wwoody

I don't like having to add the normal map twice but I guess it's what I got to do. I'm making progress, I think i'll have to tweak the settings. The first image is a raw upload the second is me playing with settings.

I'll give it a go. We have a new texturing process that textures our timbers. I'm trying to integrate it into our models. This is what it looks like in real life and in Chief. 

Okay this may be an out of the realm of user help. When I export a .dae over to Lumion my texture files aren't taking the normal map file over. It thought it might combine it with the texture file but it's not. In Chief I'm getting the look I want but I when I get to Lumion I'm loosing the pattern. I've tried different file type exports with no luck. I can create a texture pattern without the normal map but I loose the depth/shadows on the surface. I have successfully created a normal map and I'm getting the look I want. I'm loosing my texture. Is it because it's a dae...do I need to export a different file type?

We do both log and tImberframe, equally.

I'm mainly concerned with going from Cadwork into Chief. Cadwork is basically 2 different softwares, interconnected mind you, but it's still a seperate 2d and 3d softwares. It's virtually 1 to 1 with our timber cutting machines. So I can't fault the 3d aspect of the models we create in it. It does exactly what it ws meant to do, the 2D side of it though is very limited in its ability. It's a basic cad software. There is only limited connectivity to the 3D aspect of the software. If somone for instance moves a door, I have to update both my model and my 2d plans.Then I have to re-export my model changes and update my plans. I'm using hatching patters and stretching dimesnion lines. Even though I'm modeling the projcet I'm only modeling the timbers not the entire house, because I can't do certain things in Cadwork 3D, without it being cumbersome.

With Chief I get a nice 3d model I can show to clients. I can create presentation drawings and update plans quickly. Clients eat it up. Yet, with Chief I can't create Log Walls that are true log walls. Nor can I create acurate Timberframe pieces, that will import into Cadwork. I'm trying to bridge a gap.

However, I think the limitation is within Chief. I haven't found an import yet that brings in our exported model as individual pieces. Cadwork exports all at once but each piece is separate. I've done with IFC files going out and into Archicad. One of our clients builds projects in Archicad and we import it, manipulate the pieces and manufacture the timbers using their models (although they don't always work).

I would like to find a viable solution. Cadwork is our company's cornerstone when communicating to our machines. We won't be getting away from it when it comes to modeling our homes for manufacture. However, I don't think it will ever be the presentation, plan type software we can get with Chief Architect. 

I work for a log home manufacturer. I use a Swiss made software named Cadwork (www.cadwork.com) to build and export our timbers for manufacture. We use several different wood cutting CNC 5-Axis machines (Essetre/Hundeggar) to cut and produce our timbers. The issue we have is that the software is not a very good tool for building plans/models for customers. It has the capability but the developers put their focus on making parts modeled export to Machine's for production and their 2d design tools and their 3d modeling for representation is very clunky. So as an Avid Cheif user I have been using Chief Architect to build some of our projects. I litterally will build our frames or log homes in Cadwork and export them into Cheif and then build the house around the frame to generate the true look and the feel of the timber in the home. The results have been spectacular, but not perfect.

The limitation I'm having is exporting my model's out of Cadwork and into Chief, all I get are solid object blocks. I don't get individual pieces. I"m sure I could export one piece at a time, but to do that is unrealistc as it's usually 200-300 pieces of timber in a home. Other softwares like Archicad have been able to import and export to and from Cadwork, but we usually end up with bad parts when importing anything created within Archicad.

If I could import these parts as a whole, but have each part be an individual piece I can then assign attributes for materials counting, and so on and so fourth. I'm then going to have the freedom to do more when it comes to design inside of Chief, and can migrate our company more toward using Chief full time.

I can export the following formats from Cadwork, but have only really had success with (.dxf). 

.3d (Cadwork)

.8gs

.dxf

.sat

.stp

.ifc

.wrl

.stl

.obj

.atl

.ivz

.stp

.pdf

.chsf

.hsf

Yet everything I import comes in as a single solid block. Anybody give any advice as which direction to try? Or can someone from Chief help me achieve this goal?

Thanks for any help in advance.

Will