3D modelling for architecture - your preference

[DPS]

Yeah we get various flavours of models - some software outputs are very painful!

My preference is do all line work in 2D using autocad tracing over a plan using layers and inserting verts where I'll need edges in max.

Import into max to add appropriate shells and extrudes, use swift loop for horizontal cuts to keep quads as much as possible.

[glorybound]

That's crazy!

http://www.the-neighbourhood.com/wor...udies/victoria

[bardo]

All in 3dsmax importing the 2D cad projects as reference for the modelling.

I'm used for years and , like others point out, it's the safe system I've to be sure that the modelling is fine.

I work in the retail design so not big archviz projects like the linked one posted above

[Vizioen]

I went from Autocad (slow) to 3Dsmax (slow and unprecise) to Sketchup (fast and precise) to Rhino (fast and precise, but not fast enough to my liking). Now I do most of the modelling in Sketchup and I detail in 3DSmax. It's the perfect marriage. I get the precision I want from SketchUp and I get all the rest from 3dsmax. SketchUp (when utilized like it should) is a very powerfull modeller. It just receives bad recognition because it's the only modeller out there that is accessible to people who know almost nothing about 3D, which results in a lot of crap models out there.

Funny.. I double my price when I know I am getting a SU model.

Haha I dare you to look at a good SketchUp model inside Max.

[trixian]

I also like to do certain stuff inside sketchup, but ONLY if the original scene was done there. It also handles dwg imports better than 3dsmax, as they have the "offset file origin" option that handles dirty dwg files with crap way off to the side, and landscaping files in absolute map coordinates.

I then take it into max to do the interesting stuff.
Last time I imported a skp into max (using max 2014), these was an issue with objects normals being locked, so editing the geometry (moving verts, extruding etc, resulted in wonky shading.
This could be fixed by using an edit normals modifier, and resetting all the normals.

Is this still the case with skp imports now in 2016?
(Asking because I'm nowhere close to a machine to test )

[Vizioen]

I also like to do certain stuff inside sketchup, but ONLY if the original scene was done there. It also handles dwg imports better than 3dsmax, as they have the "offset file origin" option that handles dirty dwg files with crap way off to the side, and landscaping files in absolute map coordinates.

I then take it into max to do the interesting stuff.
Last time I imported a skp into max (using max 2014), these was an issue with objects normals being locked, so editing the geometry (moving verts, extruding etc, resulted in wonky shading.
This could be fixed by using an edit normals modifier, and resetting all the normals.

Is this still the case with skp imports now in 2016?
(Asking because I'm nowhere close to a machine to test )

There are a few things you need to watch out for when modelling in Sketchup and keeping 3DSmax in mind. For instance you need to weld your vertices. And when you flip a group/component 'along an axis' inside SketchUp, Max applies a negative scale value (like max also does when u mirror); this messes with the normals. Instead I flip the geometry directly and not the group. This way it's not messed up in max. You could also leave it in Sketchup and then apply a mirror modifier in Max. So that might have been the case in your example. It used to drive me crazy trying to find the problem for a few years (I had black glass and stuff).

I also need to do more extensive testing with smoothing groups. I haven't tested SU 2015 to MAX 2016 yet (to see if these were fixed) Good idea though I might check tonight.

[trixian]

Yeah, the mirroring is a standard issue across all packages, but this is not what i was talking about.
Just regular clean modeled geometry (I'm a complete nazi when it comes to digital cleanliness btw).
This problem would be visible by just making a box in SU and importing it into max, for further remodelling and deformation.
If you apply an edit normals modifier on your imported geo, the visible normals would then show as either completely green or a mix of green and blue.
The green normals are the problematic ones. Select all and hit reset (down the bottom of the modifier would fix them)
Green normals are the same as if you select them and hit "make explicit", or "unify/break on average".

[Syclone1]

I started in max years ago and to this day do everything in max. Never tried Sketchup but after looking at the videos today I might play with it. I'm a little old school where as when I get houses and what not to build I create them from paper drawings and model them myself but of course it all boils down to the workflow you are used to.

I do have to admit that with the engineering company I work for its always been a struggle importing the files the engineers provide from Solid Works and now with max2016 its freaking awesome, I don't know what Autodesk did with the import plugin but wow it works nice and made my job 100X easier.

-dave

[Vizioen]

Yeah, the mirroring is a standard issue across all packages, but this is not what i was talking about.
Just regular clean modeled geometry (I'm a complete nazi when it comes to digital cleanliness btw).
This problem would be visible by just making a box in SU and importing it into max, for further remodelling and deformation.
If you apply an edit normals modifier on your imported geo, the visible normals would then show as either completely green or a mix of green and blue.
The green normals are the problematic ones. Select all and hit reset (down the bottom of the modifier would fix them)
Green normals are the same as if you select them and hit "make explicit", or "unify/break on average".

I didn't know about this, as what I tend to do is, like I said, a vertex weld of 0. And I just tested the following:

1. Make box in SketchUp and import in 3dsmax
2. Make box in 3dsmax to test against (with edit normal, handles are blue)
3. Make 3 copies of the SketchUp box, leave one with edit normal for comparisson
4. Convert first copy to edit poly (Sketchup is imported as editmesh), check with edit normal, result: green handles
5. Put on edit poly on second copy, check with edit normal; result is blue handles (weird)
6. Put on vertex weld on third copy. Then an edit normal, handles are blue. Delete edit normal and converted to edit poly, handles still blue.

So it seems you have 3 ways on improving the SketchUp import:
1. Put on edit normal and reset
2. Vertex weld
3. Put on edit poly

Sorry for the offtopic guys

[trixian]

Well that at least confirms that the issue is still there (no surprise).
Not really a game breaker, but still quite annoying.