Temporary Material Library

 Just noticing this for the first time today. I hope it's something new in 3ds Max 2014, and not just something I have just not noticed for a few releases. A Temporary Material Library. Saving a material from a Sample Slot for example keeps that material in the Material Editor from one scene to another. It makes it easy to transfer a material from one scene to another. Whoot Whoot..! Hmmm.. yeah just checking quickly, it's in 3ds Max 2013 also...Arg..!

New Lisp routine for Soffits

This week I had some free time at work and created a soffit AutoLisp routine. After Selecting the Facia, and indicating the 3 points of the facia slope, it prompts for the depth of the soffit. The rest is Automatique..!

AutoCAD Selection Trick

We still do most of our modeling in AutoCAD at work, and I had a few people ask a question about selecting objects. IE. how to force AutoCAD to select by crossing or window regardless of the direction of the selection. So.....

When you are in a command which requires selection, example ERASE, you will see a "Select Objects:" prompt. Normally you can either select an object directly, click left to right for a "Window" selection (Blue box) or right to left for a "Crossing" selection (Green box).

In order to force a Window selection regardless of the direction of the points you pick, or if there is an object under the first select point, simply type "W" and press enter at the "Select Objects:" prompt. You can then pick your 2 window points as normal. Same goes for Crossing selection, type "C" at the same prompt.

Now if you really want to have fun use the "CP" or "WP" options for crossing polygon and window polygon respectively.

cheers
rec

RVT Link

Recently, I had a quick look at the RVT Link tool available in 3ds Max 2013. The idea is quite promising eliminating the extra steps associated with exporting Data to either .DWG or .FBX. I tested the linking using Imperial units. I received best results by setting 3ds Max's System Units to Feet. Geometry came across better than using FBX or DWG. More tests on the way.

UrbanImmersive

I've been working at UrbanImmersive for about 4 months now. Here is a demonstration of our AVU3D technology in a village of friendship in Africa.

Click here to access the site. Hope you like it.

cheers
rec

Revit Family Tutorial

I've recently updated a tutorial I created a while back creating a Revit Family. The tutorial is an introductory one featuring the creation of a flexible coffee table using Revit 2011. There are 21 separate videos varying in length between 1 and 3 minutes. Click Here to access the first of the videos on YouTube, afterwards proceed in order from 00 to 20.

One on One Training

I'm announcing the availability of one on one training for the following software programs.

• AutoCAD
• 3ds Max Design
• Revit Architecture
• Creating Revit Families

Courses are geared to the architecture and construction industry. Individual rates start as low as 50$ per hour. Group, corporate and distance training rates are also available.

For more information, e-mail: rk-studios@hotmail.ca or call 514 951 8017

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J'annonce la disponibilité des cours individuelle pour les logiciels suivants.

• AutoCAD
• 3ds Max Design
• Revit Architecture
• La creation des familles Revit

Des cours sont adaptés à l'industrie d'architecture et de bâtiment. Les taux pour les individus commencent aussi bas que 50$ par heure. Les taux de groupe, de corporation et de la formation par distance sont également disponibles.

Pour les plus amples renseignements envoyer une courrielle à rk-studios@hotmail.ca ou appelez: 514 951 8017

Project Based Courses

Well I'm just wrapping up another course on AutoCAD 3D and I just can't get over how much students get out of project based courses. This one is a 75 hour course where a student develops their own project in 3D. Each and every time I do a course like this it's amazing to see how all the theory they have learned in previous courses really sinks in while doing their projects. On top of that, problem solving really goes to a new level. Students regularly get stuck, and when I'm able to help them out of a jam this gets immediate retention.

Coaching a Summer Student

This summer I took on a One on One training gig with a student who was in Montreal for the summer. Recently we took one of Tom's class assignments which he had started in Revit and brought it into 3ds Max to do some rendering work. Although we are by no means finished I thought I would post some of the images which we have worked on. Last week we worked on creating geometry in 3ds Max for curtains and do some tests on how this might affect a mostly glazed exterior wall.

Article on BIM

I found this article on BIM which gave a great overview on the subject. It appears to have been written a number of years ago but has been updated over the years.

Good reference for terminology and software.

AutoCAD Training Still

I started teaching AutoCAD in 1986, almost 25 years ago. Never in my wildest imagination did I think that there would still be a need for AutoCAD training in 2010. Thinking back, I figured that it would take about 5 years for everyone to learn and adapt to this new technology and that all schools would have no problem with students having at least this basic knowledge.

It's amazing for me to be still teaching adults about AutoCAD, and some of the newer and more fun softwares like 3ds Max and Revit. Sometimes though I can't get over it when I get a young student in a class who has not learned AutoCAD properly in their design courses.

The longevity of AutoCAD has been astounding. I purchased with my first computer a version of AutoCAD, Wordperfect, Lotus 123, and dbase.... Hmmmmm.... at least one was the right choice... :-)

Revit to 3ds Max through FBX

Recently I looked into the FBX linking tool which has just been introduced in 3ds Max 2011. I ran into problems immediately when I went to link a file which had artificial lights.

