FloorPlan User Forum

General Category - V.16 and Earlier => V12 - V16 General Discussion => Topic started by: tsoutherwood on July 07, 2008, 08:40:20 AM

Title: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: tsoutherwood on July 07, 2008, 08:40:20 AM
Hi

Anyone know of a good source of extra interior elements, including UK electrical plates (outlets, switches etc).

Could also do with a few more toilets (can't have enought toilets) and random other things. I've loaded the Extras catalogues but nothing on there covering what I'm after...

Cheers

Tim
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: Allan Chesney on July 07, 2008, 09:50:47 AM
Tim,

There are lots of things around on the web, many free. Just do a search on 3DS files and you will probably come up with thousands. "Toilet 3DS Free" came up with 133,000. Obviously not all references are downloadable models but many are.  Be aware of size however. Some are very high quality and big as a result and can cause your file size to blow out with resultant slowdown and long render times. 

Don't forget too that there are lots of things you can make yourself in TFP simply by putting other things together, turning off the terrain and exporting them as a 3DS.  You can then import as a new object and add it to your catalog.

Allan
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: tsoutherwood on July 07, 2008, 10:18:31 AM
Ah - I was searching for "dxf". I'll try again :)

Once again, thanks Allan!

Cheers

Tim
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: Doug.S on July 07, 2008, 09:46:03 PM
and don't forget about .skp SketchUp files....many on Google.
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: tsoutherwood on July 08, 2008, 02:23:11 AM
Hey, guess who hadn't noticed that TFP handled Sketchup imports:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=27561fffebab120ee598b04b3abdcf45&prevstart=12

Many thanks

Tim
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: Allan Chesney on July 08, 2008, 04:40:42 AM
Guess who had forgotten that TFP handles SketchUp imports?

Allan
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: Jack Zimmer on July 11, 2008, 07:35:56 AM
Both Sketchup and TurboCAD 2D and 3D can be imported. DFX for 2D and 3DS for both 3d objects and 2D line work.

In the attached the customer created the 'balcony' detail he wanted in Sketchup and I imported it creating both the 3D representation and 2D at the same time.
Title: Re: Electrical elements, and other extras
Post by: Doug.S on July 11, 2008, 09:39:49 PM
as is often the case, .3ds objects are created as vertex objects (but they do not have to be that way) and as a result, rectangular surfaces are constructed of 2 co-planar triangles....which show up in the 2D view with a diagonal line....as seen in above 2D image.

If that line bothers you (and it should as it is un-natural for normal architectural or engineering drawings), you can remove them by opening the .3ds object/model in another vertex modelling program (there are many) and change to clean up co-planar surfaces, to crease edges, and convert to n-gons where n>3, etc.  This is also the time/place to generate named surfaces (domains) so various surfaces can be individually textured for greater control of the final rendered view.   Unfortunately some 3D programs do not handle n-gons of more than 3 sided triangular constructs and the revised .3ds model may not import correctly....experimentation is about the only way to verify the usefulness of a .3ds or other file format model with n>3.

(n-gon = a polygon with 'n' number of sides)

TFP also has some 2D view controls/settings that may simplify the 2D view to eliminate those pesky diagonals...play with colors etc. and you may be able to improve the 2D view results.
Title: 2D Triangulation
Post by: Jack Zimmer on July 12, 2008, 10:11:04 AM
All I do is import the TFPlan model to TurboCad and delete the extra lines in 2D. I don't want to 'adjust' the 3D model because that may add additional polygons which increase file size and slow the program.

Most 3D objects also have 2D 'symbols' associated with them, so if created properly the 3D / 2D model will render the proper 3D model but in 2D only show the proper 2D layout. That is why a toilet when viewed from above appears as just a oval and a rectangle (the 3D aspect is in essences 'turned off') while the 2D drawing is visible.

Jack

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