Topic: Metal Roof material question rotation

[billy007nh]

Is there a way to rotate just part of material I applied to lets say the sloped roof image the right side looks good but the left needs to rotate 90d so it runs vertical.  If I rotate it it takes all the roofs and I do see a face based option to edit materials?

Thanks
Billy

[thecravatman]

We simply use two materials with a different axis in the modelling program to overcome this, then use the same mterial in Lumion.
Does anyone else know a better solution?

[billy007nh]

that sounds awful cause you don't know which way or which ones until you do this work then have to go back and forth.

Thanks

[Architectural Innovation]

ive used two different materials before too, BUT

if you are using Sketchup, try instant roof. it makes a nice, simple geometry that you can use to get a nice looking metal roof.

free version only allows a certain slope i believe. no problem, simply take the basic shapes you have for the roof, change the ridge to what it needs to be for the instant roof to work, create the roof geometry, then simply scale/stretch the top down to where it needs to be.

http://www.valiarchitects.com/sketchup_scripts/instant-roof

bob

[darbo]

Cool plugin Robert!

Billy,
Lumion respects the UV mapping from your 3d modeling package...you just need to learn to apply UV mapping in your 3d software. Right now the UV mapping is the same across all your roof planes...and that's not what you want. What 3d modeling software are you using?

[billet323]

BOB!!!  You have changed my life forever!  How well does this plugin really work??  It looks feakin awesome!!!  This looks like it could same me hours of work!

[Architectural Innovation]

Haha. No problem billet. I have used the free version very successfully many times. fairly intuitive and easy.

I will end up purchasing soon. i really want to try that instant road and instant grade too.

good luck,

bob

[meem]

BOB!!!  You have changed my life forever!  How well does this plugin really work??  It looks feakin awesome!!!  This looks like it could same me hours of work!

it is indeed awesome.. it save your time and and u don't have to create each shingle . it will. it has  n of roof design nd styles// besides also try their road plugin.. once i almost ended up crying. coz i couldn't make a road in the terrain but thanks it saved my life

[billy007nh]

Cool plugin Robert!

Billy,
Lumion respects the UV mapping from your 3d modeling package...you just need to learn to apply UV mapping in your 3d software. Right now the UV mapping is the same across all your roof planes...and that's not what you want. What 3d modeling software are you using?

I am only using Revit 2012 so it looks like I will just bring it into 3D max Design 2012 that I also have and redo the UV mapping.  Not a big deal, thanks for reply now I know and knowing is half the battle!  GO JOE

[darbo]

I am only using Revit 2012 so it looks like I will just bring it into 3D max Design 2012 that I also have and redo the UV mapping.  Not a big deal, thanks for reply now I know and knowing is half the battle!  GO JOE

Sounds good Billy. Knowing that you're using a Revit/3ds Max workflow (same for me), I can offer an extended workflow suggestion. An easy tip for your roof in 3ds Max is to:
1. Apply a "Mesh Select" modifier to the roof.
2. Select the faces where the roof panels are going the wrong direction.
3. Apply a "UVW Map" modifier to the selected faces and orient to the correct direction.

The above approach works very well using Max's file-linking for the Revit file (using FBX). So far I like using file-linking Revit models into Max. Lumion handles FBX imports in the same way. The result is that you can pass an FBX model from Revit to Max and from Max to Lumion while maintaining the ability to make edits in Revit. So, even in the 11th hour, you can:
1. In Revit: Make a last minute update to the Revit model.
2. In Revit: Export/overwrite the FBX used for 3ds Max file-linking.
3. In 3ds Max: Update the file-linking (reloads the Revit FBX file).
4. In 3ds Max: Export/overwrite the FBX file used for Lumion (I make this a different file than the FBX from Revit).
5. In Lumion's Edit Materials mode: Hit the update model button to reload the FBX file.

It's slightly convoluted, since you're passing the Revit model through Max, but being able to make last minute edits in Revit is a huge plus. I recently worked on a project where the Revit file was changed on the last day. My coworkers were apologizing for the last minute change fearing it was a hardship to me, but it wasn't! I was able to reload a fully updated model into Lumion within a few minutes.

That's more than you needed/wanted, but hopefully it helps. 

[thecravatman]

Do either of you two use the Lumion plug in for Revit? I have had good results exporting a collada file straight from Revit. Just as a slight aside.

[darbo]

Do either of you two use the Lumion plug in for Revit? I have had good results exporting a collada file straight from Revit. Just as a slight aside.

I haven't tried that yet. Thus far I model my sites in 3ds Max, so it makes sense for me to import the Revit building models into Max and then export the full 3ds Max model (site and buildings) to Lumion. I'm mainly a 3ds Max modeler, though, and I've only just begun to work directly in Revit, so my workflow might change. Another thing that could change my workflow is for Lumion to provide a better model insertion ability. Being able to import/insert a model about a consistent origin point (0,0,0) would be a huge improvement because it would allow the buildings to be exported separately from the site. For now I set my scene (minus entourage elements like cars and people) in Max and export the whole thing from there to Lumion.

Regarding the Revit plugin for collada exporting; does that maintain the same backwards editability I get using FBX? In other words, can I export a collada model in Revit. Edit materials in Lumion. Then later modify the model in Revit and reload the updated collada file and retain all my previous Lumion material edits?

David

[billy007nh]

I haven't tried that yet. Thus far I model my sites in 3ds Max, so it makes sense for me to import the Revit building models into Max and then export the full 3ds Max model (site and buildings) to Lumion. I'm mainly a 3ds Max modeler, though, and I've only just begun to work directly in Revit, so my workflow might change. Another thing that could change my workflow is for Lumion to provide a better model insertion ability. Being able to import/insert a model about a consistent origin point (0,0,0) would be a huge improvement because it would allow the buildings to be exported separately from the site. For now I set my scene (minus entourage elements like cars and people) in Max and export the whole thing from there to Lumion.

Regarding the Revit plugin for collada exporting; does that maintain the same backwards editability I get using FBX? In other words, can I export a collada model in Revit. Edit materials in Lumion. Then later modify the model in Revit and reload the updated collada file and retain all my previous Lumion material edits?

David

Yes David it does keep your edit made in Lumion.  It does take the Revit export a very long time to export some times an hour so I have to break my models up and it is hard to align them back up to the same insert point but I use the Revit poject base point and that seems to be the insert point to Lumion too so it works out for me.

Billy

[darbo]

Are there any unique advantages of Collada over FBX? Smaller file size, extra features, quicker exports?

[thecravatman]

The fact that Lumion imports from SketchUP via collada and that the new Revit plugin exports files in collada makes me think that collada would be the file of choice. Collada is the most open too.

Fbx is the format Autodesk acquired when they took over motion builder. I would guess that its strengths lie with motion, however, things move at a pace and there is now an open source collada exporter for motion builder. So it seems Autodesk have used fbx as a general asset exchange file type in preference to collada.

We use SketchUP more than Max design 2012 now so nearly all our assets are in collada format.

This was posted in the unity 3d forum

If I export the exact same animated object in FBX format instead of COLLADA then Unity treats it perfectly and I can make any changes with no errors. The reason I'm using COLLADA instead of FBX is file size. FBX prodcues files that are 50% larger and my character has several minutes(!) of animation attached to him. Using FBX would add 10-30 meg of additional size to my app which as aimed for the mobile market. So you can see why the file size difference is so important to me.

This suggests size use collada and motion use fbx? Any comments