It appeared that in the 64 bit version of 3ds Max Design that there was a single toggle that was off in the shipping version to import artificial lights. Simple fix just turn it on. That led to other questions. Suppose you are working on a Revit file and import your artificial lights. You will probably need to refine your lights in 3ds Max to do such things like add soft shadows. If you then make a change in Revit and reimport the scene with lights you lose your changes that you made in 3ds Max.

This can be quite anoying if all you wanted to do is move a floor lamp from one location to another. Would be great if you could retain the information you changed in 3ds Max and only import the changed location of the lamp.

New Portfolio Images

Image of a Modeling Project In Progress

Revit Family of a Wall Unit

Rendering of A Hotel Washroom

Courtyard Rendering

Model of an Office Building Used in Photomontage Rendering

New to 3D... ??

I started a course today with a group of students learning 3D for the first time. Since they are in an AutoCAD drafting program, I'm teaching them AutoCAD 3D. I took a few moments to explain to them some of the different Autodesk products that work in 3D for various industries.

3ds Max, Revit, Civil 3D, AutoCAD Architecture, Inventor, Navisworks. I'm just scratching the surface, some of the most popular and more heard about programs. Boy these students have a long way to go....

Revit Architecture Book

Recently, I had the urge to get back into learning Revit, and decided I would grab a book and review the basics. So I decided to purchase "Commercial Design Using Revit Architecture 2010" by Daniel John Stine.

I have had some positive experience using a similar book he wrote in a Beginners AutoCAD course for Architects, so I thought it would be interesting to see his approach to Revit.

Overall, I would give the book about a 7/10. I like the project approach of his books, basically stepping you though one project from start to finish. There were a few gaps that would have been good to adress, and it would have been good to have chosen a building that may have added a few twists and turns.

I know Revit fairly well and I'd like to get more indepth with the software so the book did leave me feeling a bit disappointed. I think though this book is more meant for raw beginners where the book serves the audience quite well.

Arch Viz book now available

Well it seems like I've been waiting for this moment for a long time.. :-). The 2nd Edition of the book "Realistic Architectural Visualization with 3ds Max and mental ray" is now available.

The book was co-authored by myself and Jamie Cardoso. It features sections on the basics of mental ray, and project based sections where you develop materials and lighting for real scenes. These scenes include; an interior of a living room, a photomontage of an exterior of a building, an interior atrium, and a harbor.

You can order the book in the US on online sites like Amazon.

Here are a few more images from the book, which are based on the projects you work through in the chapters.

New Arch Viz Book

The 2nd Edition of the Realistic Architectural Visualization with 3ds Max and mental ray is now in production at Focal Press. The book has been rewritten almost from the ground up, with 2 entirely new scenes depicting renderings of an atrium, and a building exterior photomontaged into a photo of the building site.

Plenty of new techniques are depicted in the scenes which were carried over from the 1st edition.

There is also an entirely new Introductory section which explains concepts of using mental ray with 3ds Max & 3ds Max Design.

You can preorder the book at several online retailers including amazon.com

I'll post more images in the next few weeks.

cheers
rec

Project Dragonfly

I stumbled upon something new from Autodesk in all places, Facebook. The Autodesk group pointed me to the Project Dragonfly site. It's a Web based residential design modeller where you can create a plan and 3D model of a house or apartment. Sort of remins me of a cross between those 99$ 3D Home style products and creating a house in "The Sims".

You work based on a room basis, starting with basic shaped rooms and then modifying them with new room elements, Then add door and windows and then built-in elements furnishings, and materials.

It's really a toy at this point at this point, and there are plenty of features missing, but I like it's simplicity, reasonable intuitiveness and the direction of being able to model a design online. You could very easily share this design with others. Then there is the ability to output to .DWG and .RVT formats, interesting. I'd like to see where Project Dragonfly goes...

Revit Market Contest Deadline

Revit Market Contest Deadline Coming Up! March 31

If you have original Revit families (ones you’ve created yourself), you can put them up for sale at Revit Market, then use them in a project and enter the contest. Not only do you get a chance to win $2500, but you can get cash from ongoing sales of your families.

Revit Contest: www.turbosquid.com/Revit-Contest
Revit Market: www.turbosquid.com/Revit
Press Release about the contest: http://www.turbosquid.com/revit-family-contest

Revit Family - Online course

Recently, I jumped into creating Revit families. Unfortunately, throughout my use of the program thus far, creating families was this "do I really want to go there" kind of issue. I've never seen a family created live in a demonstration. Sensing complexity, I avoided creating them completely.

Finally, I dug into them and what I found was amazingly easy. So I thought I would help people get started, and I created my own online course in creating Revit families.


With the urging of my friend at TurboSquid, I've made this available on their site. Go to the Revit Market on their site and search for "Roger Cusson" and you should find it easily.