Buggsy

I'll try an .obj export and re-import into EI and see if the UV's are intact. This though only confirms that EI can communicate with itself, not with the outside commercial world of modellers! Not sure how this remedies the problem? Actually if I export it from EI and run it through Meshlabs it has the same problem when imported back into EI, without putting it into Rhino at all! The normals look exactly the same, all squashed up as per the image above in my previous post. My guess is that the other software's are having trouble with the UV space from the .obj file generated by EI. Michael

I am trying to put 4 coverings/tents/curtains (whatever you want to call them) over a timber structure. I create the first one via exporting as a .fac model export at the Simcloth animation frame that suits the look I'm after. Then I need to offset 3 copies of this first mesh to complete a total of 4 coverings/tents/curtains, one as you see here below, the next one is goats hair, then rams skin dyed red and the last one is badger skin. I can't create scaled copies of them because they'll overlap at points and show through so I need to offset them. I could get away with the last two but the goats hair one is a cubic project of the texture map and you can see the joins where the cubic projection is changing. Also if you look closely at the left part of the image behind the man you'll see the first covering that has been hidden by each subsequent covering. These are my steps. 1. Export the Simcloth as an .fact to act as the first covering over my tent. 2. I then export the same Simcloth but this time as an .obj because EI doesn't have the capacity to offset the mesh and Rhino can't import a .fac file. 3. I open this .obj model of the mesh into Rhino and offset the 3 copies and re-export them as .obj with the hope that the UV's space will remain intact. 4. I then import these 3 offset copies into EI. They come in fine, and they are offset as I wanted but now the UV space does not show a plane to apply any texture to. In fact, when I turn on the the normals with the UV space shown in the material editor, all there is is a bunch of red normal lines all squashed up into a long sausage like shape, as though the UV plane has been squashed into 0.0 space (see image attached below). I love the resulting images but I feel like I am so close to what I want but yet at the same time far away because it's not a complete solution. Mind you I'm not sure how I'll animate this given the likely clashes I'll get if I remove each curtain layer upon layer! Michael

Ok, new hurdle. I want to offset a copy of the resulting tent covering giving me 3 coverings. I export it from EI as .obj and open it into Rhino, offset 3 replicates and export as .obj. They import into EI but the UV's are now squashed into a space that looks about 0.0 wide resulting in no flat plane to apply a texture. I've also tried .3ds, .lwo, .fbx formats but can't get it to work. Anyone got a workflow to do this or does anyone now of a way to do what I want with maybe a plug-in? Michael

Ok, I got it. I didn't realise I had to have the texture applied to the Simcloth group, so when it gets exported it keeps the UV space and associated texture. Michael

Thanks Tom, This still doesn't resolve what I'm after. I want to make a tent covering that drapes over a frame. I don't won't to animate it falling onto the frame, I just want it sitting on the frame without moving. How do I grab one animation frame of the Simcloth solver and make it static while keeping the texture deformations as well. When I save a model of the Simcloth deformation using the export function in EI, the resulting model that comes back into EI has no UV controls. Michael

Hi, This is my first time playing with Simcloth. I want to make a tent covering that drapes over a frame. I don't won't to animate it falling onto the frame, I just want it to sitting on the frame without moving. I have tried to save out the model, at a point in the cloth animation, bringing it back in to EI as a new model. This works but the texturing won't work the same as if it's solved with Simcloth. Also I can't get a predictable result with a texture map. I thought it would kind-of bake the texture onto the solver but I'm getting textures that are being torn apart. Do they need to be applied in UV space? Michael

Thanks Tom, that did it. I must remember this for other FBX models I've downloaded. Michael

Hi Tom, When I try to open the .fbx files EI gives me an error message 'unable to initialise importer'! What do I need to do to get this import? Michael

