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$SULO#4<<<
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Printed in the United States.
Title:
Item No.:
Publication ID:
Date:
Lightscape User’s Guide
LIUG3.2-01
1.0
April, 1999
Table of Contents
toc
1 Introduction 1
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
About Lightscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Computer Graphics Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Photometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
About Lightscape Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 Installation 11
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing Lightscape for the First Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Upgrading from a Previous Version of Lightscape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3 Workflow 13
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Preparing the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Processing the Radiosity Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4 The Interface 17
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Starting Lightscape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Overview of the Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Interface Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Using Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Using File Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Viewing the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Controlling the Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Selecting Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
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Transforming Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Setting Document Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Setting System Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5 Importing Geometry 53
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Common Import Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Importing DXF Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Importing DWG Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Importing .3DS files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Importing a LightWave Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
6 Refining Geometry 81
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
About Refining Geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Working with Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Working with Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
Modifying Block Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Working with Block Instances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Working with Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
7 Using Materials 103
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
About Material Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Using the Materials Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Adding Materials to a Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Editing Material Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Assigning Materials to Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Aligning Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
8 Artificial Lighting 129
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
About Luminaires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
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Using the Luminaires Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Adding Luminaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
Setting Photometric Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Placing Luminaires in a Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Editing Luminaires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Setting Luminaire Surface Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Luminaire Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
9 Photometrics 149
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Using Photometric Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Creating and Editing Photometric Webs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Customized Photometric Web Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
IES Standard File Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Using LID Conversion Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
10 Daylight 159
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
About Sunlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
About Skylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Using Daylight in Exterior Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Interior Model Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Illuminating Your Model with Daylight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Enabling Daylight in Radiosity Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
❚❘❘
11 Radiosity Processing 169
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
About Radiosity Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Processing Workflow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Setting the Processing Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Setting the Surface Processing Parameters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Initiating the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Processing the Radiosity Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Changing Materials and Luminaires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Meshing Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
Reducing Meshing Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Testing for Artifacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Modeling Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
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12 Lighting Analysis 195
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
About Lighting Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Displaying Light Distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Analyzing Lighting Statistics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Controlling Analysis Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Using Workplanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
13 Mesh to Texture 203
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
About Mesh to Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Using Mesh to Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Mesh to Texture Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
14 Rendering 213
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
About Rendering in Lightscape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Creating Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Rendering Multiple Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Ray Tracing an Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219
Rendering Large Jobs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Rendering Across a Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
15 Animation 221
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
About Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Defining the Camera Path. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Setting Camera Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Varying the Camera Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Saving Animation Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
Playing Back Animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Using Animation Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
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16 Exporting 241
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Exporting Panoramic Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Exporting VRML Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
Importing Solution Files into Modeling Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
A Light and Color 249
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Light: The Physical World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Color: The Perceived World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Constraints of Output Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
B Batch Processing Utilities 255
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Processing Radiosity Solutions Using LSRAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Ray Tracing Solution Files Using LSRAY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Rendering Files Using LSRENDER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Converting Radiosity Meshes to Textures Using LSM2T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Converting Solution Files to VRML Files Using LS2VRML . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Merging Lightscape Files Using LSMERGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
Converting DXF Files to Preparation Files Using DXF2LP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Converting 3DS Files to Preparation Files Using 3DS2LP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
Raytracing Solution Files Using LSRAYF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Deleting Unused Layers and Materials Using LSPURGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
About Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Creating Batch Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
❚❘❘
C LSnet 287
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
About LSnet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Using LSnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
D Reflection Models 301
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Light and Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Reflection Model for Radiosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
v
toc
Table of Contents
Reflection Model for OpenGL Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
Ray Tracing Reflection Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
E IES Standard File Format 309
F File Types 311
G Common Lamp Values 313
H Viewing Utilities 317
Viewing Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Using LSViewer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
Using LVu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
I References 325
Glossary
327
Index 335
vi
Lightscape
An introduction to Lightscape
Lightscape™ is an advanced visualization system for generating accurate
lighting simulations of three-dimensional models.
Lighting
Summary
In this chapter, you learn about:
Lightscape™
•
Computer graphics rendering
•
Photometry
•
Lightscape documentation
•
About Lightscape
Lightscape™ is an advanced lighting and visualization application used to create accurate images of
how a 3D model of a space, or object, would appear
if physically built. Lightscape uses both radiosity
and ray tracing technology as well as a physically
based interface for defining lights and materials.
Lightscape has many unique advantages over other
rendering technologies, including:
Realism
•
•
Interactivity
•
Progressive refinement.
•
Realism
Because Lightscape accurately calculates how light
propagates within an environment, you can obtain
subtle but significant lighting effects and produce
images of natural realism not attainable with other
rendering techniques. These effects include indirect
illumination, soft shadowing, and color bleeding
between surfaces.
Physically Based Lighting
Because the technology in Lightscape works with
actual photometric (light energy) values, you can
intuitively set up lights as they would be in the real
world. You can create lighting fixtures with any
distribution and color characteristics or import
Introduction
and lighting technology.
1
1
1
Introduction
specific photometric files directly from lighting
manufacturers. You can also specify natural daylight
simply by indicating the location, date, and time of
day.
Interactivity
The result of a radiosity solution is not just a single
image but a full 3D representation of the light distribution in an environment. Because the lighting is
precalculated, Lightscape can display specific views
of a fully rendered model much faster than with
traditional computer graphics techniques. With
faster hardware, it is often possible to move interactively through rendered environments. High-quality
walkthrough animations for film or video can be
generated in a fraction of the time required with
other professional animation systems.
Progressive Refinement
Unlike other techniques, a Lightscape solution
provides instant visual feedback, which continues to
improve in quality over time. At any stage in the
process, you can alter a surface material or lighting
parameter and the system will compensate and
display the results without starting the process over.
The progressive refinement radiosity algorithms
implemented in Lightscape give you precise control
over the quality of visualization required to perform
any given design or production task.
A 3D model contains geometric data defined in relationship to a 3D Cartesian coordinate system. This
system is sometimes referred to as
model may also contain other information about the
material of each object and the lighting. The image
on a computer monit or is made up of a large number
of illuminated dots called
a computer graphics image of a geometric model is
to determine the color for each pixel on the screen
(screen space)
specific viewpoint.
The color of any specific point on a surface in a
model is a function of the physical material properties of that surface and the light that illuminates it.
Two ge ne ral
and global illumination—are used to describe how
surfaces reflect and transmit light.
based on the model information and a
shading algorithms
pixels
world space
. The task in creating
—local illumination
. The
Local Illumination
Local illumination algorithms
vidual surfaces reflect or transmit light. Given a
description of light arriving at a surface, these mathematical algorithms predict the intensity, spectral
character (color), and distribution of the light
leaving that surface. The next task is to determine
where the light arriving at the surface originates. A
simple rendering algorithm considers only the light
coming directly from the light sources themselves in
the shading.
describe how indi-
Computer Graphics Rendering
This section provides an overview of computer
graphics rendering and a conceptual understanding
of the techniques available with Lightscape. This
information will help you decide which technique is
most suitable for the visualization task you want to
perform.
2
Global Illumination
In considering more accurate images, however, it is
important to take into account not only the light
sources themselves, but also how all the surfaces and
objects in the environment interact with the light.
For example, some surfaces block light, casting
shadows on other surfaces; some surfaces are shiny,
in which case we see in them the reflections of other
surfaces; some surfaces are transparent, in which
Lightscape
Computer Graphics Rendering
❚❘❘
case we see other surfaces through them; and some
surfaces reflect light onto others.
algorithms
are rendering algorithms that take into
Global illumination
account the ways in which light is transferred
between the surfaces in the model.
Lightscape uses two global illumination algorithms:
ray tracing
and
radiosity
. Before explaining how
these techniques work, it is useful to have a basic
understanding of how, in the physical world, light is
distributed in an environment. Consider, for
example, the simple room illustrated as follows.
Global illumination in a room
This room has one light source. One theory of light
considers light in terms of discrete particles called
, which travel out from the light source until
photons
they encounter some surface in the room.
Depending on the material of the surface, some of
these photons, traveling with particular wavelengths, are absorbed, while others are scattered
back out into the environment. The fact that photons
traveling at a particular wavelength are absorbed
while others are not is what determines the color
(also referred to as the
spectral reflectance
) of the
surface.
The way a surface reflects photons depends primarily on its smoothness. Surfaces that are rough tend
to reflect photons in all directions. These are known
as
diffuse surfaces,
and this type of reflection is
known as
diffuse reflection
. A wall painted with flat
paint is a good example of a diffuse surface.
Diffuse reflection
Specular reflection
Very smooth surfaces reflect the photons in one
direction, at an angle equal to the angle at which they
arrive at the surface
surfaces are known as
(angle of incidence)
specular surfaces,
type of reflection is known as
specular reflec tion
. These
and this
. A
mirror is an example of a perfectly specular surface.
Of course, many materials display some degree of
both specular and diffuse reflection.
The final illumination of the room is determined by
the interaction between the surfaces and the billions
of photons that are emitted from the light source. At
any given point on a surface, it is possible that
photons have arrived directly from the light source
(direct illumination)
more bounces off some other surfaces
illumination)
or el se in dir ec tl y t hro ug h o ne or
(indirect
.
If you were standing in the room, a very small
number of the total photons in the room would enter
your eye and stimulate the rods and cones of your
retina. This stimulation would, in effect, form an
image that is perceived by your brain. Computers
replace the rods and cones of a retina with the pixels
of the computer screen. One goal of a global illumination algorithm is to recreate, as accurately as
possible, what you would see if you were standing in
a real environment. A second goal is to accomplish
this task as quickly as possible, ideally in
real time
(30 images per second). There is currently no single
global illumination algorithm that can accomplish
both of these goals.
3
1
Introduction
Ray Tracing
One of the first global illumination algorithms to be
develope d is known as
ray tracing
recognized that while there may be billions of
photons traveling about the room, the photons you
primarily care about are the ones that enter the eye.
The algorithm works by tracing rays
each pixel on the screen into the 3D model. In this
way, it computes only the information needed to
construct the image. To create an image using ray
tracing, do the following procedure for each pixel on
the computer screen:
Trace a ray back from the eye position, through
1.
the pixel on the monitor, until it intersects with a
surface.
The model provides the reflectivity of the sur-
2.
face, but not the amount of light reaching that surface. To determine the total illumination, trace a ray
from the point of intersection to each light source in
the environment
(shadow ray)
source is not blocked by another object, use the light
contribution from that source to calculate the color
of the surface.
The intersected surface may be shiny or trans-
3.
parent. The algorithm must determine either what is
seen in or through the surface being processed. Repeat steps 1 and 2 in the reflected (and, in the case of
transparency, transmitted) direction until another
surface is encountered. The color at the subsequent
intersection point is calculated and factored into the
original point.
If the second surface is yet again a reflective or
4.
transparent surface, repeat the ray tracing process
. In ray tracing, it is
backward,
from
. If the ray to a light
until a maximum number of iterations is reached or
until no more surfaces are intersected.
Ray tracing
Ray tracing is a very versatile algorithm because of
the large range of lighting effects it can model. It can
accurately account for the global illumination characteristics of direct illumination, shadows, specular
reflections (for example, mirrors), and refraction
through transparent materials. The main disadvantage of ray tracing is that the process can be slow and
computationally expens ive for environments of even
moderate complexity.
Another significant disadvantage of ray tracing is
that it does not account for one very important characteristic of global illumination—diffuse
interreflections.
Traditional ray tracing techniques accurately
account for only the light arriving directly from the
light sources themselves. But, as shown in the room
example, light does not only arrive at a surface from
the light sources (direct lighting), it also arrives from
other surfaces (indirect lighting). If you ray trace an
image of the table (as shown in the example), the
area under the table appears black because it receives
no direct light from the light source. You know from
experience, however, that this area would not really
be completely dark because of the light it would
receive from the surrounding walls and floor.
4
Lightscape
Computer Graphics Rendering
❚❘❘
Traditional ray tracing techniques often refer to this
indirect illumination as
ambient light.
With this
technique, an arbitrary value that has no correlation
to the physical phenomena of indirect illumination
and that is constant throughout space is simply
added. This often causes ray traced images to appear
very flat. This is particularly true for architectural
environments, which typically contain mostly
diffuse surfaces.
Radiosity
To address some of the shortcomings of the ray
tracing algorithm, researchers began investigating
alternative techniques for calculating global
illumination.
In the early 1960s, thermal engineers developed
methods for simulating the radiative heat transfer
between surfaces. Their goal was to determine how
their designs would perform in various applications
such as furnaces and engines. In the mid-1980s,
computer graphics researchers began investigating
the application of these techniques for simulating
light propagation.
Radiosity
graphics world, differs fundamentally from ray
tracing. Rather than determining the color for each
pixel on a screen, radiosity calculates the intensity
for discrete points in the environment.
Radiosity accomplishes this by first dividing the
original surfaces into a mesh of smaller surfaces
known as
the amount of light distributed from each mesh
element to every other mesh element. It then stores
the final radiosity values for each element of the
mesh.
When this light distribution has been calculated,
specific views of the environment can be rapidly
displayed on the screen (often in real time) using
, as this technique is called in the computer
elements
. The radiosity process calculates
simple hardware-assisted scan-line techniques. This
property is often referred to as
view independence,
because the light distribution is precalculated for the
whole environment and does not have to be recalculated for each specific view. Ray tracing, on the other
hand, is known as a
view-dependent
algorithm,
because the lighting has to be recalculated for each
view.
Radiosity
Early versions of the radiosity algorithm had to
completely calculate the distribution of the light
among all the mesh elements before displaying any
useful results on the screen. Even though the end
result was view independent, the preprocessing took
considerable time. In 1988, this preprocessing
portion of the radiosity algorithm was reformulated.
The new technique, referred to as
ment radiosity,
allows users to obtain immediate
progressive refine-
visual results, which progressively improve in accuracy and visual quality.
The progressive refinement radiosity algorithm
used in Lightscape works in the following way:
The surfaces are meshed into a set of relatively
1.
large elements. The initial elements can be subdivided automatically into smaller elements in areas
where a significant intensity difference is detected
5
1
Introduction
between adjacent mesh elements (for example,
across shadow boundaries).
Light is distributed from each luminaire to all
2.
surfaces in the environment. (A luminaire is a light
fixture, with one or more lamps and housing.) In
this calculation, surfaces can block other surfaces,
casting shadows.
Depending on the characteristics of the surface
3.
material, some of the energy reaching a particular
mesh element is absorbed, while the remaining energy is reflected into the environment. An important
assumption in radiosity is that all the surfaces are
ideal diffuse
(Lambertian)—that is, they reflect light
equally in all directions.
After distributing the energy from each direct
4.
light source (direct illumination), the progressive radiosity algorithm continues by checking all the surfaces and determining which surface has the most
energy to be reflected. This surface is then treated as
an area light source emitting the reflected energy to
all the other surfaces in the environment (indirect illumi nation ).
The process continues until most of the energy
5.
in the environment has been absorbed (energy equilibrium) and the simulation reaches a state of
.
gence
conver-
Each distribution of light from a luminaire or
surface, as just described, is called an
iteration
.
The number of iterations required for a simulation
to reach a state of convergence varies depending on
the complexity of the environment. Because the iterations are sorted to calculate the surfaces with the
greatest energy first, the rate of convergence for the
radiosity solution is much faster in the beginning.
Toward the end, the amount of energy remaining to
be distributed is so small that there is no perceptible
difference in the resulting images from one iteration
to the next. Therefore, while it may take many iterations for a solution to reach full convergence,
typically you can interrupt the process when an
acceptable solution has been obtained.
Radiosity and Ray Tracing Differences
Although the ray tracing and radiosity algorithms
are very different, they are in many ways
complementar y.
The ray tracing algorithm has the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages Accurately renders direct illumi-
nation, shadows, specular reflections, and transparency effects.
Memor y efficient.
Disadvantages Computationally expensive; the
time required to produce an image is greatly affected by the
number of light sources.
View dependent; the process
must be repeated for each view.
Does not account for diffuse interreflections.
The radiosity algorithm has the following advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages Ca lculates diffuse interreflec tions
between surfaces.
View independent for fast display
of arbitrary views.
Immediate visual results, which
progressively improve in accuracy and quality.
6
Lightscape
Photometry
❚❘❘
Disadvantages 3D mesh requires more memory
than the original surfaces.
Surface-sampling algorithm is
more susceptible to imaging artifacts than ray tracing.
Does not account for specular reflections or transparency effects.
Neither radiosity nor ray tracing offers a complete
solution for simulating all global illumination
effects. Radiosity excels at rendering diffuse-todiffuse interreflections and ray tracing excels at
rendering specular reflections.
By merging both techniques, Lightscape offers the
best of both. In Lightscape, it is possible to combine
a ray-tracing postprocess with a specific view of a
radiosity solution to add specular reflections and
transparency effects. In this situation, the radiosity
solution replaces the inaccurate ambient constant
used in many programs with accurate indirect illumination values. This leads to a much more realistic
image. In addition, because the direct lighting can
be calculated in the radiosity solution, the ray tracer
does not have to cast any shadow rays, only reflected
or transmitted rays. This greatly reduces the time
required to ray trace an image. By integrating both
techniques, Lightscape offers a full range of visualization possibilities, from fast, interactive lighting
studies to combination radiosity/ray traced images
of exceptional quality and realism.
Photometry
Lightscape is founded on a physically based simulation of the propagation of light through an
environment. The results are not only highly realistic renderings, but also accurate measurements of
the distribution of light within the scene. This
section briefly describes the quantities used to characterize these measurements.
You specify the brightness of a luminaire in Lightscape using the physically based quantities. You can
obtain these values directly from the manufacturers
of various lamps and luminaires. A table of some
common lamp types is provided in Appendix G,
“Common Lamp Values.”
There are several theories that describe the nature of
light. For this discussion,
capable of producing a visual sensation in a human
observer.
When designing a lighting system, you want to evaluate its performance in terms of the human visual
response. Thus
measure light, taking into account the psychophysical aspects of the human eye/brain system.
The lighting simulation system uses four photometric quantities:
Luminous flux
•
Illuminance
•
Luminance
•
Luminous intensity.
•
Luminous flux
time arriving, leaving, or going through a surface.
The unit of luminous flux is the
both the International System (SI) of units and in the
American System (AS) of units. If you think of light
as particles (photons) moving through space, then
the luminous flux of a light beam arriving at a
surface is proportional to the number of particles
hitting the surface during a time interval of 1 second.
Illuminanc e
surface of unit area. This quantity is useful for
describing the level of illumination incident on a
surface without making the measurement dependent on the size of the surface itself. The SI unit of
illuminance is the
photometry
is the quantity of light energy per unit
is the luminous flux incident on a
(lx), equal to 1 lumen per
lux
is radiant energy
light
was developed to
(lm), used in
lumen
7
1
Introduction
square meter. The corresponding AS unit is the footcandle (fc), equivalent to 1 lumen per square foot.
Part of the light incident on a surface is reflected
back into the environment.
reflected off a surface in a particular direction and is
the quantity converted to display colors to generate a
realistic rendering of the scene. Luminance is
measured in candelas per square meter or per square
inch. The
nous intensity emitted by a single wax candle.
Finally,
luminous intensity
time emitted by a point source in a particular direction. The unit of measure of luminous intensity is the
. Luminous intensity is used to describe the
candela
directional distribution of a light source—that is, to
specify how the luminous intensity of a light source
varies as a function of the outgoing direction.
was originally defined as the lumi-
candela
Luminance
is the light energy per unit
is the light
About Lightscape
Documentation
The Lightscape manuals are comprehensive documents that contain all the information you need to
learn and use Lightscape efficiently and effectively.
The documentation for your Lightscape software
includes:
• Lightscape 3.2 User’s Guide
line file
• Learning Lightscape 3.2
file
printed manual and on-
printed manual and online
The
Lightscape 3.2 User’s Guide
tions of the techniques and concepts required to set
up, process, and render a Lightscape solution.
Learning Lightscape
of the procedures discussed in this manual.
