Question: how to write on a wall?

[Anonymous]

Hi, I have a question with ArchiCAD 12 walls:

is it possible to create a writing on the wall?

I would like to have a writing, like a neon sign, on a wall for viewing in 3D and render. Nothing "special" just a plain simple letters attached to a wall (in metal) with an illumination behind them.

I hope you understood what I am talking about, since my architectural english isn't quite good (yet, but hopefully this will change).

Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

Good question! I would also like to know if this is possible.
I know in plan, elevations and sections is pretty easy to add text. But making text a 3D object is way out of my league.

Sorry I am no help to your post but I wanted to say that as a foreigner in an English speaking country your English is awesome! keep it up

[Anonymous]

Have you seen the "Text 3D" object in the library?
You should find it under Furnishing/Decoration.

[Anonymous]

Ding!

Jackpot.


Thanks a lot, you just made my day 🙂

[Karl Ottenstein]

You are limited concerning illumination within ArchiCAD.

As Dwight has pointed out, you can use a 'constant' LightWorks shader (visible only when rendered with LW, not in OpenGL or internal engine) to make the neon letters appear to be emissive - but they will not actually cast light on the wall.

3D text settings attached first...

[Karl Ottenstein]

Letters offset from wall, casting shadow in sunlight, but with constant emission. (If sun turned off, the letters would appear the same color, but would not cast light on the wall.)

[Anonymous]

Thank you subatomic! Now that I know it exists i can easily find it

[Karl Ottenstein]

LW settings for constant shader...

[Anonymous]

Karl, thank you very much (and all others as well). May I ask you how much distance did you put between the text and the wall?

Concerning light I gave up. I vanted to do a non trasparent surface with a backlighting (sort of a halo around the text at night).

But light management seems a bit poor in general in ArchiCAD, regarding render.

[Karl Ottenstein]

With Artlantis, for example, you can make the letters, or at least their back faces, emit light with the neon shader. Here is a quickie that I am not happy with - too much light and not creating the shape of the letters - perhaps could be controled if I spent time reducing the power/etc. The overall rectangular illumination isn't quite what we want to see.