Hi guys,

I was wondering if any of you could help me...I use TurboCAD Pro Platnum to design houses for clients, and I'd like to add landscaping ideas into the presentations.  Do any of you know if I purchase IMSI's 'Turbofloorplan home and landscape v16' and design the landscapes using it, if I could then either import the landscapes into TC 19, or import my TC19 house designs into Turbofloorplan, to print them out as a single file?

Thanks
Gaz
the CAD man

Jack Zimmer would know.

Thank you, I'll drop him a note...

Hi Garry,

yes you can.

you can export your model from TCAD to TFPlan.
you can export the terrian from TFPlan to TCAD.

The attached shows import of terrain from TFPlan to TCAD, note how applying SMesh to the terrian really 'smooths out' the triangulation.

No materials transfer from/ to , either program. Out of TFPlan as 3DS, materials are included but TCAD doesn't recognize them. Items like TFPlan 'photo boards' showing plants and trees most likely would not import. But objects , retaining walls, walks , driveways, etc would import.

 In the past I've had great results using a Loft of closed polyline contours to create a TCAD terrian with wonderful accuaracy from contuor plat lines. Such items as retaining walls / plants and trees are all available in TCAD.

If you import your model as 3DS file (or skp) into TFPlan, you do have a good variety of plants/ trees / flowers along with retaining walls etc to choose from. But it would be a nightmare assigning textures to the house itself.

You could import the model to TFPlan, do a terrian , retaining walls and other 'objects', then export all but the model as a 3DS file back to TCAD.... but as I've stated above, TCAD already has the ability to do terrians and tools for other landscaping items.

What exactly did you want to include in the Landscaping presentation?

Jack

Okay,

Thanks for that Jack...I'd hoped that the two programs - made by the same company - would be more compatible, but you've showed me some work-arounds.  

From the photos below you'll see this client's needs are quite restrictive.  It's a coastal area...lots of sand and small shrubs.  I need to use low-maintenance, Australian native plants, in a very hostile (ocean winds, salt, extreme weather conditions...) area.  I've got a suggested layout (below), and some pics of the ideas I have in mind from other coastal zoned gardens.  Drawing these plants up in TC19 is a bit daunting!  Any ideas, hints, suggestions, criticisms would be most welcome.

Gaz

Hi Garry,

If this were my project here is what I'd do.


NOTE (If you want to strip your TCAD model of everything except the house and email me the TCW file , I can test some things on this end for you which may make the TFPlan step unnecessary).

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1)   I would save a bmp screen shot of the TCAD house plan view (2D) showing exterior walls / windows. Two seperate screen shots if 2 stories are involved.

I would use TurboFloorPlans File>Import>Trace Image option and import the bmp image, click it and select 'resize' / click two points and enter a dimension to getthe 2d plan scaled properly.

Then I would recreate just the exterior of the model in TFPlan along with windows / doors / roofs and materials of choice (siding / stone etc) by tracing over your plan using TFPlan tools.
------------------------------------

2) I would use TCAD to create those custom objects you need. Like the 'hoops' or the dinno eggs.

3) This is the part you will not like but I've found neccessary. All the above / the 3DS House model, 3DS hoops, dinno eggs, any custom objects get imported to Real Time Landscape. Even a terrain can be imported but the program would be better at creating the terrain as it would then interact with the other surfaces you need, like sand, water, gravel paths etc.

I believe the Pro version would work for you.

http://www.ideaspectrum.com/comparison.php  

Tutorials

http://www.ideaspectrum.com/pro2012_tutorials.php

If you redo the building shell in TurboFloorplan , when you export as 3DS file for import to Real Time Landscape all materials you have assigned will automatically transfer to Real Time, no need to assign new.

Real Time does have simple tools to make a house , but I haven't used them, I always import my model.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

It is one thing to produce stunning representations of such a project and quite another to get the point across to the customer and start building. If I want to 'sell' an idea to a customer and that project is a multi million dollar income producer for a large firm, then I want stunning results.

