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3D Plants! Options for the confused architect.


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Trying to get my head around what options I have as far as 3D plants go, as a VW2016 Architect+Renderworks user (with VSS subscription).

This seems to follow the traditional VW maximal confusion model. But so far I think I can summarise the options as follows:

1. The "VBvisual Plant" tool gives me access to a few "VBvisual Plant" objects. I can add a few more of these by downloading the selection offered on the VSS downloads page.

- I can't edit these other than by the options in the OIP (can choose season, height etc, options vary slightly by plant)

- These are parametric objects, they don't live in the resource browser

- They are 3D objects, not image props.

- In top/plan view they are rendered as colour bitmap images (no option to control this?)

2. Via Resource browser: Vectorworks Library/Defaults/Plants/"Basic Plants"

- contains "Plant" objects

- they seem to be a special variety of image prop?

- provides me with an image prop in 3D

- provides me with a coloured symbol-type vector object in top/plan.

- I can't edit these or control their top/plan appearance?

- There are various options in the OIP but they are greyed out. Is this because I don't have Landmark?

3. Via Resource browser: Vectorworks Library/Defaults/Plants/"Monrovia Plant objects" (downloaded from VSS)

- more "plant" objects that have same properties as 2. above

4. Via Resource browser: Vectorworks Library/Defaults/Plants/"Monrovia Image Props" (downloaded from VSS)

- These are 3D symbols, the 3D component of which contains an image prop.

- I can scale and edit the image prop.

- In top/plan view, rendered as black line cross like a locus point.

5. Via Resource browser: Vectorworks Library/Objects-Miscellaneous & Entourage/Entourage Trees

- Provides set of 2D/3D symbols

- 3D component is semi-diagramatic 3D model of tree

- 2D component is vector type plan symbol

- Both components editable

6. Via Resource browser: Vectorworks Library/Objects-Miscellaneous & Entourage/Entourage Image props

- set of image props which includes a few trees/shrubs

- editable

So in summary I can choose between:

- "VBvisual Plant" objects - 3d models

- "Plant" objects - special type of image prop (with some features disabled)

- "Image prop" objects

- Regular 3D symbols which can contain either image props or 3D models

Have I got this about right?

Have I missed any useful plant libraries that are supplied with VW, or does anyone have any recommendations for external ones?

Edited by line-weight
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I like the VB Visual plants as they are 3D but file size and render time wise quite

acceptable and I think they look ok. (Bought the complete package once for C4D)

These aren't so many types - thought I get all of them by Service Select (?),

not sure.

I have XFROG plants for Modo or Laubwerk Plants for C4D.

But would not want those Polygon explosions in VW. I use these normally with

replicators or similar only, means they will first and only appear in full complexity

at render time. Also these are kind of "real" so not very transparent and often tend

to hide your Architecture.

I see often beautiful VW renderings with image probs. I think that is the way to go

for VW. Looks like the Architect versions hasn't much of these and not the best

quality. I think it is thought to create these by the user himself.

But would welcome a nice Set of these.

Problem is that VW saves the image in the VW file, so these, like VB Visuals will bloat

file size. But they render reasonably fast of course.

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  • 1 year later...
On 8/24/2016 at 2:37 PM, line-weight said:

 

1. The "VBvisual Plant" tool gives me access to a few "VBvisual Plant" objects. I can add a few more of these by downloading the selection offered on the VSS downloads page.

- I can't edit these other than by the options in the OIP (can choose season, height etc, options vary slightly by plant)

- These are parametric objects, they don't live in the resource browser

- They are 3D objects, not image props.

- In top/plan view they are rendered as colour bitmap images (no option to control this?)

 

I have found the underlying symbols for these in the Resource Browser and created hybrid symbols from them, though this does mean forgoing the OIP controls for season, etc..  And of course once they're hybrid symbols, the top/plan bitmaps can be replaced with simple vectorial graphics, etc.  So, I've made bigger trees, trees with two trunks, etc., all without the bitmap image.  (Both the geometry and the textures for the original symbols should be in the RB / in the Resource Manager symbols are in a Folder called "VBvisual Plant," and the textures are at the top level).  I also just found that you can just "destroy" (Apple+K or "Convert to Group") a plant and get to its hybrid symbol that way. 

