Aligning 3D textures on Complex Profile Beam

[Ted Taylor]

I created a complex profile for the raked gable end of a roof and assigned a roof shingle texture to one of the components that make the profile. I placed a beam using the complex profile and all is well except I am unable to align the 3D texture. If I convert the profile to a morph, then the 3D texture can be selected and aligned. Preference would be to keep the complex profile.

Am I missing something or is this a limitation of complex profiles?

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure about the texture problem, but I have always modeled my pitched roof like that in two parts. One for the structural volume and another for the sheathing and shingle. That way the latter, thin part can extend over the eaves and rake as it does in actual construction and there is no need to include roofing in the rake trim profile.

[Anonymous]

You can create all manner of roof trims by making copy the main roof and "skinny up" the roof copy to about 3/4 or 1inch thick. Then move them into place in a 3D view. Plus it is easy to correlate these "roof trims" to the actual roof. I use a layer called A - ROOF - EAVE to accommodate these items. Quite straightforward. Formerly I used profiles to show the actual crown mold in the model, now I just show a roof as crown for the elevation and add a crown cross section to the sections and details. Not true BIM but it saves my time and speeds up LW render times.

Works for crown box returns per your image as well. Ted, hope to see you at the Atlanta July 17 - AC17 presentation!

[Anonymous]

Nice tip Mark.
Thanks for sharing.
lec

[Ted Taylor]

Sorry for being slow to respond, but I have been in the process of moving home and office. I appreciate the responses, but the issue is not how the soffit or rake was modeled (In fact, I tend to over do it in modeling "as it is would be built" so that I can get the model to work both in presentation and in construction documents with a minimum of fiddling. 17 appears to be an improvement in this regard.) The use of a complex profile was an attempt to simplify the procedure by creating a single entity that contained all of the bits and pieces that make up the rake, soffit, etc., so that it would not be a royal pain to adjust or modify as the model and design developed.

In playing around with this, it appears that the complex profile has nothing to do with the alignment of texture not working. The problem appears to be that it is a beam and it does not matter that it is a complex profile beam or not. I can not set the origin nor the direction of a texture on a beam. Walls, roofs, slabs, and morphs work. (each with their own limitations, which is another story) Help Center suggests that it should be possible to do this on beams. If anyone can get this to work on a beam in 17, I would appreciate knowing and will go kick my dog in frustration if you can. (Low growl from under desk, maybe i'll kick something else) Meanwhile I am sending it on to Graphisoft.

[Ted Taylor]

Word from above is that it is an apparent bug. Dog is resting comfortably.

[Fez1974]

I've just spend the best part of an hour trying to align a 3D texture on a beam with no joy.

I thought I was going mad as its not very often I have to re-align a texture but I've only been using AC17 for 1 day.

First project to use it and we have a problem already.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Could you upload an image and also provide the exact steps you are doing and what result you expect and what happens instead?

[Fez1974]

I have a brick soldier course I want set within my brickwork. Due to the height the default origin means I have a bed joint within my 225mm deep soldier course. Therefore I go to Design, Align 3D texture, Set Origin. I then click (anywhere) and nothing happens.

I've converted my beam to a morph and it works perfect!

[Fez1974]

And using a morph works perfectly.