The Lightscape Online Help system provides topicbased information as well as reference information
about the main interface elements.
provides step-by-step examples
provides explana-
Using This Guide
This guide is designed to provide information both
by topic and in the order of a typical workflow. More
experienced users can use the guide for reference,
turning directly to sections of specific interest.
The following typographical conventions are used
in this manual:
Convention:
Courier
Bold
Italic
▲
| Used to indicate that you are to
Description:
Used for program commands,
such as
lid2cibse
lid2ies
Used for emphasis and when a
new term is introduced.
Used to indicate a warning.
choose an item from a menu or
submenu. For example,
File | Parameters | Load tells you
to choose Load from the Parameters submenu of the File menu.
.
or
Online Help
•
• Installing LSnet
• README.TXT
scape home directory).
8
online file
(an online text file in your Light-
Lightscape
Getting More Help
If you need more information, contact Discreet™
Customer Support at one of the following telephone
numbers. You can also send queries by e-mail.
Discreet Customer Support
North
America: (877) DISCREET
Elsewhere: (514) 954-7550
Fax: (514) 954-7254
E-mail: discreet.techsupport@autodesk.com
WWW: http://www.discreet.com
Reader’s Comments
We would like to hear from you. Your comments can
help us improve the quality of our documentation.
Mail, fax, or e-mail your comments to:
Discreet Documentation Department
10 Duke Street
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3C 2L7
About Lightscape Documentation
❚❘❘
Fax:
E-mail:
(514) 954-7495
docs@discreet.com
9
NOTES
10
This chapter describes how to install your Lightscape system.
Installation
How to install Lightscape and its
components.
2
Summary
In this chapter, you learn about:
System requirements
•
Installing Lightscape for the first time
•
Upgrading Lightscape from a previous version.
•
System Requirements
The following table describes the minimum and the
recommended system requirements for running
Lightscape.
Minimum
Requirements:
Intel Pentium or
Pentium Pro at 200
MHz
Recommended
Requirements:
Intel Pentium II
(350MHz + processor)
Minimum
Requirements:
Windows NT 4.0
(with Service Pack 4),
Windows 95
(with Service Pack 1),
or Windows 98
64 MB RAM 128 MB of 100 MHz
PCI Graphic card
supporting 16-bit
colour depth
1 GB hard disk 4 GB or higher free hard
CD-ROM drive Motherboard with Intel
Monitor 19 to 21 inch monitor
Recommended
Requirements:
Windows NT 4.0 with
Service Pack 4
RAM (consider 256 MB
or more for power users)
A hardware accelerated
OpenGL video card with
at least 8 MB of RAM
drive space
BX chipset
11
2
Installation
Minimum
Requirements:
Windows NT or
Windows 95-complaint
point device
Recommended
Requirements:
All standard equipment
(mouse, CD-ROM drive,
cabling for TCP/IP-compliant network)
Installing Lightscape for the First
Time
Version 3.2 of Lightscape is designed to work with
the following: Windows 95 (with Service Pack 1),
Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 4), and
Windows 98.
You must authorize Lightscape before you
Note:
install. See the authorization request form
included with the software.
If the installer prompts you to restart your com-
4.
puter, do so before starting Lightscape.
Upgrading from a Previous
Version of
To upgrade from a previous version of Lightscape,
simply install the new version as if you were
installing the software for the first time. You will be
prompted to uninstall the existing version. If you
choose not to uninstall, the existing version is
overwritten.
If you do not want to overwrite previous versions of
Lightscape, install the versions in different
directories.
Lightscape 3.2 can read files from any previous
version .
Lightscape
To install Lightscape:
Place the Lightscape CD-ROM in the CD-ROM
1.
drive.
If you are installing Lightscape on Windows
Note:
NT, you should have administrator privileges.
Choose Run from the Windows Start menu.
2.
Ty p e
3.
replace “d” with the letter that represents your CDROM drive.
The Lightscape Setup wizard guides you step-bystep through the installation process. You are greeted
with a welcoming message followed by a series of
dialogs. These dialogs let you choose the components of Lightscape to install and the directory in
which to install them.
In the dialogs that display the Back button, you can
go back to a previous step by clicking on this button.
You can also cancel the installation process by
clicking Cancel.
d:\setup
and press Enter. If required,
Any files saved with Lightscape 3.2 that
Note:
include material information cannot be read by
earlier versions of Lightscape. File formats that do
not include material properties information like
animation files (.la), layer state files (.lay), and
parameter files (.df) are portable from Lightscape
3.2 to Lightscape 3.1 or 3.1.1.
12
Lightscape
This chapter provides an overview of the process of creating a Lightscape
solution. Each step of this process is explained in detail in the chapters that
follow.
Workflow
How to use Lightscape.
3
Summary
The Lightscape process consists of two major
stages—the
In the Preparation stage, the model structure is
similar to that of many CAD and modeling
programs. In this stage, you can edit geometry,
materials, and lights. The Preparation model is
saved in a Lightscape Preparation file with a .lp file
extension.
P
REPARATION STAGE
Import
Geometry
Preparation stage
Define
Materials
Orient
Surfaces
Insert and
Move Lights
and the
Solution stage
Insert and
Move Blocks
Refine the
Model
In the Solution stage, Lightscape alters the model
structure to optimize it for radiosity processing. The
model is saved in a Lightscape Solution file with a .ls
.
file extension. In this stage, you process the radiosity
solution of your model. You can modify materials and
the photometric properties of lights, but you can no
longer manipulate the geometry or add lights to your
model. If you need to make changes to geometry, you
must return to the Lightscape Preparation file, make
the changes, and then generate a new Solution file.
S
OLUTION STAGE
Process Radiosity
Solution
Refine the
Solution
Output
13
3
Workflow
Preparing the Model
During the Preparation stage, you can import the
model, adjust surface orientation, define materials
and assign them to surfaces, define luminaires and
place them in the model, and add, delete, and reposition objects as required.
Importing Geometry
The first step in creating a lighting simulation is to
import a geometric model into Lightscape. You can
import models from a wide variety of CAD and
modeling applications as well as from block and
luminaire libraries.
For more information, see Chapter 5, “Importing
Geometry,” and Chapter 6, “Refining Geometry.”
Orienting Surfaces
After you import a model, you must ensure that all
surfaces are properly oriented.
Surface orientation determines which side of a
surface is considered when calculating the light
reflections. For example, to simulate the lighting in a
room, the wall surfaces should be oriented toward
the inside of the room.
For more information, see Chapter 6, “Refining
Geometry.”
procedural textures to enhance the appearance of
surfaces.
Lightscape also comes complete with libraries of
hundreds of ready-to-use materials.
For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using
Materials.”
Adding Light
You can add artificial light and/or daylight to your
model.
All artificial lighting in your model comes from
luminaires (light fixtures). You can use luminaires
from a library or create your own. Adjust the photometric properties of the luminaires, and then place
them in your model. You can also use IES files to
import real-world lighting parameters from lighting
manufacturers.
Lightscape also comes complete with libraries of
hundreds of ready-to-use luminaires.
Use daylight to add an extra element of realism to
your model. Daylight is provided by two sources: the
sun and the sky.
For more information, see Chapter 8, “Artificial
Lighting,” Chapter 9, “Photometrics,” and Chapter
10, “Daylight.”
Defining Materials
Use materials to determine how each surface interacts with light. Because Lightscape is based on
physically accurate simulation techniques, it is
important to provide accurate material specifications to obtain realistic results. Templates make it
easy to define properties for numerous materials
including metal, polished stone, flat paint, water,
and so on. You can also use textures maps and
14
Refining the Model
Lightscape provides a limited suite of tools to
modify the geometry of a model. You can add,
delete, move, or duplicate surfaces, blocks, and
luminaires. For example, you could add furniture,
move an interior wall, or rotate a spotlight before
processing the radiosity solution.
For more information, see Chapter 6, “Refining
Geometry.”
Lightscape
Processing the Radiosity Solution
❚❘❘
Processing the Radiosity
Solution
During the Solution stage, Lightscape uses radiosity
to accurately calculate how light propagates in the
model.
When you initiate the radiosity process, Lightscape
reduces the model to a set of surfaces that are optimized for this process. Once the model is initiated,
you can no longer manipulate the geometry or add
luminaires.
During the Solution stage, you run the radiosity
process, refine the solution, and resume radiosity
processing to obtain the final results. You can then
output the results as an animation or as individual
images, analyze the lighting results, and export the
solution to other programs.
Setting Processing Parameters
Use process parameters to control the quality of the
radiosity solution. Setting the process parameters is
a balancing act. Finer settings produce better qual ity
images, but they also require more processing time
and memory.
To improve the efficiency of the solution, you can
adjust global processing parameters, which apply to
the entire model, and local processing parameters,
which apply to specific surfaces.
For more information, see Chapter 11, “Radiosity
Processing.”
How radiosity works is described in detail in
Chapter 1, “Introduction.”
Refining the Solution
In the Solution stage, you cannot change the model
geometry, but you can change the characteristics of
a material and the photometric properties of a luminaire. Once you make your changes, you can update
the results of the radiosity solution by either
continuing the processing from where you left off or
by restarting the processing from the beginning.
You save the results of the radiosity solution in a
Lightscape Solution (.ls) file.
Outputting your Work
During the output stage, you can render a Lightscape radiosity solution very quickly using
OpenGL® rendering or more accurately using the
Lightscape ray tracer. Ray tracing adds specular
reflections and transparency effects to the final
images. You can also use the ray tracer to create
higher quality shadows in the entire model or for
specific light sources. For more information, see
Chapter 11, “Radiosit y Processing,” and Chapter 14,
“Rendering.”
The options you choos e determine the im age quality
and the time it takes to generate an image. The
choice you make depends on your intended use. The
following uses are the most common:
Single images
•
Radiosity Processing
To process the radiosity solution, Lightscape calculates the diffuse light energy distribution in the
model, both direct and indirect. You can interrupt
the processing of the radiosity solution at any time to
alter or fine-tune the model’s appearance.
Walk-through animations
•
Vir tual reality
•
Lighting analysis.
•
Single Images
You can produce high-quality images of any resolution. You can quickly output the image from a
15
3
Workflow
Moving from Preparation Stage to Solution Stage
To compute a solution, you must first specify the light sources, materials, and texture maps associated
with the surfaces in the environment. You define this data for a model during the preparation stage.
Once you initiate the model for processing (convert it to a solution file) you can no longer create or
reposition any surfaces or light sources. All modifications of this nature must be performed during the
preparation stage.
During the solution stage, you can modify the characteristics of light sources and materials at any time;
the simulation compensates for the resulting changes in illumination. This feature promotes an interactive approach to design, so you can quickly evaluate and make refinements to obtain precisely the
look you want.
radiosity solution using OpenGL rendering. To
obtain a more accurate image, however, you can ray
trace the image. For more information, see
Chapter 14, “Rendering.”
Walk-through Animations
You can create camera paths for generating walkthrough animations of your radiosity solutions. You
can generate high-quality antialiased images very
quickly with OpenGL rendering. For more information, see Chapter 15, “Animation.”
If you want to add specular reflections and accurate
transparency effects, you can ray trace each frame.
For greater efficiency, you can use a batch program
or LSnet when rendering animations. For more
information, see Appendix B, “Batch Processing
Utilities.”
Virtual Reality
If your goal is to produce a virtual reality environment for interactive walk-throughs, you cannot use
ray tracing. You must strive for the highest quality
from the most compact and efficient model using
the radiosity process alone. Because the radiosity
solution results in a simple polygonal mesh with
specific radiosity values (converted to RGB colors)
stored at the vertices, results can be displayed very
rapidly using OpenGL rendering. To increase
display speed, use an OpenGL-compliant graphics
accelerator board.
You can use the Mesh to Texture tool to reduce
geometric complexity in the environment by
converting meshes and geometry into texture maps.
This is important when using Lightscape to create
environments for interactive games or web sites. For
more information, see Chapter 13, “Mesh to
Texture.”
A Lightscape radiosity solution can also be exported
into the VRML format. This data can then be used in
specialized display and virtual reality applications.
For more information, see Chapter 16, “Exporting.”
Lighting Analysis
If you are primarily interested in lighting analysis,
Lightscape provides a variety of tools for visualizing
the lighting data contained in the radiosity solution.
Generally, radiosity solutions for lighting analysis
can be created coarser (and faster) than those
required to produce realistic images. For more information, see Chapter 12, “Lighting Analysis.”
16
Lightscape
The Interface
An introduction to the Lightscape
tools and interface conventions.
4
The Lightscape user interface provides access to a suite of interactive tools, which
you use to prepare models for radiosity processing.
Summary
In this chapter, you learn about:
Starting Lightscape
•
The interface conventions
•
Using the toolbars
•
Using file controls
•
Viewing the model
•
Controlling the display
•
Selecting objects
•
Transforming objects
•
Setting document properties
•
Setting system options.
•
Starting Lightscape
To start Lightscape, double-click the Lightscape
application icon. By default, this icon is located in
the Lightscape program folder.
You can also start Lightscape by choosing it from the
Start menu.
Overview of the Interface
The Lightscape interface consists of five major
Lightscape model components. The largest and
most important is the Graphic window. It is located
on the left side and occupies the majority of the
screen, by default. The four other components, the
Layers, Materials, Blocks, and Luminaires tables, are
grouped together in a vertical bar of list windows on
17
4
The Interface
The Lightscape Interface Elements
Menu bar
Toolbars
Graphic
window
Status bar
the right side of the screen. You can reposition and
resize all of these windows as required.
The Lightscape menu bar occupies the upper
portion of the Graphic window. Directly below the
menu bar is the default location for the displayed
toolbars. A status bar at the bottom of the Graphic
window communicates information as required.
The title bar displays the name of the current file
loaded in the Graphic window.
You can perform editing operations in a variety of
ways: by using the pulldown menus on the Lightscape menu bar, by clicking the appropriate button
on a toolbar, or by using the secondary mouse
button to open a context menu.
Layers table
Materials
table
Blocks table
Luminaires
table
Graphic Window
You use the Graphic window to display and edit the
geometry of the current model. In the Graphic
window, you select objects by clicking them with the
left mouse button.
In the Graphic window, Lightscape supports several
orthogonal projection modes, as well as perspective
projection. You can also use the interactive view
tools to navigate through the model in each projection quickly.
There are several display modes that control the way
Lightscape displays the model. For example, the
model can be displayed in solid or wireframe mode.
For more information, see “Viewing the Model” on
page 29.
18
Lightscape
Overview of the Interface
❚❘❘
The Graphic window normally holds only a single
view of the model at any one time. However, during
animation editing, Lightscape breaks the Graphic
window into four concurrent views to aid in the
creation and editing of the motion path.
Layers Table
The
Layers table
defined in the current model and indicates their
state. A check mark to the left of the layer name
indicates that the layer is on (active) and that the
objects on that layer are currently being displayed in
the Graphic window. You can double-click a layer
name to toggle its state on and off.
contains a list of all the layers
Layers table
Current
layer
Context
menu
You can right-click the Layers table to display the
Layers context menu, which contains functions
appropriate to the layer selection set.
For information on using layers, see “Working with
Layers” on page 82.
Materials Table
The
Materials table
currently available in the model. You assign materials to surfaces in the model to define their
appearance and how light energy incident on the
surfaces behaves.
contains a list of all the materials
Material preview
A letter to the left of the layer name indicates it
is the current layer. Any new objects you add to the
model are added on the current layer.
Material with
an assigned
texture
A texture symbol next to the material name
indicates that the material contains a texture map. If
the symbol is colored, the texture is loaded and
displayed in the Graphic window. A green indicates that the texture file could not be found.
19
4
The Interface
The material preview displays the currently selected
material. For more information, see “Customizing
Material Previews” on page 20.
Right-click the Materials table to display a context
menu of functions for manipulating the materials in
the table. Double-click any material name to activate
the Material Properties dialog, which contains tools
for editing the characteristics of the selected
materials.
For more information on working with materials,
see Chapter 7, “Using Materials.”
Customizing Material Previews
The material preview displays the material currently
selected in the Materials table. You can resize the
preview and toggle it on or off.
Changing the Sample Sphere Diameter
You can change the diameter of the sample sphere to
make its size consistent with the objects in your
model to which you will apply the material. This
provides an accurate preview of materials that have
procedural textures applied or a fixed tile size. The
sphere diameter is measured in the units of your
model. For more information about setting the
model units, see “Setting Units Properties” on page
46.
To change the diameter of the sample sphere:
Right-click in the preview.
1.
Choose Diameter and select the number of units
2.
from the list.
Material preview with Fixed Size set to 1m x 1m.
Diameter of sample
sphere set to 1m.
Diameter of sample
sphere set to 10m.
Move the horizontal bar
to resize the preview
If more than one material is selected, the
Note:
preview is gray.
To toggle the
preview
on or off:
Right-click the Materials table and choose Preview
from the context menu.
20
Enabling Background and Reflection Images
You can enable the display of background and reflection images in the material preview.
To
toggle these options on and off:
Right-click in the preview and select the appropriate
opti on.
Lightscape
Overview of the Interface
❚❘❘
The Backgroundoption helps you view the effects of
transparency and index of refraction by adding a
multicolored image behind the preview sphere.
Background
disabled.
Background
enabled. The image
makes it easier to
see the transparent
“glass” sphere.
The Reflection option displays reflective highlights
by placing an image in front of the preview sphere
that is reflected in its surface.
Reflection disabled.
Blocks Table
The
Blocks table
able in the model. A
of objects (surfaces or other blocks) assigned a
common name and an insertion point. Once you
have defined a block, you can make repeated
instances of it and place them into the model at a
variety of locations, sizes, and orientations.
Blocks are available only during the Prepara-
Note:
tion stage.
contains a list of all the blocks avail-
in Lightscape is a grouping
block
Block preview
Reflection enabled.
Reflection
highlights are
visible in the center
of the sphere.
For information about setting the background and
reflection images, see “Setting Preview Control
Options” on page 50.
The block preview displays the currently selected
block. For more information, see “Customizing
Block and Luminaire Previews” on page 22.
You can double-click any block name to isolate the
block for display and editing in the Graphic window.
Right-click the Blocks table to display a context
menu of funct ions for manipulating the block s in the
table.
21
4
The Interface
For more information on blocks, see “Working with
Blocks” on page 85.
Luminaires Table
The
Luminaires table
naires available in the model. A
type of block used to represent light fixtures and
includes a definition of
that control how light energy is emitted from it. In
the Preparation stage, double-click a luminaire
name to isolate it for display and editing in the
Graphic window. Open the Luminaire Properties
dialog to edit photometric characteristics of the
luminaire.
contains a list of all the lumi-
luminaire
is a special
photometric characteristics
Luminaire preview
Right-click the Luminaires table to display a context
menu of functions for manipulating luminaires in
the table.
For more information on using luminaires, see
Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.”
Customizing Block and Luminaire
Previews
The block and luminaire previews display the
objects currently selected in the table. You can resize
the preview and toggle it on or off.
Move the horizontal bar
to resize the preview
The luminaire preview displays the currently
selected luminaire. For more information, see
“Customizing Block and Luminaire Previews” on
page 22.
22
To toggle the preview on or off:
Right-click the Block or Luminaires table and
choose Preview from the context menu.
Changing the View
Use the interactive view controls to change the view
of the block or luminaire in the preview. You can
select view controls from the toolbar, from the
preview context menu, or by using hot keys.
The following view controls are available in
Note:
the preview: Orbit, Rotate, Zoom, Pan, Dolly, and
Scroll.
Lightscape
Overview of the Interface
❚❘❘
To change the view using the toolbar:
Right-click in the preview, select View Control,
1.
and enable From Toolbars.
Click the appropriate button on the View Con-
2.
trol toolbar, then drag the cursor in the preview to
control the view.
To change the view using the context menu:
Right-click in the preview, select View Control,
1.
and disable From Toolbars.
Right-click in the preview, select View Control,
2.
and enable the required option.
