jog memory please or upgrade

[antoine]

hi guys,

please jog my memory on how to see my topographic or jpg pic image under my 3D view.
have done it twice but can't get it together again.

 

but I'm interested in any other ideas that can come out of this

thanks guys

[Alaskan_Son]

There are a handful of options (if I'm guessing correctly as to what you're looking for).  The first 4 that come to mind...

 

1.  Build>Image>Create Image...

2.  Build>Image>Create Billboard Image...

3.  Apply the image as a texture to a properly sized p-solid, solid, face, etc. 

4.  Using a backdrop.

 

The various steps and options during or after those methods would depend on exactly what you're looking for. 

[antoine]

thanks Michael, but can not get my jpg pic to show on any of these direction.

please check out attachment of what i did before last year sometime, but have forgotten how i did it, and a pic of a CA presentation.

[Greg_NY61]

Never tried doing that in CA, been using Sketchup  by dropping floor plan layout in there and model and use Sketchup rendering engine.

 

 

[glennw]

Antoine,

 

You first need to capture a picture of your floor plan or site plan which you are going to use to sit your 3D model on.

You can use Chief's Screen Capture to do this in a plan view.

 

Before you can use this background plan image, you need to convert it to a material and apply it to a polysolid, terrain or whatever you are  using for your base picture.

 

There are a couple of ways to make the material.

Go 3D...Materials...Plan Materials...New...Texture panel.

Find your picture under Texture Source.

Make sure you use stretch to fit.

 

Or, you can do it in the Library Browser...User Catalog..right click...New...New Material

 

And make sure Textures are toggled on in your 3D view.

[CJSpud]

Antoine:

 

Allen Brown used to be on the forum quite a bit years ago but he's a pretty busy guy.  He used to have a tutorial video on his website demonstrating the technique he used to produce what is shown in the 2nd image.  I don't even remember the name of his website  (was Indy Blueprints or something like that but it seems to me he changed the name).  You might be able to find him in the forum members under Brown.

[CJSpud]

Here it is:

 

http://www.indyblueprints.com/videos.html

 

Scroll down near the bottom of the page.

[antoine]

thanks guys.

have gone down the path you said Glenn, it works but is distorted when i orbit the view. not sure if i went down that way before but it does jog my memory, though, i didn't have the distortion problem before.

will check out the video Curt.

thanks again guys.

have a good what ever your side

[Alaskan_Son]

thanks Michael, but can not get my jpg pic to show on any of these direction.

please check out attachment of what i did before last year sometime, but have forgotten how i did it, and a pic of a CA presentation.

 

Maybe check out this post in another thread...

 

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/index.php?/topic/9742-arrows-and-text-on-3d-views/#entry88394

[Alaskan_Son]

thanks guys.

have gone down the path you said Glenn, it works but is distorted when i orbit the view. not sure if i went down that way before but it does jog my memory, though, i didn't have the distortion problem before...

 

If you're applying your material to a contoured terrain you're going to have distortion problems.  You may want to apply it to something flat. 

[antoine]

yes Michael, have kept it on a flat surface at a 0/90* angle, then when i rotated it, the distortion comes in

[glennw]

What sort of distortion?

A picture might help.

A plan would be better.

[antoine]

ok guys,

 

2 pics attached

1st.   pic of the correct building placement on the plot (this is a jpg pic in the plan layout)

2nd.  pic of two images, (a- top) the correct image at 0/90* in the layout plan and shown in the 3D view. (this is ok)

                                       (b- bottom image of the angled (166.12°) distorted image of the layout plan and shown in 3D (not ok)

any idea guy's ?

[glennw]

I'm more confused than before you posted the pics!

 

What is a plan layout?

What is a layout plan?

What is a layout plan shown in 3D?

I don't see any distortion, only different angles.

[antoine]

Glenn,

1st attachment shows the building in the correct position, on the yellow plot, which is a topographic jpg picture.

the 2nd attachment shows 2 pictures. of which the top picture is a top view in a Perspective Full Overview. which comes from the floor plan layout.

                                                            this floor plan layout has this image at an angle of 0/90*, but still looks correct in this Perspective Full Overview.

 

now, the bottom picture shows the same image place at an angle of (166.12°) in the floor plan layout,-

but as seen in this Perspective Full Overview, the topographic jpg picture has not turned with the said angle, but as stayed at the 0/90* angle of the floor plan layout,

which has left the view incorrect of which i have called (a distorted image)

 

hope its clearer mate.

[Chopsaw]

Hi Antoine,

 

 I have been silently following along because I am quite interested in the subject and really respect your amazing work.  I would love to give this a try some time soon. 

