls are fine now in 2015,

Each Component Class on its own Layer, Faces aligned.

Just there are some problems with Faces in the other Plugins

as shown by the images.

Edited October 3, 2014 by zoomer

[PVA - Admin]

Gotcha, if you could please send those vwx files to tech@vectorworks.net I can test here and get the requests put in.

[zoomer]

Done.

The VWX is the whole building with 7 floors.

What you see on the screen shots is only the second floor

(1_OG-LEVEL ZEICHNUNG)

You can have my DXF too if you want (zipped 30+ MB)

[zoomer]

OK,

I see that I can do everything with a Mesh that I can do with

a Generic Solid plus assign materials in Subobject Mode.

(Had experienced strange things in 2014 so I didn't think

that would be possible)

I can't !

I have to convert to a group first - strange.

[zoomer]

Any news on the export DXF Competition ?

I am wondering that by the new FBX export, (2014 didn't work)

there aren't any faces missing in Windows or flipped !

Is it just an export issue with DXF, not a geometry issue ?

Just for the stairs only.

and I can't really explain myself why the faces are oriented in a

random manner for a single part.

(The stair body had just different orientation for the side faces

vs the rest in DXF)

[PVA - Admin]

None so far, I was not able to determine the source of the problem myself and I haven't heard back yet.

[zoomer]

Ok, thanks.

[zoomer]

Seems like it starts with the Extrude or Loft System itself.

I think there should be flipped one of the Ground Faces,

Start or End Cap.

At least for me in DXF there was always one of the horizontal

Faces flipped vs the Side Faces and other Ground Face.