3d Images

[doppl3gan3r]

Hi, I am trying to create or modify 2d images to use in Chief ARchitect premier x10 or 9. I have downloaded an appliance image from the manufacturers website. I have imported it into chief. When I use it in a plan, and try to apply material to it, it paints the entire item, not just the surface that is being selected. This is an issue say for an appliance that has a metal finish but plastic components like handles etc. I am trying to determine if there is something I need to do in the 3d software I use, or if there is a setting in Chief for the imports.

 

I have assigned materials to the object before importing it into chief, and chief still only imports the object with a default porcelain color, and when I apply any material to it, it covers the entire object.

 

Any help with this would be great, as I routinely have to do this to image files from makers, to use in chief.

[Kbird1]

Can you show an example as I am not aware of a way to turn an Image into a 3D Item ... lets say a Range .... an image is just a 2D flat photo of the Range , so how you are making it a Symbol ( 3D Item ) I am not sure.....you could see if the particular Manufacturer also has a Sketchup Library on 3D Warehouse , Chief can import those 3D files, though some are poorly made and cause Chief to slow down. Currently Chief does not import Revit Files unfortunately.

 

M.

 

 

[Alaskan_Son]

4 hours ago, doppl3gan3r said:

I have assigned materials to the object before importing it into chief, and chief still only imports the object with a default porcelain color, and when I apply any material to it, it covers the entire object.

 

What program are you using to assign those materials before importing into Chief?  It sounds to me like you may need to be using a different export option in your other program.  Also, note that not all 3D symbol file types carry materials over with them, and some will allow several different materials but they all import as porcelain.  This is true of DXF and DWG.  In order to change the individual materials from porcelain you need to do so using the material tab or by using the material painter in component mode.  STL files on the other hand will only import with a single material component. 

[misterwiley]

Posting this for others that might run across this same problem and need a solution. Requires AutoCAD though.

 

I found this thread while I was battling the same problem with a 3d DWG file I got from GE's website of a fridge that would import into Chief as one material. I'm not very good with AutoCAD but I do own the 2017 version of the program and was trying to figure out what I had to edit in AutoCAD so that when I imported the DWG to Chief as a symbol it would have different components that I could apply different materials too.

 

The solution was to create a bunch of "Layers" in AutoCAD for each different material I wanted and then assign the CAD surfaces to those individual layers. This is what creates the different materials when imported into Chief. It has nothing to do with the AutoCAD materials that you can assign in that program. It has everything to do with the layers.

 

Hope this helps someone else in the future.