3D background colors

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3D background colors

Postby hunter » Aug 18, 2006 3:41 pm

Hey All,
I'm working on a map and want to include a 3D. I have the 3D plot up and running in compass. I'm looking at the Black Chasm Cavern map in the July 2006 NSS news and I'm wondering if anyone knows how they did the background colors in the "Profile View". That is, I can get different background colors in the compass 3D program (CaveX) but I can't figure out how to do different colors for each panel in the 3D box. Is there an easy way to do this in CaveX that I'm missing?

Thanks,
James

P.S. I'm going to be off line for a couple of days so don't feel slighted if I don't respond until Monday.
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Scene settings in CaveX

Postby John Lovaas » Aug 21, 2006 7:51 am

Howdy James-

I see you can change the Shadow Box wall color completely, but can't see where you can select colors for each wall individually. Sounds like you may have to bring the shadow box image into Illustrator or Freehand and create tinted polygons that you can insert into each wall panel. If you have access to a 3D modeling program, you could export the cave + shadow box as a DXF file, then select the individual shadow box polygons and color fill them individually.

Now here's a puzzler for the computer literati out there. I have to export a VRML cave file that has to be solid. Not solid in a real world sense, just solid in computer lingo. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks jl
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Re: Scene settings in CaveX

Postby Aaron Addison » Aug 21, 2006 10:29 am


Now here's a puzzler for the computer literati out there. I have to export a VRML cave file that has to be solid. Not solid in a real world sense, just solid in computer lingo. Does anyone have any insight on this?

Thanks jl



Export from Compass? VRML supports solid coloring of objects. Should be easy enough....

AA
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Aaron Addison
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Postby John Lovaas » Aug 21, 2006 2:01 pm

Hi Aaron-

Well, that's the rub. I've emailed Larry Fish on this. I'm trying to get a VRML model that a stereolithography shop will be able to open and convert to a 3D printing format.

Larry had said something to the effect that the Compass VRML exports have an "implied" solidity. I sent the model makers the info on the VRML version Compass exports, and haven't heard back yet.

The model makers are used to working with VRML files generated by architectural CAD applications. Cave survey data is defining a void within a solid, whereas I'm guessing that architectural VRML models are built with "solid" objects, defined by their exterior surface.

There has to be a way to get the VRML file to be "read" as solid by their conversion application.

Infernal devices- devil boxes, indeed ;-)

jl
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Postby Aaron Addison » Aug 21, 2006 2:47 pm

John Lovaas wrote:Hi Aaron-


The model makers are used to working with VRML files generated by architectural CAD applications.
jl


So, export COMPASS to DXF -> CAD and use the CAD application to generate the VRML that they are looking for.

Plan B might be to send me a copy and I'll take a look at some other voodoo that can be done.....

AA
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Postby hunter » Aug 22, 2006 10:12 am

John,
Thanks for the response I can export and fill in easily enough but was kind of hoping I had just missed an option in Compass.

James
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