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BeLight Software
Live Interior 3D Std
User’s Manual
Version 2
October 2014
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(C) 2014 BeLight Software, Ltd.
All rights reserved.
BeLight Software, Ltd. reserves the right to improve, enhance and revise its products without
notice.
The information in this document is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change
without notice, and should not be constructed as a commitment by BeLight Software, Ltd. BeLight
Software assumes no liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document.
All trademarks, product and/or brand names mentioned in this publication, are the sole property of
their respective owners.
Written by Nick Shubin.
Thanks to Ray East for help in the creation of this publication.
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Live Interior 3D Std End User License Agreement
Live Interior 3D Standard Edition End
User License Agreement
THIS LICENSING AGREEMENT (“AGREEMENT”) IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN
YOU, EITHER AN INDIVIDUAL OR A SINGLE ENTITY, AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE
(“LICENSOR”). IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO EACH AND EVERY TERM, DO NOT
INSTALL LIVE INTERIOR 3D STANDARD EDITION. YOU MUST EITHER RETURN THE
SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION AND PACKAGING TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE OR,
IN THE CASE OF DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE, DELETE THE SOFTWARE FROM YOUR
COMPUTER AND/OR ANY OTHER DATA STORAGE DEVICE.
1. GENERAL
The software, documentation and any 3D object or ready-made design accompanying this License
whether on disk or on any other media (collectively the “Software”) are licensed to you by BeLight
Software (“Licensor”) for use only under the terms of this License, and Licensor reserves all
rights not expressly granted to you. The rights granted herein do not include any other patents or
intellectual property rights.
The title and intellectual property rights in and to any content displayed by or accessed through the
Software belong to the respective content owner. This License does not grant you any rights to use
such content.
2. LICENSE
Licensor hereby grants to You, and You accept, a non-exclusive license to install and use Software
and Documentation, only as authorized in this license. The license permits either multiple users to
install and use the software on a single computer, or a single user to install and use the software
on multiple computers. The license does not allow multiple users to use the Software on multiple
computers. You agree that You will not assign, sub license, transfer, pledge, lease, rent, or share
Your rights under this license. You may not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the
Licensed Software for any purpose whatsoever.
3D Objects: The Software contains numerous 3D objects that are either owned by Licensor or
licensed from a third party. You are free to use and modify 3D objects as you wish subject to the
restrictions set out in this section. You can publish images (screenshots) of interiors created using
those 3D objects as you wish subject to the restrictions set out in this section. If you are uncertain
about your rights to use any material, you should contact your legal advisor.
You may NOT resell, sublicense or otherwise make available the 3D object(s) for use or
distribution separately or detached from a product or Web page. You may NOT a) create
scandalous, obscene, defamatory or immoral works using the 3D object(s) nor use the 3D object(s)
for any other purpose which is prohibited by law; b) use or permit the use of the 3D object(s)
or any part thereof as a trademark or service mark, or claim any proprietary rights of any sort in
the 3D object(s) or any part thereof; c) use the 3D object(s) in electronic format, on-line or in
multimedia applications unless the 3D object(s) are incorporated for viewing purposes only and
no permission is given to download and/or save the 3D object(s) for any reason; d) use any 3D
object(s) except as expressly permitted by this License; and e) use the 3D object(s) related to
identiable individuals, products or entities for any commercial purpose or in a manner which
suggests their association with or endorsement of any product or service.
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3. TRANSFER
You may not distribute copies of the Software including 3D objects, ready-made designs, in whole
or in part, to any third party, nor may you use, rent, loan, sublicense, or lease the Software to third
parties. You may, however, transfer all your rights to use the Software to another person or legal
entity provided that: (a) You also transfer this Agreement, the Software and all other software
bundled or pre-installed with the Software, including all copies, Updates and prior versions, to
such person or entity; (b) You retain no copies, including backups and copies stored on a computer;
and (c) the receiving party accepts the terms and conditions of this Agreement and any other terms
and conditions upon which You legally purchased a license to the Software. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, You may not transfer pre-release or not for resale copies of the Software.
4. ILLEGAL USE
You are not to use the Software, whether directly or indirectly, for any illegal purpose under the
laws or ordinances of Federal, State, or local governments. It is Your sole responsibility to know
and understand the laws and/or ordinances that govern the use of the Software. In the event that
You violate any Federal, State or local law or ordinance by direct or indirect use of the Software,
You shall take full legal responsibility for such illegal use. You shall hold Licensor harmless and
without fault and otherwise indemnify Licensor for any damage, cost or liability incurred by
Licensor as a result of any use, whether or not such use is within the scope of the license set forth
herein.
5. UPDATES
If the Software is an Update to a previous version of the Software, You must possess a valid license
to such previous version in order to use the Update. You may continue to use the previous version
of the Software on your computer after You receive the Update to assist You in the transition to the
Update, provided that: the Update and the previous version are installed on the same computer;
the previous version or copies thereof are not transferred to another party or computer unless all
copies of the Update are also transferred to such party or computer; and You acknowledge that any
obligation BeLight Software may have to support the previous version of the Software may be
ended upon availability of the Update.
6. LICENSOR’S RIGHTS
You acknowledge and agree that the Software and Documentation consists of proprietary,
published and unpublished property of Licensor. You further acknowledge and agree that all right,
title, and interest in and to the Software and Documentation are and shall remain with Licensor.
This license conveys to You the right to install and use the Software and Documentation in
accordance with the terms of this license. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by
BeLight Software. The Licensor will not transmit your personal information to any third party
without your express consent.
7. TERMINATION
This license is effective upon installing the software on any machine, and shall continue until
terminated. You may terminate this Agreement at any time. The Licensor may immediately
terminate this License Agreement if you breach any representation, warranty, agreement or
obligation contained or referred to in this License Agreement. Upon termination, you must dispose
of the Software and all copies or versions of the Software by destroying the Software.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
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Live Interior 3D Std End User License Agreement
8. LIMITED WARRANTY
BeLight Software provides a thirty (30) day money-back guarantee on the Software. If, during this
period, you are dissatised with the Software for any reason, BeLight Software will refund your
money if you return the Software and all copies to the place of purchase within thirty (30) days of
the date of the original purchase.
THE FOREGOING IS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY OFFERED BY BELIGHT
SOFTWARE. BELIGHT SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH REGARD
TO THE LICENSED SOFTWARE AND ALL ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS. BELIGHT
SOFTWARE AND ITS AGENTS DO NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE
OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN BY USING THE SOFTWARE.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
IN NO EVENT WILL BELIGHT SOFTWARE OR ITS AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR
ANY DAMAGES, CLAIMS OR COSTS WHATSOEVER OR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL,
INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST SAVINGS.
BELIGHT SOFTWARE’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY AND THAT OF ITS AGENTS UNDER
OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT
PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE, IF ANY.
10. FEES
The Software is available in download and CD versions. If your download version of the Software
does not come with a License Code, you may register your copy of the Software (except for Demo
version) by purchasing a License Code for downloaded Trial version at:
http://www.belightsoft.com/buy/ The License Code will remove the restriction on the save
functionality. By purchasing the CD version of the software, your License Code is delivered to you
together with the CD.
You may not distribute the License Code. By clicking “Agree”, you acknowledge that you have
paid the Licensor all applicable license fees for the Software.
11. SEVERABILITY
Should any term of this license be declared void or unenforceable by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such declaration shall have no effect on the remaining terms hereof.
12. GENERAL PROVISIONS
This License Agreement is personal between You and BeLight Software. It is not transferable
and any attempt by You to rent, lease, sublicense, assign or transfer any of the rights, duties or
obligations hereunder. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT,
UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF
THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE WHICH SUPERSEDES
ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN YOU AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE OR BELIGHT
SOFTWARE’S AGENT(S) RELATING TO THE LICENSED SOFTWARE
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By using Trimble 3D Warehouse™ in the software you agree with the following Terms of Service.
Review up-to-date Google 3D Warehouse™ Terms of Service at:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/preview_tos.html
If you have any questions regarding this Agreement or if you wish to request any information from
BeLight Software please use the address and contact information included with this product to
contact BeLight Software.