Yay (I can never figure out how to spell that), I got it to work!! It was a magical little button I wasn't pushing... kind-of. When I import the model I was allowing it to come in according to the modelled scale. Instead I forced it to be scaled in the 'Import Option' dialog that nows pops up in EI v9.1 allowing import settings to me modified. In the 'Transform' menu I set 'Use Scale' to '0.01' instead of leaving at '1.0' and voila, beautiful bumpy panels! The difference in the top left of the Rhino model, in the following image, is just variation in the scene lighting. Also the bump map scale is now the same on both models. Michael

I can't figure it out! I'm sure I've tried just about every conceivable option and I can get it to work. It seems to be that the bump map on the Rhino model has serious problems the finer I make the texture. I did a test where I enlarged the bump map on both models to see what was happening at the edge zone of the bump. On first glance it looked the same but I noticed the reflections were different and the bump value I needed to apply in EI is 100 times less sensitive on the Rhino model. My ArchiCAD model has a bump value of .001 and the Rhino models a value of .1 and maybe the sensitivity of this value is playing into the final result, I don't know? I removed the bump map and cranked up the reflectivity and it appears to represent properly the same as the ArchiCAD model. I tried all other possible model formats (within the limits of my operating systems and current software) to no avail. I also tried converting the poly-surface model to a mesh with greater poly counts but no joy! I really wish this would work. Being a Mac Beta version and a relatively intuitive piece of software to use makes it disappointing that I can't rely on it working in EI...arrrrrggh. Michael

Thanks Steve, I'll try some of Brian's suggestions and hopefully find a solution. If I do, I'll post it here. Many Thanks Michael

Hi Steve, I had to read your post a couple of times to realise you used the words 'EI modeller'. Unlike a lot of EI users, that have been wailing and lamenting the loss of modeller, I moved on to the latest operating systems and the software and considered that having an old G5 around, just to use an unsupported application, wasn't the most clever thing to do! I was one of those users that was frustrated by the many failings of EI modeller and don't have it on my computer nor care to exhume it. EI has great model import functions now, I just don't get why it won't work for me with Rhino. Is there a cardinal rule that I am violating when I export my model, am I missing an import check box that will remedy the problem, or is this something that floats out their in the ether that no one has an answer for. I have imported numerous purchased models since v9.1, all with mostly intact UV functions and no known bump map problems to-date. I am looking for a modeller and work-flow that I can count on and I'm not sure that this is it. This is the situation. I am beginning to re-creating a model in Rhino that I did in ArchiCAD but thought I'd check first there were no inconsistencies. Good thing I did. I am apply the same bump map, to this new imported model from Rhino, that I had applied to my ArchiCAD model and it looks totally wrong. This is it: Even with Silo I had issues. There is plenty of talk about modelling programs and whether they suit your needs but it appears as though actually being usable with EI is the fundamental flaw that prevents me from parting with cash for a dedicated modeller. I don't wish to be stuck with a piece of software more fit to be a boat anchor then a trusted piece of production equipment. It appears to me that expecting consistent results from one modelling program to the next is a sure-fire way to waste money. I really need help with this, not because the project is important to my income producing capacity but because I thought I had finally found a modelling program that I can bring into my work-flow, only now to watch it fade away with each use of it. Michael

Hi, Is there a work-flow for getting models out of Rhino into EI. Welded and imported .obj and .3ds models produce inconsistant results when applying bump maps to the imported models. Michael

So I'm effectively doing a post production transition using the Black & White mask? What would the blend mode be to do this? I will be using Final Cut Express HD to compile the animation. Michael

The following is an example of one of the items I need to animate gold being overlaid. http://www.bjnewlife.org/english/bstudy/sermons_61.php This Altar is first made of wood and then has a thin gold overlay put on it. The wood forms the structure and the gold serves to decorate it. I want to animate the gold being overlaid onto of the wood. This doesn't have to be complicated, it just needs to change from wood texture to gold to give the idea that there is wood beneath the gold. Do I need a plug-in like AG Wipe Set from Northern Lights to do this or can I animate a texture to do this? Michael

