To present different designs in the same place and setting, I often use a single scene (room with lights) with several linked blocks which I then can turn on an off per layer. I can then work on each of the linked files to adjust designs and so on.
The trouble is that the placement as well as the size of the texture mapping changes, when I insert the files as blocks. This is quite an issue, since I work with bitmaps simulaitng user interfaces with displays, digits and LED signals.
I have found a clumsy workaround that is to explode the block, apply new mapping to the objects in question, and then export the revised objects back overwriting the original block file.
Is there another solution to this or am I missing a point here?
Blocks are a pain. Most of the problem lies within Rhino itself and not V-Ray. We have a few support requests in with McNeel to add more functionality for blocks.
Yes, I realise that it is a Rhino related problem, however I could not find a similar forum on the Rhino site - maybe I should try the Rhino newsgroup.
I feel your pain. blocks for rendering are currently a no-go. The mapping widget does not move with the block : McNeel should put a developer full time on this mapping issue if you ask me.
As far as I can tell, this is a rdk bug. As simple example is a cylinder with a cylindrical map. Make a block out of it, insert it in a file and move the block. Then turn on the map widget and you will see it’s at its original location :-\
Yeah, this is an old old rhino problem. We had this same problem with Flamingo as well. It’s been this way since blocks first came about.
When you do get them to render with the occasional Rhino SR, mirroring them causes them to render incorrectly. The list goes on and on. Currently I don’t think there are any Rhino Texture Mapping options available for a block until you explode it which defeats the point in having the block to begin with.
Workaround: apply mapping → export as OBJ mesh → reimport … the mapping is fixed to the mesh object and ready to use as block. I’m not sure it will work for more than one mapping channel.
McNeel should put a developer full time on this mapping issue if you ask me.