© 2007-2014 BeLight Software, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. BeLight Software and Live Interior 3D
Pro Edition are trademarks of BeLight Software, Ltd. Mac, the Mac logo, Mac OS X, Retina and
Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. The inclusion of “SPARKLE”: Copyright (c)
2006 Andy Matuschak. All other trademarks, registered trademarks, product and/or brand names
are the sole property of their respective owners.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
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Table of Contents
Contents
Chapter 1:
Introduction ................................................. 13
Brief Description ..................................................................13
System Requirements ...........................................................14
Installing Live Interior 3D ......................................................14
Registration .........................................................................14
Updating the Program ...........................................................15
Removing the Program..........................................................15
Web Resources ....................................................................16
Conventions Used in this Document ........................................17
Chapter 2:
Live Interior 3D Workspace .......................... 19
The Main Window ................................................................... 19
The Assistant .......................................................................... 20
The 2D View ........................................................................... 21
The Toolbar .........................................................................23
The 3D View ........................................................................... 26
Camera Orientation and Walk Control......................................28
Walking Around the Interior ...................................................30
Moving Objects in the 3D View ...............................................31
The Inspector Window ............................................................ 32
The Program Preferences ....................................................... 34
The New Project Tab .............................................................34
The 3D Settings Tab .............................................................35
The Trimble 3D Warehouse™ Tab ............................................41
The Miscellaneous Tab...........................................................41
Live Interior 3D Menus ........................................................... 43
Live Interior 3D Keyboard Shortcuts....................................... 49
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Chapter 3:
Getting Started ............................................. 53
Setting Up the Program after Installation ............................... 53
Project Design Workow ........................................................ 55
Quick Start Guide .................................................................... 56
Opening or Creating a Project ................................................56
Drawing Walls ......................................................................57
Drawing a Room ..................................................................58
Adding Floors and Ceilings .....................................................62
Adding Doors and Windows ...................................................63
Adding Furniture ..................................................................64
Working with Materials ..........................................................65
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Working with Cameras ..........................................................67
Setting Up the Lighting .........................................................69
Printing a Floor Plan .............................................................70
Taking Pictures of the 3D View ...............................................70
Creating a Movie Track in 2D .................................................71
Video Tutorials ....................................................................... 74
Chapter 4:
Working with Projects .................................. 75
What is a Project? ................................................................75
Creating and Opening Projects ...............................................76
Project Setup .......................................................................77
Saving Projects ....................................................................78
The Project Tree ...................................................................79
The Environment Panel .........................................................81
Exporting the Floor Plan ........................................................82
Exporting 3D Views to Graphic Files ........................................83
Exporting 3D Views to QuickTime VR (QTVR) ...........................83
Exporting to the 3D File Format ..............................................84
Printing ...............................................................................87
The Render Boost Plug-in ......................................................90
Creating Movies ...................................................................92
Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D ..............................98
Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 3D ............................105
Chapter 5:
Working with Storeys ................................. 109
Introduction ......................................................................... 109
Managing Storeys in the Inspector ....................................... 110
Inspector Controls .............................................................. 110
Adding Storeys ..................................................................111
Removing Storeys ..............................................................111
Choosing the Active Storey .................................................. 111
Choosing the Ground Floor ..................................................112
Changing the Slab Height .................................................... 112
Changing the Storey Height ................................................. 112
Storeys and the 2D View ....................................................... 113
Chapter 6:
Working with Roofs .................................... 115
Roofs in Live Interior 3D ....................................................... 115
The Roof Types ..................................................................116
Using Panels, Openings and Niches with Roofs........................116
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Table of Contents
Adding and Deleting Roofs .................................................... 117
The Roong Assistant .........................................................117
Adding a Roof ....................................................................118
Deleting a Roof ..................................................................119
Roof Properties ..................................................................... 120
Modifying the Style of a Roof ................................................ 122
Adding a Skylight to the Roof ............................................... 126
Adding a Dormer Window ..................................................... 127
Interior Walls in the Loft ...................................................... 128
Chapter 7:
Working with Objects ................................. 129
Basics ................................................................................... 129
Adding and Removing Objects ..............................................129
Selecting Objects ...............................................................130
Using the Project Tree to Select Objects ................................ 130
Moving Objects .................................................................. 131
Modifying Objects ............................................................... 131
Materials ........................................................................... 131
Walls .................................................................................... 132
Wall Segments ...................................................................132
Adding and Removing Walls .................................................133
Selecting Walls ..................................................................134
Moving Walls .....................................................................134
Wall Parameters ................................................................. 134
Modifying Walls ..................................................................135
Ceilings and Floors ............................................................... 137
Adding and Removing Ceilings and Floors ..............................137
Selecting Ceilings and Floors ................................................138
Moving Ceilings and Floors ..................................................138
Resizing Ceilings and Floors ................................................. 138
Setting up the Level of the Floor or Ceiling ............................139
Materials ........................................................................... 139
Ceiling and Floor Representation on the Plan .......................... 140
Text Label of the Floor ........................................................ 140
Windows, Doors and Openings ............................................. 141
Adding and Removing Openings ...........................................141
Selecting Openings ............................................................. 141
Moving Openings ................................................................141
Parameters of Openings ......................................................141
Niches and Wall Panels ......................................................... 144
Adding and Removing Niches and Wall Panels ........................ 144
Selecting Niches and Wall Panels ..........................................144
Moving Niches and Wall Panels .............................................144
Parameters of Niches and Wall Panels ................................... 145
Changing the Size and Shape...............................................145
Materials ........................................................................... 146
Object Representation in the 2D Layout .................................146
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Columns ............................................................................... 147
Adding and Removing Columns ............................................147
Parameters of Columns .......................................................147
Furniture .............................................................................. 148
Adding and Removing Furniture ...........................................148
Selecting a Piece of Furniture ............................................... 148
Moving Furniture ................................................................ 148
Furniture Parameters ..........................................................148
Modifying Furniture ............................................................149
Staircases ............................................................................. 152
Adding and Removing Staircases ..........................................152
Selecting a Staircase ..........................................................153
Moving a Staircase .............................................................153
Parameters of Staircases .....................................................153
Editing the Opening Shape ..................................................155
Properties of Objects in 2D ................................................... 156
Type and Representation ...................................................... 158
Controlling the Object Preview .............................................158
Object Properties ...............................................................159
Importing Objects ................................................................ 161
Import Options ..................................................................161
Importing Trimble SketchUp™ Objects ................................. 163
Aligning and Distributing Objects ......................................... 165
Grouping and Ungrouping Objects ........................................ 167
Merging Objects ................................................................. 167
Chapter 8:
The Library of Objects ................................ 169
The Library Panel .................................................................. 169
Object Information in the Library ......................................... 172
Managing Objects in the Library ........................................... 173
Chapter 9:
Working with Materials .............................. 177
Applying Materials ................................................................ 177
Applying a Material to an Object ........................................... 179
Working with the List of Object’s Materials .............................179
Adjusting the Texture Size and Orientation ............................ 180
Adding Materials to the Library ............................................. 181
Material Picker ...................................................................... 184
Chapter 10:
Lighting ...................................................... 185
Light Sources ........................................................................ 185
Managing Light Sources in the Inspector .............................. 187
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Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 11:
Using Cameras ........................................... 189
Chapter 12:
Auxiliary Objects ........................................ 193
Text Annotation .................................................................... 193
Measurement Tool ................................................................ 195
Images ................................................................................. 197
Images on the Floor Plan .....................................................197
Images in 3D ..................................................................... 197
Chapter 13:
Guidelines and the Layout Grid ................... 201
Guidelines ............................................................................. 201
Layout Grid ........................................................................... 202
Chapter 14:
Solving Problems........................................ 203
Troubleshooting ................................................................... 203
Cannot Register the Program ...............................................203
Cannot Open the Program ...................................................203
Cannot Select an Object ...................................................... 203
Performance Issues ............................................................204
Red Circles on the Floor Plan ................................................ 206
Printing Problems ............................................................... 207
Known Issues and Limitations .............................................. 208
Technical Support ................................................................. 211
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual13Chapter 1: Introduction
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Chapter 1:
Introduction
Brief Description
Live Interior 3D is a program for designing the interior of a house or an
apartment. It helps you visualize your ideas and imagine your future home or
ofce. Using this program, you can nd optimal design solutions and choose a
suitable location for your furniture. Before ordering various pieces of furniture,
you will be able to see how they t in the interior.
The program lets you design different types of buildings: homes, apartments,
ofces, living rooms, dining rooms, etc.
The program contains models of furniture and accessories that are copies
of the actual items produced by leading manufacturers (PIIROINEN,
Villeroy&Boch and others). Some models from the supplied library have no
real prototypes.
The program can be used by professional as well as amateur designers.
As a result, you get a computer model of your apartment. Your project
contains:
• A printable oor plan of the apartment with walls, doors, windows,
furniture and other accessories.
• 3D model that lets you walk inside your apartments. You will see the room
as if you were inside it. You can take “photographs” (screenshots) of the
preview area.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
System Requirements
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo (Core i3 recommended)
Memory 2 GB or more (4 GB is recommended)
Video OpenGL compatible video card
Video Memory 128 MB or more (512 MB is recommended)
OS Mac OS X 10.6.8 or higher
HDD 2 GB of available space
Display 1024x768 (or higher) with 32 bit color
Min. screen resolution 1024x768
Peripherals Keyboard and mouse
Other Apple QuickTime 7 (for exporting to QTVR format)
Google SketchUp 6 or higher (for editing 3D
models)
Internet connection is required to use online services.
Installing Live Interior 3D
Retail version:
1. Insert the disc into the drive.
2. Double-click the Live Interior 3D Standard Edition installer.
3. Follow the installation instructions.
Download version:
1. Double-click the LiveInterior3DStd.dmg le.
2. Double-click the Live Interior 3D Standars Edition installer icon in the
window that comes up.
3. Follow the installation instructions.
Registration
If you purchased the download version of the program, you’ll nd the license
code in the purchase conrmation email. If you have the program on a disc,
nd the code inside the program pack on the disc envelope.
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Chapter 1: Introduction
To register Live Interior 3D:
1. Open the application.
2. Bring up the License dialog by choosing Live Interior 3D Standard >
License… in the menu.
3. Enter your name and license code.
It’s recommended that you keep the e-mail or the disc package containing
your license code in a safe place in case you need to register the application
after re-installation or after update.
The unregistered version of Live Interior 3D cannot save projects.
To upgrade from the trial to the registered version of the program you need to
purchase and register it. See details on BeLight’s web site:
http://www.belightsoft.com/buy/
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Updating the Program
From time to time, the software developer releases new versions of the
product.
To check for and download the latest update, click Check for Updates in the
Live Interior 3D Standard program menu.
Alternatively, you can visit the Live Interior 3D Updates web page:
http://www.belightsoft.com/liveinterior/update
Before starting the update installer, make sure that the application and
supporting les are placed in their default locations. For default le locations,
see below.
Removing the Program
To uninstall the program completely or delete some of its parts, choose Live
Interior 3D Standard > Uninstall… from the menu. Then select the items
to delete and click the Uninstall button.
To delete the program les and folders, select:
• Remove Live Interior 3D Application
• Remove Live Interior 3D Preferences
These items can be restored by re-installing the application.
To delete objects and materials that you have added to the library, select the
Remove User Content check box. Be careful! You will not be able to restore
the user’s libraries by re-installing Live Interior 3D.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Removing the Program Manually
To remove the program manually, remove the following les and folders:
• Live Interior 3D Standard.app from the Applications folder.
• com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStd.plist le from the
~/Library/Preferences/ folder.
• If you don’t need your custom materials and documents that may be
stored in the program’s folder, delete the Live Interior 3D folder from
the
~/Library/Application Support/BeLight Software/ folder.
• All *.pkg les whose name begins with “liveInterior3D” from the
/Library/Receipts/ folder if these les exist.
“~” means the user’s Home folder.
To access the Library folder, in the Finder choose Go > Go to Folder (Cmd-
Shift-G). Then type “~/Library/” into the edit box, and click the Go button.
To remove manually the program downloaded fom Mac AppStore, remove the
following les and folders:
• /Applications/Live Interior 3D Standard.app
• ~/Library/Containers/com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStdMAS/
Note: By default, the program saves custom content in:
~/Library/Containers/com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStdMAS/Data/Library/
Application Support/Live Interior 3D Standard/
Don’t remove this folder if you are going to use your content in the future.
To access the ~/Library/Containers/ folder, in the Finder choose Go > Go to
Folder (Cmd-Shift-G). Then copy “~/Library/Containers/” to the edit box,
and click the Go button.
Web Resources
Live Interior 3D Home Page: Download, Updates, Buy and FAQ
http://www.belightsoft.com/liveinterior/
Useful articles connected with using Live Interior 3D
http://www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/resources.php
The home page of BeLight Software: Products, Download, Support, Buy
http://www.belightsoft.com/
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Chapter 1: Introduction
BeLight Software Support
http://www.belightsoft.com/support/
Conventions Used in this Document
• Bold text is used for names of menu items, shortcuts, buttons, radio
buttons, edit boxes, check boxes and other controls.
• Text in italics is used for names of windows, dialog boxes, panels, tabs
and other elements of the program interface.
Such text formatting is also used for names of programs, les, folders
and web links.
It is also used for chapter and section references, and to introduce
important remarks.
• For menu items hierarchy, the “>” symbol is used. A record File >
Open is equivalent to “the Open item under the File menu”.
• A shortcut (shortkey) is one or several keys that are pressed together.
Cmd-S means you should hold down the Command key while pressing
the S key, then release them.
• Ctrl-click is a click holding the Ctrl key down. Right-click is a click by the
right button of a two-button mouse. Both actions are equivalent.