Hi All, I am doing a study and animation of the Tabernacle in the wilderness, as seen in the biblical book of Exodus. I am wanting to animate gold being overlaid the acacia wood for a number of the vessels in the tabernacle and I'm not sure what the best way to do this is? Can I just animate the texture channel, perhaps using a 3D object mask, kind of like allowing the texture to be revealed as I remove the transparent 3D object mask? I don't need to animate polygons, just the texture will do, as the gold overlay would perhaps be thin enough for it not to be appreciated if modelled in 3D. I was hoping that instead of spending time trying to find a good, quick and efficient way of doing this, I'd ask everyone here. Many Thanks Michael

Yes it would be good to know, before rendering, if some of the strips were going to cause out of memory errors! It would save the pain of rendering most of them and then having to re-rendering all of them again with a higher frame strip number. Michael

Hi Scott, I did a pdf search of the Animator Manual also but I couldn't find the term 'tile' as a rendering function. It could be a technical term we're not familiar with. By tile render I think Tom may mean that you increase the 'Frame Strip Total' under the 'Network' settings in the 'Render Information' window. I often have to increase this to 20-30 total Frame Strips in order to not get any 'not enough memory' errors. I suppose it has a smaller area of pixels to render, being lighter on memory demand. Michael

Sorry Steve, I mean object names. Michael

Hi Everyone, This may have been discussed here before... Rhino for Mac (in development). Downloadable version (WIP) of Rhino 3D modeller for Mac. http://www.rhino3d.com/mac Exports .3ds files that import into EI, layers and all. I'm trialing it to see if it will work for my purposes. Michael

'GI Sampling Engine' will be greyed out if you don't have 'Global Illumination' enabled or if you don't have the 'Soft Edge' radio check box checked. Michael

I use the 'Soft Edge' function all the time in my architectural work. I would first do a rendering with 'Raytraced' shadow with 'Soft Edge' turned off then turn on 'Soft Edge' and dial up the 'Light Angle' to say .2 then 2 then 20 so you get an exponential change in the shadow blur. Once you have these four images you can then pick a range that lies in between them to derive the optimal amount of blur. 'Samples' typically range from 1 to 12. When you use 'Use GI Sampling Engine' it will typically render much faster depending on your GI 'Sampling Area' settings under 'Global Illumination' settings. The higher the value, say 12, the smoother the blur. The lower the setting, say 3, the blur on the edge of the shadow will start to look noisy. The idea is that the shadow becomes more blurred the further from the shadow source like what happens in real life. Michael

Hi Steve, Ok I found the pop-up menu in Photoshop, in the bottom left, by clicking on the arrow just to the right of the document size. The problem is that the slightest change in tone value shifts the polygons. What I can do though is slide the exposure setting up, paint the location I want to be flat the same grey tone and then slide the exposure back to where it was before editing and save it. This works well. Admittedly I have no numerically precise way of positioning the object on the flat surface but doing it by eye works given what I'm doing. The other great thing is is can keep the EXR file open in photoshop and paint additional parts the same grey colour, save it, go back into EI, 'Set' the image again and new terrain modifies to the newly defined area. Oh, and I also have been experimenting with making my own EXR files using photoshop. It's an interesting creative process because you have to think of what the terrain with be like as a result of your painting in photoshop and the greater the gradation of tone the more subtle the terrain variation and the harder the gradation the sharper the terrain changes.. Michael

I have my first use of the EXR plug-in and I'm having some troubles making it work for me. I have an object that I need to place on the EXR terrain but I need a flat surface to put it on. I can open the EXR image in photoshop, change it to 8 Bit, modify the image by painting a single tone in the location I want to place the object, change it back to 32 Bit and save it out as an OpenEXR image. When I save it out though, it doesn't look the same and it doesn't behave the same way. Also what the terrain looks like in the project window is different to what is actually rendered there fore making it even harder to place something on a flat surface. It's almost impossible to interact with the scene. Are there any solutions to this? Any help making this work would be good. Michael

Hi Thomo, Double click on the EI_Layer.shl shader. This will open a dialogue allowing you to set different parameters. In the 'Add' button, in the bottom left of this dialogue, you have the option to add 'Fog' which you can then prescribe a PSD Mode to. Michael