MATERIAL MAPPING

[John Ferris]

I am lost trying to map material to some brick window sills in a curved wall. The ACAD mapping gizmo (via nXt) is not my friend...Any help would be appreciated. Stripped down ACAD file attached. - Thanks, John

[Marc Chaumier]

Acad mapping gizmo has no friend... He does what he want, almost anything to help you. Acad mapping gizmo is a bad a--... But I'll take a look...

[John Ferris]

I try and avoid him, but do occasionally get caught in an dark alley with him - it's not pretty. Peter has an adequate solution below. Thanks...

[Peter Milner]

As the curves are only very slight, use Accurender's quick mapping. Select 3 points and use Planar mapping.

Drawing attached.

[John Ferris]

Thanks Peter. I had tried the quick mapping but the results were poor. Example attached. What points/rotation did you use?

John

[Peter Milner]

Quick mapping - select object - origin point 1 - lower right point 2 - upper left point 3 - rotation 0 - mapping type planar.

[John Ferris]

Helpful...Thanks Peter.

[Marc Chaumier]

Thanks Peter, it works about right. But I don't understand exactly what I do, when I do that. Could you explain, if you got the time. One direction follow the curve, but the other don't converge on the center of the curve. And you apply the plan mapping on the vertical side of the object; and it's applied on the horizontal side, as would do the box mapping... Total mystery for my two neurones ...

[Peter Milner]

By using planar mapping the material is mapped flat between the point (1-2 = X, 1-3 = Y).

The material is then effectively extruded through the object to the other side, so giving the lines on the top.

[Marc Chaumier]

Thanks Peter. So the material is not mapped on the top of the object, as I believed. It's an extrusion of the vertical map. An usual plan mapping. Satisfying if you look from a far point, but if you look closer...

One more time, we need a true mapping tool!!! God, please...

[Peter Milner]

A lot of the restrictions are to do with AutoCAD rather than Accurender.

However, AutoCAD now has Nurbs surfacing. Is this not similar to Rhino and so should make UV mapping possible.

[Marc Chaumier]

Sometimes I dream that NXT could fill the lacks of acad. It does, in some cases. The cylindric mapping is a big problem in acad (for me). I have to study the functioning of these new tools... If I find the time...

Thanks anyway Peter for the time you find to help the people here.

[Roy Hirshkowitz]

I'd probably just build the bricks for this one.  It wouldn't take more than five or ten minutes to do with solids and the additional load would be negligible.

AutoCAD does not have UV mapping-- the .obj and .3ds "Textured Mesh" widget uses a custom object to get around this.