• Context (contextual or shortcut) menu is a pop-up menu that contains
options that vary depending on the object (image, text, etc.) you have
clicked on. To open the context menu, right-click or Ctrl-click on the
object.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
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Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace
Chapter 2:
Live Interior 3D Workspace
The Main Window
19
1 32 4 5 76
1 – The Library panel displays the library of 3D models or the Project Tree.
2 – A handle to expand/collapse the Library panel.
3 – The 2D toolbar with tools for adding walls, ceilings, oors and other
objects. For details, see The Toolbar section.
4 – The 2D View area for displaying the oor plan.
5 – The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views. Move it with the mouse to
distribute space between the views.
6 – The 3D mode selector.
7 – The 3D View window.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
The Assistant
When you start Live Interior 3D for the rst time, it opens the Assistant, a
collection of pre-designed projects. The Assistant allows you to choose what
project to open:
• Project from the built-in collection
• Custom template (user’s project saved as a template)
• One of recently opened documents
• Any project on your computer
• Empty project
By default, the Assistant opens on start-up. To control this, use the Show
Assistant on start-up option in the Miscellaneous tab of the program
Preferences dialog.
To open the Assistant at any time, use the File > New From Assistant…
menu command (Cmd-Shift-N).
Using Templates
Projects from the Assistant are intended for:
• Learning the program. You can open and change a template to see how
the program works.
• Creating new projects. You can modify a pre-designed project to meet
your needs, or create a custom template and then use it to make
several variations of the furniture arrangement, decoration and so on.
Pre-designed projects are grouped into categories. In the left part of the
Assistant window is a list of the template categories. The right box shows the
template previews from the selected category.
To open a template, select its thumbnail and click OK, or double-click the
thumbnail.
To open a project saved on your hard disk, click the Open button in the
Assistant. (Or use the File > Open menu when the Assistant is not open.)
The creation of custom templates is described in Chapter 4: “Working with
Projects” > “Saving Projects”.
Opening a project as a template differs from opening it through the File >
Open… command. The template will not be overwritten: the program will
offer you to save the modied template under another name.
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Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace
The 2D View
The 2D view window is used for drawing oor plans.
To open the 2D view, choose the View > Toggle 2D/3D View menu
command or click the 2D View button in the toolbar (item 10 in the “The
Toolbar” section below).
In the 2D view, you can add objects from the library and draw walls, oors
and ceilings.
1
2
3
4
5
21
6
7
1 – The toolbar (see “The Toolbar” section below).
2 – The Information bar shows detailed information about the selected object,
such as its dimensions, elevation and orientation. The bar disappears when
you hide the rulers.
3 – Click on the current measurement unit to choose another in the Project
Setup.
8
9
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4 – Rulers. To turn the rulers on/off, use the View > Hide/Show Rulers
(Cmd-R) menu command.
When you move an object with the mouse in the 2D View, the rulers can
display rulerlines. Rulerlines are thin lines that show the coordinates of left,
right, top and bottom object edges on the rulers. Rulerlines move along with
the object. To control rulerlines, use the View > Rulerlines menu.
5 – The 2D view area.
6 – The handle of the splitter bar that separates the Library panel and 2D
View. Move it to the right or to the left to make the Library panel bigger or
smaller.
7 – Storey pop-up menu.
The upper section displays a list of storeys in the project. The lower section
lets you add and remove oors. You can also choose the current oor to be
the ground oor.
8 – Zoom control.
9 – The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
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The Toolbar
2 43 5 617
1 – The Selection tool for choosing and moving objects.
2 – The Straight Wall tool for drawing walls.
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3 – Tools for working with slabs.
3.1 – The Floor tool. You can add a oor manually instead of using the oor
added by the program.
3.2 – The Ceiling tool. You can add a ceiling manually instead of using the
ceiling added by the program.
3.3 – The Floor+Ceiling tool. Use it for adding a oor and ceiling objects
together. The result is as if you draw a oor using tool 3.1, and then draw a
ceiling right over the oor using tool 3.2.
3.4 – The Ceiling Opening tool. Creates an opening in a slab of the current
storey.
23
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4 – Tools for adding auxiliary objects.
4.1 – The Measurement tool. Denes distances between the specied points.
4.2 – Text Annotation. Adds text boxes for typing or pasting text.
5 – The Camera tools.
5.1 – The Camera tool. Adds individual cameras.
5.2 – The Movie Track tool. Adds movie cameras. A chain of these cameras
denes a movie track.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
4.1
4.2
5.1
5.2
6.1
6.2
6 – Zoom.
6.1 – Zoom In.
6.2 – Zoom Out.
7 – The Pan tool (“scrolling hand”) for scrolling the 2D view with the mouse.
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An activated tool is highlighted.
The Straight Wall, Floor, Ceiling, Floor+Ceiling, Ceiling Opening, Text
Annotation and Camera tools have two active modes.
Upon a single click, the tool activates in the standard mode. After adding
or modifying a corresponding object, the tool becomes deactivated and the
Selection tool becomes active.
Upon a double-click, the tool activates in the continuous mode. After adding
or modifying a corresponding object, the tool stays active and you can
continue working with it. This is useful if you need to add, for instance, several
cameras.
8
9 10 11 12
8 – Browse the Trimble 3D Warehouse on-line collection.
9 – Open Inspector.
10 – Display the 2D view.
11 – Display the 2D and 3D views together.
12 – Display the 3D view.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
The 3D View
1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 113 12
13
14
Walk mode selector
1 – The Selection mode. In this mode, the mouse can be used for selecting
and moving objects. To walk around, click on the arrows of the 3D Walk
Control, or use the arrow keys.
2 – The Look Around and Fly Around modes. Using the mouse, you can change
the view direction or y around a xed point.
3 – The Walk mode. The mouse cursor turns into an arrow showing the walk
direction. To change the direction, move the cursor to sides or corners of the
3D view. To walk, press the left mouse button.
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Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace
Rendering quality selector
4 – Display the picture without lights and shadows. The lowest quality, the
highest walk speed.
5 – Display the picture with lights but without shadows. Intermediate quality
and walking speed.
6 – Display the picture with lights and shadows. The highest quality, the
lowest walk speed.
7 – Take a picture of the 3D view.
8 – Browse the Trimble 3D Warehouse on-line 3D object collection.
9 – Open Inspector.
View mode selector
10 – Display the 2D view.
11 – Display the 2D and 3D views together.
12 – Display the 3D view.
The width of views
13 – The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views. Move the splitter bar to
expand one view while at the same time narrowing down another view.
14 – The handle of the library of objects. Move the handle to change the panel
width.
In the top right corner of the 3D preview, a camera icon may be displayed. Its
purpose is described in Chapter 10: “Using Cameras”.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Camera Orientation and Walk Control
One of the possible ways to move inside your 3D model is to use the Walk
Control. This is a round control that is sensitive to mouse clicks. The direction
of movement depends on the point where you click on it.
The Walk Control appears at the bottom of the 3D view when you move
the mouse cursor over this area. This happens in the automatic mode. There
are two other modes: the control is always displayed or never displayed. To
choose a mode, use the View > Display 3D Walk Control menu. The control
is semi-transparent and lets you see the space behind it.
Note that the Walk Control is not displayed when the Walk mode is selected
in the View > 3D View > Tools menu.
The current view point can be ne tuned using the Cameras Controls in the
Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector.
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1 2 4 5
Walk Control
1 – Turn to the left.
2 – Move forward turning to the left.
3 – Move forward.
4 – Move forward turning to the right.
5 – Turn to the right.
6 – Move leftward.
7 – Move backward.
8 – Move rightward.
9
10
11
3
7 8
6
Camera Pitch
9 – Tilt Up – look upwards.
10 – Restore the default tilt (double-click) – look straight forward.
11 – Tilt Down – look downwards.
Camera Elevation
12 – Move the camera up.
13 – Restore the default level (double-click).
14 – Move the camera down.
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12
13
14
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Walking Around the Interior
The program offers several methods of walking and turning around in the 3D
space:
• Using the Walk Control.
• Using the keyboard.
• Using the Look Around and Fly Around tools.
You can control whether or not you can walk through walls and other objects.
To do this, use the Consider Collisions toolbar button View > 3D View
> Consider Collisions. The program disables the Consider Collisions mode
when you walk while a user camera is selected (the camera icon in the right
top corner of the 2D view indicates this).
If the current camera or view point is located in an improper position (inside
a wall, for instance), the program temporarily disables the Consider Collisions
mode which is indicated in the 3D view by the following icon:
Using the Keyboard
The keyboard arrow keys are used for moving forward, backward, and turning
left and right. Alternative shortkeys are shown in brackets.
Up (W) Move forward
Down (S) Move backward
Left Turn to the left
Right Turn to the right
Cmd-Up (Q) Tilt the camera up
Cmd-Down (Z) Tilt the camera down
Option-Up (E) Move the camera up
Option-Down (C) Move the camera down
Option-Left (A) Move the camera leftward
Option-Right (D) Move the camera rightward
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The walking speed depends on the rendering quality. At a higher quality
setting, the movement will be slower.
Use the rendering quality control to set the most appropriate quality. When
taking a picture (export the 3D view), set the maximum quality.
31
Using the Look Around and Fly Around Tools
The Look Around and Fly Around tools can be activated either in the View
> 3D View > Tools menu or in the 3D Toolbar. In the toolbar they share the
same button. To activate the selected tool, click the toolbar button or press
the Space key. To select and activate other tool, click the button and hold it
for a while. Then choose a tool in the pop-up menu.
In the Look Around mode, your location is xed. You can change the view
direction.
In the Fly Around mode, you can y around a point specied in the 3D view
this way. Place the cursor at the desired point, press the left mouse button
and then move the mouse around.
To change the view direction in both Look Around and Fly Around modes, place
the mouse cursor over the 3D view, press the left mouse button, and move
the mouse.
Moving Objects in the 3D View
To move an object horizontally in the 3D view, drag it with the mouse.
The state of the Glue By option in the Inspector (the Object Properties
tab) denes the vertical location of the object in relation to the oor and
other objects. When the option is disabled, the object movement is strictly
horizontal. When it is enabled, the object can change its elevation. For
example, if you move a vase off a table, it will fall onto the oor.
Holding the Cmd key temporarily disables the Glue By option. When you
release Cmd or the mouse button, the object will have the elevation that it
should have according to the Glue By function.
To move an object in a vertical plane (perpendicular to the current view
direction), hold the Opt ke y.
The Glue By and Lock Elevation options prevent changing the elevation
accidentally. Disable them to change the object’s elevation.
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The Inspector Window
The Inspector is a oating window that lets you change object properties,
control cameras and manage storeys. The Inspector window is sensitive to
the type of the selected object. It displays the current settings for this object
and lets you modify them.
To open the Inspector window:
• Choose Window > Show Inspector menu item;
• Click the “i” toolbar button;
• Press Cmd-I.
Below is some basic information about Inspector tabs. Each tab is described in
more detail in the sections dedicated to particular objects.
The Object Properties Tab
The Object Properties tab contains the tools that control properties of most
objects.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Object Properties.