Drag the cursor in the preview to control the
3.
view.
For more information, see “Using Interactive View
Controls” on page 30.
You can also press the following hot keys while
moving the mouse in the preview to enable the interactive view controls. For example, press P while
moving the mouse to pan the view of the block.
To use:
Press:
Orbit O
Rotate R
Zoom Z
Pan P
Dolly D
Scroll S
Pressing a hot key will override the view
Note:
control enabled on the toolbar or preview context
menu.
Changing the Display
You can use the shading options to control how a
block or luminaire fixture is displayed in the
preview. You can use the same shading as the model
or set it independently.
To use the same shading as the model:
Right-click in the preview, select Shading, and
1.
enable From Toolbars.
In the Shading toolbar, select the required shad-
2.
ing button.
To customize the preview shading:
Right-click in the preview, select Shading, and
1.
disable From Toolbars.
Right-click in the preview, select Shading, and
2.
enable the required shading option.
The block or luminaire fixture is displayed in the
selected shading mode.
For more information on these options, see
“Controlling the Display” on page 35.
Changing Table Layouts
You can reposition and resize all of the tables as
required. Use the Swap Layout option to revert to the
previous position and size of the table.
To swap the table layout:
Right-click a table and choose Swap Layout, or
double-click on the title bar.
23
4
The Interface
Interface Conventions
The following sections describe the interface
conventions for using the mouse, context menus,
and dialogs in Lightscape.
Using the Mouse
Lightscape is designed for use with a two-button
mouse. The left button is the action button. The
right button displays a context menu based on the
current location or selec tion. (These sett ings assume
your mouse button configuration is right-handed.)
When you move the mouse while pressing the left
button in the Graphic window, one of several actions
occurs, depending on the currently selected mouse
mode:
Select mode
•
Query mode
•
Dynamic View mode
•
Special Selection mode.
•
In Select mode, use the mouse to select objects in the
model. For more information, see “Selecting
Objects” on page 38.
In Query mode, clicking an object in the Graphic
window displays information about that object on
the status bar. Layers and materials associated with
the object are also highlighted in the appropriate
tables. For more information, see “Using Selection
Tools” on page 39.
In Dynamic view mode, selecting a view control
such as Orbit or Rotate and dragging the mouse in
the Graphic window allows you to change the
display of the model dynamically. For more information, see “Using Interactive View Controls” on
page 30.
In Special Selection mode, you use special operations to carry out specific tasks. For example, you
can use the Pick mode in the Transformation dialog
to change the orientation of a luminaire. A special
selection mode is usually started from a dialog that is
related to a specific function.
Context Menus
In the Graphic window or one of the tables, you click
the right (secondary) mouse button to display a
context menu.
For example, if you right-click in the Graphic
window when a surface is selected, a context menu of
functions for the selected surface is displayed. Rightclick one of the tables to display a context menu of
functions for the selected objects or in the table list
itself.
Dialogs
Certain operations display a dialog that you use to
access various related options. Some dialogs close
automatically after the operation is carried out.
Other dialogs are persistent and stay open until you
explicitly close them, allowing you to make additional selections and repeat operations without
having to reopen the dialog.
Persistent dialogs contain both an OK button and an
Apply button. Click Apply to apply the changes in
the dialog settings to the model without closing the
dialog. Click OK to apply the changes and close the
dialog.
You can close a dialog at any time by clicking the
close button in the upper-right corner.
Dialogs may contain several pages. You can access
the different pages by clicking the page tabs along
the upper edge.
24
Lightscape
Using Toolbars
❚❘❘
Using Toolbars
In Lightscape, the toolbars provide quick access to
many options that are located in the menus. Click
the toolbar buttons to execute the related operations.
The default toolbars contain the most commonly
used operations and are usually docked above the
Graphic window.
Each tool also has an associated tooltip, that displays
its function when you place the cursor over the tool
button.
Too lt ip
Showing or Hiding Toolbars
You can display or hide toolbars as required to
customize your desktop.
To display a toolbar:
C h o os e To ol s | To ol ba rs .
1.
The Toolbars dialog appears.
Moving Toolbars
By default, toolbars are docked at the top of the
Graphic window. A docked toolbar is attached to
any edge of the Graphic window. A floating toolbar
is located anywhere on the screen.
To move a toolbar:
Place the cursor over the edge of the toolbar,
1.
then click and drag it to another position.
Docked toolbars
Floating toolbar
To dock the toolbar, drag it to the edge of the
2.
Graphic window.
Double-click a toolbar to toggle its state. A red
2.
check mark next to the toolbar indicates that it is
currently displayed.
The Standard Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Standard toolbar to access the
online help features and to use the standard
Windows® file functions.
Open
Undelete
New
Save
For more information, see “Using File Controls” on
page 27.
Help Index
Print
Help
25
4
The Interface
The View Control Toolbar
Use the buttons on the View Control toolbar to
adjust the view of your model. All view controls are
interactive except View Setup and View Extents.
To use the interactive view controls, click the appropriate button then drag the cursor in the Graphic
window to control the view.
Zoom Window
Rotate
Orbit
Undo Zoom Window
Zoom
Pan
Dolly
Scroll
View Setup
Tilt
View Extents
For more information, see “Viewing the Model” on
page 29.
The Projection Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Projection toolbar to display
your model in perspective view or in one of six
orthographic views.
Top
Left
Fron t
The Shading Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Shading toolbar to specify
how the model is displayed.
Colored Wireframe
Solid
Hidden Line
Wireframe
Outlined
For more information, see “Controlling the Display”
on page 35.
The Selection Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Selection toolbar to specify
how the mouse is used when selecting objects in the
Graphic window. For example, if you click the Luminaire button , only luminaires are selected when
you click or drag the mouse in the Graphic window.
Selection
Area All Vertices
Query
Select
Deselect
Area All
Deselect All
Filter Dialog
Block
Accumulate
Pick
Perspective
Bottom
Right
Back
For more information, see “Viewing the Model” on
page 29.
26
Pick Top
Block
Select
Area Any
Ver tex
Deselect
Area Any
Select All
Luminaire
Surface Use Sele ction
Filt er
For more information, see “Selecting Objects” on
page 38.
Lightscape
Using File Controls
❚❘❘
The Tables Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Tables toolbar to display or
hide the corresponding tables. Clicking a button
toggles the table display on or off.
Materials
Layers
Luminaires
Blocks
For more information on working with tables, see
“Overview of the Interface” on page 17.
The Display Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Display toolbar to control the
quality and speed of the display. In most cases,
turning off a display option increases the display
speed at the expense of image quality.
Culling
Double Buffer
Antialiasing
Blending
For more information, see “Controlling the Display”
on page 35.
Te xt ur e s
Ray
Tra ce
Area
Enhanced
Ambient
The Transformation Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Transformation toolbar to
control the placement of geometry in the model.
Rotate
Move
X Constraint
XY Constraint
Y Constraint
Z Constraint
YZ Constraint
ZX Constraint
Edit Drag
Increments
Aim
Use Drag
Increments
For more information, see “Transforming Objects”
on page 43.
The Radiosity Processing Toolbar
Use the buttons on the Radiosity Processing toolbar
to control the processing of your model.
ResetGoStop
Initiate
For more information on processing your model,
see Chapter 11, “Radiosity Processing.”
Using File Controls
You can access the file controls and help functions, as
well as an Undelete function, through the Standard
toolbar. The file control and help functions are also
available through the File and Help menus. The
27
4
The Interface
Undelete function is also available from the Edit
menu.
Open
New
Save
Undelete
Help Index
Print
Help
You can use any of the following methods to access
the file controls.
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
File | New Ctrl+N
File | Open Ctrl+O
File | Save Ctrl+S
Edit | Undelete Ctrl+Z
File | Print Ctrl+P
Help | Index
New
Select New to create a new, empty Lightscape
model. If any data is in memory, it will be erased
when the new model is created. In such cases, you
are prompted to save the data if you have made
changes since the last time you saved the model.
Open
Select Open to load an existing Lightscape
model file. The file can be either a Preparation file
(.lp) or a Solution file (.ls). If any data is in memory,
it will be erased when the file is loaded. In such cases,
you are prompted to save the data.
Choose Merge from the File menu (or press Ctrl+M)
to combine two or more Preparation or Solution
files. However, you cannot mix the file types.
Additionally, use the Scale option (available when
loading Preparation files) to specify a numeric factor
by which all objects in the file will be scaled.
Save
Select Save to save the current Lightscape
model. If the model has not been saved previously,
this function defaults to Save As and Lightscape
prompts you for a filename and location. If your
model was previously saved, the Save function overwrites the previous file. To preserve the previous file,
select Save As from the File menu.
Undelete
The Undelete function offers one level of undo
for destructive actions only. You can use the Undelete function immediately after deleting items in the
Layers, Materials, Blocks, or Luminaires tables. You
can also use Undelete after deleting surfaces or
block/luminaire instances in the Graphic window.
The Undelete function restores the most recently
deleted object, or objects, even after you perform
view modifications such as changing the projection
mode or using the interactive view controls.
However, if, after deleting an object you per form any
function that involves a change to the Lightscape
database (such as renaming a material, adding a
block instance, or saving the file), the buffer is
emptied and you can no longer reverse the previous
action. There is no Redo function.
The Undelete function is not related to the
Note:
Undo Zoom Window function in the View menu or
the Undelete button in the Create Surface dialog.
Print
Select Print to print the current view of the
model.
28
Lightscape
Viewing the Model
❚❘❘
Help Index
Select Help Index to display the index of the
Help system. Clicking this button is equivalent to
choosing Index from the Help menu.
Context Help
Select Context Help to enable quick help on any
on-screen interface element. When you click the
Context Help button, the pointer changes to a replica
of the tool. Click any toolbar item, table, or the
Graphic window to display information on that
item. You must select the Context Help tool for each
item on which you want information.
Viewing the Model
Lightscape offers the following options for manipulating the view of your model:
View Projection modes
•
Interactive View controls
•
View Setup
•
View E xtents
•
Align Background
•
Set Viewport Size
•
Display Original View
•
Saving and Loading Views.
•
Changing the View Projection
You can choose to view your model in Perspective
view or in one of several orthographic views.
Top
Left
Front
You can use any of the following methods to access
the view projection controls.
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
View |Projection | Perspective Shift+3
View | Projection | Top Shift+4
View | Projection | Bottom Shift+5
View | Projection | Left Shift+6
View | Projection | Right Shift+7
View | Projection | Front Shift+8
View | Projection | Back Shift+9
The Lightscape perspective camera model uses a
viewer position, a focus point, and a picture plane to
create the perspective views. Both the View Setup
tool and the interactive view controls are based on
these conventions, as illustrated in the following
diagram.
You can set up a view camera by specifying the locations for the viewer position, focus point, view
angle, and picture plane with the View Setup
controls. There are also interactive controls for
changing your view of the model.
Perspective
Bottom
Right
Back
29
4
The Interface
Using Interactive View Controls
Use the interactive view controls to change the view
of the model in the Graphic window.
Zoom Window
Rotate
Orbit
Zoom
Undo Zoom Window
You can use any of the following methods to access
the interactive view controls.
Menu:
View | Interactive | Orbit Shift+O
View | Interactive | Rotate Shift+R
View | Interactive | Zoom Shift+Z
View | Interactive | Zoom
Window
View | Interactive | Undo
Zoom Window
View | Interactive | Pan Shift+P
View | Interactive | Dolly Shft+D
View | Interactive | Scroll Shift+S
View | Interac tive | Tilt Shift+T
When you select a view control, the left mouse
button is used solely for changing the view interactively. Any movement with the mouse in the Graphic
window will change the view, based on the view
control selected.
Pan
Dolly
Button:
Tilt
Scroll
Hot Key:
Shift+W
Shift+U
To use the interactive view controls:
Choose View | Interactive and the appropriate
1.
interactive view control, or choose an interactive
view control from the View Control toolbar.
To exit the view control mode and return to the
2.
previous left button mode, reselect that mode.
Press just the hot key (without pressing
Note:
Shift) to enable the view control for only as long as
the hot key is pressed. Any action with the mouse
in the display area changes the view. Once you
release the hot key, the left mouse button returns
its previous state.
You can only use view controls that apply to a
specific view projection, as described in the
following sections.
Orbit
Use Orbit to orbit around the model. The
viewer position rotates around the focus point in all
three axes. The direction of the mouse movement
controls the angle of orbit.
Orbit is available in Perspective view only.
Rotate
Use Rotate to rotate the focus point around the
viewer position. The direction of the mouse movement controls the angle of rotation.
Rotate is available in Perspective view only.
Zoom
Use Zoom to zoom in or out on the model.
When zooming, the focal angle of the camera
changes, while the viewer position and the focus
point remain the same. This is similar to a zoom lens
on a photographic camera. The size of the view
frame on the picture plane is adjusted automatically.
30
Lightscape
Viewing the Model
❚❘❘
To use the Zoom view control:
To zoom in on the scene (decrease the field of
1.
view), drag the mouse upward in the Graphic window.
To zoom out on the scene (increase the field of
2.
view), drag the mouse downward in the Graphic
window.
In Perspective view, excessively zooming
Note:
out leads to distortions in the image (similar to a
wide-angle lens on a camera).
Zoom is available in all projections.
Zoom Window
Use Zoom Window to zoom in to an area. Drag
the cursor to draw a marquee in the Graphic w indow
to zoom directly to that area.
Zoom Window is available in all projections.
Undo Zoom Window
Use Undo Zoom Window to restore the view to
the one used before the last Zoom Window operation. This option supports a maximum of ten levels
of undo.
Pan
Use Pan to pan the model in the direction of the
mouse movement. This has an effect similar to
moving the point of view and focus point along a
horizontal or vertical axis. The viewer position and
the focus point are moved together in the direction
opposite to the direction you are dragging, so that
the model appears to move with the mouse.
Pan is available in Perspective view only.
To use the Dolly view control:
To move the viewer position forward, drag the
1.
mouse upward in the Graphic window.
To move the viewer position backward, drag the
2.
mouse downward in the Graphic window.
You cannot dolly past the focus point. The
Note:
dolly speed depends on the distance to the focus
point.
Dolly is available in Perspective view only.
Scroll
Use Scroll in orthographic projections to cause
the same effect as Pan in Perspective view.
In Perspective view, Scroll behaves differently.
Unlike the other view options, Scroll does not alter
the Perspective projection. Any lines that appeared
parallel before scrolling remain parallel after
scrolling. The result of a scroll is an off-center
projection.
It is generally difficult to predict the behavior of an
off-center projection. If your camera behaves
strangely when zooming about a point not at the
center of the window (for example), it has probably
been scrolled.
In architectural photography, you often use a
perspective correction lens to maintain parallel
vertical lines in the image. To obtain this effect in
Lightscape, first set a specific perspective view with
the camera position and focus point at the same
height, and then scroll the resulting view to adjust
the image plane, as needed.
Scroll is available in all projections.
Dolly
Use Dolly to move the viewer position forward
or backward along the view path.
31
4
The Interface
Tilt
Use Tilt to tilt the camera, rotating it around an
axis perpendicular to the screen. You change the tilt
view by dragging the mouse in a circular motion in
the Graphic window. The model rotates in the same
direction as the mouse movement.
Tilt is available in all projections.
Using View Setup
Use View Setup to define a specific camera view
of your model.
To use View Setup:
Choose View | Setup, or click the View Setup
1.
button on the View Control toolbar.
The display changes to Top view, the view frustum is
displayed (in red) over the model, and the View
Setup dialog appears.
Viewer Position
Use this option to set the camera position. To set this
option, select it and click the point at which to set the
camera position in the Graphic window.
You can also enter the explicit location on the X, Y,
and Z axes in the corresponding input boxes. These
values are in the length units of the model. For more
information, see “Setting Units Properties” on page
46.
Setting the viewer position by selecting a
Note:
point in the Graphic window does not set the Z
(height) value. This value must be explicitly set in
the Z input box.
Focus Point
Use this option to set the point at which the viewer is
focusing. To set this option, select it and click the
required focus point in the Graphic window. You can
also enter the explicit location on the X, Y, and Z axes
in the corresponding input boxes.
Setting the focus point by selecting a point
Note:
in the Graphic window does not set the Z (height)
value. This value must be explicitly set in the Z
input box.
Set the required options in the View Setup dia-
2.
log, and click OK. The options are explained in the
following sections.
When using View Setup, you can also use
Note:
the following view buttons to adjust your view:
Zoom, Zoom Window, Scroll, and Tilt.
32
Near Clipping Plane
Use this option to define the location of the near
clipping plane. Objects in the model that are
between the viewer position and the near clipping
plane are not displayed in the Graphic window.
Set the near clipping plane by entering the required
value in the input box or by adjusting the Near Clip
Plane slider.
Far Clipping Plane
Use this option to define the location of the far clipping plane. Objects in the model that are beyond the
far clipping plane are not displayed.
Lightscape
Viewing the Model
❚❘❘
Set the far clipping plane by entering the required
value in the input box or by adjusting the Far Clip
Plane slider.
Field of View
Use this option to adjust the view angle of the view
frustum. This changes the size of the view frame in
relation to the picture plane. The field of view is
computed from the Focal Length and the Film Size.
If you explicitly change the field of view, the focal
length is adjusted automatically and the film size
remains the same.
Change the field of view by entering the required
value in the input box or by adjusting the Field of
View slider.
View Tilt
Use this option to rotate the model around an axis
perpendicular to the screen. Set the View Tilt option
by adjusting the slider from -180° through 180°.
Film Size (mm)
Use this list to select the film size of the virtual
camera. If you explicitly change the film size, the
focal length is adjusted automatically, and the field
of view remains the same.
To define a custom frame size, select Other
Note:
from the Film Size list and specify the frame width
in the Frame Width box.
Focal Length (mm)
Use this option to set the focal length of the virtual
camera. If you explicitly change the focal length, the
field of view is adjusted automatically, and the film
size remains the same.
Using View Extents
Use the View Extents option to display all the objects
in the model.
To use View Extents:
Choose View | Extents or click the View Extents
button on the View Control toolbar.
If you use the Perspective view, the focus point is set
to the center of all visible objects and the model is
viewed from the front.
Using Align Backgroun
You can use Align Background to load an image file
as the background of the Graphic window so that
you can align your model view with it.
This is important if you intend to composite the
rendering you do in Lightscape with a background
image file. For example, you may want to show a
pro pos ed b uil din g mo del on an exi st ing st ree t, or s et
an exterior background that you would see through
a window. The background image can be offset on
the screen to correspond to an appropriate location
in the model.
To align a background image:
Set the Viewport Size to be in the same propor-
1.
tion as the final image resolution you want to render.
For example, if your final image is to be 4000 x 3000
pixels, set the v iewport to 800 x 600. For more information, see “Setting Viewport Size” on page 34.
Use an image editing application to create a copy
2.
of the background image, scaled to fit within your
viewport.
Choose View | Align Background.
3.
d
33
4
The Interface
The Align Background dialog appears.
Click Browse, select the image from the Open di-
4.
alog that appears, then click OK.
If the background image is to cover only part of
5.
the background, enter values in the Image Offset
boxes to position it in relation to the viewport.
Use the view controls to position your model as
6.
required in relation to the background image.
Choose View | Save As to save the view file. For
7.
more information, see “Saving and Loading Views”
on page 34.
Render the final image using the
8.
with the
command. For more information,
-alpha
lsray
utility
see Chapter 14, “Rendering,” and Appendix B,
“Batch Processing Utilities.”
proportional to the required final rendering
resolution.
To set the viewport size:
Choose View | Set Viewport Size.
1.
The Viewport Size dialog appears.
Choose an industry-standard image size from
2.
the Resolution list, or enter custom width and height
values in the corresponding input boxes.
Displaying the Original View
In addition to stored view files, there is one built-in
view, called the original view. Use this option to reset
the view to the one that was in place when the file was
loaded. When a file is saved, it is automatically saved
with its current view.