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11 hours ago, willofmaine said:

 

I have found the underlying symbols for these in the Resource Browser and created hybrid symbols from them, though this does mean forgoing the OIP controls for season, etc..  And of course once they're hybrid symbols, the top/plan bitmaps can be replaced with simple vectorial graphics, etc.  So, I've made bigger trees, trees with two trunks, etc., all without the bitmap image.  (Both the geometry and the textures for the original symbols should be in the RB / in the Resource Manager symbols are in a Folder called "VBvisual Plant," and the textures are at the top level).  I also just found that you can just "destroy" (Apple+K or "Convert to Group") a plant and get to its hybrid symbol that way. 

 

Thanks for this - all useful to know.

 

Since I started this thread, I've become a bit nervous about using plant objects, because I had a file where they kept disappearing without warning. A search suggests that this is an issue that others have experienced, sporadically, over a number of VW releases.

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Guest Wes Gardner

Hi All,

To keep file size manageable, I'd use the VB plants as "specimen" trees (those up front and close in your renderings) and then use image props further back and then finally, maybe a background image with trees in it.

You may have to switch out which tree(s) are the specimens and which are the "entourage" depending on the view you want of the architecture.

The cover sheet of the Gallery has all three...the trees up front are VB, the ones further back are image props and the big one and the sky is a background image.

And of course, you can use line work in your elevations so that it/they don't obscure the architecture.

 

Wes

 

 

Gallery_196_CS.png

 

 

Hillside House Elev.png

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  • 4 months later...
  • 4 years later...

Revisiting this in 2023. Looks like the options are now:

 

1. Laubwerk plants, using the tool in the "site planning" set.

These seem sort of similar to the VBvisual plants which seem no longer to exist.

3d parametric objects where you can choose season, height etc

There are 5 plant types included with VW Architect. If I want more, I have to buy them, at €149 per 10 plants.

215599325_Screenshot2023-02-17at10_08_43.jpg.7b049b51ad02822ac81ae7e27d704825.jpg

 

 

 

 

2. In the resource manager, Premium Libraries>Plants>3D models>Proven winners

3d symbols each contained in a downloadable VW file

23 plant varieties. Can I purchase more? If so it's not clear where.

985839219_Screenshot2023-02-17at10_09_33.jpg.4d523ac8a075740720eff9de6b5e7e31.jpg

 

 

 

 

3. In the resource manager, Vectorworks Libraries>Plants>

Various image prop plants in here.

1897886398_Screenshot2023-02-17at10_13_06.jpg.41c7f6ffc3309250f4965d329ebe5b0d.jpg

 

 

 

 

4. In the resource manager, Vectorworks Libraries>Visualisation>Plants>Entourage Trees

These are fairly blocky 3D models of various tree types.

1924105065_Screenshot2023-02-17at10_08_59.jpg.c9af1b511ef97c5ba8da25c6311a2599.jpg

 

 

 

5. Rendermall plants (previously VBvisual?) using the tool in the visualisation toolset.

- 3d parametric objects where you can adjust height, etc.

1419992981_Screenshot2023-02-17at10_43_04.jpg.b334fe06bce3351ef12cfe82d82de6a5.jpg

 

 

 

Does that about cover it or have I missed anything?

Edited by line-weight
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1 hour ago, line-weight said:

2. In the resource manager, Premium Libraries>Plants>3D models>Proven winners

3d symbols each contained in a downloadable VW file

23 plant varieties. Can I purchase more? If so it's not clear where.

 

These are very nice I wasn't aware they were there thanks for pointing them out. It seems they were added last month...? It would be nice if when the libraries are updated we were given a bit more info as to what exactly is being added. I think new content is referenced in blog posts but I don't remember seeing anything regarding these plants? I would prefer it if as part of the update process we were presented there + then with a list of the files which have been added/updated so we can easily go there to examine the content. Perhaps I'm missing something.

