Simple modeling question:Revit to Max - How do I draw lines on imported geometry?

[loac]

So I am trying to convince our office to give 3ds Max a try, instead of Sketchup and Vray. And the biggest issue I am dealing with is how to do simple changes in geometry to an imported file.

 

For example, on a simple flat wall, I would like to divide the wall face (polygon) into a grid of lines to represent wood panels. Is there a quick way to do this? The grid is sometimes irregular, meaning a horizontal line at 3', 4', and 9' for example.

 

I realize you can do this with the UV mapping too, but I like to render out a wireframe pass and composite the wirerframe and beauty pass in PS.

 

I have some other questions, but I will keep this one simple.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Sketchrender]

simple wall with grid, make it an editable polygon.

Select the edge tool with in the polygon roll out and click connect in the same roll out down the list and it will ask how many divisions you want .

The same with the other direction.

if your using vray the edge texture is the best for the line work , or the toon shader.

 

phil

[Dave Buckley]

you may have a few problems in max when converting the revit file to an editable poly.

 

it will come through as an editable mesh object. converting to an editable poly can yield unwanted results (random edges everywhere from openings such as windows), this then causes havoc when trying to connect edges.

 

i've gotten around this in the past by creating a series of splines to suit the division i want on the wall, then using the shapemerge command to stamp the splines into the wall mesh. It keeps my mesh clean and also gives me the edges I want.

 

A little cumbersome but it works.

[Nic H]

i would remodel everything in max, revit geometry is unusable as soon as you try to edit it.

[Dave Buckley]

i would remodel everything in max, revit geometry is unusable as soon as you try to edit it.

 

which backs up one of tweets yesterday

 

it went something along the lines of, this Revit model is so bad, i'm not even going to attempt to fix in revit. And now I've remodelled the whole thing

[Nic H]

haha yes best practise really, saves so many headaches in the long run.

nothing makes me scared/bedazzled like an insipid architect 'issuing' a new rubbish 3d model everyday - like you can just reimport and use it etc.

 

mark ups on renders and sketches are the best way to communicate.

 

sometimes people forget you are just making illustrations, not working drawings.

[Thablanch]

i would remodel everything in max, revit geometry is unusable as soon as you try to edit it.

 

I had some correct experiences with revit import.. I mean, the model is pre made. If it just needs a few tweaks.... Of course re modeling everything would be the best situation... but in our current workflow, we had good results.

There is a script out there by Pierre Felix Breton, from Autodesk, optimising the imported revit models...

 

Anyway, all of this to say that if the Revit model niceley done, you can reuse it

[Dave Buckley]

"IF" the revit model has been nicely done

 

the problem with the autoedges script and the likes is that they don't get rid of the edges, they only hide them, so the unwanted edges are still there technically.

 

best thing to do is turn on shaded with edges and convert a revit wall containing windows into an edit poly, you'll soon see the issue

[Thablanch]

"IF" the revit model has been nicely done

 

I am not doing the Revit model myself, I have the chance to work with a Revit Guru.. so mabee the models I work on are exceptionnaly clean.

 

Usually, I'm running the script, converting everything to Ploy, run Xform, collapse, weld every point that is .01 appart, and then start playing with the model... So far, It worked out great.

 

 

 

To ansewr Loac original question, I would do that using the Slice plane, after that chamfer the new line the tickness of the wanted seem, ( ex: 1/4 in the chamfer dialog box for a 1/2 seam) and then extrude back the new face, to create the seem depth.

[Justin Hunt]

If you want to convert the imported revit geometry to editable poly, First make all the edges visible, then collaps to editable Polly.

 

Usually when converting from mesh to polly the mesh is re-tesselated to a face structure thats logical for pollies. By making all edges visible, it forces the re-tesselation to match the existing face structure.

 

Another trick to get rid of the dreaded "Block-headers" and to merge object together it to export the model out in parts as an obj, then import them again, making sure the "single object" option is turned on in the obj import options. Down side is that you will loose material assignments. Up side it uses less memory than attaching 10000's of objects.

 

 

Of course this only applies to imported files and not File linked files.

 

 

jhv