To display the original view:
Choose View | Display Original View.
Composite your final rendering with the back-
9.
ground image in an image editing application.
Setting Viewport Size
The viewport is the area of the Graphic window that
contains an image of the model. The default value is
Full Window. Use the Set Viewport Size option to
select a different image size.
When you are establishing views for your final
renderings, you may want to set your viewport to be
34
Saving and Loading Views
You can save a specific view to a view file for use later
in the project. For example, you may want to return
quickly to a particular camera view or select a
particular view when outputting an image.
To save a view:
Once you have set the view, save it by choosing
1.
Vie w | Save As .
The Save As dialog appears.
Lightscape
Controlling the Display
❚❘❘
Navigate to the appropriate directory, enter the
2.
name of the file in the filename box, and click Save.
The view file is saved with a .vw extension and it is
added to the list of views.
View Menu
List of views
To load a saved view file:
Choose View | Open.
1.
Select the appropriate view file in the Open dia-
2.
log.
For more information on display options, see “Using
the Display Options” on page 36.
Display Menu
Shading
options
Display
options
Click Open.
3.
You can also select the appropriate view file
Note:
from the list of views in the View menu.
Controlling the Display
You can use the display options to change how the
model appears in the Graphic window. Use the
shading modes to improve system performance
while working with the model or to obtain more
precise feedback in the appearance of the model.
Choosing Shading Options
You can use the Display menu or the Shading toolbar
to display the model in various modes. A dot
appears next to the currently selected mode in the
Display menu, and the corresponding button on the
Shading toolbar is enabled.
Colored Wireframe
Hidden Line
Wireframe
Solid
Outlined
35
4
The Interface
You can use any of the following methods to access
the shading controls.
Menu:
Button:
Display | Wireframe
Display | Colored Wireframe
Display | Hidden Line
Display | Solid
Display | Outlined
Wireframe
Use this option to display only the edges of surfaces
as white lines. Though white is the default wireframe
color, you can change this color at any time.
To change the wireframe color:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
On the Colors panel, use the color picker to
2.
choose the required wireframe color and click the
left arrow to apply it to the Wireframe color box, or
enter the HSV values directly in the corresponding
boxes.
Hidden Line
Use this option to display the model similarly to
Wireframe mode, except surfaces block (hide) the
display of other surfaces behind them. All surface
edges visible to the user are displayed in white.
The color of the wireframe in Hidden Line mode is
the same as that in Wireframe mode. To change the
wireframe color, see “Wireframe” on page 36.
In Hidden Line mode, the mesh structure
Note:
generated during radiosity processing (in the Solution stage) is superimposed on the model.
Solid
Use this option to display the surfaces of the model
in their appropriate material colors.
The display speed is influenced by the
Note:
number of surfaces in the model, as well as by the
computer hardware. For complex models, it may
be faster to change views in Wireframe mode and
display the surfaces in Solid mode once the desired
view is established.
Outlined
Use this option to display the surfaces of the model
in their appropriate material colors, with the surface
geometry outlined. All polygon surfaces are
displayed in the material color and all polygon edges
are displayed in black.
Click OK.
3.
For more information on changing the document
properties, see “Setting Document Properties” on
page 45.
Colored Wireframe
Use this option to display all surface edges of the
model in their associated material color.
36
During the Solution stage, this option
Note:
displays the mesh structure. You can use Outlined
mode to check the impact of process parameter
settings.
Using the Display Options
Use the Display options to control the quality and
speed of the display. You can select display options
from the Display toolbar or by choosing the appropriate option from the Display menu. Often,
Lightscape
Controlling the Display
❚❘❘
disabling a display option increases the display
speed but decreases image quality.
Culling
Blending
Double Buffer
Antialiasing
Tex tu re s
Ray
Trac e
Area
Enhanced
Ambient
You can use any of the following methods to access
the display options.
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
Display | Double Buffer
Display | Culling
Display | Blending
Display | Antialiasing
Display | Ambient
Display | Textures
Display | Enhanced
Display | Ray Trace Area Shift+Y
surfaces are displayed opaque, regardless of the
material transparency.
Antialiasing
Use Antialiasing to display smoothed lines in
Wireframe mode. When this option is disabled, lines
may be jagged. Antialiasing for solid mode can only
be used when rendering. For more information, see
Chapter 14, “Rendering.”
Ambient
Use Ambient to approximate the effect of
undistributed light energy in the environment
during the Solution stage. This helps you visualize
the model during the early stages of processing. For
more information, see Chapter 11, “Radiosity
Processing.”
Te xt u r es
Use Textures to display textures in the model.
Enhanced
Use Enhanced to display simple shading in the
Preparation stage. This is only used in Solid or
Outline mode.
Double Buffer
Use Double Buffer to
produce a smooth display
during interactive playback.
Culling
Use Culling to make surfaces oriented away
from the viewer transparent. You can use this option
to look “through” a wall from the outside of the
model.
Blending
Use Blending to blend surfaces with transparent materials with those behind them, giving a
transparent effect. When this option is disabled, all
Ray Trace Area
During the Solution stage, you can use the Ray Trace
Area button to ray trace a section of your
Graphic window, allowing you to preview a part of
your scene. For more information, see “Ray Tracing
an Area” on page 219.
Setting Ray Trace Area Options
You set the Ray Trace Area options before using the
Ray Trace Area tool. Choose Ray Trace Area Options
from the Display menu to display the Ray Trace Area
Options dialog. For more information, see “Ray
Tracing an Area” on page 219.
37
4
The Interface
Displaying Axes
Use the Show Axis option to display a set of X, Y, and
Z axes, which indicate the current orientation of
your model. The axes appear in the lower-left corner
of the model. The X axis is displayed in red, the Y
axis in green, and the Z axis in blue.
To display axes:
Choose Display | Show Axis to toggle the axes
display on or off. A check mark next to the menu
item indicates the axes are currently displayed.
from the Display menu. This option is only available
in Perspective view.
Using Reload Textures
Choose this option to reload all texture image files
into the materials that use them. You should select
this function after you have modified image maps,
changed their filenames, or changed the Fixed Tile
Size option and settings in the Material Properties
dialog. For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using
Mater ials.”
Selecting Objects
Before you can perform an action on an object, you
must select it. You can select single or multiple
blocks, surfaces, or luminaires. You can also select
objects inside a particular area or select objects
based on a set of selection filters.
Using Auto-Redraw
Choose this option in the Display menu to redraw
the model in the Graphic window after every
change. If you do not need to view changes immediately, you can improve performance by disabling this
option so that changes in material editing or texture
alignment do not cause an automatic redraw.
You can choose Display | Refresh or press F5 to
explicitly cause a redraw when required.
Using Auto-Orbit
Choose this option to cause the model to continuously rotate around the focus point of the current
view. Toggle Auto-Orbit on and off by selecting it
38
Selection filtersSelection tools
Selection
options
You can use any of the following methods to access
the selection options.
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
Edit | Selection | Select Shift+1
Edit | Selection | Query Select Shift+Q
Edit | Selection | Area Any
Shift+2
Ve r t e x
Edit | Selection | Area All Ver-
Shift+0
tices
Edit | Selection | Deselect Area
Shift+V
Any
Lightscape
Selecting Objects
❚❘❘
Menu:
Edit | Selection | Deselect Area
Button:
Hot Key:
Shift+C
All
Edit | Selection | Select All
Edit | Selection | Deselect All
Edit | Selection | Surface Shift+F
Edit | Selection | Block Shift+B
Edit | Selection | Luminaire Shift+L
Edit | Selection | Filter
Edit | Selection | Accumulate
Shift+A
Pick
Edit | Selection | Pick Top
Shift+X
Block
If the Selection toolbar is not visible, choose
Note:
Tools | Toolbars. In the Toolbars dialog that
appears, double-click Selection, then click Close.
Using Selection Tools
Use the selection tools to select or deselect objects in
your model. Only objects that meet the current filter
criteria are selected or deselected. For example, if
you choose the Block selection filter and then
choose the Select All tool, all the blocks in your
model are selected. The behavior of the Marquee
Selection and Select All tools also depends upon the
specified selection criteria. For more information,
see “Defining Selection Filters” on page 41.
Select
Use Select to click objects to select them. When
the Accumulate Pick mode is enabled, click a
selected object to deselect it.
Query Select
Use Query Select to display information about
an object when you select it. The layers and materials
associated with the object are also highlighted in the
appropriate tables.
Area Any Vertex
Use Area Any Vertex to drag a marquee around
an area to select objects that have at least one vertex
within the selected area.
Area All Vertices
Use Area All Vertices to drag a marquee around
an area to select objects that have all vertices within
the selected area.
Deselect Area Any
Use Deselect Area Any to drag a marquee
around an area to deselect objects that have at least
one vertex within the selected area.
Deselect Area All
Use Deselect Area All to drag a marquee
around and area to deselect objects that have all
vertices within the selected area.
Select All
Use Select All to select all objects in the model,
including those not in the current view.
Query Select
Area Any Vertex
Select
Deselect Area All
Area All Vertices
Deselect Area Any
Deselect All
Select All
Deselect All
Use Deselect All to deselect all objects in the
model, including those not in the current view.
39
4
The Interface
Using Selection Filters
Use the selection filters to select only certain types of
objects when using the selection tools. You can use
only one filter at a time. The default is Surface.
Block
Selection Filter Dialog
Surface
Luminaire
Use Selection Filter
Surface
Use Surface to select only surfaces.
Block
Use Block to select only blocks.
Luminaire
Use Luminaire to select only luminaires.
You can also define selection filters that take into
account assigned materials, surface properties, and
luminaire properties. For more information, see
“Defining Selection Filters” on page 41.
Choosing Selection Options
Use the selection options to determine whether you
will make single (exclusive) selections or multiple
(additive) selections. If your model contains nested
blocks, you can also use the top block mode to select
only the top block in a hierarchy.
Accumulate Pick
Use Accumulate Pick to toggle between exclusive and additive selection. Enable this option to add
each new selection to the current selection set.
Disable this option to replace the current selection
with the new selection.
Pick Top Block
In the case of nested blocks, you can use Pick Top
Block to select the top block in a block
hierarchy.
Selecting an Object
You can choose selection tools, filters, and options
on the Selection toolbar or by choosing
Edit | Selection and then selecting the appropriate
option.
If the Selection toolbar is not visible, choose
Note:
Tools | Toolbars. In the Toolbars dialog that
appears, double-click Selection, then click Close.
To select objects:
Choose a selection filter to specify the type of
1.
objects to select.
Choose a selection tool to specify the method of
2.
selecting objects.
Set the appropriate selection option.
3.
Click or drag your cursor in the Graphic w indow
4.
to select an object or objects.
The selected objects are highlighted.
To query objects:
Choose a selection filter to specify the type of
1.
objects to quer y.
40
Accumulate Pick
Pick Top Block
Choose the Query Select button from the Selec-
2.
tion toolbar, or choose Edit | Selection | Query.
To query the top block in a block hierarchy, en-
3.
able Pick Top Block.
Lightscape
Selecting Objects
❚❘❘
Click your cursor in the Graphic window to se-
4.
lect an object to query.
Information about the queried object is displayed on
the status bar and the associated layers and materials
are highlighted in the Layers and Materials tables.
Defining Selection Filters
You can use selection filters to further refine the
selection process. Use surface selection filters to
select only the surfaces assigned a specific material
(or materials) and any specific processing parameters assigned. Use the luminaire selection filters to
select luminaires that have specific processing
parameters assigned. For more information, see
“Luminaire Processing” on page 147 and “Setting
the Surface Processing Parameters” on page 179.
Selection Filter Dialog
Use Selection Filter
The Selection Filter dialog appears and the selected
materials are listed on the Surfaces panel.
Click a processing parameter to toggle its state.
3.
Use:
To:
Select surfaces that have this parameter
enabled.
Select surfaces that have this parameter
disabled.
Disregard this parameter for surface selection.
To use surface selection filters:
Right-click the material in the Materials table
1.
and choose Add to Selection Filter from the context
menu. Shift-click to select several materials at once.
Choose Edit | Selection | Filter or click the Selec-
2.
tion Filter Dialog button on the toolbar.
If you have enabled Meshing, enter a mesh sub-
4.
division value in the Meshing box and select an option from the list.
Select:
To:
== Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
equal to the specified value.
<> Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
greater than or less than (but not equal
to) the specified value.
< Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
less than the specified value.
<= Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
less than or equal to the specified value.
41
4
The Interface
Select:
To:
> Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
greater than the specified value.
>= Select surfaces with mesh subdivision
greater than or equal to the specified value.
To reset the parameters to the default settings,
5.
click Reset Parameters.
Enable Use Selection Filter or click the Use Selec-
6.
tion Filter button on the toolbar.
Select the Surface filter .
7.
To select all surfaces in the model that meet the
8.
specified criteria, use the Select All tool .
To select all surfaces that have at least one vertex
9.
in an area and that meet the specified criteria, use the
Select Any Vertex tool .
To select all sur faces t hat have all of their vertices
10.
within an area and that meet the specified criteria,
use the Select All Vertices tool .
To remove a material from the criteria list:
Choose Edit | Selection | Filter.
1.
The Selection Filter dialog appears.
On the Surfaces panel, double-click the material
2.
that you want to remove, or select it, right-click, and
choose Remove from the context menu.
The selected material is removed from the list.
Click the Luminaires tab.
2.
Click a processing parameter to toggle its state.
3.
Use:
To:
Select luminaires that have this parameter enabled.
Select luminaires that have this parameter disabled.
Disregard this parameter for luminaire
selection.
Enable Use Selection Filter or click the Use Selec-
4.
tion Filter button on the toolbar.
Select the Luminaires filter .
5.
To select all luminaires that meet the specified
6.
criteria, use the Select All tool .
To use luminaire selection filters:
Choose Edit | Selection | Filter.
1.
The Selection Filter dialog appears.
42
To select all luminaires that have at least one ver-
7.
tex in an area and that meet the specified criteria, use
the Select Any Vertex tool .
To select all luminaires that have all of their ver-
8.
tices within an area and that meet the specified criteria, use the Select All Vertices tool .
Lightscape
Transforming Objects
❚❘❘
To disable selection filters:
Click the Use Selection Filter button on the
toolbar, or choose Edit | Selection | Filter and
disable Use Selection Filter.
The Select All, Select Any Vertex, and Select All
Vertices tools are no longer limited by the surface or
luminaire selection filters.
Transforming Objects
Use the Transformation tools to control the placement of geometry in the model. You can use the
buttons on the Transformation toolbar to move (or
rotate) objects by dragging them in the Graphic
window, or you can use the options on the Transformations dialog.
Rotate
Move
Constrain to X
Constrain to XY
Constrain to Y
Constrain to Z Aim
Constrain to YZ
Constrain to ZX
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
Edit | Constrain To Axis | Aim
If the Transformation toolbar is not visible,
Note:
choose Tools | Toolbars. On the Toolbars dialog
that appears, double-click Transformation, then
click Close.
You can use the “ ‘ ” key to cycle through the axes
constraints. The current axis constraint will be
selected on the toolbar.
Using the Transformation Toolbar
Use the Transformation toolbar to interactively
move and rotate objects, select axes constraints, and
use the Aim tool. You can perform additional transformations (scaling an object, for example) on the
Transformation dialog. For more information, see
“Using the Transformation Dialog” on page 45.
Move
Use Move to change the placement of selected
objects in your model. You can limit movement to
any axis (or any two axes) by clicking the appropriate
axis constraint button.
You can use any of the following methods to access
the transformation tools.
Menu:
Button:
Hot Key:
Edit | Move Shift+M
Edit | Rotate Shift+E
Edit | Constrain To Axis | X
Edit | Constrain To Axis | Y
Edit | Constrain To Axis | Z
Edit | Constrain To Axis | XY
Edit | Constrain To Axis | ZX
Edit | Constrain To Axis | YZ
Using the hot key (Shift+M) has the same
Note:
effect as clicking the button on the toolbar.
Rotate
Use Rotate to rotate selected objects. You can
constrain rotation to any axis (or any two axes) by
clicking the appropriate axis constraint button.
Using the hot key (Shift+N) has the same
Note:
effect as clicking the button on the toolbar.
Constrain to X
Use Constrain to X to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the X axis.
43
4
The Interface
Constrain to Y
Use Constrain to Y to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the Y axis.
Constrain to Z
Use Constrain to Z to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the Z axis.
Constrain to XY
Use Constrain to X Y to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the XY plane.
Constrain to ZX
Use Constrain to ZX to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the ZX plane.
Constrain to YZ
Use Constrain to YZ to limit the movement and
rotation of objects to the YZ plane.
Aim
Use Aim in conjunction with Rotate to
constrain the rotation of the block (or luminaire) to
its local Z axis.
Using Drag Increments
You can use drag increments to move (or rotate) an
object incrementally along one (or any two) axes in
the Graphic window.
Edit Drag Increments
Use Drag Increments
You can customize the drag increment values for
each axis and toggle them on or off. The drag increments are in the model units. For more information,
see “Setting Units Properties” on page 46.
To use drag increments:
Click the Edit Drag Increments button or
1.
choose Edit | Transformation and click the Drag Increments tab.
The Drag Increments panel of the Transformation
dialog appears.
To interactively move an object:
Select an object. For more information, see “Se-
1.
lecting Objects” on page 38.
Click Move .
2.
Once you have selected an object, you can
Note:
also right-click and choose Move.
Select the appropriate axis constraint. For exam-
3.
ple, to move the object along the X axis only, click
Constrainto X .
Once you have selected an object, you can
Note:
also right-click and choose Constrain to Axis | X.
In the Graphic window, click and drag the object
4.
to the required position.
44
To set the number of incremental units an object
2.
can move along an axis, enter the appropriate value
in the Move X, Y, or Z box.
To set the number of incremental degrees an ob-
3.
ject can rotate along an axis, enter the appropriate
value in the Rotate (Deg) X, Y, or Z box.
Lightscape
Enable Use Drag Increments to use the Drag In-
4.
crements settings during interactive transformations, or click the Use Drag Increments
button on the toolbar.
Using the Transformation Dialog
You can use the Transformation dialog to move,
rotate, and scale objects, transform the insertion
points of blocks and luminaires, and set the drag
increments for interactive transformations.
For more information, see “Using Drag Increments”
on page 44.
To display the Transformation dialog:
Choose Edit | Transformation.
The Transformation dialog appears.
Setting Document Properties
Setting Display Properties
Use the Display properties to control how the model
is displayed on your monitor.
Brightness
Use this option to control the brightness of the image
displayed on your monitor or rendered. This option
does not affect the actual lighting levels in the model.
Contrast
Use this option to control the contrast of the image
displayed on your monitor or rendered.
Ambient
Use this option to choose the percentage of the
available ambient light used when you enable ambient approximation during the Solution stage. For
more information on ambient approximation, see
“Ambient” on page 37 and “Ambient Approximation” on page 171.
❚❘❘
For more information about transforming specific
objects, see “Working with Blocks” on page 85,
“Working with Surfaces” on page 95, and “Editing
Luminaires” on page 139.
Setting Document Properties
Properties are the general parameters and defaults
stored with each model. You can modify Display,
Units, Colors, Fog, Paths, and Display Interactivity
properties. The following sections describe the
property options in detail.
Luminaire Icon Size
Use this option to control the size of the icon representing the energy distribution assigned to a luminaire. For example, to confirm the placement of
small luminaires in large models, you may need to
increase the icon size. By default, these icons correspond to the size of the luminaire.
To set the display properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Display tab.
2.
45
4
The Interface
Set the Brightness, Contrast, Ambient, and Lu-
3.
minaire Icon Size options as required by using the
sliders, or by entering values directly in the corresponding boxes.
Click OK.
4.
Setting Units Properties
Use the Units properties to determine the default
units to work with in the model. The current length
units are displayed on the status bar.
Length
Use this option to specify the units of length used in
the model. You can choose either millimeters, centimeters, meters, kilometers, inches, feet, or miles.