 

If you are following along with the basic principals of the video that Alan Brown made for X2 provided in the link from CJ.  He discusses some issues that come up when the model is rotated that have to do with Material Rotation Orientation right at the end of the video but unfortunately when I play from his website I have no controls for the video and have to watch from start to finish.  And there may also be some differences with the newer versions of software that would need to be compensated for.

 

Just like Glenn I am a little confused with your description of where you are at with your problem but that is fully justified based on the complexity of this procedure.  A 30 min. video just covers the essentials once, so if you wrote a manual that explained everything it would be rather thick.

 

If you get it all sorted out please keep us all informed.

 

Thanks,  Chopsaw

[glennw]

Antoine,

 

I think I may know what the problem is.

You are rotating the object that has the material applied to it, but the material isn't rotating.

 

What you need to do is open the dbx for the material. 

Go to the Texture panel and change the angle to match the angle to 166.12 deg.

The easiest way to open the material dbx is to use the rainbow tool in a 3D view.

This will rotate the picture on the object you have used.

 

I will do a vid.

 

http://screencast.com/t/Fwxy2j2Xk

[Alaskan_Son]

Antoine,

 

I think I may know what the problem is.

You are rotating the object that has the material applied to it, but the material isn't rotating.

 

What you need to do is open the dbx for the material. 

Go to the Texture panel and change the angle to match the angle to 166.12 deg.

The easiest way to open the material dbx is to use the rainbow tool in a 3D view.

This will rotate the picture on the object you have used.

 

I will do a vid.

 

http://screencast.com/t/Fwxy2j2Xk

 

Yep...OR just convert your object to a symbol and the texture should "stick" that way as well.

[Chopsaw]

Yep...OR just convert your object to a symbol and the texture should "stick" that way as well.

 

Michael, I am pretty sure that is what Alan did in his X2 demo and it did not work.  Was that glitch improved with a newer version?

 

Glenn, Thanks for the vid, I think that will do the trick.

[Alaskan_Son]

Michael, I am pretty sure that is what Alan did in his X2 demo and it did not work.  Was that glitch improved with a newer version?

 

Not sure...I've never watched that video.  Per my experience and understanding though, textures will retain their orientation with regard to a symbols origin/axis (i.e. the texture will move with the symbol).  It works for me anyway.  I know because I just tested with Antoine's situation and I've created pretty complex symbols in the past where the wood grain pattern is different on each and every face...and those patterns remain correct no matter how I reposition my symbol in the plan.  Here's a quick example...

Timber Truss.calibz

[Chopsaw]

Just did a quick test and this is still a problem in X8. Symbol does not lock orientation of material. Video to follow. Sorry just a quickie no audio today. .jpg applied to polyline solid and converted to Symbol and rotation attempt in Perspective Full Overview on Terrain Perimeter.

 

 

Sorry Rookie mistake. I created the symbol and put it into the library but the plan copy stayed as a psolid? Does that seem right? I have never noticed that behavior before, I will have to check that a few more times to see what is up.

 

Thanks All, Sorry about the confusion.

[Alaskan_Son]

Just did a quick test and this is still a problem in X8. Symbol does not lock orientation of material.  Video to follow.

 

That's odd.  Seems to work fine for me.  I'll have to watch your video to see what you're doing differently.

[glennw]

Chopsaw and Michael,

 

It doesn't have to be a symbol - same behaviour with the polysolid - or any object.

Chief has always worked like this.

eg, if you want floor boards to run at 45deg to the room, you need to create a new material with the boards rotated at 45deg. 

Rotating the room has never rotated the floor boards.

 

How would Chief know which way to orient the material unless you tell it? - it comes in as the default zero.

Rotating a simple rectangle is a simplistic example - imagine you have an very odd shaped room or object that you have rotated and reshaped.

How could you expect Chief to know what way to orient the material automatically?

 

PS. OK, I didn't check with the symbol - I thought we were talking about objects and material orientation generally.

[Chopsaw]

Glenn, Please see my edited post. It does work as Michael suggests when converted to a Symbol.  The problem I have now is why the plan copy of the supposedly converted to symbol psolid with .jpg material is not a symbol but remains as a psolid?

 

This is what the Help file says "4. Click OK to close the dialog and convert your custom object to a symbol."

 

I think this is why it takes soo long to learn Chief.  Please Help.

[glennw]

Chopsaw,

 

With Add To Library unchecked and once the dbx closes, the symbol will be attached to your cursor.

If you go to a plan window, you can place the symbol.

 

But we are now getting off subject.