Topic: billboard material problems

[Simoni]

I am having problems getting the billboard material to face the camera. I have tried :
1.changing the axis in Sketchup, the new billboard object remains edge on to viewer.

2.exporting from front view in Sketchup. The new billboard object in Lumion appears to remain face on to camera, but has no texture, also original imported face remains. see attached.

I am obviously doing something fundamentally wrong, any ideas?

[peterm]

So long as your imported mesh is Up then it shouldn't matter and generally work immediately click on BB material.  Clicking on the billboard material will align it to camera when camera moves.  You might see the green bounding box still in the same imported angle, but the texture should face as if the mesh itself was (and is) facing the camera.

Attached is sample Skup file and Collada for you to test on to see if works OK for you.  Just import, place in scene then, as you have tried, click on billboard material without trying to align/rotate imported object.

[Simoni]

Many thanks for that, have saved SKP and DAE files to same folder, looked at file in skp, opened DAE file in Lumion, added billboard texture, object tracks the camera, but has no texture.
I see then that texture is a TIF, dont think Lumion supports TIFS, tried a Jpeg instead, same result as before ie. Original object with tree texture remains still, then new blank textured object tracks camera.
Have tried lots of variations on above, textures saved in various folders etc but no joy.

[Morten]

Hi Simon, here's what you need to do to create billboard planes in SU for use in Lumion:

1) Create a plane in front view (Camera -> Parallel projection). Make sure it's centered.
2) Add a 32-bit .TGA or .PNG files to your material - .TIF will not work.
3) Apply the material to the plane.
4) Run the script Material Tools -> Remove All Backface Materials and verify that the back of the plane is grey:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=17587
5) Export the plane with "Triangulate all faces" and "Export texture maps" turned on in the .DAE exporter dialog.
6) Import it in Lumion and apply the Billboard material as usual.

[Simoni]

Thanks Morten.
Tried that but am still getting material facing away from the camera (see attached). Have mimicked your direction of the green axis in SU, have also tried green axis in opposite direction in SU, same result.

[Morten]

Ok, please attach the SketchUp file at step 5, right after you have exported it to Lumion.

[Simoni]

File attached as requested.
Thanks.

[peterm]

Tried your file and it works fine here.

Wondered why the image in Lumion didnt look quite right re TIF (forgot about not using TIF), but it did read the image rather than nothing at all.

Simoni, are you running the latest version of Lumion Basic, I see the app Window says Lumion Basic 64 bit, but wasn't that an old initial release of the first 64bit version and it should now be showing SP2 B8?

[Simoni]

Thanks Petern, and apologies Morten, I am indeed way behind with my Lumion 1 SP 2, will upgrade now.

[Simoni]

Have downloaded and installed the latest Lumion, and yes it all works fine, thanks.

[Morten]

Good to hear that.