Changing the units does not change the size
Note:
of the model. For example, a surface that is 1 meter
long will be 3.28 feet long if feet are the selected
units.
Lighting
Use this option to specify the unit system to use for
lighting. You can choose either International or
American.
Time
Use this option to specify the time units to use for an
animation setup. You can choose seconds, minutes,
or hours.
To set the units properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Units tab.
2.
Set the Length, Lighting, and Time options by
3.
choosing settings from the corresponding lists.
Click OK.
4.
Setting Color Properties
Use the Colors properties to set the default colors for
various elements of the display.
Background
Use this option to set the color displayed in the background of the Graphic window.
Wireframe
Use this option to set the color of the lines in Wireframe display mode. For more information on
display modes, see “Controlling the Display” on
page 35.
Mesh
Use this option to set the color of the mesh in
Outlined display mode. For more information on
display modes, see “Controlling the Display” on
page 35.
46
Lightscape
Setting Document Properties
❚❘❘
To set the colors properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Colors tab.
2.
Use the color picker to set the required color.
3.
Apply the color to the Background, Wireframe,
4.
and/or Mesh settings by clicking the corresponding
left-arrow buttons or by entering the color values in
the corresponding boxes directly.
To reload an assigned color into the color picker
5.
for editing, click the right arrow button corresponding to the appropriate option.
Click OK.
6.
Setting Fog Properties
Use the Fog properties to provide better depth
cueing by making items that are at a distance appear
dimmer. Fog is only a display technique; it does not
affect, nor is it affected by, the lighting of the scene.
Select:
To:
Fog Create a uniformly dense fog that be-
comes opaque at some distance, depending on the density setting. This is
what fog usually looks like in reality.
Haze Create a fog that is similar to the fog
type but seems to get much denser in
the distance, while leaving nearby objects virtually unobscured.
Density
Use this option to set the density of the fog. The
range is 0 to 1, with 1 representing the densest fog
effect.
Fog Color
Use this option to select the color of the fog. You can
choose the color (using HSV or RGB values) in the
color picker.
To set the fog properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Fog tab.
2.
Function
Use the Function list to select the fog type. You can
choose Disabled, Linear, Fog, or Haze. The default
setting is Disabled.
Select:
To:
Disabled Disable the use of fog in the model.
Linear Create fog that is clear at the near
plane and opaque at the far plane. The
density increases linearly from the
near plane to the far plane.
Choose the type of fog from the Function list.
3.
Use the Density slider to set the fog density, or
4.
enter a value directly in the Density box.
Use the color picker to set the Fog Color.
5.
Click OK.
6.
47
4
The Interface
Setting Paths Properties
The path lists are the list of directories Lightscape
searches to find a file. Use the Paths properties to set
the path lists for a document, a user, the system, or
the environment.
You can specify Luminaire and Texture path lists, as
well as remove and reorder the paths.
Directories For
Use the Directories For list to select the type of path
list to edit. You can choose either Luminaire Distributions or Textures.
The paths are searched in the order that they appear,
beginning at the top of the list. You can select an
entry in the path list and use the up and down arrow
buttons to change the ordering.
New
Use the New button to launch the Browse Directory
dialog, which you use to select a path to add to the
path lists.
Select an option in the path list tree.
4.
Select:
To:
Document Set the paths that are specific to the
particular document (project) with
which you are working.
User Set the paths that are always
searched for all documents for a
particular user.
System Set the paths that are always
searched for all documents for all
users.
Environment Set the paths that are always
searched for all documents for all
users in the Windows NT environment.
Click New, navigate to the appropriate path in
5.
the Browse Directory dialog that appears, then click
OK.
Remove
Use the Remove button to delete a selected path from
the path list.
To set the paths properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Paths tab.
2.
Select a list type from the Directories For list.
3.
48
The path is added to the selected list.
Lightscape
Setting Document Properties
❚❘❘
To reorder an item in a path list, select it and use
6.
the up and down arrow buttons.
To remove a path from a path list, select it and
7.
click Remove.
Click OK.
8.
Setting Display Interactivity
Properties
Use the Display Interactivity properties to control
the amount of redrawing required while working in
your model. Navigating interactively through
complex models with a large number of surfaces in
real time requires more processing power than many
desktop computers have. You can choose to decrease
the quality of the interactive display to increase
performance.
Interactive Speed
Use this option to control when a redraw of the
screen occurs.
Enable:
Redraw on Mouse
Release
All Redraws at
Interactive Speed
You can also choose Display | Draw or press
Note:
F7 to redraw the Graphic window at full quality
display at any time.
To:
Cause a redraw at full quality
when you release the mouse
button after interactively
changing the model view.
Redraw according to the Draw
Every Nth Face or Level of Detail settings.
second surface, with a corresponding increase in
display speed.
The default setting is 1 (display every surface).
In the Solution stage, adjusting the Draw Every Nth
Face setting resets the value of Level of Detail to 100.
Enable Preview to preview your changes without
exiting the dialog.
Level of Detail
Use this option to control the amount of detail
displayed, rather than simply controlling the
number of surfaces displayed. Use this option
during the Solution stage to control display quality
more selectively than with the Draw Every Nth Face
option.
When the Level of Detail is set below 100, the quality
of the image begins to degrade, as the system avoids
redrawing distant objects and smaller polygons. At
lower settings, more detail is dropped from the
display.
The default setting is 100 (maximum level of detail).
Adjusting Level of Detail setting resets the value of
the Draw Every Nth Face setting to 1.
Enable Preview to preview your changes without
exiting the dialog.
Max Display Texture Size
Use this option to scale the size of the textures used
for interactive display. This option does not affect
the size of textures used for radiosity or ray tracing.
Draw Every Nth Face
Use this control to reduce the number of surfaces
displayed. This can help to retain interactive display
speeds when working with complex models (models
with a large number of surfaces). For example,
setting Draw Every Nth Face to 2 displays every
Select:
To:
Unlimited Display textures at full size.
256 x 256 Display textures at 256 x 256 pixels
per inch.
128 x 128 Display textures at 128 x 128 pixels
per inch.
49
4
The Interface
Select:
64 x 64 Display textures at 64 x 64 pixels
32 x 32 Display textures at 32 x 32 pixels
At lower settings, the texture is scaled down and is
displayed as an accurate representation of the
texture, with less detail. Reducing the size of the
texture can significantly improve display speed.
To set the display interactivity properties:
Choose File | Properties.
1.
The Document Properties dialog appears.
Click the Display Interactivity tab.
2.
The Display Interactivity panel appears.
To:
per inch.
per inch.
Setting System Options
The system options are the general parameters and
defaults stored with your Lightscape application.
You can modify preview, drag and drop, and environment options. The following sections describe
the system options in detail.
Setting Preview Control Options
Use the Preview Control options to customize the
material, block, and luminaire previews.
Background Image
Use this option to specify the background image in
the material preview.
Reflected Image
Use this option to specify the reflected image in the
material preview.
Defaults
Use this option to restore the background and reflection images to the default settings.
Enable an Interactive Speed mode.
3.
Choose either the Draw Every Nth Face or Level
4.
of Detail option, and specify a value by using the corresponding slider or by entering a value directly in
the appropriate box.
You can set the Level of Detail option in the
Note:
Solution stage only.
To choose a scaling factor for displayed textures,
5.
select an option from the Max. Display Texture Size
list.
Click OK.
6.
50
Display Loaded Textures
Use this option to view assigned textures in the block
and luminaire previews.
Lightscape
Setting System Options
❚❘❘
To set the preview options:
Choose Tools | Options.
1.
The Options dialog appears.
Click the Preview Control tab.
2.
To use a custom background or reflect ion image,
3.
click the appropriate Browse button, select the required image file in the Open dialog that appears,
and then click Open.
To restore the default background and reflection
4.
images, click the Defaults button.
To display textures in the block and luminaire
5.
previews, enable Display Loaded Textures.
Setting Drag and Drop Options
Use these options to control how Lightscape imports
materials, blocks, and luminaires when using the
drag and drop method.
IES Drop Destination
Use this option to specify the directory to which
Lightscape saves IES files when you drag and drop
them into the Photometric Web Editor.
For more information, see Chapter 8, “Artificial
Lighting.”
Texture Drop Destination
Use this option to specify the directory to which
Lightscape saves texture image files when you drag
and drop them from LVu, for example.
For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using
Materials.”
To set the drag and drop options:
Choose Tools | Options.
1.
The Options dialog appears.
Click the Drag and Drop tab.
2.
Click OK.
6.
If the background and reflection images are
Note:
not visible in the Materials table, right-click in the
preview and enable Background and Reflection.
For information about using the previews, see
“Customizing Material Previews” on page 20, and
“Customizing Block and Luminaire Previews” on
page 22.
51
4
The Interface
To cause a w arning to appear when importing an
3.
object or material with the same name as an existing
object or material, enable Prompt Before Overwriting Existing Materials, Blocks, and Luminaires.
To choose an IES or texture drop destination,
4.
click the appropriate Browse button, select the required directory in the Open dialog that appears,
and then click Open.
Click OK.
5.
Setting Environment Options
Use the Environment options to customize your
Lightscape application environment.
Cross Hair Size
Use the Cross Hair Size slider to adjust the size of the
crosshairs that appear when orienting luminaires,
for example.
Recent File Lists
Use the Recent File Lists options to set the maximum
number of files listed (for quick access) in the Lightscape menus.
Use:
To:
LS and LP Files Set the maximum number of
Preparation (.lp) and Solution
(.ls) files listed in the File menu.
Animation Files Set the maximum number of
Animation (.la) files listed in the
Animation menu.
Layer Files Set the maximum number of
layer state (.lay) files listed in the
Layers table context menu.
View Files Set the maximum number of
view (.vw) files listed in the View
menu.
To set the environment options:
Choose Tools | Options.
1.
The Options dialog appears.
Click the Environment tab.
2.
To set the size of the crosshairs, enter a value in
3.
the Cross Hair Size box or adjust the slider.
To automatically adjust dialogs that may have
4.
moved beyond your viewing area, enable Reposition
Dialogs Which Are Off-Screen.
Enter the required values in the Recent File Lists
5.
boxes, then click OK.
52
Lightscape
Importing Geometry
How to import geometry from
modeling applications.
5
The first step in creating a lighting si mulation is to import a geometric model into
Lightscape. You can import models from a wide variety of CAD and modeling
applications.
Group objects into blocks and layers
Summary
In this chapter, you learn about:
Common import tasks
•
Importing DXF™ files
•
Importing DWG files
•
Importing 3D Studio® files
•
Importing a LightWave 3D™ scene
•
Exporting models from 3D Studio MAX® or 3D
•
Studio VIZ®
Common Import Tasks
When importing geometry from any modeling
application, you must:
Specify the units of measurement
•
Verify the coordinate system
•
•
Overwrite or merge to the current project
•
Adjust the light intensity scale.
•
For the best results, you should build your
Note:
models with Lightscape in mind. Controlling
polygon count and how surfaces are formed and
intersect is important for achieving efficient
processing and artifact-free results. For more information, see “Modeling Guidelines” on page 192.
Specifying Units of Measurement
The lighting in an area depends on the size of the
area. For example, the light from a 60-watt bulb
looks different in a room with a 6-foot high ceiling
than in a room with a 6-meter high ceiling. Therefore, when you import or export a model, it is
important to indicate the units of measurement the
values in the incoming file represent.
53
5
Importing Geometry
The procedures for this task vary slightly depending
on your modeling system. For information on
importing DXF files, see “Specifying Units of
Measurement” on page 57. For information on
exporting from 3D Studio MAX or importing 3D
Studio files, see “Specifying Units of Measurement”
on page 73.
Measuring Distance
If you are not sure that you used the correct units
when importing the model, measure a known
distance in the model to confirm the scale of the
model before you begin to work on it.
To measure the distance between two points:
Choose Tools | Measure Distance.
1.
The Measure Distance dialog appears.
selected instead. Consider the following example:
you import a model using inches as the unit of
measurement; you then meas ure a wall, and find that
it measures 10 inches instead of 10 feet. It is apparent
that you should have used feet when importing the
model. Import the model again using the correct
units.
After you import the model into Lightscape
Note:
you can change the units in which you want to
work. This operation has no effect on the physical
size of the model—it simply converts the existing
dimensions to the new units selected. For example,
a 10-foot wall becomes a 120-inch wall—not a 10inch wall. To convert the working units, choose
File | Properties, then select the units in the Document Properties dialog.
Converting Coordinate Systems
Lightscape uses a right-handed X Y Z Cartesian
coordinate system. If your modeling application
uses a different coordinate system than Lightscape,
convert the coordinate system when importing the
model.
To pick a point at the corner of a surface, enable
2.
Snap to Nearest Vertex.
In the model, click two points to measure the
3.
distance between them.
The distance between the two points appears in the
Distance dialog.
Confirm that the measured distance makes sense
given the scale of your model. If it does not, then you
can usually determine which setting you should have
54
<
;
:
When viewed from the front, positive X is toward the right,
positive Y is toward the back, and positive Z is upward.
To convert a coordinate system:
On a piece of paper, draw the axes of the import-
1.
ed system next to the axes of the Lightscape coordi-
Lightscape
Common Import Tasks
❚❘❘
nate system, and note the correspondence between
the two systems.
\
Z
[
Z
[
\
The Lightscape
coordinate system
Coordinate system of
the imported model
In this example, X, Y, and, Z in the Lightscape coordinate system correspond to Y, Z, and, X in the
coordinate system of the imported model.
In the Coordinate Transformation list of the im-
2.
port or export dialog, select the axes that correspond
to the X, Y, and Z axes in Lightscape. In this example,
you select Y, Z, X.
Grouping Objects into Blocks and
Layers
When importing a model, you may want to group
objects into blocks and layers to organize them and
reduce file size.
The options available for creating blocks and layers
vary slightly depending on your modeling system:
For information about DXF files, see “Grouping
•
Objects into Blocks” on page 59.
For information about 3DS files, see “Grouping En-
•
tities into Blocks” on page 67.
For information about 3D Studio MAX or 3D Stu-
•
dio VIZ, see “Grouping Objects in Blocks” on page
74.
Overwriting or Merging
In Lightscape, you can open only one file at a time. If
a project is open when you import or open a file, you
can either close the current project to make room for
the incoming file or merge the incoming project to
the current project.
To change the direction of an axis, enable Mirror
3.
Coordinates for that a xis. In this example, mi rror the
Z axis.
In the Coordinate Transformation box, a minus (-)
sign appears in front of Z, indicating that the X, Y,
and Z axes in Lightscape correspond to the Y, -Z,
and X axes in the imported model.
To create a single Lightscape project file from
multiple files, import or open the first file, and then
merge the others.
Geometry that exists in specific layers in the
incoming model is appended to existing layers of the
same name. New layers are added to the existing
Layers table.
Block definitions in the incoming model overwrite
blocks of the same name in the existing model. This
changes all instances of that block.
If you have done preparation work on a
Note:
block in Lightscape (setting materials or orientation, for example), you will lose that work if you
merge a file with a block of the same name. To
avoid this situation, you should either rename the
55
5
Importing Geometry
block in Lightscape or save it first to a block library
that could then be loaded back into your model, if
necessary.
To merge files:
Choose File | Merge.
1.
The Open dialog appears.
Navigate to the Lightscape Preparation file that
2.
you want to merge, then click Open.
The selected file is merged with the current Lightscape Preparation file.
You can also merge files imported from
Note:
other formats. See “Overwriting or Merging” on
page 63, and “Overwriting or Merging” on page 69.
Adjusting Light Intensity
When you bring lights from your modeling program
into Lightscape, you should adjust the Maximum
Light Intensity Scale. This converts relative light
intensities in the modeling package to physical units
used by Lightscape. For more information, see
“Importing Lights” on page 67 and “Exporting
Lights” on page 75.
Supported Formats
Lightscape directly imports the DXF and DWG file
formats, which are supported by most modeling
packages.
Using Third-Party Applications
A number of third-party CAD software manufacturers provide support for Lightscape export from
their applications. For information on these
programs, consult the respective suppliers.
Importing DXF Files
The DXF file format was designed by Autodesk® and
is now considered an AEC industry standard for the
exchange of geometric data. Most commercial CAD
and modeling applications can export to DXF files.
This method is useful for models created in
modeling applications that output the DXF file
format and do not support the DWG format.
Lightscape currently imports most of the DXF entities that can be converted to polygons.
ACIS® solids, lights, and cameras are not
Note:
supported by the DXF file format. To import these
entities, use the DWG or 3DS file format. For more
information, see “Importing DWG Files” on page 62
and “Importing .3DS files” on page 65.
To import a DXF file:
In Lightscape, choose File | Import | DXF.
1.
The Import DXF dialog appears.
Do one of the following:
2.
Enter the filename in the Name box
•
In addition, you can import and export files from 3D
Studio MAX, 3D Studio VIZ, and Newtek LightWave 3D using the plug-ins included with
Lightscape. These plug-ins are installed when you
first install Lightscape.
56
Click Browse, navigate to the appropriate file in the
•
Open dialog that appears, and then click Open.
Modify the options (described in the following
3.
sections) on the dialog as required, or use the default
settings.
Lightscape
Click OK.
4.
Overwriting or Merging
When you import a DXF file, you can either overwrite an open Preparation file with the incoming file
or merge the incoming geometry to the open file.
Overwrite
Select Overwrite to create a new Lightscape model
with the same name as the DXF file. Make sure you
save your work before importing a new file using the
Overwrite option.
Merge
Select Merge to add the objects in the selected DXF
file to the current model. The default properties of
the current model are maintained.
Geometry that exists in specific layers in the
incoming model is appended to existing layers of the
same name. New layers are added to the existing
Layers table.
Importing DXF Files
If you modify your original model in
Note:
AutoCAD and merge the altered layers to the
model in Lightscape, the imported surfaces do not
overwrite the existing ones. As a result, the modified layers will contain the old and new versions of
the geometry. To avoid this situation, either delete
or rename the affected layers in Lightscape before
merging the modified DXF file.
Block definitions in the incoming model overwrite
blocks of the same name in the existing model. This
changes all instances of that block.
If you have done preparation work on a
Note:
block in Lightscape (setting materials or orientation, for example), you will lose that work if you
merge a DXF file with a block of the same name. To
avoid this situation, you should either rename the
block or save it first to a block library that could
then be merged with the DXF file.
Specifying Units of Measurement
DXF files do not explicitly indicate what units were
used (for example, inches, feet, or meters) or their
values. Because the effect of lighting in a model
depends on the dimensions of the model, it i s important to indicate what units were used when loading a
DXF file.
❚❘❘
The Import DXF Dialog
57
5
Importing Geometry
To specify units of measurement:
In the Import DXF dialog, select a unit from the
1.
File Units list.
If the units in the model do not represent whole
2.
physical units, se t a scaling factor. For example, if the
model has a scale of 1 unit to 500 meters, select
meters as the unit and 500 as the scale factor.
When you import the model, the size of your model
appears and you are prompted to confirm that it
makes sense. If it seems wrong, click Cancel, and
Import it again using the correct units.
If you are not sure of the size of the entire model, you
should check the size of a smaller area after you
import the model into Lightscape. For more information, see “Measuring Distance” on page 54.
Translating Geometry: Capping
Capping controls how the system converts circles
and closed polylines with no width.
Enable Capping to close the top and the base of
objects that have thickness.
Polygon imported with
capping disabled
Polygon imported with
capping enabled
If the entities have no thickness, enable Capping to
convert them into surfaces—for example, enable
Capping to convert a circle into a disc. If Capping is
disabled, circles and closed polylines with no width
and no thickness are not imported.
Circle in a DXF file Circle imported with
capping enabled
Translating Geometry: Smoothing
Groups
Curved surfaces in Lightscape are represented by
polygonal facets. If Smoothing Groups is enabled,
Lightscape converts thick 2D polylines and 3D
polygon and polyface meshes to quadrilaterals in a
smoothing group. If facets are part of a smoothing
group, Lightscape can create a smooth curved
appearance between these facets when they are
displayed and rendered.
