Rewrite 3d Window

[Anonymous]

GS! I used Sketchup for the first time yesterday! While it is irrational to expect an interface like that considering the complexity of our elements it is rational to demand a complete rethink of our 3d Window...

There is too much to list.. everytime I am walking and want to look up or down I must click that nasty button AND click back to walk forward again..

As I said, so much to list it is better to beg, borrow, steal people from them if necessary and completely redo the 3d Window...

or make us an excellent plugin so I can stop using the AC 3d window completely.

Yes Daddy, I want what the neighbors have...

[Anonymous]

If we could at least use the wheel to look up and down while walking, I think that would be wonderful (or have the control key act as a modifyer, like shift is being used).

...at least for now.

[Andy Thomson]

for my thesis at ubc, i actually modelled with maya and archicad, and assembled the whole landscape with buildings into an adobe atmosphere environment - for remote crit sessions, we met 'inside' the virtual model and 'chatted' - our little avatar heads off.

there was a little java routine that had 'detailed bounds' which wouldn't let you go through walls or floors or stairs, and 'gravity' which acted like, well go figure. same as in game code everywhere.

that way, you don't need to be luke skywalker with the camera controls, you can just take a stroll through the model. I am sure it's not much code, and could just be two buttons, like in atmosphere player, 'bounds on' and 'gravity' on.

Jeez! Then even our senior partners would get into and evaluate the models!

A

[Anonymous]

I don't think it's necessary.

Here's why...

"Explore model" works great.

To add "realistic" gravity code would make it so we'd loose "God" mode of walking through walls and other "solid" objects. This would quickly reduce Ac's ability to use a good rendering app or ANY kind, as doors and windows would have bulky transparancy and opaque settings, which would create tons more problems than navigating via explore model has.

So the real issues is how long does it take an average user to get proficient with the arrow keys and some keyboard customized shortcuts?

Most of us, who are professionals and make a living (we hope, in the current economy) at this stuff, will more then benefit from simply getting proficient in explore model mode, than dealing with the much deeper issues and problems what would be created by making AC more like 3dsMax or Hammer and the models we make compiled as we work...

Trust me on this.

However, someone really smart MIGHT SOMEDAY make an adjustable height (say 2-4 meters tall views) "gravity" mode for slabs/roofs/meshes that are currently showing on layers that are on...

...maybe in AC14? (forget it in 13; it will take a LOT of work to implement correctly, without hosing so much of the rest of the app).


By the way, if you REALLY want this function,
There are some GREAT and FAST apps out there that are made for this
1) Export your AC 3ds model into it
2) Set it up the way you want with textures and the rest
3) Compile it and render the different FX you want (like lights, etc)
4) Run around in it real time!

There are some great game-based 3d engines and modeling apps out there for those who need this for presentations and such in real-time.


A quick and dirty solution though might be,

save model as 3ds
open with 3dsmax or gmesh or similar freeware
(Maya has a student learning edition, think it's free)
save as a map file with Valve exporting plug in
open in BSViewer or Hammer and compile it as a BSP (5 year old apps)
Open it in almost any game or simply use the above BSviewer to walk around in it.
there's some technical steps in setting up the software and
setting up the whole chain/development path for sure...too many little steps to do here, but worth a small manual...
The 3d sites can help with it though...

It will look similar to the AC version, but with less lighting FX.
to get the lighting rendering, you have to completely compile any 3d model with some kind of engine for real-time stuff... which will take time and disk space.
BUT
when you're done you'll have, pending on how much work you do
a completely explorable with gravity model with as much realism as you want from it, and have the time to set up.

[Anonymous]

it is very necessary I think.
Archicad is tool to conceive architecture, and as such must offer a good feedback when working with it. I mean a good way to appreciate the architecture as you create it, especially in 3d.
The 3d view is quite good and fast in AC but not at all as good as Sketchup's.
I understand AC's must handle much more data maybe, but a they both use the openGL it shouldn't be so hard to have them similar.
Sketchup's very strong success is IMHO opinion due to the fact that you really can appreciate the design you do in the meantime as you do it.
You don't need to render or go to another soft to visualize it.
Even the simplest style i SKetchup, without shadows, is already appealing and gives good feedbak for design.
As I love AC for many other thing, I really look forward to something like that in AC.