topic Re: Archibase objects. Please help in Libraries & objects

Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:15:29 GMT

Hi! I have downloaded some objects from archibase.net. I want to use the in a
scene but when I open it in 3D, the materials of the object do not appear. The object appears to be gray. It happens to different objects...couch, chair, table...
Thank you

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:43:29 GMT

pop_andramaria wrote:
The object appears to be gray.

Try checking "Use Object's Materials" box in Object's Settings > Model.

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:32:37 GMT

Hello,

I am also have the same problem here and it's not the object material box. that is checked and all is fine, but all my objects are white and its extremely frustrating! so i can't explain why everything is coming out white. i have downloaded things from the archibase site before without problems.

i've attached a screen shot of my problem, this is a bottle that is supposed to have a silver top and yellow liquid in it, but when i use it comes out white. yes, even when i've put it into its place on the layout.

I should also add i've used this bottle in previous works without any problems...

solution needed asap please!

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:54:58 GMT

Lauren,

Here's the problem.. I'm pretty confident this is the situation:

You downloaded a suite of objects. Along with them, there were probably a suite of predefined materials that were designed to go with them. If you changed / purged / rearranged materials in your current file, the object may not be able to 'find' them. The object finds the materials by their numbers, NOT the names we give them. If it can't find the material it's looking for, it'll substitute the default "GENERAL" material (which in your case is probably grey or white).

You'll notice in the settings window you've PNG'd that there are no parameters listed for the material of each individual part of the bottle. There's two solutions... one is 'iffy', the other a long term solution that will make you a better operator.

Solution 1: (Iffy) Re-load the library containing this object.... The whole folder. It probably contains the predefined materials it's looking for.

Solution 2: The long term, and correct, way to fix this is to add parameters for the individual materials in the bottle's Parameter Script. You can look at the 3D script and see the parameter names the object is searching for in the code. You'll need to look at the GDL Reference Manual in the AC help menu for an explanation of this. Once the parameters are in the parameter script, you can tell the object which materials to use for each part of the bottle from the settings window in AC. You need to learn GDL scripting if you really want to make AC work hard for you. You won't be stuck with a yellow (or grey!) bottle anymore... you'll have access to the whole rainbow.

Hopefully, #1 solves your immediate problem, and #2 makes you stronger. It's a challenge, but it's worth it.

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:59:37 GMT

Hi,

Thanks for your speedy reply and help. unfortunately your first option did not work. that is not what the problem is.

the problem lays in when i download the file, nothing is changed, i open it in library, as i have before with no problems in the past and it's still coming out white now. for some reason the colour keeps being lost. So, I don't know whether the problem lays with the website archibase, or with Archicad. i'll post the link here to the bottle i took a screen shot of and you can tell me if it's coming white out on your end, if so it's the archibase site is causing problems, but then why it's doing it to all the products, i don't know.

here is the link to the product.

http://www.archibase.net/download/18715.html

but if it's an archicad problem, i really need it fixed asap. i can't do the second option, i am limited on time.

advice anyone? please?

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:34:00 GMT

Hi Lauren,

Try the attached version.

I have edited the material definition. The original material was not transparent and was being applied to the whole bottle, cap and liquid.

I separated each material so you can choose them from the standard AC library instead. I only did it roughly as there is no separation in the code between the different parts, so you may see some rendering glitches.

By the way, did you know this tiny library part has well over 10000 polygons? Use them sparingly, otherwise Lightworks will throw a fit!

Hope it works for you!

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:18:40 GMT

I would first like to thank you for the file. it was very nice of you to take the time to do it.

but that's not what i wanted. what i need is someone to explain to me why all the objects i am downloading are turning white when there is nothing wrong with my general materials, i have not adjusted or changed anything in the file.

i need a solution so i can fix this asap. otherwise archicad becomes a useless program to me.

i need to know if anyone else is having this problem. if so have they fixed it and how? (without having to change every single item manually)

I also need to know if the developers know what the problem is, if they are reading this thread, now would be a fantastic time to tell me if i 'accidently' switched off some setting i should not have done so.

someone,

PLEASE HELP!!!!

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:35:38 GMT

Hi Lauren,

Sorry your still having problems. The reason why the model is coming out grey/white is because there is only one material definition in the file. This happens to be grey/white. It has nothing to do with your existing material library already in AC as the library part is not coded to apply separate materials to the model.

You say you have used this bottle successfully before. Was this in ArchiCAD or another program?

Looking at the code that is produced using both the 3ds import feature in AC and the pre-converted part supplied in the download, there is no way that it could work correctly. The different materials are not defined in the code. If you do a search for '3ds import' you will see that other people have had the same problems before. If the different material definitions are in the original 3ds file, then I would assume it's a stupid limitation in the conversion process.