58
Lightscape automatically creates smoothing groups
for extruded arcs and circles, as well as for 3D polygon meshes with a smooth surface type, regardless
of if the Smoothing Groups option is enabled or not.
Lightscape
Importing DXF Files
❚❘❘
Setting the Angle Between Normals
Use the Angle Between Normals to establish a
threshold at which adjacent facets in a smoothing
group should be rendered with sharp or smoothed
edges. If the angle between the normals (vector
perpendicular to the facet) of the adjacent facets
incident on a vertex is larger than the value of the
Angle Between Normals, the sharp edge is preserved
for that vertex.
Angle Between Normals of the polygons is 45°
Appearance if smoothing
angle is set to less than 45°
Appearance if smoothing
angle is set to greater than 45
Smoothing only affects the appearance between the
edges of adjacent polygons—it will not smooth the
profile of objects. To control the smoothness of the
profile, adjust the number of arc or curve segments.
You can also create smoothing groups and
Note:
adjust smoothing after you import your model. For
more information, see “Smoothing Surfaces” on
page 98.
Number of Arc Segments
Use the Number of Arc Segments option to control
the number of straight line segments into which the
system divides arcs, circles, and arc segments in 2D
polylines.
Smoother profile: Circle
imported with Number
of Arc Segments set to 12.
Coarser profile: Circle
imported with Number of
Arc Segments set to 6.
Arcs are divided into a number of segments proportional to their subtended angle. For example, an arc
spanning 180° is di vide d into half as ma ny seg ments
as a circle.
Arc imported with
Number of Arc
Segments set to 12.
Arc imported with
Number of Arc
Segments set to 6.
Grouping Objects into Blocks
When you import a DXF file, the layering and block
structure of the DXF format is preserved.
In addition, you can organize top-level entities (entities not already included in a block) by grouping
them into blocks, as required.
59
5
Importing Geometry
As Is
Select this option to create no additional blocks.
As One Block
Select this option to group all top-level entities in a
single block. When you select this option, a Name
box appears where you enter the block name.
By Color Index
Select this option to group top-level entities
according to their DXF color index. The block name
is COLORddd, where ddd is the color index.
By Layer
Select this option to group top-level entities
according to their DXF layer. The block name is the
name of the DXF layer.
By Entity
Select this option to create a block for each DXF
entity. (Once it is imported into Lightscape, each
entity may contain one or more polygons.)
The block name is PREFIXdd, where PREFIX is the
name of the entity in uppercase letters—for
example, CIRCLE—and dd is a unique number
assigned to each entity.
By default, when you import a DXF file, Lightscape
assigns materials to surfaces based on the color
numbers in the DXF file. If an item does not have a
color number, Lightscape uses the color assigned to
the layer containing the item.
To automatically replace these simple color materials
with more robust materials, create a material map
and then use it when importing the DXF file. For
example, you can map a material called “oak” onto
every surface that is drawn with color 1.
By using the material map technique, you can avoid
redefining all the materials each time you reload a
DXF file. The actual colors you use when building
the model in your CAD application are not important. What is important is to remember that each
color number you use represents a specific material
in Lightscape. All objects that are the same material
should be constructed using the same color number.
Creating Material Maps
The first time you work on a model, you should
define all the materials you initially want to use and
then create the material map. Any subsequent DXF
files you load for the same model, or other models,
can use the material map to automatically assign the
materials defined in the earlier model.
Converting XYZ Coordinates
Although Lightscape uses the same coordinate
system as standard AutoCAD DXF, you may need to
transform the coordinates when importing data
from other modelers’ versions of the DXF file
format. For more information, see “Converting
Coordinate Systems” on page 54.
Mapping Materials
Use material maps to associate a color number in the
DXF file to a material definition in Lightscape.
60
To create a material map:
Create or load the Lightscape materials you want
1.
to use in your model.
Choose Tools | Material Map.
2.
The Material Map dialog appears.
On the left side of the Material Map dialog, select
3.
a material name.
Lightscape
Importing DXF Files
❚❘❘
On the right side of the Material Map dialog, se-
4.
lect the color index that you want to assign to it.
Click Assign.
5.
The material name appears next to the index
number on the right side of the dialog.
Click Save, and then enter a filename and loca-
6.
tion to save the material map.
To use a material map when importing a DXF file:
In the Import DXF dialog, click the Browse but-
1.
ton next to the Material Map box.
The Open dialog appears.
Navigate to the location of the material library
2.
you want to use, select the appropriate file, and then
click Open.
Material maps are saved in .mm files.
Note:
When you import the DXF file, Lightscape material
definitions replace all the color indices in the DXF
file.
Using Block and Luminaire Libraries
When you import a DXF file, you can map preexisting Lightscape block and luminaire definitions
to incoming DXF blocks of the same name.
Saving blocks to a block library ensures that each
time you load a DXF file, the geometry does not
need to be prepared again in the subsequent Preparation stage.
For information on working with luminaires, see
Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.” For information on
working with blocks, see Chapter 6, “Refining
Geometry.”
To use block libraries:
In the Import DXF dialog, click the Add button
1.
next to the Block and Luminaires Libraries box.
The Open dialog appears.
Navigate to the location of the block library you
2.
want to use, select the appropriate file, and then click
Open.
The selected block library is added to the list.
To add another block or luminaire library to the
3.
list, click Add again.
When you import the DXF file, the system searches
the selected block libraries and replaces any block in
the DXF file with a block or luminaire of the same
name stored in the libraries. If the block is in two
libraries, the system uses the first occurence.
Using Orientation Blocks
Use orientation blocks to automate the orientation
of surfaces during the importing process.
When you import the model, the insertion point of
an orientation block is converted to a focus point,
and all associated surfaces in the model are oriented
based on that focus point. This reduces the amount
61
5
Importing Geometry
of orientation work required once the model is
imported into Lightscape.
FOC_OUT FOC_IN FOC_IN
For more information on surface orientation, see
Chapter 6, “Refining Geometry.”
To use orientation blocks:
In AutoCAD, create a block and give it one of the
following names:
Choose:
To:
FOC_IN Set surface normals to point toward
the insertion point of the block.
FOC_OUT Set surface normals to point away
from the insertion point of the block.
only the surfaces that are part of the specific block
into which the focus point is inserted. Surfaces that
are part of other sub-blocks are not affected.
A focus point in a block takes precedence over a fo-
•
cus point in a layer. For example, if a block with a focus point is added to a layer that has a focus point,
the system orients the surfaces in the block in relationship to the focus point in the block and not to
the focus point in the layer. However, it orients all
other surfaces in the layer in relationship to the focus
point of the layer.
Importing DWG Files
DWG is the native file format for AutoCAD drawing
files.
To import a DWG file:
In Lightscape, choose File | Import | DWG.
1.
The Import DWG dialog appears.
When you import the model, the block’s insertion
point is converted to a focus point, but the block’s
geometry is not imported.
Lightscape associates surfaces with a focus point
using the following rules:
Each layer can contain a single focus point. The sys-
•
tem orients all independent surfaces in that layer in
relationship to the inserted focus point block, either
toward it if the block is called FOC_IN or away from
it if the block is called FOC_OUT.
A block can contain a focus point. The system ori-
•
ents all surfaces in the block in relationship to that
focus point. In nested blocks, the focus point affects
62
Do one of the following:
2.
Enter the filename in the Name box.
•
Click Browse, navigate to the appropriate file in the
•
Open dialog that appears, then click Open.
Use the Name list to select recently-
Note:
imported files.
Lightscape
Importing DWG Files
❚❘❘
Modify the options (described in the following
3.
sections) on the dialog as required, or use the default
settings.
Click OK.
4.
The DWG file is imported into Lightscape.
Overwriting or Merging
When you import a DWG file, you can either overwrite the current Preparation file with the incoming
file or merge the incoming geometry with the open
file.
Overwrite
Select Overwrite to create a new Lightscape model
with the same name as the DWG file. Make sure you
save your work before importing a new file using the
Overwrite option.
Merge
Select Merge to add the objects in the selected DWG
file to the current model. The default properties of
the current model are maintained.
Geometry that exists in specific layers in the
incoming model is appended to existing layers of the
same name. New layers are added to the existing
Layers table.
Specifying Units of Measurement
DWG files do not explicitly indicate what units were
used (for example, inches, feet, or meters) or their
values. Because the effect of lighting in a model
depends on the dimensions of the model, it is important to indicate what units were used when loading a
DWG file.
To specify units of measurement:
In the Import DWG dialog, selec t a unit from the
1.
File Units list.
If the units in the model do not represent whole
2.
physical units, se t a scaling factor. For example, if the
model has a scale of 1 unit to 500 meters, select
meters as the unit and 500 as the scale factor.
When you import the model, the size of your model
appears and you are prompted to confirm that it
makes sense. If it seems wrong, click Cancel, and
Import it again using the correct units.
If you are not sure of the size of the entire model, you
should check the size of a smaller area after you
import the model into Lightscape. For more information, see “Measuring Distance” on page 54.
Grouping Objects into Blocks
When you import a DWG file, the layering and block
structure of the DWG format is preserved.
In addition, you can organize top-level entities (entities not already included in a block) by grouping
them into blocks, if required.
As Is
Select this option to create no additional blocks.
63
5
Importing Geometry
By Entity
Select this option to create a block for each DWG
entity. However, faces will be imported as surfaces
(not grouped into blocks).
Setting Geometry Options
Use these options to control how layers and geometry are imported into Lightscape.
Skip Off and Frozen Layers
Enable this option if you do not want to import
layers that are turned off or frozen.
Cap Closed Entities
Enable this option to close the top and the base of
entities that have thickness. Entities that have no
thickness will be converted to surfaces when
imported.
Number of Arc Segments
Use this option to set the number of straight line
segments into which the system divides arcs, circles,
and arc segments in 2D polylines.
Arcs are divided into a number of segments proportional to their subtended angle. For example, an arc
spanning 180° is divide d into half as ma ny segments
as a circle.
group, Lightscape can create a smooth curved
appearance between these facets when they are
displayed and rendered. For more information, see
“Translating Geometry: Smoothing Groups” on
page 58.
Angle Between Normals
If Smoothing Groups is enabled, use this option to
establish a threshold at which adjacent facets in a
smoothing group should be rendered with sharp or
smoothed edges. If the angle between normals
(vector perpendicular to the facet) of the adjacent
facets incident on a vertex is larger than the value of
the Angle Between Normals, the sharp edge is
preserved for that vertex.
ACIS Surface Deviation
Use this option to set the amount of surface deviation when importing ACIS geometry.
Using Block and Luminaire Libraries
When you import a DWG file, you can map preexisting Lightscape block and luminaire definitions
to incoming DWG blocks of the same name.
Saving blocks to a block library ensures that each
time you load a DWG file, the geometry does not
need to be prepared again in the subsequent Preparation stage.
For information on working with luminaires, see
Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.” For information on
working with blocks, see Chapter 6, “Refining
Geometry.”
Smoothing Groups
Enable this option to convert thick 2D polylines and
3D polygon and polyface meshes to quadrilaterals in
a smoothing group. If facets are part of a smoothing
64
Lightscape
Importing 3DS files
❚❘❘
To use block and luminaire libraries:
Click the Blocks, Luminaires, and Materials tab
1.
in the Import DWG dialog.
Click the Add button next to the Block and Lu-
2.
minaires Libraries box.
The Open dialog appears.
Navigate to the location of the library you want
3.
to use, select the appropriate file, and then click
Open.
The selected library is added to the list.
To add another block or luminaire library to the
4.
list, click Add again.
When you import the DWG file, the system searches
the selected block libraries and replaces any block in
the DWG file with a block or luminaire of the same
name stored in the libraries. If the block is in two
libraries, the system uses the first occurence.
To use a material map:
Click the Blocks, Luminaires, and Materials tab
1.
in the Import DWG dialog.
Click the Material Map Browse button, navigate
2.
to the appropriate file in the Open dialog that appears, and then click Open.
Material maps are saved in .mm files.
Note:
When you import the DWG file, Lightscape material
definitions replace all the color indices in the DWG
file.
Converting Lights
The Light Intensity Scale controls the intensit y of the
converted light. The DWG intensity is multiplied by
the value displayed in the Light Intensity Scale box.
The result is the intensity of the converted light in
candelas.
Using a Material Map
Use material maps to associate a color number in the
DWG file with a material definition in Lightscape.
For more information about creating material maps,
see “Mapping Materials” on page 60.
Importing 3DS files
3D Studio is a modeling and rendering package
from Autodesk that has its own file format for saving
scenes. Lightscape imports this format by creating a
polygonal mesh based on the objects stored in the
3D Studio file. You can output this file format from
Autocad by using the 3DSOUT command.
65
5
Importing Geometry
Use the 3DS file format to import:
Elements that you cannot export in DXF format,
•
such as ACIS solids and lights.
Models created in 3D Studio version 2.0 or earlier.
•
The .3ds file format differs from the .max file
Note:
format created by 3D Studio MAX and 3D Studio
VIZ. For models created in 3D Studio MAX or 3D
Studio VIZ, you should use the LS2MAX plug-in. For
more information, see “Exporting from 3D Studio
MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape” on page 72.
To import a .3DS file:
Choose File | Import | 3DS.
1.
The Import 3D Studio dialog appears.
Do one of the following:
2.
Type the filename in the Name box
•
Click Browse, navigate to the appropriate file in the
•
Open dialog that appears, and then click Open.
Select one of the following from the list next to
3.
the Browse button:
Select:
To:
Overwrite Replace the current model.
Merge Add the imported geometry to the
current model.
For more information, see “Overwriting or
Merging” on page 63.
Select the units of your model. For more infor-
4.
mation, see “Specifying Units of Measurement” on
page 73.
Modify the options (described in the following
5.
sections) on the dialog as required, or use the default
settings.
Click OK.
6.
Import 3D Studio dialog
66
The model is imported.
Block Creation list
Layer Creation list
Maximum Light
Intensity Scale
Lightscape
Importing 3DS files
❚❘❘
Grouping Entities into Blocks
Select one of the following options from the Block
Creation list to organize entities into blocks:
Select:
None Create no blocks. Each entity is a sur-
Single Group all entities in a single block.
Mesh Create a block for each mesh entity.
To:
face. This is the default method.
Grouping Entities into Layers
Select one of the following options from the Layer
Creation list to organize all entities into layers:
Select:
Single Group all entit ies in a single layer. You
Mesh Create a layer for each mesh item. The
To:
can name the layer or use the default
name.
name of the layer is the same as the
name of the entity in 3D Studio. This
is the default creation mode.
Use the Maximum Light Intensity Scale to convert
relative light intensities in 3D Studio files to physical
units used by Lightscape.
Lighting results in 3D Studio and Lightscape
Note:
are almost certain to be different due to their
lighting algorithms. For information on adjusting
lights, see Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.”
Coordinate Translation
3D Studio uses the same coordinate system as Lightscape (X, Y, Z). However, if you want to mirror
geometry, you can change the coordinate system
when importing the 3D Studio file into Lightscape.
For more information, see “Converting Coordinate
Systems” on page 54.
Importing Materials
Each 3D Studio material is converted into a Lightscape material definition using the following 3D
Studio material attributes: diffuse color, transparency, shininess, shininess strength, shading type,
and self-illumination.
Importing Lights
When importing lights from a 3D Studio file, the
following conversions occur:
The existing color is converted to a corresponding
•
light filter in Lightscape.
Circular and rectangular spotlights are converted
•
to standard circular spotlights.
The “no shadow casting” flag is preserved (if it had
•
been set).
The light intensity multiplier is used to scale the lu-
•
minous intensity.
Lightscape preserves the texture mapping coordinates set in 3D Studio, but it only converts texture
map 1 associated to the diffuse color. You can only
use texture maps in supported Lightscape formats.
For more information, see Chapter 7, “Using
Materials.”
Enable Don’t Read Texture Data to import materials
without textures.
When importing 3DS files, texture align-
Note:
ment is not preserved. If you have 3D Studio MAX
or 3D Studio VIZ, import the 3DS file into 3D Studio
MAX or 3D Studio VI Z and use the plug-in to expor t
the file. This will preserve full texture alignment.
67
5
Importing Geometry
Importing Animation
You can only import camera animation from a 3D
Studio file. Lightscape uses Catmull-Rom cubic
Bézier spline construction between provided position points. It linearly inter polates other infor mation
(field of view and target point). Lightscape does not
currently support 3D Studio spline modifiers, such
as bias and tension.
A single 3D Studio file can have several animation
tracks. In such cases, Lightscape creates separate .la
files, named filename1.la, filename2.la, and so on,
where filename is the name of the 3D Studio file. You
can only generate animation files with the standalone command line utility 3ds2lp. Animation information is ignored from within the Lightscape
application. For more information, see Chapter 15,
“Animation,” and Appendix B, “Batch Processing
Utilities.”
Import Keyframe Instances
This controls whether the Keyframe section of the
3DS file is used to import instances of geometry in
the 3D Editor section of the 3ds file. If it is enabled,
an instance is imported for each instance in the
Keyframe. If any geometry in the 3D Editor is not
referenced in the Keyframe, it will also be instanced
once. If it is not checked, the geometry is imported
as is without using the Keyframe. In most cases, you
should enable Import Keyframe Instances.
Importing Background and Fog
If the background in the 3D Studio file is a solid
color, that color is used for the background in Lightscape. If the background is white, it is converted to
gray in Lightscape so that white lines are visible.
To change the line color in Lightscape, choose
File | Properties, and adjust the Wireframe color on
the Color panel. For more information, see Chapter
4, “The Interface.”
If fog is set in 3D Studio, the fog settings are
imported but turned off in Lightscape. For information on setting fog in Lightscape, see “Setting Fog
Properties” on page 47.
Other background information, such as texture
mapping or environmental effects, is not
imported.
Stop on Translation Error
When importing files, some translation errors may
occur that could minimally affect the data in the file.
You can ignore these error messages when you
import a file or you can select the Stop on Translation Errors option to have the import process stop
when it encounters an error.
File Was Produced for/by 3DS MAX
There is a subtle difference in the way 3D Studio and
3D Studio MAX handle lights linked to cameras.
This option tells the importer which way to interpret
the data to produce the same result.
Importing a LightWave Scene
You can import a LightWave scene into your Lightscape Preparation file.
68
Lightscape
Importing a LightWave Scene
❚❘❘
To import a LightWave scene:
Choose File | Import | LightWave.
1.
The Import LightWave Scene dialog appears.
Do one of the following:
2.
Enter the filename in the Name box
•
Click Browse, navigate to the appropriate file in the
•
Open dialog that appears, and then click Open.
The root directory of the file you typed is automatically entered in the Content Directory box.
If the information in the Content Directory box
3.
is not correct, enter the correct information.
Modify the options (described in the following
4.
sections) on the dialog as required, or use the default
settings.
Click OK.
5.
The LightWave scene is imported.
the incoming file or merge the incoming geometry
to the open file.
Overwrite
Select Overwrite to create a new Lightscape model
with the same name as the LightWave file. You
should save your work before importing a new file
using the Overwrite option.
Merge
Select Merge to load the LightWave scene into the
current Lightscape model. Selecting Merge may
modify existing Lightscape blocks or materials.
Specify Units of Measurement
Because the effect of lighting in a model depends on
the size of the model, it is important to indicate what
units were used when the LightWave scene was
created. The Mirror Coordinates and Coordinate
Transformation settings default to the settings used
by LightWave.
To specify units of measurement:
In the Import LightWave Scene dialog, select a
1.
unit from the File Units list.
Overwriting or Merging
When you import a LightWave file, you can either
overwrite an open Lightscape Preparation file w ith
If the units in the model do not represent whole
2.
physical units, se t a scaling factor. For example, if the
69
5
Importing Geometry
model has a scale of 1 unit to 500 meters, select
meters as the unit and 500 as the scale factor.
