Buggsy

Good to see some other stuff that was produced with ArchiCAD and EI! Nice model, looks like lots of hard work. Michael

Most of my work is architectural also but I use ArchiCAD in my design business which plugs in nicely with EI. I had heard a little while ago that they were going to drop the EI export function but it's still there at the moment. I am also looking for another modelling program as the upgrade costs for ArchiCAD are ridiculous and I have fallen a little behind in versions. ArchiCAD can't do a lot of modelling functions that are important for pushing models past that ridged polygon boundary hence the other reason I want to find a modelling program that works with EI. I have been using EI since version 2.9 (early 2002) and the development has seriously ramped up since Tom & The Igor's took a hold of the ship. Prior to that it was a difficult thing to get support or answers from. The community has always been great but the brand seemed to be run as a business for the sake of business rather than a tool for its customers. I have vivid memories of watching Tom's Rapper video and the work that Eridia did in the early days which caused me to buy in. I guess in all this time I've never been more hopeful than now that we'll end up with functions and solutions that stay ahead of all the other technologies trying to draw us away in the hope of faster production times and shallower learning curves. I feel like I have almost got my head around EI and totally agree that if EI had a dedicated modeller it would be very hard to beat. Michael

My iMac i7 has 8GB of RAM. If I had 16GB of RAM would EI v9.1 and my operating system benefit from it and if so how much would it benefit? To increase my RAM to 16GB is only going to cost me AUD$400 and it seems to good to miss out on, but only if it will benefit. Michael

Great, thanks for the responses. I suppose I just need to experiment with combinations to find the right setting to marry with ArchiCAD usage and EI snapshots and then when it comes to final overnight renderings to let loose all the pony's. Michael

The fact that EI is now multi-threading is great, but how can I setup my iMac i7 so I can do snapshots and do CAD work at the same time? When I setup Camera 64 Bit to use all the ram and 8 threads on my computer I can't really do anything else which screws up my productivity! What's the best way to set this up to maximise productivity? My machine specs: iMac i7 (2.8 GHz Intel Core i7) 8GB (1067 MHz DDR3) OS 10.8.5 Michael

Nice vehicle paint and I have to agree with Tom, the lighting is nice. I had to replay the video and scrub to the part where the car enters the scene with the nice diffused lighting hitting the car and then the side shot where the lights are being reflected on the side of the car. Nice car movement too. Is the smooth movement because of the Bullet plug-in? I must admit I don't quite get Bullet...it sounds more like a special effect plug-in! Michael

Ok, I think this is big (for me anyway)!! Have I got this right Tom? I can now export a model, apply textures and if I change the model I can update it with the 'Validated FACT' option under 'Object'/'Export Object/'Validate FACT' without having to re-apply textures?? Or is this really for controlling the fact files quality? Michael

Hi Tom, Yes I have seen this talked about in the forum, thanks for letting me know, I'll check it out. Michael

Ignore this post, sorry I looked at the import function better in EI and I can seamlessly import and smooth .3ds objects out of ArchiCAD by clicking just a few appropriate button and they maintain the correct world coordinates. This new import function is great! Michael

Hi, Now that I have upgraded to Mountain Lion and EI v9.1 I don't have any way to smooth a .fac file from ArchiCAD. Transporter no longer works and I can't seem to force the new import features to be applied (smoothing etc) to a .fac file. I would usually use Transporter to smooth anything created with the mesh tool in ArchiCAD but I don't see a way to do it now. I am mid way through a project and don't particularly want to export from ArchiCAD as .3ds or .obj to solve my issue. This will be painful if I have to this. Any ideas on how I could do this without pulling teeth? Michael

Thanks for posting Guy! So is this how you used to use placer deposit? You commented, "i used to work with placer deposit, but since it does not work any more i use Zbrush fibers. The fac are very heavy but it still renders so fast". If placer deposit doesn't work what are my options Tom? Michael

Guy, did you build all the buildings in your scene with Zbrush too or was it just the grass? I use ArchiCAD for my models but upgrade costs are expensive but Zbrush might be a way of getting around this? Michael

