Modelling unusual shapes

[Anonymous]

Hi

My current model requires clouds. I am planning to use the basic shapes for this. The client wants them fluffy. Any suggestions as to the best way to do this.
There is also a fountain required. I am keen to hear of anyones' experience with modelling water. ie what might I expect.

Thanks

[Dave Jochum]

Peter wrote:
My current model requires clouds. I am planning to use the basic shapes for this. The client wants them fluffy. Any suggestions as to the best way to do this.
There is also a fountain required. I am keen to hear of anyones' experience with modelling water. ie what might I expect.

You don't want to model clouds and water. Skies are added to renderings either in AC (Image | PhotoRendering Settings | Size & Background--then choose "Picture" and navigate to one on your HD. They are avialable free on many graphics websites-- http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/~pbourke/texture/ for example) or in rendering apps such as ArtLantis. Water is a "material" that can be post-rendered in ArtLantis or other apps. Again, see the previously mention website as a source.

As far as a fountain goes--you might want to model it. I have no idea of course what style you're thinking of, but possibly it could be modeled directly in AC with the standard tools--walls, slabs, roofs, etc. If it's freeform or built of rounded shapes, an add-on like ArchiForma ( see http://www.archiforma.com/ ) would be helpful. As far as having the fountain spray water, that's going to take some advanced modeling work. You're better off with using an image for a static rendering.

Hope this helps.

[Djordje]

Dave wrote:

Peter wrote:
There is also a fountain required. I am keen to hear of anyones' experience with modelling water. ie what might I expect.

As far as a fountain goes--you might want to model it.

There used to be a running water fountain, AFAIR on Frank Chin's now deceased site. Worked within ArchiCAD movies, with Rebuild each frame on.

Also waves etc ...

[James Murray]

Djordje wrote:
There used to be a running water fountain, AFAIR on Frank Chin's now deceased site. Worked within ArchiCAD movies, with Rebuild each frame on.

Also waves etc ...

It was also in Cookbook 3, and on the accompanying CD, I think.

You might contact DNC, or maybe he'll chime in.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, the archiforma looks a good bet.
I'm modelling an exhibition space and the clouds are not a background but part of the exhibition and are to act as a light diffuser. Similarly with the water in the fountain. The fountain itself is not a problem, just the water. I've never used an image in a model before, how does this work.
I'm sending it to the photoshop experts for the final touches so only need to get it to the point were they can work their magic (but, of course, ego demands I make them feel superfluous)

[Anonymous]

Peter,

It sounds as if you may have some pretty high end rendering requirements. You may want to look into something with more capabilities than AC (Artlantis, Cinema 4D, etc) for adding the water and clouds and doing the final renderings.

[Djordje]

Peter wrote:
Thanks, the archiforma looks a good bet.
I'm modelling an exhibition space and the clouds are not a background but part of the exhibition and are to act as a light diffuser.

You can do the clouds with ArchiForma, even the water. If you want to make the Photoshoppers redundant (I usually pee them off by saying "Can I see the other side, please?") you will have to use some good radiosity/raytracing software for the finals - as advised here?

Post the image if it is not copyrighted?

[Anonymous]

I am trying to model panels at 45 degrees as a cladding on to a tapering circular wall. I have managed it at 5 degrees, to a fashion, you cannot tell from the attached view that they do not actually fit. As it is a constantly reducing radius it is correct at only one point. When I increase the slope the errors are multiplied and I end up with a big mess.

I think what I need is a spiral with a reducing radius to use as an operator, I guess I will have to learn this GDL

Anybody have any ideas. (I only have the demo version of archiforma)

[Dwight]

SIMPLE GEOMETRIC SOLUTION OF THE MONTH:

You seem to want diagonal tiles coating a cone. This can be done with roofs. Simply stack a series of diagonal roof panels that roughly correspond to square - none of these tiles will be parallel sided or exactly square. I used focused lines to get the taper and measured contours to establish equal steps vertically.

You might consider making the perimeter distance work out to an exact tile number to avoid overlap.

There is some drafting to set this up initially, but once the first rows are made, the rest are easily multiplied around. Intermediatte tiles can be resolved in the 3D window.

[Dwight]

BTW: Is your project, like, the teletubbies dungeon, or what?