27 replies to this topic

[Steve and Carla Farnam]

Playing around with SP 2022 rendering, though it does all we need for client visualization 

still excited to play with the SP 2024 rendering options.

 

 GKC Barn 1-16-2023.jpg   113.25KB   8 downloads

[Matthew Dunson]

One suggestion I submitted is the ability to have profiles on roofs, useful for physically representing a Standing Seam Metal Roof or a Spanish Clay Tile Roof. In your example, a shingle roof can get away with the texture map and adjusting the surface depth, but other materials with noticeable 3D properties is one improvement I would like to see in the 2024 version.

[Allen McDonnell]

Yes, and profiles on curbs

[Steve and Carla Farnam]

One suggestion I submitted is the ability to have profiles on roofs, useful for physically representing a Standing Seam Metal Roof or a Spanish Clay Tile Roof. In your example, a shingle roof can get away with the texture map and adjusting the surface depth, but other materials with noticeable 3D properties is one improvement I would like to see in the 2024 version.

 

 GKC Barn Standing Seam.jpg   105.9KB   4 downloads

[Matthew Dunson]

That is a beautiful project, and I can only imagine it with a physically based standing seam roof. I have experimented with programs like Sketchup which imports SoftPlan models perfectly (for the most part), but I did not go as far as using third party plugins which have the capability to generate a procedural 3D roof with various materials. Native SoftPlan integration would save me so much time and make my clients happier seeing their physical roof represented, and we will be working with metal roofs for a lot of our projects in the future.

[Steve and Carla Farnam]

That is a beautiful project, and I can only imagine it with a physically based standing seam roof. I have experimented with programs like Sketchup which imports SoftPlan models perfectly (for the most part), but I did not go as far as using third party plugins which have the capability to generate a procedural 3D roof with various materials. Native SoftPlan integration would save me so much time and make my clients happier seeing their physical roof represented, and we will be working with metal roofs for a lot of our projects in the future.

Thanks Matthew!   Added some wainscot and increased overhead glass paneled doors to 8' height, lowered loft dormer roof to create more obvious pitch break. A work in progress as always, going back and forth with distant owners, the renderings are helpful.

Attached Files

•  GKC Barn Pre 2 1-16-2023.jpg   99.27KB   2 downloads

[Mike Miller]

Beautiful house!

 

We use Twinmotion for all our visualization, but even that program kind of fudges displacement modifiers (roof profiles).  They call it "Parallax".  To ask for that in SP will likely not happen anytime soon, or ever.  

 

If you want true displacement for roofs, your talking Vray, Blender, UE5 geometry/textures.

 

Prove me wrong SP 2024!  

[Matthew Dunson]

Beautiful house!

 

We use Twinmotion for all our visualization, but even that program kind of fudges displacement modifiers (roof profiles).  They call it "Parallax".  To ask for that in SP will likely not happen anytime soon, or ever.  

 

If you want true displacement for roofs, your talking Vray, Blender, UE5 geometry/textures.

 

Prove me wrong SP 2024!

I do see a need for SoftPlan to have a more "advanced" rendering system to compete with other rendering software. But this is where I take a closer look at it and SoftPlan is not just a standalone rendering engine, it is also a technical drafting software. For the company to heavily invest in their 3D engine is something that is out of user control, but it also limits us because of the areas that are placed as priority. Because we have other resources like Twinmotion, Lumion, Unreal Engine, etc., a company perspective doesn't see the need to advance the 3D capabilities further than basic essentials to get the client visuals that can be tweaked in another software as a part of an "Architect's Workflow". When comparing SoftPlan to other drafting softwares native rendering solutions, there are some competitors like Chief Architect and Revit who can produce quality renders, but most of the time it has been the norm to export to another rendering engine. By all means, I do wish that SoftPlan does focus more on their 3D rendering since it does help not having to export a new model for a design change. This is also where I asked SoftPlan developers if they were able to get Lumion LiveSync for SoftPlan and they told me that it is up to the developers of Lumion to make that decision. This would nonetheless help with instantaneous design changes to be reflected in the 3D viewport which is why I try to stay inside the SoftPlan rendering engine as much as possible until necessary to export to another software. I did have some ideas that I wanted to share with SoftPlan as to creating their own standalone rendering engine that works inside SoftPlan, but I am unaware of their budget or business model to take that approach. Overall to keep this post as short as possible, SoftPlan can use a physically based rendering engine to help us as users relay the message faster to our clients and to simplify our workflows. (Also, is anyone else wanting the arrow keys replaced with the 'wasd' keys when moving around in the 3D viewport? I'm used to it now after using SoftPlan for so long, but my fingers cramp after a while. There may be a way to change the key binds, but I have not tried yet...) 

