Textured mesh import suggestion

[Ros. Riha]

It is quite frequent situation you import a model with plenty of materials, that are named in a way, that does not help to determine, where each material is used. Moreover, all materials might be the same white... so you have to change its colors randomly to see, where are they used in the model.

If it was possible, I would suggest that during the import colors were assigned to each material (color 1 for first material in the list, color 2 for the second...) and corresponding parts of the model used these colors. Number of the color used could be added to tne name of the material... This way you would see what is what.

Would this be possible?

[Rich Rosemann]

Another one of the good ideas, Ros.

When ever I import a model with many layers, all white, I wish I was smart enough to write a Lisp routine to run through the layers and change the color white to a new color, (1 thru 256).  Alas, I'm not that comfortable with AutoLisp.  Anyone else out there more comfortable?

 

Rich Rosemann

 

[Ros. Riha]

try to google for it, there must be something available out there...when I was solving the opposite problem (dwg with 1 layer and entities with different colors, split the model into layers so each color becomes new layer and entitoes are moved into the layer) I succeeded...

[Miguel Tano Adanes]

I think this is part of the big issue of importing .obj and .3ds files. Me too I'm spending lot of time in reassigning materials to object imported as they are from commercial 3D libraries, and I find it's a real pity that nXt with its power doesn't manage completely those models. But it may be a much more complex issue, as far as many commercial models come in vray or max format, and I find totally unbeliaveble (out of marketing reasons!) that ACAD and 3D Studio Max belong to the same "family" but don't speak the same language...

[Ros. Riha]

On the other hand, the import feature in nXt is quite robust and reliable one, you can depend on it... it only needs that little addition that would allow to split the imported model to show, which material is where...another way would be to allow some sort of "highlight" function: rightclick on a material, select "show" and parts of the model, where that particular material is used, get highlighted...or use the walkabout to do so...

[George Ioannidis]

After an extensive experimenting with textured mesh bodies here is my "routine" on how I use them:

1. import .obj file into new, empty drawing with ddunits set to meters

2. regulate scale, position (relative to absolute origin), layers of different parts and colours as well as the material names (use for instance names like chair_wood_legs etc.) and properties in nXt until it "looks good"

3. render it to see the result

3. when everything is OK, save object to DWG file, which I finally use and insert it as block (when I know there will be no need of changing it), otherwise as xref.

Converted .obj files are often huge, especially when they contain organic and loose forms like curtains, trees or plants. nXt can handle them with comfort though.

[Ros. Riha]

it seems we use pretty much the same routine (as if there were different ways anyway:-)
The point of this topic is: How to simplify the process of finding out what material is used where? (once the model is divided by layers, this is simple)...I am referring here to the situation when you download a model, which is all white, uses some 20 materials (all of them appear white) and material names are just numbers…I would like to streamline the "Go figure" process somehow:-)

[George Ioannidis]

This process should be mostly streamlined: cross yourself and wish you good luck before you start to use it Ross :)

Even though your question was earlier answered indirectly by Rich and yourself, for me it should be enough to use lisp routine to change all entities layers according to entity colours and layer colours to something else than white, filtering them into separate layers. In case all entities belong to the same layer and have same colour the only way is to separate them according to their material assignment by filtering them one by one. For more automated way you will probably need a lisp program to do that. Never tried to find such utility on net though.

Once again, I was pointing to the nature of these objects. I am using them as blocks the same way I use 2D blocks in the drawing. I just pick them from library and insert them. So they are used only when I make them ready to be used, one way or another, as are all blocks in general.

[Ros. Riha]

well, a model (one of cars originally from 3DXtras I posted here, for example) is in 3DS format - so no LISP routines, no layers, no colors... inserting the 3DS model into AutoCAD using any other way (than nXt textmesh) I know of causes that model to lose its material assignments (I wish somebody corrected me here). You do not want that to happen because of all those nice headlights, logos ad other stuff so nicely assigned...

All of this is about how to make the model ready to be used... guessing and trying what material means what costs time that could be used better. So if nXt allows showing that up somehow, I would really appreciate it.

 

The only shortcut I know of is to save preliminary rendering as nXt image, thereyou can see the mterial

 

[George Ioannidis]

OK Ros, you insert textured mesh model into drawing using nXt command. Secondly, you can convert it into regular autocad mesh entities using again correspondent nXt command  of course (which will not lose material assignment and textures orientation) and finally change anything you want or need if you want: layers, colours, line types ...

I think it is my minimum contribution when almost all the job is done by someone else and the only thing I have to do is to make some quick changes.  You will need to invest time for that, but don't forget you'd already saved time having almost all the stuff ready.

Besides, nice bike :)

[Miguel Tano Adanes]

I think the process you, George and Ros, have described is pretty the only one though there are not ready made objects on the net, except those you can find on accustudio. The point is: how to speed up the entire process, as it could take several hours to reach a reasonably aceptable result. The lisp Ros is wishing should certanly include the possibility of naming each layer as they are separated, as well as the materials. What I was actually arguing was the apparently simple request (to Autodesk, at this point!) to have full interfacing between products, which actually there is not at the moment. But of course this is a question of marketing.