topic Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings in Visualization

Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Anonymous — Thu, 11 May 2023 10:40:17 GMT

Hello,

My name is Elizabeth Freeman, and I work for GSG Architecture in Casper, Wyoming. Our firm recently updated to ArchiCAD 9.0 and as the Interior Designer, I spend quite a lot of time on rendering areas of our models. I have found that ArchiCAD 9.0' Lightworks Rendering Engine is a VERY useful tool and I LOVE the results! I almost feel like throwing away all my sketch pens and markers!!

I have a question for the Lightworks experts out there: Do you know where I can get a more comprehensive guide on how to use Lightworks in my renderings? I would really like to know more about the materials classes and parameters and read definitions on what they do and how they will impact my resulting image.

I also have a question regarding the Archives. I have checked out the Lightworks website at http://www.lightworks-user.com/downloads.php and it was like Christmas with the amount of archives you can download!! However when I try to load some of them in my materials dialog by hitting the “Load Settings from Archive” button, they don't show up? For example, BenjaminMooreImpervex309ExteriorGloss.lwa appears empty

Do the archives in Lightworks contain more than just shaders? For example InteriorLightStudios.lwa and ObjectLightStudios.lwa appear empty, but the name indicates they may contain lights and objects.

I am also having problems with the appropriate method of generating overhead lighting? Please see the attachment. I find that my renderings look far more realistic when I don’t include a picture for a background, or when I leave the ceiling off. When I do use a ceiling, my renderings are flat, and dark? Is there some sort of scientific method to alleviate this problem? Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Thanks so much!!

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Dwight — Mon, 22 Nov 2004 21:15:55 GMT

You'll be waiting for my next book "LightWorks In ArchiCAD."

Working on it now.

Just finished a series of interiors with the same ceiling problem. A problem faced by every photographer.

You'll want to use a window light aimed straight upward to illuminate your ceiling from about 6 feet - use mauve or bluegrey light. This is your savior in any shaded or dark situation - corners, too.

Think like a photographer.

Say hello to the ghost.

the .lwa not being shaders can't presently be employed in ArchiCAD.

you'll find a background photo works better when you map it as a material on a billboard as a "constant" emitter.

Call me at 604-266-7322 if you need to discuss this further.

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 00:41:37 GMT

Elizabeth wrote:
For example, BenjaminMooreImpervex309ExteriorGloss.lwa appears empty

Welcome, Elizabeth!

The BenjaminMoore LWA files will not work with AC 9. I have recently been in touch with GS support about these, and apparently in spite of being marked as "free", they contain certain information that requires a different license than is built into AC 9. The official term from LightWorks themselves to me and from GS is that AC 9 is not "LWA enabled" ... which in principal means we shouldn't be able to open LWA files. But, of course, we can open most of the architectural textures, metals, and more ...as well as the archives that AC 9 is delivered with.

Unless GS themselves post more information on this, I will keep the ac-talk community informed as I hear more information.

Just one quick tip on your image: the vertical woodgrain on the top arch of the window casing really stands out. As there isn't an easy way to get a satisfactory wood grain for an arch, you might use one of the LW shaders and set the turbulence up so that it just looks noisy and without noticeable grain lines.

Cheers,
Karl

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Dwight — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 00:49:53 GMT

ArchiCAD has only licensed the "basic," "architectural" and "industrial" functionality - there might be others, but not all of the LWA categories.

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 23:14:10 GMT

Thank you for your helpful hints! I have gone back through my model and revised accordingly. It is refreshing to get opinions other than my own!!

As for the lighting on my ceiling (or previously known as the ghost?) I have been working on getting a more accurate rendering! Thank you for the tip of the mauve and bluegrey light tones. I have to say my best rendering as of yet, includes both tones, in different lamps. I did find that if I stuck to one tone for everything, there would be too much color from the shadows.

I'm very interested in your new book Dwight! Do you have an expected completion date? Anything that can help me tackle the science of appropriate lighting applications excites me! Dwight, can you tell me if you will be covering lighting modules in your book? I would like to create such modules that contain typical lightning for interior shots, so that I can drop them into any project and adjust them to suit. Is this even feasible?

As for the scientific method of lighting, I am finding that it is a guess and check process. With the rendering that I'm working on, I have looked at it as a photographer might, and I'm curious how to avoid such dark shadows. Is there any way to decrease the shadow casting or lighten the shadows, without increasing the amount of lights in the drawing?? Or is there some sort of light ratio that one could use to get the appropriate amount of lighting in a particular scene?I have been directing lights to the ceiling, the floor, and dark corners as well as any other area I find too dark. I currently have approximately 15 lights, and I can't help but think it's a little bit excessive for such a small area.

Thanks again and I look forward to hearing back from you!