But I haven't had that demand yet. Everthing has been cost driven along with proper representation so I've needed methods that allow me to produce , get the point across and move to the construction phase.

Here are 3 results / tests I've done using some of what I've described above in Real Time.

Play the top two videos (one walk thru testing interior use with Real Time (4yrs old), the other testing Golf "Hole' layout 2yrs old.

http://www.zimmerdesign.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=93&Itemid=55    

and you may have seen this flyover test

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4vk3BE_QMg&feature=plcp  

=================================================================

Combining programs is the only way that I've found to be productive and cover a variety of architectural solutions.

Real Time image quality sample attached. Model imported from TFPlan. All others from Real Time including terrian / plants / water / gazebo (deck / stairs / pool / patio from TFPlan)


Jack

Thanks so much for all the info Jack.  This is one of those rare builds for a client who says: "no budget limits" nice...but now I need to present a series of projections and a walk-through that justify his faith in me!  I agree that I need to use a variety of programs and to combine the best of each to get the results the client is looking for.  As I progress I may call on your expertise some more, and I'll post the progress here.

Thanks again for all your help Jack
Gaz

Hi
I wondered how in this case works  tool  Architecture / Terrain. I did so:
- I draw polylines, which should be drawn on track of contour terrain like on map (or invented by us)
- These polylines raised with delta Z to the appropriate amount
- I selected all  and done export vertices to a txt file
- From this txt file I imported the vertices as points for TurboCAD
- I chose these points and I used the tool "terrain from selected points" ( effects like on snaps)
The problem is that the tool "Terrain" is not  perfectly. To draw such a concave coastline, terrain must be divided into several smaller ones, and later we have to improve the fillet shoreline. It would be nice to be able to reduce the distance at which points are searched for neighboring points used to plot triangles.
I do not know if anyone uses this tool and what is the experience. For exports and imports I used the VBS scripts.

Hi
I wondered how in this case works  tool  Architecture / Terrain. I did so:
- I draw polylines, which should be drawn on track of contour terrain like on map (or invented by us)
- These polylines raised with delta Z to the appropriate amount
- I selected all  and done export vertices to a txt file
- From this txt file I imported the vertices as points for TurboCAD
- I chose these points and I used the tool "terrain from selected points" ( effects like on snaps)
The problem is that the tool "Terrain" is not  perfectly. To draw such a concave coastline, terrain must be divided into several smaller ones, and later we have to improve the fillet shoreline. It would be nice to be able to reduce the distance at which points are searched for neighboring points used to plot triangles.
I do not know if anyone uses this tool and what is the experience. For exports and imports I used the VBS scripts.

Very interesting, Marek. But once you've created the polylines and raised by DeltaZ, why not simply loft them?

Henry H

Hi Henry
Explanation is shown on the snap. Both objects are created using the same number of vertices. Lofting was made ​​one by one between neighboring polylines. In addition to creating space 'terrain from points "we can use the points that are common to neighboring areas (polylines would have to be exploded). You can also use the tool "terrain modifier ".
Marek

Hi Henry
Explanation is shown on the snap. Both objects are created using the same number of vertices. Lofting was made ​​one by one between neighboring polylines. In addition to creating space 'terrain from points "we can use the points that are common to neighboring areas (polylines would have to be exploded). You can also use the tool "terrain modifier ".
Marek

Thanks for the clarification, Marek.

Henry H

Hi Henry,

It has been a long time since I used your Lofting technique. I have run into problems and wondered if you or others can help.

For starters a really basic question. I updated v19 and have lost my right click option that contained 'Look to center'?? not the correct wording, how do I get that back?

As for the lofting of terrians.

In the old versions I used a closed polyline (3D Polyline when it became available)  The concept being similar to making a rectangle in Front view, then making multiple copies (so nodes were the same), placing the copies where the contour lines would be on a site and then adjusting each ones 'height'. Of course contour lines are not straight so the bottom and sides are simple point nodes but the 'top' contains the muti nodes needed to follow the contour lines.