The displayed properties depend on the object selected in the project. When
you select an object, the program opens the corresponding set of properties.
The Materials Tab
The Materials tab lets you change materials of objects and create new
materials. The built-in library of materials is located in this tab.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Materials.
The 2D Properties Tab
The 2D Properties tab lets you specify the appearance of objects in the 2D
view.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > 2D Properties.
The Drawing settings can be used only with drawn objects: walls, ceilings and
oors. They allow you to modify the color of outlines, lling, color and type of
the ll pattern.
The Text Annotations section contains text formatting tools.
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The Cameras Properties Tab
The Cameras Properties tab lists all the cameras in the current project:
predened, custom and movie cameras.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Cameras.
Predened cameras are always present in the list. Custom cameras and movie
cameras can be added and removed by the user.
The camera selected in the Inspector denes the point of view for the 3D view.
The Lights Properties
The Lights Properties tab controls light sources.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Lights Properties.
To change brightness or color of a light source, select it in the list. To turn the
light on or off, click the on bulb icon.
The Building Properties Tab
The Building Properties tab lets you add and remove oors. You can also
change the storey and slab height. Any oor can be assigned to be the ground
level.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Building Properties.
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The Program Preferences
Before starting your work on the rst project, set up the program. The
program settings are stored in the program preferences le and apply to all
projects. The program settings are used as default settings for new projects.
The New Project Tab
These settings are used as defaults for Project Setup when you create a new
project. To change the current project only, use File > Project Setup.
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 – Measurement units.
2 – The Suppress Units check box lets you hide measurement units in the 2D
layout (you will see 40’ 00.0” instead of 40’ 00.0” ft, or 2.6 instead of 2.6 m).
3 – Scale of the oor plan in the 2D view. “1:100” means that one meter will
be equal to one centimeter on the screen.
4 – The default story height for new projects.
5 – Type of 2D representation. Here you can choose either the line drawing
type, or automatically created object’s top view.
6 – The quality of auto-generated 2D representations.
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The 3D Settings Tab
3D settings affect the quality and speed of rendering a picture in the 3D view.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1 – Retina™ High Resolution
2 – Full Scene Anti-Aliasing
3 – Textures Filtering
4 – Reections Quality
5 – Decrease Quality when Moving
6 – Shadow rendering technique
7 – Shadow Casting Lights
8 – Shadow Maps Quality
1 – The Retina™ High Resolution check box enables native high resolution for
all the 3D renderings and auto-generated 2D representations (when activated)
on all Macintosh computers with Retina™ display. If you face the performance
decrease, deselect this check box.
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2 – Full Scene Anti-Aliasing makes the picture look softer by smoothing edges
of objects.
To apply the parameter change, restart the program.
Anti-aliasing: off
Anti-aliasing: on
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3 – Textures Filtering lets you choose a type of lter, or turn it off.
Texture ltration softens transition from texture tiles near the view point to
texture tiles far away.
To apply this parameter, restart the program.
Filter: None
Filter: Trilinear
37
Note that in some cases choosing different lter types produces similar
pictures. If only plain color materials were used in the scene, you may
not notice any difference when the texture ltration is on and off. It is not
recommended that you set this parameter to None because textures are used
in most 3D models.
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4 – Reections quality. This parameter affects how detailed the reected
picture is. At lower quality, the picture may look more pixelated, but rendering
is faster.
5 – The Decrease Quality when Moving option can change the rendering mode
automatically. When this option is activated, the program turns off reections,
shadows and lights while you are walking around in 3D. When you stay still,
lights, reections and shadows restore. Note that if lights and shadows are
already turned off in View > 3D View > Rendering Quality (or in the
toolbar) then nothing will change when you start walking in 3D.
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6 – Shadow rendering technique. The program lets you choose the Stencil
Shadows or Shadow Maps mode. The Stencil Shadows mode is the default
mode.
The 3D pictures rendered by these modes are different.
Stencil Shadows
1
2
Shadow Maps
3
39
4
The difference:
1. The Stencil Shadows method is more accurate. The Shadow Maps give
less sharp shadows (compare 2 and 4 in the picture). Completely or
almost invisible shadows can be rendered by Shadow Maps when a very
thin object is located very close to a large surface (compare 1 and 3).
2. When you are “walking around”, rendering in the Shadow Maps mode is
faster if Shadow Maps Quality is set to the intermediate or lower values.
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7 – Shadow Casting Lights denes how many light sources (including the
sun and the moon) are taken into account when the program is rendering
shadows. At smaller numbers, rendering is faster.
Note that if the quantity of considered light sources is too small, you can get
an unrealistic picture because you cannot see shadows that normally exist.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
3. The Shadow Maps mode must be supported by the graphic card. These
cards don’t support Shadow Maps:
• GeForce4 Ti
• GeForce3
• GeForce2 MX/4 MX
• Radeon 9600/9700/9800/X600
• Radeon 9000/9200
• Radeon 8500
• Radeon 7200/7500
• Radeon 7000
• GMA 950
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
6
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In the picture:
1 – Light source 1
2 – Light source 2
3 – Shadow from the Sun
4 – Shadow from the light source 1
5 – No shadow from the light source 2 with Shadow Casting Lights set to
Nearest 2
6 – Shadow from the light source 2 with Shadow Casting Lights set to
Nearest 4
8 – The Shadow Maps Quality can be used to increase the rendering speed. To
do this, set lower or intermediate values. At low quality, shadows look blurred.
41
The Trimble 3D Warehouse™ Tab
These options control import of Trimble SketchUp™ objects.
Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces changes the
way of importing Trimble SketchUp™ objects. It is set by default.
Split object instances splits a compound object to make its parts separate
objects in Live Interior 3D.
See details in Chapter 6: “Working with Objects” > “Import Options”.
The Miscellaneous Tab
Show Assistant on start-up opens the Assistant when you launch the
program. This lets you choose and load a sample project.
Animate Library 3D Preview by default enables/disables automatic
rotation of the selected 3D object in the preview box. Deselect this option to
increase computer performance.
The Save supplied content in projects option lets you control the project
le size. Normally, the 3D models of all objects used in the project are saved
along with the project le. When the option is selected, links to the library
objects are saved instead of the actual objects. The option affects only the
objects taken from the built-in library. Modied library objects and objects
imported from the outside Live Interior 3D are always saved in the project.
The Autosave modied projects option allows the program to automatically
save a copy of a project to the same folder. If the program quits unexpectedly,
at the next start-up the program it will open the autosaved copy.
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Snap Sensitivity on 2D Plan denes how close you need to bring one object
to another before the objects snap together.
Automatically check for updates lets you specify how frequently the
program checks for updates.
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Live Interior 3D Menus
The “Live Interior 3D Standard” Menu
About Live Interior 3D Display information about the program.
Licenses… Open the registration dialog.
Check for Updates Check for the latest updates on the Internet.
Preferences (Cmd-”,”) Bring up the program Preferences dialog.
Uninstall… Delete the whole program or its parts.
Quit (Cmd-Q) Exit the application.
The “File” Menu
New (Cmd-N) Create a new empty project.
New from Assistant…
(Cmd-Shift-N)
Open… (Cmd-O) Open an existing project.
Open Recent > Open the list of the projects you recently worked
Close (Cmd-W) Close the active project.
Close All Close all open projects.
Save (Cmd-S) Save the open project.
Save As…
(Cmd-Shift-S)
Save As Template Save the open project as template.
Revert Load the last saved version of the project.
Import 3D Object… Import a 3D object.
Export 2D Plan… Save the 2D layout as a graphic le.
Export 3D View… Export the current 3D view to a graphic le.
Export To Export the project or selected objects to the 3D
Project Setup… Open project settings.
Open template projects in the Assistant.
with.
Save the open project under a new name.
le format.
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Print… (Cmd-P) Bring up the standard print dialog for printing the
oor plan.
The “Edit” Menu
Undo (Cmd-Z) Reverse the last operation you performed.
Redo (Cmd-Shift-Z) Reverse the last Undo operation.
Cut (Cmd-X) Remove the selected objects and place the
Copy (Cmd-C) Copy the selected objects onto the Clipboard.
Paste (Cmd-V) Paste the content of the Clipboard into the
Duplicate (Cmd-D) Duplicate the selected object.
Delete (Backspace) Remove the selected object.
Make Object Invisible Make the selected object(s) invisible.
Lock Object Lock the selected object(s).
Add Selected Objects to
Library
Tools > Selection
(Cmd-1)
Tools > Straight Wall
(Cmd-2)
Tools > Floor (Cmd-3) Activate the oor drawing tool.
Tools > Ceiling (Cmd-4) Activate the ceiling drawing tool.
Tools > Floor & Ceiling
(Cmd-5)
Tools > Ceiling Opening
(Cmd-6)
Tools > Camera Activate the camera tool.
Tools > Movie Track Activate the movie camera tool.
Building > … Functions to add and delete storeys and roofs.
Type & Representation… Open the Type & Representation settings for the
Select All (Cmd-A) Select all objects in the project.
selection onto the Clipboard.
project.
Add the selected object(s) to the current
category of the object library.
Activate the selection tool.
Activate the wall drawing tool.
Activate the Floor+Ceiling drawing tool.
Activate the ceiling opening drawing tool.
selected object.
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Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace
The “Insert” Menu
45
Image… Insert an image from a graphic le into the 2D
Measurement Activate the Measurement tool.
Text Annotation Insert a text box into the 2D layout.
Horizontal Guide Insert a horizontal layout guide in the 2D view.
Vertical Guide Insert a vertical layout guide in the 2D view.
User Camera Insert a camera into the 2D layout.
Movie Camera Add a movie camera to the current position in the
layout.
3D view.
The “View” Menu
Show/Hide Toolbar Show or hide the toolbar of the main window.
Customize Toolbar... Customize the toolbar.
Zoom In (Cmd-”=”) Enlarge the current view.
Zoom Out (Cmd-”-”) Zoom out the current view.
Actual Size (Cmd-’) Display the 2D view at its actual size (100%).
Zoom > … Scale the 2D layout to one of the predened
Zoom > Fit Plan
(Cmd-0)
Zoom > Fit Width Scale the 2D layout so that its width ts the view
Zoom > Fit Height Scale the 2D layout so that its height ts the
Toggle 2D/3D View
(Cmd-\)
3D View > Tools > … Activate the Selection, Look Around, Fly
3D View > Rendering
Quality > …
3D View > Daytime > … Change the sunlight options. For more detail, see
sizes.
Scale the 2D layout so that it ts the view
window.
area width.
view area height.
Toggle from the 2D to 3D view and vice versa.
Around or Walk mode. For more detail, see the
description of 3D view controls.
Change the rendering quality. For more detail,
see the Lighting section.
the Lighting section.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
3D View > Consider
Collisions
3D View > Show
Statistic Info
(Cmd-Opt-S)
Display 3D Walk Control Change the way the Walk Control appears in the
Jump to Selection in 3D
(Cmd-Shift-V)
Disable/Enable 2D
Snapping
Show Rulers (Cmd-R) Show or hide the rulers.
