Workshop 7 Notes

Workshop 8 notes, Week of October 16, 2006

Materials and Lighting

1. FILE TYPES FOR TEXTURE MAPPING

These files are interchangeable between drawings and are stored outside the .dgn file:

Material Palette File (file extension “.pal”) – definition of materials. Can be one of three types

Definition by properties [e.g. color]
By procedure [by specific algorithm]
By texture mapping [literally draping image onto a surface]

Materials Table (file extension “.mat”)

References the palette files according to object or a combination of layer and color.

2. SURFACE MODIFICATIONS

Tools>surface modeling>modify surfaces

Project Trim

Make rectangle in plan and make circle inside rectangle.
Turn off ACS snaps and sticky z lock.
Move circle above the rectangle (using the ‘F’ or ‘S’ construction plane).
Use the “project trim” tool on the modify surfaces palette (2 nd icon).
Make sure ‘orthogonal’ and ‘keep profile’ are selected in the trim dialog box.
Click on the rectangle, the circle, and left-click to accept.

Stitch Surfaces

Draw a second rectangle adjacent to the first rectangle of equal width.
Use “stitch surfaces” (4 th icon) to join the two surfaces together.
Click on first object, second object, and left-click to accept.

Construct Trim

Overlap a new rectangle over the second (in effect cutting partway into first).
Use “construct trim” tool (1 st icon).
With “Trim first surface” option selected, pick first and then second surface to trim.
Left-click to accept.

Split Surface

Pick surface with circular projected hole in it.
Select “split surface” tool (8 th icon).
Choose object then corner vertice.
Move, and surface trims accordingly.

Extend Surface

Select “Extend Surface” icon (9 th icon) and make sure “extend mode” is “tangential”.
Select edge of rectangular surface and move to extend surface size.

Convert Surfaces to Solid

Place rectangle and build 3D elevations to create an “open container”.
It is possible to make the sides by clicking on a vertice, moving to the ‘F’ or ‘S’ construction plane, tentative snapping the next vertice and pulling up.
Copy this rectangle to the opposite side, and create the other 2 sides.
Use the "stitch surfaces" tool to join the rectangles together (click all 5 surfaces and left-click to accept).
Use "Convert 3D" tool (3 rd icon), “convert to solid” option, to convert to solid object (click ‘container’ and left-click to accept).

3. BASIC LIGHTING SETUP

Tools>3D Main>3D Primitives

Draw base rectangle (with ACS snaps on).
Turn off ACS snaps and use the slab tool to place a slab on the rectangle surface (tentative snap a vertice, hit ‘o’ for ‘offset’ and start drawing in the rectangle).
Using the same method, place a cylinder and truncated cone on the rectangle (it may be necessary to check different views to make sure your primitives are in the right place.
Using the “Change Element Attributes ” tool (In the main tool palette, 8 th one down on the left side), check off ‘color’ and make each of the three primitives a separate color.
From the vertices of the base rectangle, create 3 “light poles” (fill, key, backlight).
In View Attributes (from “B” menu), check to make sure ‘constructions’ is checked on, and then make sure plane locks and sticky z are off.
Under Tools>visualization>Rendering, choose the “Define Light” tool.
Make sure the mode is “create” and place spot lights on two of the ‘poles’ (intensity of 0.5 and 1, key and back).
Create point light (intensity 0.5) on the last pole.
Check global lighting and turn off solar light.
Under View attributes, turn off constructions.

4. STANDARD RENDERING

It is possible to render through a range of algorithms. Use the render tool to test:

Wiremesh
Hidden Line
Filled Hidden Line
Constant
Smooth
Phong (turn off or save shadow maps under Settings>Rendering>General lighting)
Ray Trace
Ray Trace – shading type: anti alias

5. SIMPLE MATERIAL ASSIGNMENTS

Settings>Rendering>Materials

Go to Table>Save As to start a new table.
Go to Palette>Open and choose C:\ProgramFiles\Bentley\Workspace\Triforma\atf_us_ncs\materials.
Open “finishes.pal” and assign “flat warm grey” to the slab.
Right-click on the finish.
Go to “Assign,” then choose the object. The material should then have a “+” next to it and contain the layer and color of the object selected.
Open palette “glazing.pal” and assign glass to sphere.
Open palette “metals.pal” and assign brass to cone.
Open palette “floors.pal” and assign tile semi gloss to rectangle.
To preserve the new settings, right-click on the table name and save and then on the palettes to save.

6. BACKGROUND MAP AND DISTANCE CUE

Settings>Design File>Views

Browse for a Background image and check off the box (C:\ProgramFiles\Bentley\Workspace\Triforma\atf_us_ncs\materials\pattern\SkyBlueSmClouds.jpg) Settings>Rendering>View Attributes (or Settings>Rendering>Setup>Render Attributes).
Change “ Distance cue” to “fog”.
In the setup menu, it is possible to change near distance, density, or far density
In Settings>Rendering>General or in the Setup, can change “Fog color” (pick light blue).
Lower far density to 0.25.
To turn background off, go to Settings>Rendering>View attributes or to the “B” menu>View Attributes and check the background off.

7. PROCEDURE TEXT FILE

Settings>Rendering>Materials

Palette>open and go to C:\ProgramFiles\Bentley\workspace\Triforma\atf_us_ncs\materials.
Open “ proctext.pal”.
Assign “dutch bond” to brick slab, then render.

8. CREATE MATERIAL

Settings/Renderings/Materials

Go to Palette> New and save “grue.pal” (can right-click to save or rename).
Start new material “grue1” by right-clicking on the palette and clicking “new material”.
Pick base color by clicking on the white square next to color.
Adjust sliders for: Ambient Diffuse Specular Finish Transmit Reflect Refract.
Add bump map by clicking on the “pattern” button and switching the “Map” to “bump” (Use StuccoBump.jpg from C:\ProgramFiles\Bentley\Workspace\Triforma\atf_us_ncs\materials\bump).
Reduce height to 0.50.
Resave palette.
Open up assign materials dialog box (Material>Assign).
Open palette “grue”.
Assign grue1 to cone.
Render.
Reserve for next time.

9. MODIFY PROCEDURE TEXTURE MAP & CREATE YOUR OWN

Palette> Open

C:\ProgramFiles\Bentley\Workspace\Triforma\atf_us_ncs\materials\proctext.pal.

Double click on “brick”.
Double-click on procedure map for brick in assign materials dialog.
Save palette as myproc.pal in your x: drive.
Copy brick (dutch bond) to mybrick (dutch bond).
Hit edit button, change mortar color.
Save palette (note all names unique (palette and material)

10. TRANSPARENT OBJECTS

COPY materials1a directly and files from classes folder.
Relink individual person files

11. TO MAP IMAGE

In the new palette, right-click for “new material”.
Hit the “Pattern” box.
Click on the magnifying glass to browse for image.
Turn off transparent background.
Under “units” make sure it is assigned to “surface” to stretch the image to the surface area (“Master” tiles it in 1’x1’ modules).
In the model, build a new rectangle in a new color.
Assign image to rectangle.
Render to view.

12. ENVIRONMENTAL MAP

Table>environment maps

Set environment maps (sky2.jpg).
Select “raytrace.pal” and assign mirror to rectangle.

13. SAVING RENDERINGS

V iew size in Settings>Rendering>View size.
Set to 640x480 (make sure “proportional resize” is off).
Save image file by going to Utilities>Image>Save (check options and save by browsing to folder).
To see image in microstation, go to Utilities>Image>Display .