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Dwight — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 23:40:26 GMT

Think like a photographer would: Completely disregard the contribution actual architectural light sources make to the scene, except for their modeling shadows, and use the three light types - the key, the model and the fill. The window object light is the way to do the fill - specific to dark areas in the view. It tilts from straight down to straight up - an ideal source of soft light.

Architectural lighting is bad - this is why we have dark areas in a rendering where they don't appear in reality - the eye darts around a room scene in reality, making micro-changes in exposure to compensate so that our memory of the space is complete even if individual augenblicks aren't.

You might make a "module" to drop lights into a scene pre-positioned and set, but this isn't accurate, just a starting point. Probably worth dropping an uplight and some diagonal down-aimed windolites into a module. Any scene needs experimenting, as any photographer would do, moving the lights around to make shadows fall in the least detrimental places. Almost every room I "shoot" needs uplighting for the ceiling, for instance.

Think of what the photographer did on your last commercial shoot - how they altered the space to make it suitable for photos: Boosted ambient, filled shadows and diffused sunlight entering through the windows - illustrators must take the same approach.

Casper is the ghost. [haha.]

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Vitruvius — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 13:09:54 GMT

I had a look at the LWA site posted by Elizabeth - wow! What a great resource.

I downloaded the Interior Light Studio - but there's nothing on how to use this???? Any tips or guidelines I could refer to?

And Dwight, when is your Lightworks rendering book planning to launch? I bought your previous book 'Rendering with ArchiCAD' and found it a great resource.

Cheers, Cameron

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Balazs Simonyi — Wed, 24 Nov 2004 13:28:49 GMT

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=25086#25086
Sponsored by Dwight

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Nov 2004 21:47:36 GMT

Hello!

Well I'm at it again! I'm currently working on another rendering for a presentation. And my question this time is: is there a trick to re-sizing the archive materials?

For example, if I was to use a marble tile, and place it as the shader for my floor, it doesn't come in at scale. It is far too big, and it really can't be fudged!

Any help on this subject would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thank You!

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Anonymous — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 04:17:01 GMT

Elizabeth wrote:
Hello!

Well I'm at it again! I'm currently working on another rendering for a presentation. And my question this time is: is there a trick to re-sizing the archive materials?

For example, if I was to use a marble tile, and place it as the shader for my floor, it doesn't come in at scale. It is far too big, and it really can't be fudged!

Any help on this subject would be GREATLY appreciated!

Thank You!

In the material settings dialog is a a place to define the size of the texture image. For example an image of 18 courses of bricks should be set to four feet high (assuming 6 courses in 16"). As I recall they default to 1 meter high.

Oops, I responded too quickly and didn't notice you were referring to the LightWorks engine.

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Karl Ottenstein — Tue, 30 Nov 2004 05:08:19 GMT

Elizabeth wrote:
And my question this time is: is there a trick to re-sizing the archive materials?

For example, if I was to use a marble tile, and place it as the shader for my floor, it doesn't come in at scale. It is far too big, and it really can't be fudged!

Hi Elizabeth,

Good questions ... and the answers aren't immediately obvious, so this will help many others.

The answer isn't as easy as it used to be with the internal rendering engine, where you just give the x/y dimensions of the texture.

With LightWorks, you can have algorithmic shaders - which are resized in one place, and you can have texture images (such as tiles) that are resized elsewhere. You also have a separate place to resize bump map and masking images. And no doubt more ... that's as far as I've experienced to date.

The key is to CLEAR the checkmark in the box that says "Show essential only" under Set Parameters (see screenshot). Now, click on each of the Class buttons on the left, and browse the now-visible parameters. You'll see "scale" for things like seemless algorithmic granite, and you'll see width and height for things like tiles and brick.

If you map an image file under the Colour class (such as clicking with 'match with internal engine'), then the size of the image can be set in the Texture Space/Graphisoft Replicate using the 'S Size' and 'T Size' parameters.

HTH,
Karl

PS If you're using a shader from a LWA (you did say 'archive'), then you need to go through the above. If you are building your own LW material based on a texture image, it might be easier to get the scale by setting it up using the Internal Engine, then switching the the LW settings and clicking 'Match to Internal' and then finishing your customization there. The advantage of this, too, is that the OpenGL window will show the same texture. (If you only create the texture with the LW settings, then there is the weird feeling looking at the OpenGL, reminding yourself that the rendered image will have a completely different material.)

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 15:59:37 GMT

Karl,

I just wanted to drop a quick thanks!! That tip was EXACTLY what I needed!! I really appreciate the time you took to answer my question!! Thank you for enabling me to get my presentation out the door, with correctly scaled materials!!

Elizabeth

Re: Lightworks Materials in ArchiCAD Renderings

Karl Ottenstein — Thu, 02 Dec 2004 06:14:53 GMT

Glad I could help! 😉

Thanks,
Karl