 

Anyway I agree, be good to know the source of these models + whether more are available.

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12 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

 

These are very nice I wasn't aware they were there thanks for pointing them out. It seems they were added last month...? It would be nice if when the libraries are updated we were given a bit more info as to what exactly is being added. I think new content is referenced in blog posts but I don't remember seeing anything regarding these plants? I would prefer it if as part of the update process we were presented there + then with a list of the files which have been added/updated so we can easily go there to examine the content. Perhaps I'm missing something.

 

Anyway I agree, be good to know the source of these models + whether more are available.

 

Agreed.

 

It's also a bit unclear how you get additional Laubwerk plants. I get sent to the Laubwerk website, where various kits are listed, but none of them actually say they'll work with Vectorworks. I tried downloading the "freebies" pack. I was given a download that installed something onto my machine (exactly what and where I don't know) and after a restart of vectorworks, an additional plant does seem to have appeared within the selector for the Laubwerk plant tool... so I guess it works!

 

There are a few things about the Laubwerk plants that are quite handy for me ... for example you can set them to have no colour so you get a realistic-ish but white model, which I can try using in the white-card models I often use. I'll give them a trial run and if they are good enough maybe I'd be persuaded to buy one of the non-free packs.

 

That would come with a bit of a nervousness that they would unexpectedly stop working in some future version of VW though.

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I have looked at the Laubwerk plants a couple of times + wasn't overly impressed. I don't think they look that great (some worse than others) plus they take longer to load/update than the RenderMall ones do. That might be because the content has to be downloaded every time + I have slow broadband...?

 

What are all the polygons showing here for example?:

 

108837875_Screenshot2023-02-17at12_42_41.thumb.png.6e6bf3e9221c8a70592789e4e7506375.png

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24 minutes ago, Tom W. said:

Very nice! Yes I can see that's a massive bonus to be able to show the plants in white like that for the type of renderings you do.

 

I'm intrigued by the roof construction! Is the flat part a kind of cantilevered structural valley gutter...?

Yeah!

Forced on us by planning constraints, but an excuse to do an unusual roof!

 

I've realised it's actually not too much work to do a bit of manual surgery on the Rendermall or "proven winners" plants to replace the image in the "colour" shader leaving the transparency one alone, which gives me the result I'm after.

 

(prepare for some questions about complicated texture substitutions in the data vis thread)

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3 hours ago, line-weight said:

I get sent to the Laubwerk website, where various kits are listed, but none of them actually say they'll work with Vectorworks. I tried downloading the "freebies" pack. I was given a download that installed something onto my machine (exactly what and where I don't know) and after a restart of vectorworks, an additional plant does seem to have appeared within the selector for the Laubwerk plant tool... so I guess it works!

 

Yes, I think that is how it's meant to work.

I bought a few Kits from them for C4D. When you install, if applicable, you will get a list

of your installed related Software, where you can activate if Laubwerk Plugins need to be installed.

The Plant Data itself on Mac is somewhere hidden in global Library or such.

 

I think VW has the Plugin already in its won VW code.

 

And my other Plant Kits also auto add to VW's Laubwerk library.

Edited by zoomer
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9 hours ago, Tom W. said:

They were renamed RenderMall Plant in VW2022 do you not get this in Architect? (Visualisation Tool Set)

It looks like VBvisual and Rendermall.com are no longer available, so adding more plants is not possible.  Too bad.

 

Another source for trees is the BIMobject tool.  They claim to be 3D models, but show up as 2D when I insert them.  Maybe I'm missing something.

 

See also (which offers no real answer to the question): 

 

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29 minutes ago, E|FA said:

It looks like VBvisual and Rendermall.com are no longer available, so adding more plants is not possible.  Too bad.

 

Hmm you're right. Luckily for me I bought a load of VBVisual plants a couple of years ago... But I wonder what this means for the RenderMall Tool in VW?

 

30 minutes ago, E|FA said:

Another source for trees is the BIMobject tool.

 

I had a look but couldn't see any plants...? In fact downloading anything seems pretty hit + miss

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