Thanks Richard for your comments. This is a different project from the same building designer. It may look like a previous posting but it is a different development. Yes client went shopping on Turbo Squid for furniture they like, which worked out really well. I'll be suggesting this approach to all my clients. And the UV controls are getting so much better now. I'm going to try and use UV's for all the leaves on the trees in my scenes. Michael

Thanks Steven, I had forgotten about this post. Great images too!! Michael

Hi, Nice work, I really like your integration of grass! Can you share how you created the grass in your scenes. I'm interested in creating lawn (turf) and grasses for garden beds. Also how did you do your trees? I use OnyxTree but I don't have the capability to do flowers unless I turn my Mac into a PC and buy OnyxTree flower? Sharing your workflow would be greatly appreciated. Michael

Hi, Latest work using EI v9.1 and purchased furniture models from Turbo Squid. Love the new model import, so predictable and productive! Thanks Tom and everyone at EI! Michael

What is the best plug-in to create 3D grass for architectural scenes in EI? How do they work and does anyone have any high quality example or their use? Some advice would be greatly appreciated. Michael

Yes I did this with a model I accidentally purchased in 3Ds max format and they converted it for me into .3Ds and .obj format! I like Turbo Squid (that was not a shameless plug for them...!). Michael

Ok working like it should now! Pity about NX shader though, I have come to depend on it for a lot of texturing. I know it increases rendering time but it means I don't have to spend time making textures! And as most of my work are still shots, extra rendering time is a trade-off I can live with given I'm asleep while it's rendering the final shots. It's probably a good thing though, cause I want to do more animation work and I need to produce quicker rendering times if I'm going to keep some sanity. I like the fact that the camera view window appears like I imagine it should, but transparency still doesn't appear to work properly, unless I'm missing something. Are there settings that best optimise transparency? Rendering speed is great! I don't have any time to get a cup of coffee now in between snapshots (ha ha). Oh and the model import improvements! They are excellent, well done! I need to better understand the new photon settings so I'll read through the manual to see if I can get a handle on them and of course bug Tom and those in the know to get the best out of them. I'm sure there's more things to comment on but these are it for now. Michael

Camera crashes straight away with: 'Camera Error: A system API function has returned an unexpected error number. Library:SCAL Error ID:2 Error number:-1 File:/Volumes/Macintosh HD/Applications/EIAS 8.0.0/ EI Shaders/NX.shd' What do I need to do? Michael

I have a scene that I am having troubles getting EIAS v9.1 to render. I have four shots of this one scene with only 2 of the shots able to be rendered at 3072 x 1728 pixels. Of the other two camera angles, one will render at 2560 x 1440 pixels and the other at 1280 x 720 pixels. Needless to say I need these to all be the same resolution. http://www.goodbuildingdesign.com.au/2494-Int_Views_0o.jpg http://www.goodbuildingdesign.com.au/2494-Int_Views_1o.jpg http://www.goodbuildingdesign.com.au/2494-Int_Views_2o.jpg http://www.goodbuildingdesign.com.au/2494-Int_Views_3o.jpg Is there a setup with camera and ram that I'm missing? Michael

Thanks for the encouragement. I started a university degree 1.5 years ago so haven't had much time for anything. Trying to pump out the work in-between semesters...talk about a glutton for punishment! I've been building a model of a famous Frank Loyd Wright home since the middle of last year (not Falling Water), that I want to really push EI with. I've been taking my time with it and won't post anything until I've pushed myself to find new ground with my skills. I have a small catalogue of details I have collected on the home, including architectural plans, lead lighting, photographs etc that I hope to work on more this Christmas. See how I go! Michael

Yes I paid for my upgrade today, can't wait to see how much quicker multi-threading makes the snapshots. I used to have the EIAS 2.8 manuals that talked about multi-threading and I've been hoping this whole time it would happen! I am a little concerned though, as I didn't get a confirmation email of my purchase or anything. I made the credit card payment via the Pay Pal link and that was it?! Is there an email and an unlock code I should be looking out for? Michael

How do I import a .max model file? My customer likes a Turbo Squid model which only comes as a .max model format and Turbo Squid can't convert it because it's part of a collection! Am I plumb out of luck? Michael

Thanks Tom, Nice of you to let me know that. I really like the results I get with EIAS. I hope I can upgrade to 9.1 soon. Michael