Show Rulerlines Show or hide rulerlines.
Show Floor Labels Show or hide oor labels.
Show 3D Viewpoint Show or hide the current point of view on the
Show Smart Guidelines Enable/disable displaying guidelines and snapping
Show Grid Show or hide the layout grid.
Show Storey Above
Current
Show Storey Below
Current
Show Compass in 2D Show or hide the compass in the 2D view.
2D Representations
> ...
Turns on or off the Consider Collisions mode.
Show or hide 3D rendering information in the
status bar.
Triangles – how many triangles were processed
to render the last frame in the 3D scene.
Batches – how many batches were processed to
render the last frame in the 3D scene. A batch is
a group of objects or their parts with the same
material applied.
FPS (frames per second) – average and at the
moment (in brackets).
3D view.
Display the selected object in the 3D view.
Deactivate or activate snapping in the 2D view.
oor plan.
to them when you are moving an object.
Show or hide walls of the storey above the
current.
Show or hide walls of the storey below the
current.
Select a 2D representation type. This applies
to all objects in the project that can change
the representation, except those whose
representation was manually altered in the
Inspector.
Choose the quality of auto-generated 2D
representation of the selected object.
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47
Show Copyrights Info Show the copyright information bar when a
Enter/Exit Full Screen
(Ctrl-Cmd-F)
downloaded object is selected.
Enter or exit the full screen mode.
The “Arrange” Menu
Align > … Align the selected objects by their edges or
Distribute > … Distribute spacing or centers of the selected
Group (Cmd-G) Group the selected objects.
Ungroup (Cmd-Shift-G) Ungroup the selected objects.
Merge into Single
Object
centers.
objects.
Create one object out of several selected.
The “Window” Menu
Minimize (Cmd-M) Minimize the window that is currently active.
Zoom Toggle between the maximum size of the window
Library > … Open one of the object library sections.
Project Tree Open the Project Tree.
Trimble 3D Warehouse Open the browser of the Trimble 3D Warehouse
Inspector > … Open tabs of the Inspector window.
Bring All to Front Move all application windows in front of the
Toggle Library Show or hide the Library panel.
Show Inspector (Cmd-I) Show or hide the Inspector window.
Show Environment
Settings (Cmd-E)
and the recently set size.
online library.
windows of other active applications.
Show or hide the Environment window.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
The “Help” Menu
Live Interior 3D Help Open the built-in Help.
Live Interior 3D Web
Site...
Useful Online
resources...
Online Registration... Open an online registration form.
Send Feedback... Lets you email your feedback to the developers.
Upgrade to Pro
Edition...
Video Tutorials Lets you choose and play online video tutorials.
Live Interior 3D product web page.
Useful resources on BeLight Software web site
connected with Live Interior 3D.
Open the Buy web page with an option to
upgrade to the Pro Edition.
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Live Interior 3D Keyboard Shortcuts
Working with Projects
Cmd-N Create a new empty project.
Cmd-Shift-N Create a new project by using the Assistant.
Cmd-O Open an existing project.
Cmd-W Close the active project.
Cmd-S Save the active project.
Cmd-Shift-S Save the open project under a new name.
Cmd-Q Quit the Application.
Cmd-P Bring up the standard print dialog for printing the
2D layout.
Working with Objects
Cmd-Z Undo the last operation.
Cmd-Shift-Z Redo the last operation.
Cmd-X Cut the selected object(s) to the Clipboard.
Cmd-C Copy the selected objects into the Clipboard.
Cmd-V Paste the content from the Clipboard into the
project.
Cmd-D Duplicate the selected object.
Del Delete the selected object.
Cmd-A Select all the objects in the document.
Cmd-1 Activate the selection tool.
Cmd-2 Activate the wall drawing tool.
Cmd-3 Activate the oor drawing tool.
Cmd-4 Activate the ceiling drawing tool.
Cmd-5 Activate the Measurement tool.
Cmd-6 Activate the ceiling opening drawing tool.
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Arrows Move the selected object in the 2D view. Walk in
Arrows-Shift Move the selected object in the 2D view (by
Cmd-G Group the selected objects.
Cmd-Shift-G Ungroup the selected objects.
Cmd-Shift-V Display the selected object in the 3D view.
the 3D view.
larger increments).
Working with Windows and Panels
Cmd-“+” Zoom In.
Cmd-“-” Zoom Out.
Opt and mouse wheel Zoom in or zoom out.
Cmd-’ Show the oor plan at 100%.
Cmd-M Minimize the active window.
Cmd-W Close the active window.
Cmd-Ctrl-F Enter or exit the full screen mode.
Cmd-, Bring up the application Preferences dialog.
Cmd-R Show or hide the rulers.
Cmd-\ Switch from 2D to 3D view and vice versa.
Cmd-I Open or close the Inspector window.
Cmd-E Open or close the Environment window.
Cmd-Opt-S Show or hide 3D rendering statistics.
Cmd-0 Fit the oor plan to the 2D window.
Space-Drag Scroll the 2D view using the mouse. This way
you can use the pan tool without deactivating the
currently active tool.
Working with the Mouse
Cmd-Mouse Turn the snap mode on or off in the 2D view.
Option-Mouse Duplicate objects in the 2D view.
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Shift-click Select/deselect the object without changing
the selection of other objects (can be used for
multiple selection).
Walking and Looking Around in 3D view
Up Arrow (or W) Move forward.
Down Arrow (or S) Move backward.
Left Arrow Turn to the left.
Right Arrow Turn to the right.
Cmd-Up Arrow (or Q) Tilt the camera up.
Cmd-Down Arrow (or Z) Tilt the camera down.
Option-Up Arrow (or E) Move the camera up.
Option-Down Arrow
(or C)
Option-Left Arrow (or A) Move the camera leftward.
Option-Right Arrow
(or D)
Space-Drag Look around staying in the same place.
Space-Opt-Drag Move around the point located in the center of
Cmd-Opt-[mouse scroll] Move the camera up or down.
Opt-[mouse scroll] Move the camera to or away from the center of
Move the camera down.
Move the camera rightward.
the 3D view.
the screen.
Moving Objects in the 3D View
Cmd-Drag Move an object with temporarily disabled the
Cmd-Otp-Drag Move an object with temporarily disabled the
* Drag means you move the mouse pressing down the right key.
Glue By option. It is used to rip an opening out of
the wall. The object moves horizontally.
Glue By option. It is used to change the object
elevation.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Using Trackpad Gestures in the 3D View
Scroll up or down with
two ngers
Scroll left or right with
two ngers while
holding down Cmd
Scroll left or right with
two ngers while
holding down Shift
Rotate with two ngers Rotate the selected object.
Pinch with two ngers Move the camera to or away from the center of
Scroll up or down with
two ngers while
holding down Opt-Shift
Move the camera forward or backward
horizontally.
Rotate the camera left or right.
Move the camera leftward or rightward.
the screen.
Tilt the camera up or down.
Using Trackpad Gestures in the 2D View
Scroll with two ngers Scroll the 2D view.
Rotate with two ngers Rotate the selected object.
Pinch with two ngers Zoom in or out at the cursor position.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
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Chapter 3:
Getting Started
Setting Up the Program after
Installation
Register Live Interior 3D
Register the program if you have purchased a license code. Otherwise, the
program will work in the demo mode.
To do this, choose Live Interior 3D Standard > Licenses… menu item to
open the registration dialog box. Input your name and your license code.
Set Up the Program Preferences
Check out the program Preferences (Cmd-,) where the application settings are
located.
Below, you will nd brief information that is important when you start using
the program. For details, see Chapter 2: “Live Interior 3D Workspace” >
“Program Preferences”.
The New Project Tab
Settings on this tab are used for the creation of new projects. To adjust the
current project, use File > Project Setup.
Set up Measurement Units.
Other settings can be left unchanged.
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The 3D Settings Tab
3D settings affect the quality and speed of rendering a picture in the 3D view.
It is not recommended that you change these settings the rst time.
Try walking around in the 3D view. If you feel that your computer renders the
scene quickly enough, try to deselect the Decrease Quality when Moving
check box. In this case, the picture quality will not become low when you are
moving.
The Trimble 3D Warehouse™ Tab
Options on this tab control import of Trimble SketchUp™ objects.
Keep them in the default state.
The Miscellaneous Tab
Keep the Show Assistant on start-up check box selected if you want the
Assistant to open and display sample projects when you launch the program.
For better computer performance, don’t turn on the Animate Library 3D
Preview by default feature.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
55
Project Design Workow
The majority of your work can be done in the 2D view. The 3D view is usually
used in the middle and at the end – basically, to choose materials, match
colors, adjust light and, nally, take pictures of your interior design.
Live Interior 3D designs are made up of objects: walls, oors, ceilings,
openings, furniture, lighting sources, etc. You can draw basic objects like
walls, oor and ceilings by using the corresponding tools in the 2D view. More
complicated objects can be taken from the built-in library.
You can add, delete, move, resize objects and apply materials (textures) to
them.
The major steps of the design process are as follows:
1. Opening or creating a project
2. Setting up the project
3. Drawing walls
4. Adding oors and ceilings
5. Adding doors and windows
6. Adding furniture and other objects
7. Setting up the lighting
8. Applying materials to objects
9. Adding cameras
10. Printing a 2D plan, taking pictures in the 3D view, creating QTVR and
movies
Actually, the order of the steps may be altered, as the design process usually
consists of iterations. Some steps may be omitted. For example, you can draw
all the walls, insert all the furniture, and then change their materials. Or you
can change materials right after adding a new object.
If you are creating a multi-oor building, you should add more storeys and
repeat steps 3 – 10 (all or some of them) for each storey.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Quick Start Guide
Opening or Creating a Project
Before you start working, you should open an existing project or create a new
one.
To create a new empty project, use the File > New menu command.
To create a project using a template, use the Assistant (File > New from
Assistant).
To open an existing project, open the necessary le by double-clicking on it in
the Finder. Another way is to use the File > Open menu command or choose
your project from the File > Open Recent list.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
Drawing Walls
Usually, you start your project by adding outer walls and drawing interior
walls.
The wall height (actually the whole storey height) can be set in the Building
Properties tab of the Inspector window.
Drawing a Single Wall Segment
1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.
3. Click with the mouse in the layout where the wall should begin, then
move the mouse where the end should be located.
When you move the mouse, thus creating a wall, it snaps to the existing
objects and to the guides at angles of 0, 45, 90, ... degrees (by 45degree increments). Smart guides will be shown to align the wall with
other objects more accurately.
The information bar above the horizontal ruler shows the wall length as
you draw. If the ruler is not shown, press Cmd-R.
4. Double-click where the wall end should be located.
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Removing a Single Wall Segment
To remove a wall segment, select it by clicking on it and press the Backspace
(or Delete) key.
Resizing a Single Wall Segment
To resize a wall segment, select it and drag a handle on its end.