When you import the model, the size of your model
appears and you are prompted to confirm that it
makes sense. If it seems wrong, click Cancel, and
Import it again using the correct units.
Converting Textures
Enable the required options for importing textures,
as follows.
Don’t Read Texture Data
Enable this option to import materials without
textures.
Grouping Objects into Blocks
Select one of the following options to organize
objects into blocks.
Object
Select this option to create a block for each LightWave object. An instance of each object is placed in
the Lightscape model for each instance in the LightWave sce ne .
Single
Select this option to created a single block
containing all instances of all LightWave objects.
Each instance of each LightWave object is expanded
in the block. No other blocks are created.
You can enter a block name in the Block Creation
Name box. If you do not enter a name, the name of
the LightWave scene is used by default.
Average Texture Color
Enable this option to set the material color to the
average color of the texture. To use the surface color
from LightWave, disable this option.
Relative Texture Paths
Enable this option to set the texture path and use
relative path names for textures. To leave the texture
path unchanged and use absolute paths for textures,
disable this option.
70
None
Select this option to create no blocks. Each instance
of each LightWave object is expanded in the Lightscape model.
Grouping Objects into Layers
Select one of the following options to organize
objects into layers.
Lightscape
Importing a LightWave Scene
❚❘❘
Instance
Select this option to create a layer for each instance
of each LightWave object.
Object
Select thi s option to create a layer for each LightWave
object. All instances of the same object are placed in
the same layer.
Single
Select this option to create a single layer. All objects
are placed in this layer. You can enter a layer name in
the Layer Creation Name box. If you do not enter a
name, the name of the LightWave scene is used by
default.
Converting Lights
Choose the options for converting lights, as
described in the following sections. The scaling
intensity and matching intensity methods are mutually exclusive—you must choose one or the other.
The default distance is 2.5 meters (approximately 8
feet), which is an estimate for typical interior
models. If you use targeted spotlights, you can enter
the average distance between the lights and their
targets.
Use Attenuation
If you use range attenuation in your lights, enable
this option to estimate the brightness of the light
based on the range attenuation. This method
matches the light intensity at 40% of the distance to
the range limit.
If you enable this option, all lights with range attenuation will be converted using this method and all
other lights will be converted using either the scaling
or matching intensity methods. This method also
properly inverts the brightness of lights imported
from Lightscape solutions.
Preserve Spotlight Angles
Enable this option to set the beam angle to the LightWave cone angle. Disable this option to set the cone
angle for a converted spotlight to the angle where the
LightWave spotlight illuminates at one-half intensity. This matches the illumination of a Lightscape
spotlight at the beam angle.
Maximum Light Intensity Scale
Enable this option to multiply the value you enter by
the LightWave intensity. The result becomes the
intensity of the converted light in candelas.
Light Intensity at a Distance
Enable this option to calculate the brightness of a
light by matching the apparent intensity of the LightWave light to that in Lightscape at the specified
distance. This can provide a good estimate of the
general brightness of a LightWave scene.
If you want Lightscape to illuminate a scene the sam e
way as LightWave, disable this option since the
converted LightWave spotlights will have significantly different intensity distributions. Enable this
option when you want to specify the spotlight angles
that Lightscape uses in LightWave.
71
5
Importing Geometry
Handling Error Messages
Select a method for handling non-fatal errors in the
Error Handling list. Fatal errors will always abort the
import.
Select:
To:
Prompt Choose between ignoring this error or
aborting the import. You can also
choose to ignore all errors.
Abort Abort the import with an error mes-
sage.
Ignore Ignore the error. No error message is
displayed.
Importing Sunlight
You can use a LightWave Distant or Spot light to set
up daylight for the imported model. You can import
daylight in either of two ways.
Lightscape calculates a date, time, and north direction that positions the sun to shine in the same
direction as the LightWave light. If you do not have
Lightscape calculate the date, time, and north direction, it sets the values you designate and overrides
the sun position and luminance to match the LightWave li gh t.
Click the Daylight tab on the LightWave Scene
1.
dialog.
The Daylight panel appears.
Select a LightWave light to represent the sun.
2.
Notice that the remaining boxes in the dialog are enabled.
Select the location on the Earth where the model
3.
is to be set. You can choose one of the cities in the
combo box, or you can directly input the latitude,
longitude, and time zone in those input fields. If Latitude appears in red, then the light is shining down
too much to be the sun at that latitude. If you do not
correct the error, the importer will override the solar
position to place the sun at the desired location.
Enable Daylight Savings to calculate the time of
4.
day during daylight savings time.
It is usually possible to duplicate the sun’s posi-
5.
tion during the morning or afternoon, and between
the summer and winter solstice. Choose which date
and time you want the importer to use if there is a
choice.
Click the Recalculate button. A north direction
6.
and time will be calculated that matches the sun’s location with the direction of the selected lights.
You can enter either a north direction or a date
7.
that you want to use for daylight. If you enter a value
that is not valid for the selected light, the name of the
value appears in red. If you do not correct the value,
the importer will override the solar position to place
the sun at the desired location.
When you import the model into Light-
Note:
scape, you can also adjust these settings using the
Daylight Setup dialog. For more information on
working with daylight, see Chapter 10, “Daylight.”
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX
or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape
Use the MAX2LP plug-in to export your models
from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ for use in
Lightscape. You can also import final radiosity solutions created in Lightscape back into 3D Studio
MAX or 3D Studio VIZ.
To export from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ:
In 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ, choose
1.
File | Export.
The Select File to Export dialog appears.
Select a name and location for the exported file.
2.
If you enter a new name for the exported file, you
must type the filename and file extension.
72
Lightscape
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape
❚❘❘
Select one of the following from the Save As Type
3.
list:
Select:
To:
.lp Export a project file.
.blk Export blocks.
.lay Export layers.
.df Export a parameter file.
.vw Export a view file.
The corresponding Export dialog appears.
To export only selected objects:
In 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ, select the
1.
objects to export.
Choose File | Export.
2.
In the Export Lightscape Preparation File dia-
3.
log, enable Selected Objects.
Specifying Units of Measurement
The effect of lighting in an area depends on the size
of the area.
For this reason, it is important to indicate the units
of measurement when you export a model.
To specify units of measurement:
In the Export Lightscape Preparation File dia-
1.
log, select a unit from the Master Units list.
Export Lightscape Preparation File dialog
in 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ
Modify the options (described in the following
4.
sections) on the dialog as required, or use the default
settings.
Click OK.
5.
Exporting Selected Objects
You can export the entire scene or only selected
objects.
If the units in the model do not represent whole
2.
physical units, se t a scaling factor. For example, if the
model has a scale of 1 unit to 500 meters, select
meters as the unit and 500 as the scale factor.
The size of the model appears in red. If the measurements are reasonable, you selected the correct units.
If they are not, select another unit.
73
5
Importing Geometry
You can check the measurements again once in
Lightscape using the Measure Distance tool. For
more information, see “Measuring Distance” on
page 54.
Grouping Objects in Blocks
To specify how blocks are created, select a Block
Creation method from the list.
Object
Select this option to create a block for each object.
The name of each block is taken from the name of
the first node that uses the object. Instances become
block instances in Lightscape. This reduces the size
of the exported file because an object’s geometry is
exported only once. If different instances of a single
object use different materials, a new block is created
so the proper material can be applied to the instance.
Group
Select this option to create a block for each group.
For objects that are not in a group, a block is created
for each object.
Use this option to group lights with the
Note:
geometry that represents their fixtures. This makes
moving and changing lights easier in Lightscape.
Single
Select this option to create a single block for the
entire model. Type the name of the block in the
Name box, or use the default name.
None
No blocks are created. All the meshes of all the
objects are created directly in the model.
Grouping Objects in Layers
Use layers to organize the objects you export. Select
a Layer Creation method from the list.
Instance
Select this option to create a layer for each object
instance, including lights. All surfaces in an object
instance are placed in the same layer. The name of
the layer is the same as the name of the node
containing the object instance. Use this setting if you
plan to import the Lightscape solution back into 3D
Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ, so that the importer
can reconstruct the original objects.
Object
Select this option to create a layer for each object. All
surfaces in all instances of the object are placed in
the same layer. The name of the layer is the name of
the first node that uses the object.
Group
Select this option to create a layer for each group. All
surfaces in all instances belonging to a group are
placed in the same layer. For objects that are not in a
group, a layer is created for each object. The name of
the layer is the same as the name of the first node that
uses the object.
Single
Select this option to create a single layer and place all
surfaces on that layer. Enter a name for the single
layer in the Name box, or use the default name.
74
Lightscape
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape
❚❘❘
Material
Select this option to create a layer for each material.
Surfaces are assigned to layers based on their
material.
Exporting Lights
When exporting lights from 3D Studio MAX or 3D
Studio VIZ, the following conversions occur:
The light’s color in 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio
•
VIZ is converted to a corresponding light filter in
Lightscape.
Circular and rectangular spotlights are converted
•
to standard circular spotlights.
The “no shadow casting” flag is preserved.
•
The light intensity multiplier in 3D Studio MAX or
•
3D Studio VIZ is used to scale the luminous intensity.
Use the light export options in the Export dialog to
determine how lights are converted.
Light Intensity at Distance
Enable this option to convert lights by matching the
intensity at a specified distance. Enter the distance in
the corresponding box.
Average Target Distance
Enable this option to convert lights by matching the
intensity at the average distance between targeted
spotlights and their targets. The average distance is
displayed in the box to the right. This option is not
available if there are no targeted spotlights in the
model.
Use Attenuation
Enable this option to convert lights with range
attenuation.
Preserve Spotlight Angles
Enable this option to select how spotlight beam and
field angles are converted.
When this option is enabled, the beam angle in
Lightscape is set to the hotspot angle. Enable this
option only if you want to specify the beam angle to
use in Lightscape when you create spotlights in 3D
Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ.
Maximum Light Intensity Scale
Enable this option to convert relative light intensities
in 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ files to physical
units in Lightscape. By default, the scale ranges from
0 to 2500 cd (about the intensity of a 100-watt incandescent fixture). For example, a light with 0.5
maximum intensity in 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio
VIZ converts to 1250 cd in Lightscape. To modify
the scale, enable the Maximum Light Intensity Scale
option and type a value in the corresponding box.
When this option is disabled, the beam angle in
Lightscape is set to the angle where the 3D Studio
MAX or 3D Studio VIZ intensity is one-half of the
spotlight intensity.
Imported light sources are not generally
Note:
based on physical principles. You may have to
adjust the lighting in Lightscape to obtain an
acceptable result. For more information, see
Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.”
Exporting Materials
Each 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ material is
converted into a Lightscape material definition
using the following 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio
75
5
Importing Geometry
VIZ material attributes: diffuse color, transparency,
shininess, shininess strength, shading type, and selfillumination.
Lightscape does not support bump maps and retains
only diffuse settings of textures.
Lightscape preserves the texture mapping coordinates set in 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ, but it
only converts texture map 1 associated to the diffuse
color. You can use only texture maps in supported
Lightscape formats.
Use the texture export options in the Export dialog
to determine how textures are exported.
Don’t Save Texture Data
Enable this option to prevent textures from being
exported with materials.
Average Texture Color
This option controls the color used for texture
mapped materials:
Exporting Animation
You can export multiple frames in a 3D Studio MAX
or 3D Studio VIZ model to generate multiple Lightscape Preparation files.
The name of each file is created from the Preparation
filename followed by the frame number.
The Animation panel of the Export Lightscape
Preparation File dialog in 3D Studio MAX
Disable this option to use the diffuse color of the
•
material.
Enable this option to use the average color of the
•
diffuse map.
Relative Texture Paths
Enable this option to save the texture path. Disable
the option to save only the texture filename. The
texture path list contains the directories in the
Bitmaps panel of the Configure Paths dialog in 3D
Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ. When you enable
this option, the directories containing textures are
added to the texture path list. This information is
important in Lightscape if you reference the same
bitmaps.
76
Current Frame
Enable this option to export only the current frame.
Active Segment
Enable this option to export each selected frame in
the active animation segment.
Range
Enable this option to export each selected frame in
the given range. The format of values in the range
depends on the current time configuration.
Frame s
Enable this option to export the selected frames.
Single frames or frame ranges are separated by a
comma. To specify a range, type two frame numbers
Lightscape
separated by minus sign (-). These values are always
in frames and do not depend on the current time
configuration. All files are exported in ascending
frame order, and each file is only written once, even
if it appears multiple times in the list.
Every Nth Frame
In this box, specify the number of frames between
exported frames. This box is available only when
Active Segment or Range is enabled.
Exporting Daylight Settings
You can set daylight parameters in Lightscape or you
can set daylight parameters when exporting your
model for 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ. Enter
the parameters directly, or choose a light to represent sunlight in your model. Choose from spotlights,
either free or targeted, and directional lights.
Enable these settings if your model has exterior
elements or if the model is an interior space with
windows or openings.
Use the Daylight panel in the Export dialog to export
daylight settings.
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape
When you import the model into Light-
Note:
scape, you can also adjust these settings using the
Daylight Setup dialog. For more information on
working with daylight, see Chapter 10, “Daylight.”
Light
Select one of the following options from the Light
list:
The light you want to use for the sun. This option
•
only displays spotlights and directional lights. If you
select a light and enable the Recalculate option, the
direction of the sun is based on the direction of the
selected light. If the parameters cannot be calculated, a label highlighted in red will indicate which value is out of range. The sun position and brightness in
Lightscape will match the chosen light, whether or
not it can really exist.
No Daylight. Daylight processing is disabled in
•
Lightscape. If you enter daylight parameters, they
are exported and used if you enable the Daylight option in the Process Parameters dialog in Lightscape.
Use Daylight. When you import the model into
•
Lightscape, daylight processing is enabled, and daylight is set up according to the parameters you type
in the Export Lightscape Preparation File dialog.
❚❘❘
The Daylight panel of the Export Lightscape
Preparation File dialog in 3D Studio MAX
Location
Use the location list to select a city where the model
is located. You can also type the latitude and longitude in the corresponding boxes.
Latitude and Longitude
Type the latitude and longitude where the model is
located in the appropriate boxes. When the daylight
parameters are calculated, latitude may be displayed
in red if the latitude is too close to the poles for the
chosen light to give the sun direction. These are set
automatically when you select a location.
77
5
Importing Geometry
Time Zone
Select the time zone where the model is located. This
is set automatically when you choose a location. The
time zone is used to convert between sun time and
local time.
Daylight Savings
Enable this option to use daylight savings for
converting between sun time and local time. This is
not automatically set when you change dates.
Exterior
Enable this option to indicate that the model has
exterior elements.
12/22 to 6/22 and 6/22 to 12/22
Usually, when calculating dates, two possible dates
can be chosen between the two solstices. This option
determines within which solstice the date falls.
AM and PM
These options determine which time is chosen. AM
chooses the time before the sun reaches its highest
point, and PM the time after it reaches the highest
point. Because of local variations between sun time
and local time, these times may not be in the
morning or afternoon, respectively.
Month and Day
Enter the month and day for the date you want
daylight. If your selected light places the sun too high
in the sky for a date that you enter, the date appears
in red to warn you that the sun position in the Preparation file will be overridden. If you want to correct
the date, change it to a date where the sun rises
higher in the sky. You can also move the location to a
place where the sun rises higher in the sky.
North
Enter the direction of north in degrees clockwise
from the positive Y axis. If your selected light places
the sun too high in the sky for a direction that you
enter, the direction appears in red to warn you that
the sun position in the Preparation file will be overridden. If you want to correct the direction, change it
toward the light. You can also move the location to a
place where the sun rises higher in the sky at that
direction.
Time
Enter the time of day for the daylight calculation.
This will not cause other parameters to be calculated. Usually, when calculating time, two times can
be chosen, either in the morning or afternoon.
Recalculate
Enable this option for the system to compute
daylight parameters based on location, date, and
north change. Disable this option to adjust the
setting manually.
Override Solar Luminance
If this option is enabled, the brightness of the
selected light can override the calculated brightness
of the sun. If this option is disabled, the brightness of
the selected light is not exported, but it may be used
to calculate cloud coverage.
Sky
You can set the Sky to Clear, Partly Cloudy, or
Cloudy. This affects the brightness of the sun. Enable
Use Light to use the brightness of the selected light to
calculate the cloud coverage. This option chooses
the coverage that makes the calculated sun’s brightness closest to the light.
Exporting Windows and Openings
Use the Windows panel to identify windows and
openings in your model. Use the material on a
surface to indicate whether a surface is a window or
78
Lightscape
Exporting from 3D Studio MAX or 3D Studio VIZ to Lightscape
❚❘❘
opening. In Lightscape, daylight enters the model
through these types of surfaces.
You can use several materials for windows but only
one material for openings.
The Windows panel of the Export Lightscape
Preparation File dialog in 3D Studio MAX
To identify windows and openings:
From the Windows list, select the materials you
1.
assigned to windows. (Press Ctrl and click a material
to select several materials.)
When you open the model in Lightscape, surfaces
containing these materials are marked as windows.
To deselect all window materials, click Select
Note:
None.
Exporting Views
The active view is always exported; however, you can
use the Views panel to export additional views.
Additional views are saved in the same directory as
the Preparation file. Each view is saved in a Lightscape view file (.vw) and is named after its camera.
The Views panel of the Export Lightscape
Preparation File dialog in 3D Studio MAX
To export additional views:
In the Save To File box, verify the name and loca-
1.
tion of the view file to export. By default, the filename is the same as the camera name, and the files are
stored in the directory with the Preparation file. To
save the view files to a different location, click
Browse, navigate to a location, and then type a new
name in the Save To File box.
Select the material you assigned to openings
2.
from the Openings list.
When you open the model in Lightscape, surfaces
containing these materials are marked as openings.
Do one of the following to select the views to ex-
2.
port:
Select a camera from the Views list. Press Ctrl while
•
clicking to select several views.
Click Select All to select all cameras in the Views
•
list.
79
5
Importing Geometry
Click Select None to export only the active view.
•
If you are exporting Preparation files for
Note:
multiple frames, a view is exported for each camera
in each frame. The frame number is appended to
the end of the filename for each camera. If any of
the view files to be exported will overwrite another
file, a single message is displayed, and you can
choose to abort or continue the export.
80
Lightscape
Refining Geometry
How to work with layers,
6
Use layers and blocks to organize the geometry in your model. You can also add
and position new blocks and surfaces in your model.
blocks, and surfaces.
Summary
In this chapter, you learn about:
Wor ki ng w i th la ye rs
•
Working with blocks
•
Modifying blocks
•
Working with block instances
•
Working with surfaces.
•
About Refining Geometry
In general, Lightscape is not a modeling tool, but it
does provide you with a number of specific
modeling features that are useful for refining geometry in an imported model. It also provides you with
tools for adding and positioning objects and luminaires within a model.
Because the structure of the model changes when
you start the radiosity processing, the types of
modeling operations you may undertake differ from
the Preparation to the Solution stage.
Preparation Model Structure
When you import your model into a Lightscape
Preparation file, your model consists of surfaces,
blocks, and layers. You can store blocks and luminaires in libraries and import them into your
models. Lightscape includes an extensive set of
libraries of blocks, luminaires, and materials that
you can use.
A surface is any regular planar triangle or convex
•
quadrilateral. You assign materials and other attributes to surfaces.
A block is a group of entities (surfaces and/or other
•
blocks) that has a specific name and an insertion
(origin) point. A block can be inserted, or instanced,
repeatedly in the model in various positions and orientations. All instances of a block, however, refer to
81
6
Refining Geometry
the same geometric description. If you make a
change to the geometry or any attribute of a block,
every instance of that block in the model inherits the
change. Light fixtures are represented by a special
type of block called a luminaire, which is a block to
which you assigned photometric properties. Blocks
and luminaires can be nested, meaning a block may
contain other blocks within it.
