OctaneRender® for ArchiCAD beta - build 1.16a [OBSOLETE]

[rappet]

While testing a few problems occurred.
I got an unexpected blue screen (might be my system failure, not plugin)
Plugin freezed up a couple of times and the printscreens shows the latest freeze with "working...". I can change camera though and it starts rendering, but I cannot close vieport, plugin or Archicad.

During the development of the plugin I have managed to crash ArchiCAD many times, but never had a BSD. Did ArchiCAD save a dump report to C:\Users\[username]\Graphisoft\BugReporting-[version]? It would also be worth checking your Window event log.

The freeze with the "Working..." I haven't seen before either, but the latest version I am running has a couple of bug fixes you don't have yet, so they may fix it.
Paul

Hi Paul,
No savedump from Archicad. I found a error log in the Window event log,
but that is hocuspocus to me. I guess it might not be the plugin but my system.
I tried to add the log, but it is not allowed to upload. I will mail it.

[rappet]

2) Secondly this post is about the use of csv file.
On the left side you can see the example of what I am trying to achieve in testing scattering using a csv file: one leog copied to the right 4 times and rotate them on the spot.
On the right is my proxy that I am trying to make it like the example, but I did not get it work yet.

If the robot is not at 0, 0, 0 in the ArchiCAD scene, it's offset from 0, 0, 0 will be applied BEFORE the transform matrix (which is what is happening in your scene). There are two solutions to this....1) Place the object at 0, 0, 0 (is it actually possible to specify coordinates in ArchiCAD to do this?), or 2) If there is a transform matrix specified for a geometry proxy, I have the plugin set the position of the object to 0, 0, 0 in the Octane scene prior to applying the transform (ie. instanced objects will repositioned at 0, 0, 0 in the Octane scene)

Let me know how your preference.

Paul

Hi Paul
1)all proxies have to be on 0,0,0 (like in the standalone), but cannot be moved around after having added the csv file scattering.

In the standalone the workflow is doing this and adding a node for placement.

It probaly should work the same as in the standalone (not inventing the same wheel over again)... So in the plugin should be possible to add a placement after doing the scatter?

The workflow might getting a bit strange though, because when using scattering for different objects, they all have to start at position 0,0,0
i.e. when using 5 objects for different scattering, they are all shown 'mixed' at 0,0,0

greetings, Jeroen

[rappet]

...
So I am re-working how this has been implemented, and moving away from the "parameter" method, and instead going to see if it's possible to use some internal data structures which won't be visible to the user, but achieve a better outcome. Unfortunately it will take another 24hrs to get it out to you.
Paul

Hi Paul,

I don't know what you are working on and I don't know if this is still relevant,
but I noticed this:

greetings, Jeroen

[rappet]

Hi Paul,
I am not sure if it should, (probably not) but the rotation of the AC-object has no influence.
The elevation of the AC-object has influence on the proxy.
Are there other properties that have influence on the proxy?
greetings, Jeroen

[face_off]

all proxies have to be on 0,0,0 (like in the standalone), but cannot be moved around after having added the csv file scattering.

I agree. I will take out the object position /if/ the proxy object has a scatter file. If things needs to be position offset after scattering, that probably needs to be done IN the scatter transform file. IMO, scattering in ArchiCAD will be for grass, trees, and maybe a crowd of people. Anything more than that and you are probably getting out of the realm of ArchiCAD's purpose. So the transform generator (which I'm looking at at the moment) will randomly place the grass, tree, etc on the Mesh object - with the base of the OBJ file positioned on the surface of the mesh - and the transforms will follow any elevation change.

I don't know what you are working on and I don't know if this is still relevant,
but I noticed this:

I will fix this.

I am not sure if it should, (probably not) but the rotation of the AC-object has no influence.
The elevation of the AC-object has influence on the proxy.
Are there other properties that have influence on the proxy?

IMO the rotation of the proxy host should be added to the rotation of the proxy geometry. That way you can easily copy and paste a proxies chair, then rotate the host Objects to get the right amounts of spin in the ArchiCAD preview window, then the individual proxies will have their rotations adjusted. Not a huge time savers, but only a 10 min coding job. It will hopefully be in the next version. I don't think any of the other Object settings are relevant (except for position obviously).

Paul

[face_off]

IMO the rotation of the proxy host should be added to the rotation of the proxy geometry.

Of course doing this does not work - because the Xfrog OBJs need to be rotated in such a way to get the upright, so that if additional Y rotation is added (from the angle of the proxy) the obj falls over. So I will remove this feature.

[rappet]

Place the object at 0, 0, 0 (is it actually possible to specify coordinates in ArchiCAD to do this?)..
Paul

Hi Paul,
Yes it is possible.. there is a very hard 0,0,0 in Archicad.
Every project I start has 0,0,0 as some kind of reference... also Modules are referenced to that same origin.
Also very handy is this coordinate-object that gives the coordinates when placed.
greetings, Jeroen

[Nuge]

Paul,

I think I have found an even simpler way. I can directly save the proxy info to the Objects (not as parameters, but as raw data). This raw data gets copied when you copy and paste an Object, and gets saved with the pln file. This means any object can be copy and pasted and it's proxy info will get copied. I still have lots of testing to do - but it seems at this stage to work. The only downside is that it save the scatter transform file with the proxy info, but it's probably rare you would copy and paste a scattered proxy.

sorry i have been away for a few days.

I still prefer to have the proxys "controlled" from the archicad object as this will give me some option to code various things into that object ie some random rotation,scale etc . i can set up catalogues of my obj files with thumbnails to select and means i dont have to be back and forward in the octane system to setup my objects. a much better workflow for me

I am really only looking for a 1 way option where the plugin reads the information directly from the archicad object, if the paramater doesnt exist in the archicad object then is defaults to the current system.

can we have this workflow as an "option" if you still want to implement it as described above

John

[face_off]

I still prefer to have the proxys "controlled" from the archicad object as this will give me some option to code various things into that object ie some random rotation,scale etc . i can set up catalogues of my obj files with thumbnails to select and means i dont have to be back and forward in the octane system to setup my objects. a much better workflow for me

I hear what you are saying. May I suggest having a look at the scattering generator (should be available in the next day or so) - perhaps that will address the above requirement. It should be possible in the future to add support for reading scale/rotation from a custom gsm object if instancing does not meet your requirement - it's just that the plugin cannot write back new values to that object, so you would need to adjust the values on the ArchiCAD object, then reload/refresh the scene in Octane, which is a cumbersome workflow.

I am really only looking for a 1 way option where the plugin reads the information directly from the archicad object, if the paramater doesnt exist in the archicad object then is defaults to the current system.

The "reading" is not the problem - it's writing back to the object that is the issue. So yes, this could be implemented IF the scattering solution doesn't meet the requirement.

The image below shows a tree "scattered" onto an inclined terrain (mesh). The transform was calculated by the plugin.

Paul

[Nuge]

Paul,

The scattering option looks great but not something i would use much and if i did would be happy with your proposed workflow

I want to be able to "quickly" layout my objects within archicad (schedule them if required) using existing 2D/3D objects or new one i create and have octane reference the information stored within the object, all without even opening the octane viewport.

What i am hoping for is the ability to enhance my workflow with some GDL coding, with your proposal i am "locked out" of any object control other than whats provided via the plugin.

I understand that everyone works differently and wants different things but this option has some wide ranging ramifactions for the archicad user (they just may not realise it yet)

Keep up the good work.

John