The length and thickness of the wall can be changed in the Object Properties
tab of the Inspector window.
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Drawing a Room
1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.
3. Click with the mouse in the layout (1) to start drawing a wall. Move the
mouse pointer and click to specify a corner (2).
Every click will specify the end of the current wall segment and start
another one.
4. Add two more corners (3 and 5).
5. Click on the free end of the rst segment (6) to set the end of the last
wall. The program will make the room outline closed and quit the wall
drawing mode.
6. If you need to resize the room, select one of its walls and drag it with
the mouse.
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 – First click
2 – Second click (making a corner)
3 – Third click (another corner)
4 – Current position of the mouse pointer
5 – Fourth click (one more corner)
6 – Final click
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
Before you start drawing walls, set the wall parameters in the Object
Properties tab of the Inspector window. You can also choose “Master Walls”
(wall templates) in Inspector.
To move a wall, select it and drag it with the mouse.
To apply a material to the wall, drag the material from the Materials tab of
the Inspector window and drop it onto the wall.
To stop drawing a wall segment, press the Esc key.
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Using a Floor Plan Created in Another Program
You may already have a oor plan drawn on paper or in another design
software. It is possible to use this oor plan when working in Live Interior:
1. Make a graphic le of your oor plan. Scan it if it is on paper. Save it as
an image if it is saved as a project from another application.
The most preferable is PDF format. GIF and JPEG are also supported.
TIFF will work, but it is not recommended because of the large le size.
2. Insert the image in a new project using the Insert > Image menu. It is
better to do this after adjusting the project settings.
3. Resize the image to t the current project scale.
4. Select the image and lock it in the Project Tree to prevent occasional
displacement.
To lock any object, select it in the view, then open the Project Tree
(Window > Project Tree), and click the lock icon near the name of
this object (this object is selected in the Project Tree).
1
2
1 – Unlocked image.
2 – Locked image.
5. Outline the walls (shown on the plan) and place openings, light sources
and furniture (if their positions are marked on the oor plan).
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
Drawing an Interior Wall
One or both ends of an interior wall may be joined with existing walls.
1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.
3. Click the desired location on the outer wall to start drawing an interior
wall.
4. Click on the opposite outer wall to place the end of the interior wall.
5. If necessary, adjust the location of the interior wall by dragging it with
the mouse.
The joint between the interior wall and the outer wall divides the outer wall
into two parts.
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1 32
1 – First click
2 – Current position of the mouse pointer
3 – Final click
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Adding Floors and Ceilings
The program adds the oor and the ceiling automatically when several wall
segments make a closed shape. So usually you do not need to add oors and
ceilings manually.
To draw oors and ceilings by yourself, use the corresponding toolbar buttons
in the 2D view:
1. Open the 2D view window (menu: View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Floor or Ceiling tool in the toolbar.
3. The oor or ceiling shape will be determined by its corners.
Click with the mouse in the layout to specify a corner, then click where
the next corner should appear on the oor plan, and so on.
When you move the mouse pointer, thus drawing a wall, it snaps to the
existing objects. Smart guides will be displayed to align a oor or ceiling
with other objects more accurately.
4. Double-click on the oor plan where the last corner should be located.
2
1
1 – First click
2 – Second click
2
3
4
1
3
5
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
3 – Third click
4 – Current mouse pointer position
5 – Final double-click
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Adding Doors and Windows
You do not need to leave gaps in the wall for future doors or windows; the
program will do this automatically when you drop a window or a door onto the
wall.
1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel
(Window > Library > Building Elements).
2. Choose Doors or Windows from the drop-down list.
3. Drag the desired door or window onto the wall.
4. Adjust the location of the door or window by moving it along the wall.
5. Adjust the parameters of the door or window by using controls in the
Object Properties tab of the Inspector window.
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Adding Furniture
In this example, you will add a wardrobe from the built-in object library and
adjust its size and location.
Adding a Wardrobe
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the Library panel.
2. Type “wardrobe” in the search box and press the Return ke y.
3. Choose one of the displayed wardrobes and drag it into the project
layout (the 2D view should be open).
Another way to nd a piece of furniture is to open the Library (Window >
Library > Furnishing), select the corresponding category in the drop-down
list and look through the thumbnails.
Changing the Size of the Wardrobe
1. Open the Object Properties tab of the Inspector window (Window >
Inspector > Object Properties).
2. Unlock the Width, Depth and Height controls by clicking the lock icon
next to them.
3. Enter the desired dimensions.
Moving the Wardrobe to the Right Place
1. To make the wardrobe snap to walls, set the Glue By option in the
Object Properties tab of the Inspector window. Then, select the Bottom
and Back check boxes.
Selecting the Bottom option prevents the object from hovering above
the oor.
2. If you need to turn the wardrobe, use the Rotate control in the
Inspector (Window > Inspector > Object Properties).
3. Use the mouse to move the wardrobe into the proper position.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
65
Working with Materials
The objects supplied with the program have default materials. The object’s
material determines its color and also the light dissipation and light reection
characteristics. Usually, several materials are used in one object.
When creating a specic interior design, you may want objects in your design
to have the same color or nish.
In our example, you will change the materials of a sofa and then copy them to
an armchair.
Changing a Material of the Sofa
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the object library. Select the Sofas category
from the drop-down list. Drag the “California VZ” sofa to the project
layout.
2. Open the 3D view.
3. While the sofa is selected, open the Materials tab in the Inspector
window. All the materials used in the sofa are shown in the Object’s
Materials box (the upper one).
4. Select “Wood/ArchiBase_Cherry” in Object’s Materials.
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Copying the Wood Material from the Sofa to the Armchair
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
5. Open the Wood category in the Materials Gallery, scroll down and click
to select “026 Sharp Oak”. It will replace the previously used material of
the sofa.
1. From the Armchairs category (Furnishing tab of the Library panel), drag
the “California” armchair to the project layout and let it remain selected.
2. Open the 3D view.
3. Select “Wood/ArchiBase_Cherry” in the Object’s Materials box of the
Inspector window (Materials tab). We want to replace this material with
the one used for wooden parts of the sofa.
4. Click on the Material Picker tool to activate it (the mouse pointer will
change).
5. Now we want to pick the material used for the wooden parts of the sofa.
With the Material Picker tool, click the sofa to pick one of its materials,
and repeat the clicks as necessary to go through its other materials, one
at a time.
Each time, the material picked will replace the selected material of the
armchair. Make sure that you picked “Wood/026 Sharp Oak”.
6. Click on the Material Picker tool again to deactivate it.
To apply a material to the walls, ceiling and oor, drag this material onto the
object in the 3D view.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
67
Working with Cameras
Walking in the 3D view allows you to get to any place within your 3D space.
Placing cameras, you can specify one or many locations in the 3D space and
then quickly jump to any of them at any moment.
By default, ve cameras are set up in the project.
The cameras are listed in the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector window.
Suppose you want to take pictures of the room from three points, change the
color of walls or furniture, and then compare the pictures to choose the best
color. In this case, you will put three custom cameras in the desired locations,
change the wall color, you just select a camera from the list, and save a
picture.
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To add a camera:
The selected camera moves along your walk in the 3D view. So walking is
another way to point the camera in some direction.
Unnecessary cameras can be removed in the same way as ordinary objects in
the 2D view.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
1. Open the 2D layout.
2. Choose the Camera tool in the toolbar.
3. Click on the point on oor plan where a new camera should be located.
4. The camera object has handles (green dots) when selected. Drag one of
them to change the location and orientation of the camera.
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Setting Up the Lighting
The program lets you use several kinds of light sources: sunlight, light from
electric lamps and open re.
You can manage light sources in the current project using the Lights Properties
tab of the Inspector window. All the light sources are listed here.
Daytime has four predened states. To choose one, click a corresponding
button in the Inspector: Day, Evening, Night or Morning. The other button lets
you choose the time you prefer.
Electric light sources are under your control. You can add, move and delete
them from the layout. Also, you can use the Inspector window to set their
luminosity and color.
To add a lamp:
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the Library panel.
2. Select the Lamps section in the drop-down list.
3. And nally, drag a lamp into the 2D view.
Lamps must have the Glue By option selected in the Object Properties tab in
the Inspector. Set the lamps to stick to the ceiling (Top) or wall (Back). Lamps
that stand on the oor or on a table should have the Glue By option set to
Bottom. The Glue By option lets you move the lamp in 3D without detaching
it from the selected surface.
To change the luminosity and color of a lamp, select it and adjust its
parameters in the 3D Window Properties tab of the Inspector window. You can
also switch any lamp on or off.
To switch light sources on or off, click the bulb icon in the Lights list in the
Lights Properties tab of the Inspector window.
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Printing a Floor Plan
To print a oor plan, use the Print command from the File menu.
To export a oor plan to a graphic le:
1. Choose the Export 2D Plan command from the File menu.
2. Select the le format. Some graphic formats have adjustable export
parameters.
3. Choose where to save your le, enter a le name and click the Save
button.
The printing scale will be taken from the scale that is set in File > Project
Setup (the Measurements section).
Before printing the layout, you may want to add measurements or some text
to it. Choose Insert > Measurement or Insert > Text Annotation for this.
Taking Pictures of the 3D View
1. Choose a point from which the picture will be taken.
To do this, walk to some point in 3D. If necessary, adjust the camera
position and orientation using the Walk control located at the bottom of
the 3D window.
To make it visible all the time, choose View > Display 3D Walk
Control > Always.
2. Choose the Export 3D View command from the File menu.
3. Select the le format. Some graphic formats allow setting export
parameters.
4. Choose where to save the picture, enter a le name and click the Save
button.
Note: All objects in Live Interior 3D have the Visibility option in the Project
Tree in the Library panel. If you don’t want an object to be shown in the 3D
view or on the oor plan, make the object invisible. To do this, select the
object and click the eye icon in Project Tree.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
Creating a Movie Track in 2D
We are going to create a movie track with straight segments. An L-shaped
movie track will lay along two guidelines.
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the tool bar.
2. Place the cursor over the point where the movie track should begin.
71
3. Press the mouse button and don’t release it.
Now a movie camera has been added and it is rotating in the direction
of the mouse.
Change the direction of the camera (it should be pointed along the
horizontal guide line rightwards, in this example). When done, release
the mouse button. You can adjust the orientation of the camera later.
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4. Move the cursor to a new position for adding the second camera.
5. Click on the oor plan to add a new camera. After adding the second
camera, don’t move the mouse (see the next step).
6. Now, the movie track should turn right. To force the existing track
segment to stay straight, we will use the Opt key. When it is pressed,
the existing part of the movie track keeps the shape constant while you
are moving around the Movie Track tool. Press Opt before you move
the cursor.
Point with the mouse at a new camera location and click.
Don’t release the Opt key, because we do not want the previous track
segment to change its shape.
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Chapter 3: Getting Started
7. Move the cursor to the location of the end point of the movie track.
Double-click to add the nal camera. Then release the Opt ke y.
