#Arch. Modeling Questions
21 messages in this thread
I am building a model of a home, from scratch in 3DS (not importing from
AutoCAD). When finished, I want to be able create a walk-throughs and
fly-arounds as well as stills. The model is getting pretty big and messy, and
I spend a lot of time Hiding and Freezing.
I am wondering how folks organize such architectural models. I have already
grouped similar details by color so I can easily hide-delete-merge "all
windows" or "all bedroom furniture," etc., but I'm a bit uneasy about how to
handle the overall structure of the building. It's two stories, with, of
course, a stairway joining the floors. Do I create a _single_ mesh for the
whole building? Keep separate meshes for the floors? For the individual
rooms?
I began by Shaping and Lofting the floor plan of the upper story, and working
on just that. The living room (upper floor) has a cathedral ceiling. But the
adjoining rooms do not–thus have differing wall heights. Seems like I should
have Shaped and Lofted those two rooms separately, huh? Do I now "stick on"
two triangular wall extensions in the living room to meet the high ceiling?
Whew, makes me want to go model a bed, covered by a thick, billowy down
comforter–created by Displace.pxp, of course! zzzz…
/* Whew, makes me want to go model a bed, covered by a thick, billowy down
comforter–created by Displace.pxp, of course! zzzz… */
<g>
I break the project down (as I do with ACAD) by nodal object naming. For
example, 1st floor anything is given a 1 prefix in the object name. Then I use
a 2-letter code for room (KI for kitchen, B1 for master bedroom), etc. I don't
encourage this exact scheme, but this type of scheme sure makes visibility
easier to control globally in the project, and by compartmentalizing the rooms,
I can make my designs modular as I create them… hide all non-kitchen stuff as
I work with the kitchen, etc.
One other technique for arch stuff I've seen which keeps the whole thing very
fast, is pieceworking (again similar to ACAD technique)… create rooms as
separate projects… the geometry can always be merged again, but by treating
different areas of the house as separate files, things move along a lot faster.
-dave
>> I don't encourage this exact scheme,
Hey, I LIKE it! Your ideas all sound very workable to me. Gives me a
direction. Gonna fire up my chainsaw and do a little remodeling!
Thank you for your generosity, Dave!
HI Carl,
from what I've seen Dave is very good at what he does!
wish I was that good.
Mark
>> Dave is very good at what he does! wish I was that good.
Well, sure. Though on that topic I often am reminded of a one-liner of a
favorite author of mine: "Not everything worth doing is worth doing well."
Cheers!
Cheers to you too!
I guess I WILL have a good frosty home brew tonight.
Love that home made ale.
bye for now
Mark
HI Dave !, how's it going ? .. I'm fine.
Mark
/* HI Dave !, how's it going ? .. I'm fine. */
Hey Mark! How's it going? Will you be signing up for the free telecourses this
semester? -dave
Free Telecourses ?
what are you talking about ? where ? when ?
and what is it ?
never heard of it.
Mark
/* Free Telecourses ? what are you talking about ? where ? when ? and what is
it ? never heard of it. */
Mark, set your "messages base date" back to Monday in section 14 (NAAUG
section) and you'll see all sorts of info on the program with subject header
"telecourse signup". Also, the entire month of June is registration for this
program, each Monday the same registration and program information will be
posted. No rush, but if you want more info, that's where you'll find it. -dave
I agree with Dave completely on both counts. I bring alot of stuff in from
acad, so of course it is easy to break the model apart into separate files. If
you are only using 3ds it may be alittle more difficult as the design has not
already been completed.
I am currently working on a five level parking garage and the floor level
prefix allows me quickly hide all the levels except the one I am working on.
Oh, by the way, the stairs were fun!<g>
tjl
Once you have each room laid out, you can export it out to its own mesh file to
work on it separately, i.e. add furniture/fixtures etc without worrying about
the other rooms. Since such files retain their 3D relationship with the main
file, they work well, and much faster. When each room is tweaked and decked out
to your content, they can all be merged back into the master file for the grand
finale.
Thanks for the confirmation, Timothy!
>> Oh, by the way, the stairs were fun!<g>
Hey, for sure! I've thought that since I was a little kid! <g>
Carl
A good thing to keep in mind when you're storyboarding your walkthru is to use
VideoPost as much as possible to fade from one room to another instead of
"walking" out of one room into another. Getting out of a doorway and down a
hall and into another doorway can be boring and a waste of rendering time. The
files for each room can be kept seperate and you can use File/Merge to get what
you need to share from room to room.
Pick up a copy of Nancy Fultons "3D Studio Applied" for excellent tutorials on
how to do architectural work in 3DS. Have fun.
TedB
– Ted Boardman, Written 02-Jun-1994 @ 08:16:05
Using: Windows NavCIS PRO 1.2
!^NavFont01F0007MGHHHC65C98
>> use VideoPost as much as possible to fade from one room to another
Thanks for the tips, Ted. Regarding your suggestion of "3DS Applied," I did
recall she had a chapter heading on architecture, but haven't been able to find
the book locally–didn't want to just order it and find it only explained how
to extrude a floor plan (the sort of too-basic thing I've noticed in several
CAD textbooks). Guess I'll risk it!
I bought the book as soon as it came out, and it immediately helped me out with
some things I was having trouble with. I would recommend it, altho' it's not as
weighty as "Inside 3D Studio", which I am about to go out and get as
well….Sometimes just another way of putting something is all you need.
regards, gary
Hi Gary,
is there a cd-rom that comes with the book ?
..
3ds Applied ()
…
Mark from Montreal.
Hi there, Quebec! First we gotta know if you're rooting for the Canucks…
Yes there is a cd-rom included. I haven't had time since the weekend to
even load it up. However, it claims to have over 200 mb. of images for mapping,
and a number of programs & utilities (which include Paintshop Pro, Graphic
workshop); meshes; filters; files for exercises in the book, etc.
I haven't had that much time to work through the book, either (1,065
pages, a real muscle builder), but they've been raving about it on the forum
since it came out a month or two ago. I would recommend it, for sure.
Hope this helps…
gary
HI Gary,
well, I don't follow hockey, or soccer, or anything else except tennis! I love
it to death. Well, thanks for the info, actually I have the book YOU are
talking about. I was actually asking about the 3D Studio applied book, and
wondering if that one had a free cd included. As for the other book (INSIDE 3D
Studio) amazing book, and a great cd rom full of little goodies.!
thanks for the hello !
bye for now
Mark.
Okay, I also have 3D Studio Applied by Nancy Fulton, and yes, it also has a CD
included. It has mesh files and animations of the book's tutorials;
illustrations of other animator's works, 3rd party demos and info; contact
information for 3D Studio resources.
The book is much smaller at 430 pages, which makes it 2 to 3 times more
expensive for the size than Inside 3D Studio, but it still has valuable info
and techniques in it.
ciaou, gary
Also a good tutorial on making a spider.
Mark