Just Call Me Needy! Deleting the Base (Hearth) on a Fireplace Object

[ahr8tch]

Seems I'm dominating the 'need help' posts, but I have no shame 

Is it possible to delete the base or hearth section of a fireplace from the catalog?  If so, please tell me how.  I can draw one in SU and import it (Thanks, Jeff!) but it seems if you can address the appearance of the element you should also be able to delete it.

TIA

rh

[Allan Chesney]

TFP does not appear to have a way to remove the base as such but here are a few other options:

1. You could export it as 3DS file and open it in TurboCAD, AutoCAD or similar and delete it, then re-import it.   

2. Set the thickness of the base to a minimum (1 mm?) and set the appearance the same as your floor so it blends in.

3. Maybe do 2 and set the Behaviour/Position to -2mm (or a fraction more thant whatever the depth of the base is) and increase the height by the same amount (if necessary).  The base will then go 'inside' the floor and not be seen.

Allan

[ahr8tch]

I'll experiment with those approaches and learn some more new things.

rh

[Doug.S]

Is it possible to delete the base or hearth section of a fireplace from the catalog?  If so, please tell me how.  it seems if you can address the appearance of the element you should also be able to delete it.
rh

If the base can have a separate material applied to it, you can dig deep in the material properties (see recent views supplied by Allan for how to get to it) and make the material texture as 100% transparent and it "disappears".

[Allan Chesney]

Doug,

Have you had any success rendering with a texture set to transparent?

Admittedly i've only tried once but everything reappeared in the render.

Allan

[Doug.S]

I have been completely successful on my desktop (HA OK for design but must be off for render)

But I'm doing this from my laptop....so I ran a test here too (HA usually always on is OK)  but having render issues.....

I made a wizard default house, added ceiling light and sofa.

Made sofa cushions and interior of one wall 100% transparent.

See screen shot...always looks OK showing transparency (earlier view had wall transparent OK)

But all radiosity renders (q=3), HA on/off and sun on/off failed because of radiosity "black". Basic render did not produce transparency.

So, I'd conclude for now that it works OK on my desktop but not laptop....but I don't remember doing any "basic" renders on desktop with transparency so basic render may not work???  but radiosity renders were fine for a light fixture on desktop....maybe I'll try to duplicate this wall and sofa test on my desktop.

[ahr8tch]

Kept at it until I figured out how to set the material to 'transparent'.  The base/hearth of the fireplace disappeared from my 3D view.

Once again I learn from the masters!

Thank you!

rh

[Allan Chesney]

You may find it reappears when you render the image. I have had mixed results with this. Basic render was OK for a lounge but not a wall but Advanced was the opposite.

I an still experimenting twith this - will let you know the results.

Allan

[Doug.S]

OK I tried same example setup using my desktop PC....HA on for design, always off for renders.

See pics below, filename explains conditions.

Conclusions: 
- screen display works OK to show transparency (HA on or off) (can save as 2D image or "print" to .pdf)
- "basic" render seems sometimes to recognize transparency. 
- Some objects render radiosity  transparency OK  (light fixtures and wall) and others do not (sofa cushions)
- q level does not matter (I tried at 4 = same, at 5 was so slow I gave up)
- sun on/off has no effect on transparency, only affects scene brightness and shadows
- odd that transparency on "inside" of exterior wall makes the whole wall transparent...I expected to see the exterior wall with its texture but probably its because its "normals" point toward outside.

[Allan Chesney]

Doug,

I got similar effects.  All show up On Screen but Basic render works on some things and not others and Radiosity likewise - Radiosity render transparent wood as black!  see the image.  Wall transparency is only one way.

I learnt also that if you set a particular wood (in cabinets for example) to transparent, then they are ALL transparent - it makes the Texture itself transparent!  Bit of a trap if you do not realise the effect and then wonder where something has gone!  It did not seem to have that effect on the wall texture. I just cahnged the inside surface and expected to see the inside of the wall, or inside of the outside surface but it becomes transparent right through (but lets no light in).

Using Glass as the 'texture' worked as long as the reflection was turned off - at least we can do that now in V12 (if you can find where to do it!).

Allan