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Video Tutorials
In order to help you make your rst steps in Live Interior 3D, the developer
offers video tutorials. These short videos describe how to do some particular
tasks. Watching the tutorials, you will also learn the program interface.
To bring up the window with the video tutorials, select Help > Video
Tutorials.
To view the video tutorials, Internet connection is required.
All tutorials are in English.
An alternative way to view the tutorials is to go to the developer’s web site:
http://www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/screencasts.php
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Chapter 4: Working with Projects
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Chapter 4:
Working with Projects
What is a Project?
A Live Interior 3D project is a computer le in a special format which is used
to save your work. This le stores the oor plan drawing, used 3D models,
materials, etc.
A Live Interior 3D project is based on the 2D layout of a building. The oor
plan shows walls, windows, doors and furniture (objects).
The project stores various project settings (they can be modied in the Project
Setup dialog).
The program can create a 3D representation of your project layout. The 3D
view is available at any moment of the design process.
You can modify the project by editing the layout in the 2D as well as in the 3D
representation.
An easy way to start with the program is to open one of the sample projects
by using the Assistant.
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Creating and Opening Projects
To create a new empty project, use the File > New (Cmd-N) menu
command.
Default settings of a new project correspond to the program Preferences
(Cmd-”,”). They can be modied later in the Project Setup dialog.
A typical project design sequence is described in Chapter 3: “Getting Started”
> “Project Design Workow”.
To create a project from a template, use the Assistant.
By default, the Assistant opens on start-up. To change this, use the Show
Assistant on start-up option in the Miscellaneous tab of the program
Preferences dialog (Live Interior 3D Standard > Preferences).
Another way to open the Assistant is to use the New From Assistant (CmdShift-N) command from the File menu.
To open a project located on your hard drive, double-click on it in the Finder.
Another way is to use the File > Open menu command or choose your project
from the File > Open Recent list.
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Chapter 4: Working with Projects
Project Setup
To access the project settings, choose the File > Project Setup menu
command.
The settings are grouped in the following tabs:
• Project Info – You can type the author’s name, copyright information
and project description to save together with the project.
• Measurements – Here you can choose measurement units for your
project.
The Suppress Units check box lets you hide measurement units in the
2D layout (you will see 40’ 00.0” instead of 40’ 00.0” ft, or 2.6 instead
of 2.6 m).
You can set the scale for your project (a predened or custom one).
“1:100” means that a one meter distance will be one centimeter on the
screen. Also, you can specify the scale as “1/4 in : 1 ft”. The default
measurement values are taken from the New Project tab of the program
Preferences.
The upper left corner of the rulers shows the current measurement
units. For quick access to the Measurements section of the project
settings, click in the corner where the current measurement units are
displayed.
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• Preview – You can choose an image that will be shown for the preview in
the Finder when your project le is selected.
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Saving Projects
To save your project, use the File > Save menu command or the Cmd-S
shortcut.
You have the option to save your project in the Mac OS native bundle format
(.li3d), or in the compressed format (.lizd). The bundle format includes a
Quick Look preview that makes it useful on the Mac OS platform. In the
compressed format, your project is a regular le (not a bundle). This format
should be used for emailing, sharing over the Internet, or backing up to a
non-Mac OS network drive.
All the materials used in the design are saved in the project le. This
guarantees that your project will look the same way on other machines with
Live Interior 3D installed.
If you plan to view the project on a computer where Live Interior 3D is not
installed, save the 2D and 3D views as graphic les.
For more information, see Chapter 4: “Working with Projects” > “Printing”.
Saving Templates
To save your project as a template, use the File > Save as Template menu
command. Templates are saved only in the compressed format (.lizd).
Once you have saved a custom template, the program doesn’t retain the link
between the open project and this template. To update the template after
modication, select it in the Save As Template dialog to overwrite.
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The Project Tree
The Project Tree is a list of objects that have
been added to the current project. To open it,
choose Window > Project Tree.
1 – The oor selector. You can choose to
display objects located on one oor or on all
the oors.
2 – An object. Clicking an item in the list, you
will select the object in the list and in the 2D
and 3D views.
3 – Sub-items of an object. Click on the
triangle to show or hide an object’s sub-items.
4 – The Visibility option. Click on the icon to
hide or show an object in the project.
5 – The Lock option. Click on the icon to
prevent the occasional changing or moving of
an object.
6 – Turn on/off the preview animation mode.
7 – Zoom in or zoom out the preview.
8 – Show or hide the preview box.
9 – The preview box displays the preview of the
object selected in the Project Tree. If a camera
or movie camera is selected, you can see here
the view produced by this camera.
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1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Objects get a default name when you add them
to the project. For example, all wall segments
are named “Wall”. If you need to distinguish
objects of the same type, assign different
names to them. To change the name, doubleclick on it in the Project Tree.
The objects are grouped by type.
The Project Tree can display items on a selected oor or all items in the
project. When all oors are displayed in the Project Tree, oors and slabs are
at the top. Walls, windows, furniture, etc. are sub-items of the corresponding
oors.
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When you select an object in the 2D or 3D view, it gets selected in the Project
Tree, and vice versa.
If you need to select all objects of the same type, it is easier to do this in the
Project Tree.
In the Project Tree, the objects have two controls:
A locked object cannot be selected by clicking on it in the 2D or 3D view.
These settings can be modied for several objects by a single click when those
objects are selected in the list (multiple selection is possible).
Some objects may contain their parts shown in the list as sub-objects. For
instance, a door object has a door frame and a door itself. Their parameters
may be changed separately. A wall object contains crowns and bases on both
sides.
To bring up the context menu, right-click on an object. Most commands are
the same as in the context menu in the 2D view. In addition to those, you will
nd View In 3D. Use this command to nd objects in the 3D view.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
• Visibility – clicking the eye icon makes the selected object visible or
invisible in the 2D and 3D views.
• Lock – if the object is locked, it cannot be moved or modied.
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The Environment Panel
The Environment panel lets you set up the
geographic orientation of the building, time
of day and cloudiness. All this affects the
3D scene illumination intensity.
To open the panel, choose Window >
Show Environment or press Cmd-E.
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1
Daytime & Weather
Choose daytime. Four buttons (1) set
predened time (6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and
24:00). The last button lets you set your
own time. To do this, use the numeric time
control (3) or turn the hour hand on the
clock (2) with the mouse.
To vary cloudiness, use the slide bar (4).
Geographic Location
Rotate the compass (6) with the mouse to
change the geographic orientation of the
oor plan. The compass icon on the oor
plan, if it is enabled by the check box (7),
will reect the selected direction.
The Latitude parameter (5) denes how
high the sun is at any particular time of
da y.
2
3
4
5
6
7
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Exporting the Floor Plan
To save your 2D layout as a graphic le, select File > Export 2D Plan. The
following formats are available: PDF, BMP, TIFF, JPEG and PNG.
The scale of the exported oor plan is the same as the scale specied in the
Measurements section of the project settings (see Chapter 4: “Working with
Projects” > “Project Setup”).
If you need more control over the export layout, you can save your oor plan
to a PDF le using the printing procedure. In the system print dialog, choose
PDF > Save as PDF.
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Exporting 3D Views to Graphic Files
To take a picture of the current 3D view:
1. Open the 3D View.
2. Make the 3D View display the picture you want to shoot.
To do this, choose the camera pointing in the necessary direction in the
Camera list (Inspector window, the Cameras Properties tab). Or, use
the walk controls and camera orientation tools to position the current
camera.
3. Choose the File > Export 3D View menu item, or click the camera icon
in the 3D toolbar.
4. Choose the image format and size.
You can choose one of the following graphic le formats: BMP, TIFF,
JPEG, PNG. Graphic formats with compression let you choose better
quality or better compression.
5. Type a le name and click Save.
After an image is saved, the program offers to show you a preview of it.
To print the 3D view, open the exported picture in the Preview application and
print it (File > Print).
Exporting 3D Views to QuickTime VR (QTVR)
QuickTime VR (virtual reality) format lets you save a panoramic view of your
project from the point where you are “standing” in 3D. Then you can open the
exported le in QuickTime and look in any direction.
To export to QTVR:
1. Open the 3D View.
2. Walk to the central point of your panorama.
To do this, choose the camera located at the desired point from the
Camera list (Inspector window, the Cameras tab).
Or, use the walk controls to navigate to the necessary point.
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After a QTVR le is saved, the program offers to show a preview of it.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
3. Choose the File > Export 3D View menu item, or click the camera icon
in the 3D toolbar.
4. Choose QTVR format. Then select the size and quality.
5. Type a le name and click Save.
Exporting to the 3D File Format
You can export to the following formats:
• Trimble SketchUp (*.skp).
• VRML Version 2.0 (*.wrl).
• X3D (*.x3d).
• RenderMan (*.rib). This format is used to transfer your 3D scene to and
export photorealistic images in 3Delight.
• Collada (*.dae). This format is used to transfer your project to other 3D
editing programs (3DS Max, Maya, Cinema, Strata, Shade and others).
The list of applications that support Collada can be found on the Collada
web site.
• Render Boost (*.lga).
Trimble SketchUp
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a oor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you don’t have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Trimble SketchUp (*.skp) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
oor, entire project).
5. Select the version of the SketchUp format.
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6. To simplify the object before exporting it, select the Merge coplanar
triangles check box. To keep all the details, keep the check box
deselected. This option does not affect the object in the Live Interior 3D
project.
7. Type a le name and click Save.
VRML Version 2.0 and X3D
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a oor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you don’t have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select VRML Version 2.0 (*.wrl) or X3D (*.x3d) in the Save As Type
drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
oor, entire project).
5. Type a le name and click Save.
Collada
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a oor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you don’t have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Collada (*.dae) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
oor, entire project).
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5. Set up the export options.
Up Axis denes the name of the vertical axis in the output le. If you
don’t know the requirements of the software you will use to open the
exported scene, keep the default state.
Specify whether you wish to export the light sources, predened and
user cameras using the corresponding check boxes.
Select Fix Texture Coordinate if textures with applied transformations
look incorrectly in the software used to open the exported scene.
Select Copy Texture Images to export all textures used in your 3D
scene to a dedicated folder. Without this option activated, the textures
from the texture library are used to render the scene. For this, Live
Interior 3D must be installed to provide this library.
Relative Path to Texture Images lets you choose either a relative or
absolute path to the folder with exported textures created by activating
Copy Texture Images. What you should specify depends on the
software you will use to work with the exported scene.
6. Type a le name and click Save.
Render Boost
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a oor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you don’t have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Render Boost (*.lga) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. Select a radio button according to what you want to export: an object, a
oor or the entire project.
5. Type a le name and click Save.
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Printing
To print:
1. Choose File > Print (Cmd-P) to open the Print dialog.
2. Select a paper format. If several printers are installed in your system,
select the proper printer before choosing the paper size.
3. Choose the paper orientation. If most of your 3D views or oor plans
have horizontal orientation, activate the landscape mode.
4. Set up margins.
5. From the left panel, drag and drop 3D views or oor plans you wish to
print onto the sheets. You can add as many sheets as you need.