Layers are used to manage the large number of
•
blocks and surfaces that can exist in a model. Use
layers to break models into logical groupings. For
example, you can associate all surfaces that make up
a particular room with a particular layer. Layers can
be turned on or off, allowing you to store multiple
versions of the same model. For example, you can
store two alternate furniture layouts for a room on
separate layers.
Solution Model Structure
During the Solution stage, Lightscape alters the
structure to optimize it for radiosity processing.
Blocks are exploded into individual surfaces and you
can no longer manipulate the geometry, though you
can delete surfaces.
Working with Layers
Use layers to organize the surfaces and blocks in
your model. Show or hide layers to work on a subset
of your model.
Layers have two purposes:
You can facilitate the process of preparing surfaces
•
for processing by selectively turning layers on or off.
You can use layers as a way of storing various alter-
•
natives to a design solution. For example, if you want
to test various luminaire layouts in a room, you can
set up alternatives on distinct layers. You can then
initiate and run various solutions using the alternate
layer options.
Using the Layers Table
The Layers table contains a list of all the layers
defined in the current model and indicates their
state.
To display the Layers table:
Click the Layers table button on the Tables toolbar.
To change the geometry, you must open the original
Preparation file (.lp), make the changes, and then
regenerate another Solution file (.ls).
During the Solution stage, materials and layers
behave in the same way as they do during the Preparation stage.
For more information on the recommended workflow, see Chapter 3, “Workflow.” For more
information on creating a Solution file, see Chapter
11, “Radiosity Processing.”
82
Layers table button
If the Tables toolbar is not displayed, choose
Note:
Edit | Tables | Layers, or choose Tools | Toolbars,
and select Tables from the dialog that appears.
Lightscape
Working with Layers
❚❘❘
The Layers table appears.
A check mark to the left of the layer name indicates that the layer is on (active) and that the objects
on that layer are currently displayed in the Graphic
window. You can double-click a layer name to toggle
its state on and off.
A letter to the left of the layer name indicates it
is the current layer. Any new objects you add to the
model are added on the current layer.
Bringing Layers into Your Model
Many modeling and CAD packages support layers.
When you import a model, you can maintain the
layer structure or create a new one. For information
on grouping objects into layers when importing a
model, see Chapter 5, “Importing Geometry.”
To create a new layer:
Right-click the Layers table and choose Create.
1.
A blinking cursor appears at the beginning of the
new layer.
Type a name and press Enter.
2.
The new layer appears in the list. You can now add
objects to the layer.
Turning Layers On or Off
Turn layers on or off to selectively display and
process different portions of your model.
To turn layers on or off:
In the Layers table, select the layer.
1.
Right-click the Layers table and choose one of
2.
the following:
Select:
To:
Toggle Turn the layer on or off as required.
You can also double-click a layer in
the table to toggle it on or off.
On Display the selected layer and include
it in processing.
Off Hide the selected layer and exclude it
from processing.
All On Display all layers and include them in
processing.
All Off Hide all layers and exclude them from
processing. Use this option when you
want to show only a few layers in a
large model. First turn off all the layers, then turn on the ones you want to
work on.
Changing the Layer of an Object
To assign an object to a different layer, make that
layer current then assign the object to the current
layer.
To change the layer of an object:
In the Layers table, select the layer to make cur-
1.
rent.
Right-click the Layers table and choose Make
2.
Current.
83
6
Refining Geometry
The letter C appears next to the current layer.
In the Graphic window, select the surface(s) or
3.
block(s) that you want to assign to the current layer.
Right-click and choose Change to
4.
Current Layer.
The selected blocks or surfaces are assigned to the
current layer.
Renaming Layers
You may rename a layer to give it a name that is
meaningful to you.
To rename a layer:
In the Layers table, select a layer.
1.
Right-click the Layers table and choose Rename.
2.
The name of the selected layer is highlighted and a
blinking text cursor appears at the end of the highlighted text.
Type a new name and press Enter.
3.
The new name appears in the Layers table.
To delete a layer:
In the Layers table, select the layer(s). To select
1.
multiple layers, use Ctrl-click or Shift-click.
Right-click the Layers table and choose Delete.
2.
The selected layer is deleted.
To restore the deleted layers, choose Edit | Undo
3.
immediately after deleting the layers.
Saving and Loading Layer States
You can save the state—on, off, or current—of the
layers in your model in a Layer State file. Use layer
states as a quick way to switch between different
design solutions.
To save a Layer State file:
Right-click the Layers table and choose Save
1.
State.
The Save As dialog appears.
Navigate to the directory where you want to save the
Layer State file, and enter a name in the File Name
box, or select an existing Layer State file. Layer states
are stored in .lay files.
Click Save.
2.
The current state of the layers in your project is saved
in the specified Layer State file.
To load a Layer State file:
Right-click the Layers table and choose Load
1.
State.
The Open dialog appears.
Deleting Layers
De lete t he l ayer s you no l onge r nee d. A ny su rf aces or
block instances on the layer are also deleted.
84
Navigate to the appropriate directory, select a
2.
Layer State file and click Open. Layer states are
stored in .lay files.
Lightscape
Click Open.
3.
The layers in your project are turned on and off
according to information in the selected Layer State
file. Files that have been loaded and saved recently
also appear as shortcuts in the context menu list.
Working with Blocks
A block is a group of surfaces and/or other blocks. It
has a specific name and an insertion point. A block
can be inserted, or instanced, repeatedly in the
model in various positions and orientations. All
instances of a block refer to the same geometric
description. If you make a change to the geometry,
material, or any attribute of a block, every instance
of that block inherits the change.
Use blocks to reduce the amount of time required to
prepare a model. For example, if your model consists
of various repetitive elements and you model these
elements as blocks, then you need only prepare the
surfaces once. All instances of that block will inherit
the results. In addition, you can isolate blocks for
display and editing, making their preparation easier
and more interactive.
Working with Blocks
Using the Blocks Table
The Blocks table lists all the block definitions in your
model. You can insert multiple instances of each
block definition in your scene.
To display the Blocks table:
Click the Blocks table button on the Tables toolbar.
Blocks table button
If the Tables toolbar is not displayed, choose
Note:
Too ls | Toolbar s, a nd s elec t Tabl es fr om t he d ial og
that appears.
The Blocks table appears:.
❚❘❘
Light fixtures are represented by a special type of
block called luminaires. A luminaire is a block to
which you assigned photometric properties. With
few exceptions, the operations you can perform on
regular blocks also apply to luminaires. To learn
about the operations that are specific to luminaires,
see Chapter 8, “Artificial Lighting.”
▲
Blocks exist only in Lightscape Preparation
files. They are exploded into surfaces in Solution
files
0
The block preview displays the currently selected
block. Use the interactive view controls to change
the view of the block. For more information, see
“Customizing Block and Luminaire Previews” on
page 22.
You can double-click a block name to isolate the
block for display and editing in the Graphic window.
85
6
Refining Geometry
Blocks Table Context Menu
Right-click the Blocks table to display a context
menu.
Use:
To:
Isolate Place the block in isolate mode.
Return to Full
Model
End Isolate mode and display the
full model.
Query Instanc-esHighlight instances of the select-
ed block in the Graphic window
and display block information on
the status bar.
Rename Rename the selected block defini-
tion.
Change to Current Layer
Define as Luminaire
Assign the selected block definition to the current layer.
Define a block as a luminaire. See
“Creating a Luminaire from a
Block” on page 132.
Create Single
Instance
Create an instance of the selected
block definition positioned at the
origin.
Use:
To:
Delete Delete the selected block defini-
tion.
Duplicate Make a copy of the selected block
definition.
Load Load a block definition from a
block library.
Save Save a block definition to a block
library.
Save All Save all the block definitions in
the table to a block library.
Preview Toggle the block preview on or
off.
Swap Layout Revert to the previous position
and size of the Blocks table. (You
can also swap layouts by doubleclicking on the table’s title bar.)
Importing Block Definitions with Your
Model
When you import your model from a modeling
package, you can group surfaces into blocks. For
example, when you import an AutoCAD model, by
default, the original block structure is preserved.
When you import from 3D Studio MAX, by default,
each object becomes a block. Depending on your
modeling package, you can choose from various
options for creating blocks when you import geometry. For more information see Chapter 5,
“Importing Geometr y.”
Creating New Blocks
If your modeling application does not support or
export the block structure, you can either create
blocks or you can import blocks and luminaires
from a library.
86
Lightscape
Working with Blocks
❚❘❘
Create new block definitions by grouping surfaces
into blocks.
You can also create a new block definition
Note:
from an existing block instance. See “Renaming a
Block Instance” on page 88.
To create a new block from surfaces:
In the Graphic window, select the surfaces to in-
1.
clude in the block.
Right-click and choose Create Block from the
2.
menu that appears.
If the selected surfaces are already part of a
Note:
block, the Create Block command does not appear
in the menu. To include these surfaces in a new
block, you must first remove them from the
existing block by exploding it. For more information see “Removing Blocks” on page 87.
Enter a name in the Create Block dialog, and
3.
click OK.
The selected surfaces are grouped into a block, and
the new block appears in the Blocks table. A single
instance of the new block is inserted on the Current
layer in the current position. (The display remains
the same but the surfaces selected are now grouped
as the new block.)
To duplicate a block:
In the Blocks table, right-click the block that you
1.
want to copy and select Duplicate from the menu
that appears.
A copy of the block appears in the table.
Rename the new block, and modify its geometr y
2.
and surface properties, if needed.
Removing Blocks
There are three ways to remove blocks you no longer
need:
Delete the block definition to remove it and all its
•
instances from the model
Delete individual instances in the model
•
Explode blocks instances to convert them into in-
•
dependent surfaces.
To delete a block definition:
In the Blocks table, select the block.
1.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Delete.
2.
The selected blocks are deleted from the Blocks table
and all instances of the block are removed from the
model.
By default, the insertion point of the block is set to
the origin point of the model (0,0,0). For information on moving the insertion point, see “Moving a
Block Definition’s Insertion Point” on page 90.
As in AutoCAD, the surfaces in the block retain their
layers except surfaces on layer 0. These surfaces
inherit the layer on which the block instance is
inserted.
Duplicating a Block Definition
If you want to create a block that is similar to a block
in your scene, you can duplicate the existing block,
then rename and edit the copy.
To delete a block instance:
In the Graphic window, select the block in-
1.
stance.
Press the Delete key or right-click and choose
2.
Delete.
The block instance is removed from your model.
To explode a block instance:
In the Graphic window, select the block in-
1.
stance.
Right-click and choose Explode from the menu
2.
that appears.
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6
Refining Geometry
The block instance is converted into independent
surfaces.
Renaming a Block Definition
You can rename a block definition to give it a name
that is meaning ful to you, or to prevent it from being
overwritten when you load another block with the
same name.
In some cases, it may be useful to overwrite the
block. For more information, see “Replacing All
Instances of One Block with Instances of Another
Block” on page 89.
To rename a block definition:
In the Blocks table, select a block.
1.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Rename.
2.
The name of the selected block is highlighted and a
blinking text cursor appears at the end of the highlighted text.
Type a new name and press Enter.
3.
The new name appears in the Blocks table.
The New Block dialog appears.
3.
Enter a name for the new block definition.
4.
Lightscape creates a new block definition based on
the selected instance and makes the selected
instance an instance of the new block.
Querying Blocks
Use the Query Instances command to highlight
every instance of a block in the Graphic window and
to display the block’s properties on the status bar.
You can also query individual instances.
To query a block definition:
In the Blocks table, click a block to select it. Or,
1.
press Ctrl and click to select several blocks to query.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Query
2.
Instances.
Renaming a Block Instance
You can rename a block instance by creating a new
block from the instance that you want to rename.
This is useful if you have one block that you want to
differentiate in some way from all the other
instances. For example, you might want one chair to
have a different color fabric than the others.
To rename a block instance:
In the Graphic w indow, select the block instance
1.
that you want to rename.
Right-click the Graphic window, and choose
2.
New Block.
88
Every instance of the block(s) is highlighted in green
in the Graphic window.
If you queried a single block definition, the status
bar displays its name and the number of instances on
the active layers. If you queried multiple blocks, no
information appears on the status bar.
To query a block instance:
On the toolbar, click the Block button , and
1.
then the Query Select button .
In the Graphic window, click the block that you
2.
want to query.
The block’s definition, location and layer name are
displayed on the status bar.
Lightscape
Modifying Block Definitions
❚❘❘
Loading Blocks from Libraries
You can store blocks in libraries and use them
repeatedly in different models. Lightscape provides
you with an extensive set of block libraries that you
can use or modify.
To save blocks to a library:
In the Blocks table, select the blocks you want to
1.
save.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Save.
2.
The Save As dialog appears.
Select a block library from the list, or enter the
3.
name of a new block library in the File Name box.
Blocks are saved as .blk files.
Click OK to save the block to the block library
4.
file.
You can also save all blocks in the Blocks
Note:
table by right-clicking the Blocks table and
choosing Save All.
To load blocks from a library:
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Load.
1.
The Open dialog appears.
Navigate to the location of the block library you
2.
want to load, select the appropriate file, and click
Open.
Replacing All Instances of One Block
with Instances of Another Block
When you load a block from a library, it overwrites
any existing block of the same name already in the
Blocks table. All instances of the overwritten block
become instances of the newly loaded block. This
can be a very powerful technique for replacing all
instances of one block or luminaire with another for
testing alternatives or for quickly replacing an
“unprepared” block from your CAD system with a
“prepared” block stored in a Lightscape library. In
fact, the block used in your CAD system can be a
simple placeholder block that you insert to represent
the position of blocks or luminaires in Lightscape.
To replace every instance of one block with
another:
In the Blocks table, rename the block that you
1.
want to replace using the name of the block that will
replace it.
Load the new block from a block library.
2.
When prompted to overwrite existing blocks,
3.
click Yes.
In your model, every instance of the overwritten
block is replaced with an instance of the newly
loaded block.
Blocks libraries are saved as .blk files.
Note:
The Available Blocks dialog appears.
Select a block or click Select All to select all the
3.
blocks in the library.
Click OK to load the selected blocks into the
4.
Blocks table.
Modifying Block Definitions
When you change a block definition, you are
changing all instances of that block that you have
already added to your model. This is true of all
surface attributes (materials, processing controls,
for example). You can also change the geometry,
insertion point, and scale of a block definition.
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6
Refining Geometry
Changing the Geometry of a Block
Definition
To change a block’s geometry, you can either modify
the block definition in Isolate mode or modify an
instance of the block in your model. In either case,
the block definition and all its instances are
modified.
To modify a block’s geometry, delete or transform
the surfaces that make up the block. For more information, see “Working with Surfaces” on page 95.
Moving a Block Definition’s Insertion
Point
The insertion point represents the origin of the
block’s local coordinate system. When you insert a
block instance in a model, it is placed with reference
to its insertion point. The insertion point is also the
center of rotation of the block in the model.
To move a block’s insertion point:
Do one of the following to isolate the block:
1.
Double-click a block in the Blocks table
•
Select a block in the Blocks table, right-click the
•
Blocks table, and choose Isolate.
The block appears alone in the Graphic window.
Select the isolated block in the Graphic window,
2.
right-click, then choose Transformation.
The block’s insertion point and the Transformation
dialog appears.
Click the Insertion Point tab.
3.
Select one of the options in the Values list.
4.
Select:
To:
Absolute Move the insertion point to those co-
ordinates specified by X, Y, Z. For example, entering 2 in the X box moves
the insertion point to a spot 2 units to
the right of the scene origin.
You can also click Geometric Center
to move the block’s insertion point to
the center of the block’s geometry.
Relative Move the ins ertion point by a relative
amount specified by X, Y, Z. For example, entering 2 in the X box moves
the inser tion point 2 units to the ri ght
of its current position.
Drag Move the insertion point to a new
position in any orthographic view.
You can constrain cursor movement
by entering values in the X, Y, and Z
boxes.
Pick Move the insertion point to the point
you select in the Graphic window.
Enable Snap to Nearest Vertex to
move the insertion point to the vertex nearest the point you select.
90
Lightscape
Working with Block Instances
❚❘❘
Once the insertion point is properly positioned,
5.
click OK.
Right-click the Graphic window and choose Re-
6.
turn to Full Model.
If you have already inserted instances of a
Note:
block into your model, you should be careful about
changing the insertion point of the block definition because it will cause the relocation of all
instances of that block. Typically, you position the
insertion point when you first create the block. See
“Creating New Blocks” on page 86.
Scaling a Block Definition
To change the size or proportions of a block definition, scale it along the X, Y, and Z axes. Blocks are
scaled relative to their insertion point.
You can also scale each instance separately.
Note:
See “Scaling Block Instances” on page 95.
To scale a block:
Do one of the following to isolate the block:
1.
Double-click a block in the Blocks table
•
Select a block in the Blocks table, right-click the
•
Blocks table, and choose Isolate.
The block appears alone in the Graphic window.
In the Relative Scale Factor X, Y, and Z boxes, en-
4.
ter a multiplier value, and click Apply.
For example, enter a value of 2 in the X b ox to double
the size of the block in the X direction. Enter a value
of 0.5 to shrink the block to half its size.
Once the block is properly scaled, click OK.
5.
Right-click the Graphic window and choose Re-
6.
turn to Full Model.
All instances of the block are scaled.
Working with Block Instances
You create block instances from the blocks in your
Blocks table. You can select and duplicate block
instances. You can also move, scale, or rotate a block
instance independently of the other instances of the
same definition. However, if you change the geometry or surface properties of a block instance, the
block definition and all instances of that block are
also modified.
Selecting Block Instances
Use the Selection tools to select block instances in
your model. For more information, see “Selecting
Objects” on page 38.
Right-click the Graphic window and choose
2.
Transformation.
The Transformation dialog appears.
Click the Scale tab.
3.
To select a block instance:
On the toolbar, click the Block button and
1.
then the Select button .
Click the block instance in the Graphic window.
2.
Adding Block Instances in Your Model
Once a block definition appears in the Blocks table,
you can add an instance of that block in your model.
You can also replace surfaces with block instances.
The new instance is added to the current layer.
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6
Refining Geometry
To place a block instance in a model:
Make sure the current layer is the layer on which
1.
you want to place the block. (To make a layer current, select it in the Layers table, right-click, and
choose Make Current.)
In the Blocks table, select a block.
2.
Do one of the following to place an instance of
3.
the selected block in the model:
Drag and drop a block from the Blocks table to the
•
Graphic window. An instance of the block appears at
the coordinates where you drop it.
Right-click the Blocks table and choose Create Sin-
•
gle Instance. An instance of the block appears at the
origin (0, 0, 0). From here you will probably want to
move it to another position.
To replace a surface with a block instance:
Select the surfaces that you want to replace with
1.
a block instance.
Right-click the Graphic window, and choose Re-
2.
place with Block/Luminaire.
Right-click the Graphic w indow and choose Du-
2.
plicate.
A copy of the selected block is created and placed on
top of the original. Move the copy to see both the
copy and the original.
Creating Arrays of Blocks
Using one instance of a block as a starting point, you
can create an array of blocks along the X, Y, or Z axis.
These blocks are all instances of the initial block
definition.
To create an array of blocks:
Drag a block from the Blocks table to the re-
1.
quired position in the Graphic window.
Right-click the Graphic window and choose
2.
Multiple Duplicate.
The Add Multiple Instances dialog appears.
The Replace with Block/Luminaire dialog appears.
Select a block from the list, then click OK.
3.
The selected surfaces are replaced with an instance
of the selected block.
Duplicating a Block Instance
Use the Duplicate command to create a single duplicate of a block instance in your model.
To create a single copy of a block instance:
In the Graphic window, select the block you
1.
want to copy.
92
In the Number X, Y, and Z boxes, enter the num-
3.
ber of instances (including the original) to create
along the each axis.
In the Spacing X, Y, and Z boxes, enter the dis-
4.
tance between each instance along the corresponding axis.
Lightscape
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