What I did in this test is to use 4 nodes to create the bottom and two sides of the 'rectangle' and the top line had multi nodes that I both moved in Plan to follow imaginary contour line and elevated each node to give a various heights.

It all worked BUT, the terrian is not 'solid', it is a hollow.

The small object with yellow roof is a 40' house for scale.


How do I get my solid Terrian ( I think it is a right click setting before lofting ??)
What happened to my old 'Smoothing' options ?

and where is 'look to center' when I want to orbit and or the key board setting I keep forgetting , to obit around a center of an object.

I think making a solid terrian will solve the "hole' sitiuation that Marek has seen with a terrain as a surface instead of a solid loft.

thanks,

Jack

To solidify a lofted open surface, or a TC surface or mesh *converted to solid in properties or selection info*,  put a block or slab (with a larger footprint than the surface ie eclipsing the surface) offset from it and use the extrude faces to body tool, from the surface to the slab, to make the space between surface and slab a manifold volume solid. 

re: …where is 'look to center'

Try "Tools / Customize—›Commands" page and go to the "View / Camera" category. Is one of the commands at the top what you're looking for? Drag-n-drop the command to where you want it.

Thanks Murray / John R, I will check out your notes.

What I remembered was to use a closed polyline (a 3D Polyline doesn't seem to loft as a solid).

The attached closed polylines got the solid terrain but because they were made of straight line segments, the terrain needs 'smoothing'. No holes in it at all.

thanks,

Jack

Hi John ,

It is in Pop up 2 , acutally a couple of items have changed in Pop ups/ for right click/ when I updated. I've had them available by default for ever, this is the first time an update has changed them.

Jack

Your "old" PopUp toolbars are in the "1024x768pro" Workspace. If you chose to run TC with the Classic interface, it also loads the "1024x768pro_pre19" Workspace. Just choose "1024x768pro" on the Options page and click on the Load From button.

Hi, Jack...

Format>Create Solid>From Surface should solidify your hollow Loft.

Could you use 3D Splines for your profiles? Resulting loft should be smooth, and you can make it oversize and Slice off the sides and bottom if they need to be flat.

Henry H

A slab or block that's eclipsed by the receiving surface, intimated by the second picture, extrudes to the surface and replaces its face with the surface.  Splines or plines don't have to be closed or compound closed.

Indeed, if we use splines, like  suggested Henry,  instead of polylines, the result may be acceptable. Objections are on the edges of the connections between the different levels. I tried several times Terrain tool, and unfortunately there are too many errors. Terrain from points generate, unfortunately points,  for example, above the highest desired level. It's a bit too coincidental.  I mean about situation when we have no real idea of the terrain. We take for example the map, we try to map into TC system level, raise them to the appropriate height and generate a terrain that is  closest to real. Jack does it his way very precisely but he must have a lot of information about the area, to draw an accurate cross-section in perpendicular directions.  After all these trials the best effect for me I got   by drawing  levels using splines. I wonder if we can also improve the connection of different lofts.
It seems to me that  " terrain from points", would work better if it first look for a similar amount of points (for example, within the range set by the user) and later built the terrain between the fixed levels.

I have no idea why I'm doing this but making a terrian has always been an interesting subject.

Here are some results getting a generic 'mountain'.

1) I used Henry's 3D spline concept. When each 'surface' was created , I used 3D Add to combine them into one and applied a texture.
2) Converting the whole to an Smesh / quality 3/ smoothed things out.
3) Node edit select allows one to move nodes around to add some variation.
4) A texture wrap can give various 'finishes'.
5) If I were succesful with Murrays suggestion of extruding to create a solid, then a 3D subtract of an object could create an excavation pad for placing a building / roads / walks etc...

Multiple copy the terrian to start a scene.

Jack

"I have no idea why I'm doing this but making a terrian has always been an interesting subject"

Hi Jack, I couldn't resist..

Now, that is an interesting use of mesh and terrain Dean !