6. Click Next to proceed to the system Print dialog. Set up the printing
options.
7. Click Print to send your project to the printer, or click PDF > Save as
PDF to export it as a le.
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The Print Dialog
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1 – Select the printer you are going to use. The list of compatible paper
depends on the selected printer.
2 – Select a paper format. You can either choose a standard paper size or type
in custom dimensions. All sheets have the same size.
3 – The thumbnails of all available 3D views and oor plans. To print, you
need to drag them onto the sheets to the right. Each oor plan corresponds to
one of the oors in your project. Each 3D view corresponds to one of cameras.
If you need more 3D views, add more cameras.
4 – These are the sheets where you compose the printing layout. You can
move the placed graphics around using the mouse. To resize a 3D view, select
it and drag one of corner handles. To resize a oor plan on the selected sheet,
change its Sheet scale. If needed, the program automatically increases the
sheet size so that its content is laid out over several pages. After printing, you
can glue the parts together.
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5 – The zoom for the sheet preview. Additionally, you can right-click on the
preview area and choose one of zoom options.
6 – Add new sheets.
7 – Remove the selected sheet. You cannot delete the last sheet.
8 – Select the page orientation here. All sheets have the same orientation.
9 – Margins help you dene the amount of blank space along the page sides.
Certain printers cannot print near the edges of the paper. You may need to
increase the margins to meet the capabilities of your printer. By setting up
margins, you can insure that no graphics appear in the unprintable area. All
sheets have the same margins.
10 – Sheet scale controls let you set up the scale for oor plans on any sheet
individually.
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The Render Boost Plug-in
An alternative way to render a 3D scene is to use the Render Boost plug-in. It
is powered by Lightworks Artisan software.
Once you install this plug-in, its controls appear in the main menu and tool
bar.
The use of the plug-in is described in its own documentation. The page you
are reading is aimed at explaining the integration between Live Interior 3D
and the Render Boost plug-in.
Note that only one instance of the Render Boost plug-in can be opened at the
same time.
System Requirements
• Live Interior 3D Pro or Standard Edition installed (App Store versions
supported)
• Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later
• Intel only, 2 GHz processor
• 500 MB of free hard drive space
• 3D class Video Card with 256 MB, minimum OpenGL 1.4 (1 GB of memory,
Unied Shader Model and OpenGL 2.0 support recommended)
Licensing
To obtain the all functionality of the plug-in, you need to purchase the license
code. To input it, select Render Boost > License in the main menu, then ll
in the Owner and License Code elds.
Opening the Current 3D View Right Inside the Plug-in
To render the current 3D view, you need to open it in the plug-in. You can
send the 3D scene to the plug-in directly, or you can export all necessary
information to a le, and later open it in the plug-in. The rst method is
preferred because it lets you modify your project in Live Interior 3D and
instantly update the scene in the plug-in.
To export the scene directly, choose Render Boost > Render Scene... from
the main menu, or click
in the 3D tool bar. Note that your project must be saved before exporting. This
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is needed because the plug-in saves the settings for the scene in the same
folder where project is located.
To update the scene in the plug-in, select Render Boost > Render Scene...
again.
Opening or updating the 3D scene in the plug-in can take some time
depending on the complexity of the project.
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Exporting the 3D View to the Render Boost Format
1. Select File > Export To....
2. Set Save As Type to Render Boost (*.lga).
3. Choose whether you wish to export: the selected object, the current
oor or the entire project.
4. Click Save.
Opening a 3D Scene From a File
In Live Interior 3D, choose Render Boost > Open File.... Then select a *.lga
le.
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Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Creating Movies
You can create a movie as you walk through your 3D space. Live Interior uses
the MOV le format to save movies.
If you need to create a panorama of the 3D space, see Chapter 4, “Working
with Projects” > “Exporting 3D Views to QTVR”.
Movie Track and Movie Cameras
Movie creation begins with creating a movie track that is a path along which
an imaginary video camera moves. You can place multiple movie tracks in
your project. A movie track can be edited at any time. To create a movie,
you should select a movie track and start the process by clicking the Record
Movie button below the movie track list in Inspector > Cameras.
A movie track is made up of one or several straight or curved segments. The
track runs over anchor points – movie cameras. End points of the movie track
are also movie cameras. When you create a movie track, you place movie
cameras in some key points in the 3D space. Intermediate points will be
interpolated automatically according to a Bézier curve.
Movie cameras are represented on the oor plan by an icon with two triangles.
Interpolated points are represented by a line. The arrows in the movie camera
icon dene the direction of camera movement along the path.
1 2 3 4
1 – The beginning of the movie track (the rst movie camera)
2 – Movie track
3 – Intermediate movie camera
4 – The end of the movie track (the last movie camera)
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Selecting a Movie Track
Ways to select a movie track:
• Click on a movie track in the 2D view.
• Click on a movie track in the Movie Track category in the Cameras tab of
the Inspector window.
• Click on a movie track in the Auxiliary category of the Project Tree.
A selected movie track is highlighted on the oor plan by blue color.
Selecting a Movie Camera
To select a movie camera, click on it on the oor plan, or choose it in the list
under the corresponding movie track in the Cameras tab of the Inspector
window.
A selected movie camera may also dene a point of view for 3D view as an
ordinary camera. In this case, a viewing frustum (blue triangle) next to it
displays the direction of the camera.
The preview in the Project Tree displays the view produced by the selected
movie camera.
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1 2 43 52
1 – Selected movie track
2 – Camera control points
3 – Selected camera
4 – Deselected camera
5 – Camera direction point
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Creation of a Movie Track in 2D
A simplied process of creating a movie track is described below. A more
detailed way can be found in Chapter 4: “Working with Projects” > “Creating
and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D”.
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.
2. Click on the oor plan where you want the movie track to begin (point 1
in the picture below).
3. Make more clicks to add more movie cameras to the current track (point
2 in the picture below).
4. Double click to place the last camera (point 3 in the picture below).
1 2 3
The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.
Important!
The number of movie cameras depends on how curvy a movie track should be.
A less curvy track requires less intermediate cameras. A straight track requires
only two cameras at its ends. Do not add unnecessary intermediate cameras.
Extra intermediate cameras are needed for a more accurate creation of a track
with a complex shape.
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Creation of a Movie Track in 3D
A simplied process of movie track creation is described below. A more
detailed way can be found in Chapter 4: “Working with Projects” > “Creating
and Modifying Movie Tracks in 3D”.
1. Walk to a point in 3D that should be the start point for your movie.
2. Open the Cameras tab of the Inspector and click the Add Movie Track
from 3D Viewpoint button (3D view should be open). The icon of the
button indicates the current mode.
Add Movie Track mode:
In this mode, clicking the button creates a new track and adds a
new camera to it.
The icon of the button will turn into the image below, indicating that
new cameras will be added to the current track by clicking the button.
Add Movie Camera mode:
In this mode, clicking the button adds a new camera at the end
of the selected track.
Note: For creating a new track none of the existing movie tracks should
be selected. To deselect a movie track in the Inspector, click the Movie
Tracks title above the list of movie cameras.
3. Move in the 3D space to the next position. If necessary, adjust the
orientation, tilt and elevation of the camera.
4. Click the Add Movie Camera from 3D Viewpoint button in the
Inspector.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add more movie cameras.
Adjusting a Movie Track
You can change the shape of a track on the oor plan by:
• moving cameras to new places;
• changing the shape of track segments between movie cameras (location
of cameras is unchanged).
To change the location of a movie camera, select a movie track and drag the
camera to a new place.
To change the shape of a track segment without moving cameras, drag the
camera control points around the corresponding camera.
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You can see the view from any movie camera in the 3D view. To do this, select
it in the Camera Properties tab of the Inspector. If you start walking around,
the camera will change its location and direction correspondingly. This way you
can adjust key points of the movie track.
A camera icon in the top-right corner of the 3D view appears when a movie
camera is selected. This indicates that if you walk in 3D, its position will
change.
Live Interior 3D User’s Manual
Creating a Movie
To create a movie from a movie track:
1. Select a movie track.
2. Click the Record Movie… in the Cameras Properties tab of the
Inspector.
3. Type the name for the new movie le and choose a folder to save it in.
4. Set up the movie properties.
For better quality, choose higher resolution and frame rate. Note that
setting high resolution or high frame rate produces movie les of a large
size.
Select a video codec. The H.264 codec provides better compression
ratio (requires QuickTime 7 or higher to play back). Select it for
smaller le size at the same movie quality. Prefer the MPEG-4 codec for
compatibility with more types of video players.
The Quality slide bar lets you change the compression rate. The higher
quality you set, the lower compression rate is used.
5. Click Save.
After creating a movie, the program offers to play it.
Tip: Creating movies with a long track or with high resolution may take quite
long. Choose minimum resolution and/or frame rate to create a preview
movie. When you are sure that all the cameras are positioned well, create a
movie of the desired quality.
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Looping Movies
You can loop a movie track by placing the beginning and the end of the movie
track at the same point. To do this, select a track, bring up its context menu
and choose the Loop Movie item. Live Interior will automatically add a new
track segment to close the track. If you deactivate the loop option, the added
segment will disappear.
To play back such a movie, load it in QuickTime and select the View > Loop
option in its menu. Then click the Play button.
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Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D
A Simple Way of Creating a Movie Track
A simple way of creating a movie track is as follows:
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.
2. Click with the mouse on the oor plan where you want the movie track
to begin (step 1 in the picture below).
3. Make more clicks to add more movie cameras to the current track (step
2 in the picture below).
4. Double click to place the last camera (step 3 in the picture below).
1 2 3
The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.
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Setting the Camera Direction while Creating a Movie
Track
The following method lets you point a new camera while adding it. Another
way is to change the camera direction after the track is created.
The process of creating movie tracks is as follows:
1. Click the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.
2. Place the mouse cursor on the oor plan where you want to place the
rst movie camera.
3. Press the mouse button (the left one for 2-button mice). Keeping the
button pressed, move the mouse to change the camera direction. Then
release the button.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for adding more cameras.
5. After adding the last camera, press the Esc button.
The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.
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Keeping the Last Segment Unchanged while Creating a
Movie Track
When you are moving the mouse cursor while adding a new movie camera (4
in the picture), two track segments, before and after the last added camera
(2), change according to the location of the cursor (4). Segments (1) and (3)
are straight. After the camera moves, they become curved (5).
Press the Alt key if you wish to keep the previously added segment
unchanged while moving around a new movie camera to nd a better place for
it. This will force the previous segment (6) to freeze when a new segment (7)
reshapes following the mouse cursor (new movie camera).
Follow the steps below:
1. Add one or multiple movie cameras.
2. Add another movie camera (2 in the
picture) to your movie track by a click.
Do not move the cursor until you press
the Alt ke y.
3. Place the mouse cursor where you want
to place another movie camera.
4. Click on the oor plan to place a new
camera. Now you can release the Alt
key, or keep it pressed to continue using
the current mode.
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