Sections:You
cannot export section-cuts.
There is
no exporter or renderer available that can do this.
A section-cut is a graphics 'trick' in Sketchup that changes the way the model is displayed but not its physical contents.
This cannot therefore be exported.
An exporter exports data from the SKP.
Even if Octane itself were to add a 'sectioning' option it would not be straightforward to export the section-plane from the SKP - as the Sketchup API is scant on section-plane methods - like finding which one is active! Assuming that Octane gets a cmd-line addressable sectioning capability in the future, then I can think of some 'tricks' to add one 'plane_component' that would export appropriately, which Octane would then take as
its section-plane... but this is a 'pipe-dream' as there are currently no such capabilities in Octane...
There
are ways of slicing the SKP model with a section-cut and then adding a face to it, then physically cutting the model along that section-plane and erasing one half of it [you should of course work on a copy of the SKP!]. This are not unlike your way of doing it 'longhand' but automate some of the processes.
The PDFs explaining the process and links to the two scripts needed are here
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtop ... 04#p184604Export Workflow:The process that should be...
1
model_skp>save_skp>export>render>adjust_ocs_settings>re-render>...>save_ocs>close_ocsYou adjust material settings and save - they are remembered with the ocs file.
then...
2
change_model_skp>save_skp>re-export>render>adjust_ocs_settings>re-render>...>save_ocs>close_ocsTim's workflow should therefore run as expected, provided things are saved to the right places and the appropriate boxes are ticked on the exporter etc.
On doing part '2' any changes to geometry/visible_layers, and any new materials [new names] etc will be reflected in the exported/rendered data.
Existing materials in the ocs should not change when re-rendered [the Octane options should be much as those in the dialog screen-shot attached below].
If you have changed the texture_file [same name] used for an image that will be reflected in there-rendered ocs as the image_file is reexported every time..
This 'changing of materials' is an Octane issue not an Exporter one per se: the exporter simply exports 'everything' available and Octane sorts out what it will and won't do with the data. For example - currently the exporter includes the materials' transparency in the data, but Octane always chooses to ignore that and on a first import of that material, and it uses 'opaque' for all... and you must then adjust the material in the ocs and save it. However, subsequent re-exports and renders using the same named material should keep the materials' transparency as last set in the ocs and ignore the current skp's value as ever.
If you change your SKP's viewpoint or the active Scene tab in Sketchup and re-export you must have the appropriate export_camera box ticked - and the required camera selected off the list - either 'current_view', 'current_tab' [which might not be the same thing] or a tab 'by_name'. If the box is ticked the cmd used to run Octane includes that camera's data. Similarly other settings like 'lighting' might need setting as desired.
Renaming the project or its project_folder, or saving the project's ocs file to a different location will effectively ignore earlier versions and start again from scratch.
If you do not have some export settings ticked [like camera or lighting] then the ocs will render using the last settings you gave it [like the view or lighting]...
If you want to re-export and render then please remember that if the project's ocs is currently open you must
close it [saving it if desired]
before running the exporter - otherwise Octane may have trouble... the ocs file is 'already in use' and can't be overwritten by a second cmd, and opened as expected etc. Perhaps this is the simple factor in your problem ?
Hope this helps - any further clarifications, please ask...