CompuServe Messages

#Architectual 3DS

    21-Nov-93 20:57:18
Sb: #Architectual 3DS
Fm: Bob Keefer 71141,2356
To: ROBERT RITGER 75050,2255
Hi, Robert. I am just now reading messages from a week ago due to a tough deadline and trip out of town. I just wanted to say that I agree that I wanted to see a "programmable" sun as part of 3DS – was hoping for that in R3. The ray-traced shadows are great, but why stop there? Now I see AutoVision promoted as a solution for architectural renderings and file transfer, but I don't want to shell out another $800 after buying 3DS, AutoCAD, and Visual Link! While I'm at it, I'd like to get a discussion going about AutoCAD to 3DS, and I think I've seen your name associated with architectural discussions here. I have been working on a building model which I have mostly produced in AutoCAD, using 3DS for some tricky geometry that is easier to loft then to try to surface in AutoCAD. Wanting to reference the geometry created in 3DS back in AutoCAD, I used Visual Link some, and used DXF some, and got mixed results. Maybe I am missing something, but the AutoCAD to 3DS connection (and back) still seems a bit unpredictable. For example (VL indicates Visual Link): (1) 3DS to Acad (VL), explode mesh, Acad to 3DS (VL) – some face normals wrong that were fine in 3DS! (2) Same procedure _without_ exploding mesh – still some face normals wrong that were fine in 3DS – simply due to VL process! (3) 3DS to Acad (VL), explode mesh, Acad to 3DS (DXF) – faces OK. Has nyone else experienced problems with this? Please join in! Bob Keefer, AIA