Dropping a road onto a hill?

[AJLynn]

So I've got a couple meshes - one is a hill I made using Terrain, the other a set of roads and footpaths from Sketchup. I don't need anything fancy - the final modeling of this is probably getting done by a consultant - but for our design crit on Monday I'd like to drop the roads and paths onto the hill so the geometry conforms. Anybody got a quick-and-dirty trick for that that I can do in Max or Viz?

[Ernest Burden III]

So I've got a couple meshes - one is a hill I made using Terrain, the other a set of roads and footpaths from Sketchup.

 

Two quick ideas--

 

Use the SU geometry for a boolean mash-up with your terrain mesh

 

render a plan view of the SU stuff and use it as a texture map layed over your terrain.

 

OK, three--

 

Have the SU stuff in place ever-so-slightly ABOVE the terrain, not casting a shadow onto the terrain. From a distance it'll look about right.

[CHE]

...or use the sandbox tools within Sketch Up:

http://download.sketchup.com/downloads/training/tutorials50/Sketchup%20Video%20Tutorials.html

[AJLynn]

Thanks. Actually, Ernest's post reminded me to try Sandbox - I never used it before, but it follows logically from planar UVW mapping But, damn, this is slow - I've got the terrain imported and it's maybe 50,000 polys, and this drape tool is slooooow even in the MBP.

 

Go Tigers.

[AJLynn]

...and it didn't actually work. I can't believe Sketchup has let me down! I'll figure it out tomorrow, now is the time for beer.

[Brian Smith]

Page 17

http://www.cgarchitect.com/upclose/VI/Week3/CGA_VI_Site-Part3.pdf

 

Should do the trick.

[CHE]

I would re-model the terrain in Sketch Up and then try the Sandbox tools. It should work without a problem. Otherwise, have you tried using the ShapeMerge Compound object in 3dsmax? It is a little bit tricky but it has worked for me in the past.

[AJLynn]

I did try making the terrain in Sketchup with Sandbox from contours and it was ridiculous - it took forever and the geometry was huge - but the Max Terrain command took about 5 seconds and it has the every-4th-point mode, so it ended up being low poly. Much as I love Sketchup, it's not cut out for geometry like this, where Max deals much better. I'll try Brian's method tomorrow. Thanks Brian, you are a true ass saver.

 

Once I get this part done, and it looks like it won't take more than a few minutes, I've already got my MXMs in place and I'll just run off a bunch of Maxwell renders. A few months ago I wouldn't have believed I'd ever sing the praises of Maxwell and Intel, but for this kind of work you can't beat it - set up some cameras in places with a lot of sunlight, dedicate an overclocked Core2 for a weekend and let it do the work for you.

[Brian Smith]

Ernesto,

Try the Boolean>Cut>Split method in place of the ShapeMerge. The ShapeMerge tool, as you said is tricky. More accurately, I would say that it just doesn't ever work, except for the simplest of objects. Cut>Split works everytime.

[CHE]

Thanks Brian. I will give it a try next time.