[Mike Miller]

Great comments Matt,  I'd like to see a Lumion plugin as well.  Many other would too!

 

Also, try a 3D Connexion mouse for 3d.  Will be the best $150 you ever spent.

[Michael Roman]

Agreed on the Space Mouse.  So much more control and very easy to use, once you get used to it.

https://3dconnexion....emouse-compact/

[Sam Morgan]

I used a space mouse for no less than an hour before I put it in a drawer and never used it again.

[Allen McDonnell]

Lumion has told me multiple times they do not support softplan.  So i dont know how a "live sync" option would get started.    Obviously, with SKP or FBX you can achieve good results.  But it is interesting the Softplan offers free advertising for them.

 

see this link.

https://support.lumi...es-for-Softplan

[Matthew Dunson]

Lumion has told me multiple times they do not support softplan.  So i dont know how a "live sync" option would get started.    Obviously, with SKP or FBX you can achieve good results.  But it is interesting the Softplan offers free advertising for them.

 

see this link.

https://support.lumi...es-for-Softplan

That is exactly what I thought...Lumion was featured in the 2022 SoftPlan Product Brochures. I did reach out to Lumion developers personally, so I hope they take it into consideration. But yes, Sketchup LiveSync with Vray would be a decent alternative, but SoftPlan Building Options makes importing variations into Lumion a little bit easier to manage since those iterations are saved directly into SoftPlan and can be added or removed from Lumion. Yes, it is not instantaneous as LiveSync, but it is better than not having some form of managing designs. I might be overthinking this but what if we had the capability to LiveSync SoftPlan to Sketchup (once it is possible), and then LiveSync Sketchup to Lumion? 

[Allen McDonnell]

I would enjoy the opportunity to work with Vray....as that option is not even possible right now.

 

As far as your livesync option...that sound like a lot.  I rather just update the model in Lumion.

[Michael Roman]

I do all of my high end rendering in V-Ray.  It does an excellent job.  Export to sketch up and render with vray for sketch up.  Works great!

[Allen McDonnell]

I do all of my high end rendering in V-Ray.  It does an excellent job.  Export to sketch up and render with vray for sketch up.  Works great!

OK....The extra step isn't that big of a deal?

[Michael Roman]

Actually it is not bad.  I like to fix any issues with my Softplan model in Sketchup before I render and I usually add grade in Sketchup, too.

V-Ray is an amazing renderer.  Bit of a learning curve but for still shots it is amazing.  Animation is a pain in Sketchup, but that is not V-Ray's fault.

[Allen McDonnell]

Actually it is not bad.  I like to fix any issues with my Softplan model in Sketchup before I render and I usually add grade in Sketchup, too.

V-Ray is an amazing renderer.  Bit of a learning curve but for still shots it is amazing.  Animation is a pain in Sketchup, but that is not V-Ray's fault.

OK.  That doesn't sound too bad.  What about when you update your model in softplan....is it easy to update the same model in sketchup?  Or do you have to start a whole new file? 

 

Sorry, little knowledge of sketchup here...but always willing to learn.

[Matthew Dunson]

OK.  That doesn't sound too bad.  What about when you update your model in softplan....is it easy to update the same model in sketchup?  Or do you have to start a whole new file? 

 

Sorry, little knowledge of sketchup here...but always willing to learn.

As far as I know of, every time a change is being made in SoftPlan, a new version has to be imported into Sketchup. I know that there are ways to assign material groups so that when you do import the new model into the Sketchup project, all you would need to do is assign the same geo-coordinates to position it in the same spot (if the model is mostly the same dimensionally) and then assign the material groups that were prepared for the existing materials being replaced (if applicable, but I am still learning more on the material properties and how it works in Sketchup). Some form of Vray integration inside of SoftPlan directly would be a game changer since I know that may or may not be easier than convincing Lumion to support LiveSync. For these reasons, this is why I try to make any final changes into SoftPlan before the rendering process, but changes do happen and for now it is more so finding the right workflow as a user with the current tools we have. It is up to us to let developers know the tools we could benefit from and hope for the best. 

[Michael Roman]

Yes, changes to the model can be a pain.  The easiest way I have found to deal with it is to create 2 models.  One model is exactly as it comes out of Softplan.  The 2nd model has all of the changes that I make, adding grade, etc).  If I make a change in Softplan I re-export the model to Sketchup and save it over the 1st model.  I open both models in Sketchup.  I delete the items that need to be updated in the 2nd model. I go to the 1st model and copy the new items or the items that have changed.  In the 2nd model right click and paste in place.  It puts the new items in your model in the proper location.  You will need to reapply the materials for the new items, but everything else is already done.

Not the easiest work around, but it does the trick.  When I am to the point that I render in V-Ray there is very little change taking place.  Most of the time I don't need V-Ray, but for some projects it is needed.