Any easy way to reshape elevation lines in topo mesh?

[Anonymous]

I'm a student learning ArchiCAD, now on AC18. I have an assignment to make a topo site plan using a surveyor's data and the mesh tool. I finally got it down when I found an unattributed .pdf file with decent instructions.

Here's my problem: I need to regrade the site. It should come as no surprise that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of spots on the site that would need to be moved. Is there any way to get a ridge line to move and reshape by moving one spot and having others in the line move in concert?

For example, if I want to create a valley on a hill for water run off, I could grab a spot and pull it uphill with adjacent spots moving to create a nice, smooth curve. The end spots at the property lines would be anchors so there would be a smooth transition to neighboring terrain.

I thought about placing a new polyline on the mesh and space-clicking it. But then what do I do with the line it is to replace? The consensus seems to be there is no easy way to delete a line or group of spots, no less even one spot.

I've searched the forums (fora? forii?) as best I could for discussions on the subject. Surprisingly, nothing showed up. Could it be that I am the first to wonder about this?

Thanks in advance.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Easiest solution is to create a New mesh with the new grading and use that to do a SEO (subtract with upwards extrusion) on the original mesh

[Anonymous]

ejrolon wrote:
Easiest solution is to create a New mesh with the new grading and use that to do a SEO (subtract with upwards extrusion) on the original mesh

Thanks, Eduardo. You mean like inserting a dirt roadway mesh with separate countours and elevations into the existing mesh? I'll have to try that out. Even so, it seems harder and/or more time consuming than my idea. Maybe because I'm new to meshes and they take time for me.

I'll let you know how it works out.

[Kamelite]

"ibdegen" wrote:

"ejrolon" wrote:
Easiest solution is to create a New mesh with the new grading and use that to do a SEO (subtract with upwards extrusion) on the original mesh

Thanks, Eduardo. You mean like inserting a dirt roadway mesh with separate countours and elevations into the existing mesh? I'll have to try that out. Even so, it seems harder and/or more time consuming than my idea. Maybe because I'm new to meshes and they take time for me.

I'll let you know how it works out.

A bit off topic, but still: does AC have the capability of using height map? And if not, how come? In my opinion that is the best and easiest way of working with terrains... I have done this a lot with 3DS max, but never in AC..

.Thag

[Anonymous]

What relevance is a height map to architectural modelling?

Height maps are raster images used for bump mapping / displacement mapping, and are generally used in computer graphics and visualisation. How do you accurately model levels / quantities with 256 shades of grey.

At the end of the day ArchiCAD is for designing and documenting projects that need to be accurately and clearly communicated to trades who will price and turn the representations of our projects into the real thing.

Scott

[Eduardo Rolon]

Though in all fairness AC18 can use "Height Maps" with Cinerender though Scott is right that they are not usable for Construction Documents.

See here were it is used to create the seam on the ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMS3NhtMlDI

[Kamelite]

"sboydturner" wrote:
What relevance is a height map to architectural modelling?

Height maps are raster images used for bump mapping / displacement mapping, and are generally used in computer graphics and visualisation. How do you accurately model levels / quantities with 256 shades of grey.

At the end of the day ArchiCAD is for designing and documenting projects that need to be accurately and clearly communicated to trades who will price and turn the representations of our projects into the real thing.

Scott

Since you mension bump mapping in this setting, have you any experience With height maps? The 256 color height map is the same, but the way it workes is way different. The bumpmapping takes effect as a part of a texture, and is not displayed until the Whole model is rendered. Height maps used in the terrain-context Works directly on the model. Say you have defined the terrain as a 256*256 grid consisting of vertices, and the the height map Applied gives a height between o and 255 to each and every one of them. This gives an Instant change in the way the terrain is displayed on screen, regardless of it beeing rendered or not. Exactly the same way as the way AC displays it today, but it looks way better much easier, in my opinion.

And taking heights and quantities is no problem either..

To the architectural modelling itself it has absolutely no relevance. But in my opinion, getting a decent looking terrain is a lot easier With height maps than the way AC solves it. And, its way easier to texture the terrain since you can use the height map as a stencil.

In my opinion, it is just a matter of getting a good looking terrain the easiest way.

Forgive me if I told you Things you already know 🙂

.Thag