How Would You Go About Producing This Cladding?

[DavidJames]

I have a client that's looking for this silver/grey cladding on a house:




Just wondering how you guys would go about producing this in CA... 

[Alaskan_Son]

A little different situations but the same principles apply...

 

 

[DavidJames]

Thanks, Michael.

When I was asked for this type of cladding, my immediate thought was that it would have to be done via PL solids. 

I guess I was just hoping that there would be an easier/quicker alternative. 
 

[javatom]

You could also use a material region and create a material that looks like the image with a pattern that shows the right spacing.  The advantage is that it will automatically cut around the doors and windows.

[DavidJames]

Thanks, Java. I'll also explore this option. 

[yusuf-333]

Material regions are not good at corners, applying cladding material directly on wall would give that look in IMO.

[Ridge_Runner]

There was a thread I was involved in a few years ago on the forum (2-3 Years?) concerning this topic. You might find it in a search. There were several different ways to go about this - I forget which one I ended up using for a project I was working on at the time but it worked pretty good. Getting the spacing at start and end of wall run and top and bottom were the biggest challenges best I remember (also cutting around windows and doors).

 

Edit: I think making the sheathing a black color was one of the tips so it would show the shadow lines better in the method I used.

[DavidJames]

Rough test w/ PL solids: 

[Ridge_Runner]

Pretty good, David. What did you use for the fasteners? Was a texture of a panel with them in it used and applied to the PS?

[DavidJames]

 

9 minutes ago, yusuf-333 said:

Material regions are not good at corners, applying cladding material directly on wall would give that look in IMO.

Very true. 

Also, when it comes time to applying color, I'm thinking having separate panels would look a lot better as each will have it's own gradient/shading etc. 

[DavidJames]

1 minute ago, Ridge_Runner said:

Pretty good, David. What did you use for the fasteners? Was a texture of a panel with them in it used and applied to the PS?

No texture used. Just a crude circle drawn with the CAD tools and then converted to a PL. 



 

[Ridge_Runner]

That explains why they look good. 

[DavidJames]

Thanks, RR.

I'll post some final renders once they are done early next week. I'm really hoping that this turns out  lol
 

8 minutes ago, Ridge_Runner said:

That explains why they look good. 

 

[yusuf-333]

25 minutes ago, DavidJames said:

Rough test w/ PL solids: 

Very nice David. That looks more realistic.

24 minutes ago, DavidJames said:

 

Very true. 

Also, when it comes time to applying color, I'm thinking having separate panels would look a lot better as each will have it's own gradient/shading etc. 

Of course yes, in your method you get nearly perfect results except the time and effort it takes to model. I adjusted texture and applied as any material using mat painter. This saves time and allows more flexibility to use later since any readjustment is done in dbx, but it depends on the level of detail you need.

Thanks

[javatom]

The psolid method is the way to go if you need that level of control over the start and stop points of each panel.  You have it looking pretty good.

[Alaskan_Son]

Not necessarily favoring the method per se but just to be clear, you absolutely CAN use material regions.  You dont use them for the panels though.  You use them to cut the grooves.  Just place the MRs and then turn the layer off.  If 3D model accuracy isn't super important you can use a single wall with a thin extra main layer to provide for the shadow line.  If accuracy is more important you have to use 2 walls.   Definitely doable though. 

[glennw]

I have used Wall Material Regions to do this type of cladding before.

Michaels tip of hiding the MR layer solves the problems that MR have at the corners.

 

I have done something similar, but instead of turning the MR layer off, I have used a "Gap" material type to hide the MR and clean up the corners

[Alaskan_Son]

12 minutes ago, glennw said:

I have done something similar, but instead of turning the MR layer off, I have used a "Gap" material type to hide the MR and clean up the corners

 

I have done the same, but I must warn anyone venturing down this path...  You can pretty easily end up with a situation where it is next to impossible to select and edit your material region if you use this method.  Actually, the only ways to select the MR are in plan view or by temporarily changing the material definition for your gap material so that it is visible and selectable in 3D.

[DavidJames]

Interesting. 

Are you able to provide some samples? I'd love to see the end result. 

 

2 hours ago, glennw said:

I have used Wall Material Regions to do this type of cladding before.

Michaels tip of hiding the MR layer solves the problems that MR have at the corners.

 

I have done something similar, but instead of turning the MR layer off, I have used a "Gap" material type to hide the MR and clean up the corners

 

[Rich_Winsor]

Here is an example of using Material Regions to cut the

grooves in the cement wall. The columns are stacked

P-Solids with a skinny P-Solid in between to represent

the grooves but all the grooves in the walls are Material

Regions set to "cut finish layers of parent object".

[DavidJames]

Thanks, Rich! Looks great

[JLDrafting]

I've had a couple of projects with grooved stucco look. For the horizontal grooves, I use the exterior molding polyline, which wraps the corners and trims at windows and doors, unlike the MR. I then use the MR vertically, which also trims and allows for the windows and door. Not a perfect solution, but works for me. My walls are block with stucco surface. The MR doesn't cut the stucco surface, however. 

[Michael_Gia]

On 2017-06-09 at 9:17 PM, yusuf-333 said:

Material regions are not good at corners, applying cladding material directly on wall would give that look in IMO.

Material regions are good at corners so long as you set the depth that they cut into the same thickness as the outer layer of the wall they are drawn on. 

 

(just a tip)

[2wheeltodd]

I have total control with Material Regions.

[yusuf-333]

On 6/14/2017 at 4:59 AM, Michael_Gia said:

Material regions are good at corners so long as you set the depth that they cut into the same thickness as the outer layer of the wall they are drawn on. 

 

(just a tip)

Great, thanks for the pointer. I will look at it.

1 hour ago, 2wheeltodd said:

I have total control with Material Regions.

Nice work!