How to create light object with photometric file attached???

[jinsley]

Hi all,

 

recently downloaded some light fixtures from Louis Poulsen

 

http://www.louispoulsen.com/en-us/Product/wall.aspx

 

wondering how one would go about creating light models like the ones they offer as downloads so that the photometric information is attached to the model itself?

 

Any ideas? I am not sure how to approach this...

[BrianKitts]

It's not possible to make it all as one object if you want to use an IES file for the specific illumination since light materials can't use an IES file.

 

Best route would be to model up the light fixture itself using self illumination materials for the globes to give the appearance of illumination, and then to supplement your model with a photometric light emitter using the specific IES file for that light fixture.

 

If you wanted it all as one object you could group the light emitter with your model..... but as I'm a huge opponent of grouping, I tend to just keep them together and know if you move on you have to move the other with it.

[danb4026]

Why not create a Luminaire, linking the IES light to the fixture? You can then link the "multiplier" in the luminaire to the power of the ies light.

[jinsley]

It's not possible to make it all as one object if you want to use an IES file ...

 

... it all as one object you could group the light emitter with your model..... but as I'm a huge opponent of grouping, I tend to just keep them together and know if you move on you have to move the other with it.

 

Thx Brian and Dan, I kind of thought that something along the lines of your suggestions may be the best way, it just seemed to me that LP had created these models without the photometric light object...

 

Brian, why don't you group? When you create a complex arrangement of poly objects do you store them as a selection set?

[BrianKitts]

Brian, why don't you group? When you create a complex arrangement of poly objects do you store them as a selection set?

 

Biggest reason is grouped objects can't be easily moved from one layer to another. You have to have the group open with all objects selected swap to a new layer and re-close. Also if you have multiple objects in a group with different various scale factors, mapping and Xforms can do funky stuff when you have all those objects combined into a single group. There's another thread somewhere here on the forums where I've given this rant before and there's pretty much a consensus that it's a bad modeling practice.

 

I also find it annoying to have to open a group to apply a material to an object, if you forget then you mistakenly assign that material to multiple objects.

 

If it's something you want to contain most of the time it makes more sense to merge it into a single object, you can always detach pieces later for editing.

[jinsley]

I wasn't aware that using the group feature was generally considered bad modeling practice... although the points you brought up make sense. Definitely something to think about on my next project. Thx for sharing with me Brian... I will look for your other post on the subject.

 

Cheers

 

-JI

[SandmanNinja]

I think it's a workflow issue, too. I'm actually a fan of grouping - for the right situation.

I use layers extensively and will often group pillows and a couch together in the same group once they are textured and I put them on a Couch layer.

 

I run into a problem if I want to make layers for the entire ROOM (i.e. the Couch Group, the Dining Table, etc), but I'm playing with some plug-ins (Onion) that might address that.

 

I find I can create Bipeds and use them nice and neat without errors or crashes.

 

I find grouping pillows and couches together makes it easier to File Merge objects into new scenes