Can you point us in the direction of one of the other parts that did work for you. Perhaps that may help point out what is missing from the bottle.

It is usually only a 5 minute job to add the separate material definitions to each library part, by the way.

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:08:37 GMT

Hi Peter
I downloaded the bottle you posted and the glass is clear, the top is black and the "liquid" is a light olive green.
So in trying to understand the black and white only statement, why would I have green liquid? Is that something you added?
Thanks for any reply.
Bier

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:44:01 GMT

Hi bier,

Yes, I have added the extra material definitions. You can now choose whatever material from your internal material library you like.

I chose those three material just for effect. Ideally set up your own materials, for example a transparent, coloured perfume liquid, and then choose it in the library part settings.

Originally the library part had a single material definition for the whole bottle. This was built in, but there also was an option to choose a single material from your material library instead. Neither of which was correct as you would expect the liquid to be a different material to the lid or the body of the bottle.

Have a look at the code of the original object and compare it to the modified one to see what I did.

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:46:29 GMT

Hi Peter
Thanks for the reply and suggestion.
I would not have gone looking on my own.
I'm only 3 partial yrs into AC as a Residential Remodel Design/Build contractor and so (for now) don't use AC but do design mods., get permit and then go build. So it can be awhile before I get back to AC.
It's gonna be a long strange trip, I can see.
Anyway with your help I figured out how to open the object you posted and scrolled down to infinity, (or so it seemed). Noticed in the long and windy road down there quite a bit, that it has places that I assumed were calling out what was to be effected by material above. (First time I ever looked at this stuff).
Could not figure out what was going on down under, so I went back to the top and found place to change "what" I assumed was being called out to effect long code.
I'm guessing that the long set of seemingly similar code is to gradually change the sloping bottle along with "shoulder" and "toe".
Wow, did someone actually sit there and type in all that code? Or is there a program that sort of does sections for you?
And congratulation of milestone of 500.
Attached is my first foray into changing an object!
I think now I will have the courage to try simple mod to my seo'ed
"save 3d model as" residential knee brace I made, to make it parametric.
Or is that really to hard a "first" step"?
Thanks again.
Bier
P.S. Noticed that preview still shows your materials, is that hard to change?

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 01:21:46 GMT

Hi,

Thanks for your help, i'll try do what i can, i've resorted to breaking up the parts now and adding them on as layers.

the bottle was used in archicad. i've downloaded several previous objects i've used before in archicad and which were in colour by the way, and they all come out white now. which is really confusing. I'm starting to wonder if there is something wrong with the archibase downloads. i've emailed them too, but they haven't replied. i don't think they will either

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:19:04 GMT

Bier wrote:
It's gonna be a long strange trip, I can see.

It's pretty simple to do. I commented out all the existing material code (anything after an exclamation mark on the same line is ignored), and just put 3 simple material definitions in the correct places (in the 'pgon' section nearing the bottom) to change the material. I then created 3 new parameters with the corresponding names which then controls the material of the 3d elements.

If you just want to change the materials you don't need to edit the code, simply open the part up normally (click the settings button) click on one of the parameters and select a new material from the list.

Wow, did someone actually sit there and type in all that code? Or is there a program that sort of does sections for you?

No, the code is automatically produced by the 3ds import add-on. It is just a long list describing every edge and face in 3d space of the complicated mesh that forms the shape. 'Normal' code is much simpler to understand and far shorter!

And congratulation of milestone of 500.

Thanks! I thought I would celebrate by finally adding an avatar!

I think now I will have the courage to try simple mod to my seo'ed "save 3d model as" residential knee brace I made, to make it parametric. Or is that really to hard a "first" step"?

Changing an objects shape parametrically gets a little more complex, but try to start simply and use the 'GDL cookbook' to understand what is happening.

P.S. Noticed that preview still shows your materials, is that hard to change?

The preview is just showing what the part is meant to look like originally. I changed nothing. Do a new render at the same size and paste it in. It's all covered in the help files.

lauren.gray wrote:
i've resorted to breaking up the parts now and adding them on as layers.

Just to check I'm not being really stupid, has anyone else tried downloading the original part and importing it into AC? I would hate for you to have to change everything manually, when I may have missed something obvious myself. Can any GDL gods take a quick look at it please?

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Djordje — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:07:19 GMT

Are you sure that this bottle is worth additional polygons????

Re: Archibase objects. Please help

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:30:10 GMT

Oh yeh!
It's for the Lady in Red......Who looks so lovely tonight...
And she's worth more than all the polygons is the whole world!
Bier