Messages

16

[ARCHICAD] Daily Builds / Re: Corona Renderer for ARCHICAD Alpha 4 daily build

« on: 2020-02-19, 07:22:51 »

What if you close and restart archicad ( maybe even close&rest Archicad)

You mean unplug it and plug it back in?
That always works.

(*sorry.
I couldn't resist.
It was just lying there.
I'm really really sorry.
I'm now going to sit down quietly by myself in the corner, bow my head in shame and think about what I've done.)

17

[ARCHICAD] Feature Requests / Re: Archicad 23

« on: 2020-02-14, 05:57:28 »

Niiiiiice!!!!!!

Looking forward to the next Build release.

18

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Corona Proxy and .obj importer - Survey

« on: 2019-11-26, 07:09:36 »

Thank you for bringing up this discussion Alex, as I believe it's currently probably the most important feature to be considered in the plugin going forward.
Thanks also for the distinction because I can definitely confirm that most people probably were confusing the terms between how you explained it and how we were understanding it before.

To very briefly summarize, I will state that my personal opinion is that you should pursue the second option (Corona Proxy).
I'll explain why.

Perhaps my decision is more heavily influenced by the fact that my experience comes from the 3ds Max side of things using proxy objects there (as proxies either with Vray or Corona's cgeo objects), and that's why I probably confused the understanding of the current implementation. As to why which is the better option, as you well might know, ArchiCAD like most CAD and BIM software isn't that great at handling high-polycount objects - unlike say, 3ds Max or Cinema4D even without the proxy features of the various render engines (And granted those are not CAD or BIM software, but modelling software). In fact this has been a major bone of contention for years now with users asking the Graphisoft developers to provide a way to allow users to "instance" geometry the way you can with 3ds Max, to allow people to save on memory and facilitate smoother viewport navigation.

But there are other reasons why I think this would be a far better option, aside from memory handling, such as the fact that there already exists a large library of already proxied custom entourage objects (trees, cars, 3D people etc) for the various render engines that are commercially available - aside from the libraries that most users who use these other software have already developed themselves.
It would also facilitate the implementation of other features down the line with the plugin like the scatter object or feature for example, for creating grass lawn surfaces and forests or even crowds of people - things that are typically easy to do in a BIM software like ArchiCAD.

Obviously there are drawbacks to this option - like the fact that one has to have access to proxy files (cgeo) and objects or at least the means to create them outside of ArchiCAD (using either 3ds Max or Cinema4D) which a lot of ArchiCAD users might not have. There might also arise the complication of getting the right textures and maps saved and loaded with the files since I imagine it wouldn't be straightforward or easy to do so from within ArchiCAD and the Corona plugin without a material editor and information from the proxy file showing what's what.

However the current Proxy object implementation, which useful, also has its own drawbacks even if it were to be fully functionally implementation.
chief among this is that you're always going to be reliant on the person who created the GDL object to have done a decent enough job in making most of the functions accessible based on how they coded it, and sad to say, most GDL objects are just not that well coded and at the same time most ArchiCAD users are not GDL-coding proficient (again, another thing that ArchiCAD users have been begging Graphisoft to make more accessible via a better interface than line coding, to no avail).
The other obvious drawback is that there simply isn't as large a GDL library of custom objects available out there (to a high enough quality) that are available to ArchiCAD users as one can find of objects that are either Corona proxy files or capable of being converted into them.
Last but not least, correct me if I'm wrong, but this method wouldn't save any memory usage like the Corona proxy file (which should be representable either as a point cloud, a cube or a single 2D plane or a line or point in the viewscreen.).Which means, users will once again always be limited as to how many Proxy objects they can load before they hit the Polycount ceiling and the program begins to crawl and gets brought down to its knees.

Anyway, those are my quick thoughts and opinions.

19

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Render Elements from Photorendering window

« on: 2019-11-05, 20:29:43 »

This is correct.

The VFB currently doesn't work with keeping ArchiCAD's 2 point perspective setting (the field of view gets screwed up).

So you have to use the ArchiCAD rendering window with Corona set as the renderer.
Unfortunately that means you can't output any of the Render Elements.

As I understand it, the intention is to fix the issue with the VFB window to accurately get the ArchiCAD view setting, so that we don't have to use or rely on the ArchiCAD dialog or render window anymore.

Hopefully in the next build.

(p.s. the other possibility, which could also be fixed might be allowing users to export CRX files from the ArchiCAD render window and using that file and the Corona image editor you will have all the render elements embedded in. However fixing the VFB window issue would take care of this since it currently can export CRX format files.)

20

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Corona Light object VS illuminating surfaces

« on: 2019-10-31, 03:49:04 »

You can just use ArchiCAD light(or lamp) objects with the IES option or IES files loaded.

The Corona plugin renders those just fine and as accurate as the IES light information is.
The only tricky part would be getting a good IES library of different light types but you can find plenty of sources for those on the internet and with light manufacturers.


It's a little bit less flexible than using a custom geometry with a light material or a (Corona) light object with all the properties enabled and working properly, but it works fine in most situations.

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[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: hardware for rendering

« on: 2019-10-17, 22:48:30 »

Two things:

More cores (as many as you can get) and faster ones at that, and also as much RAM as you can possibly stuff into your machine.
ArchiCAD on its own uses up quite a bit of RAM, but Corona will require as much as you have left - especially if your scene has a lot of geometry.
So max out your system for RAM and get as high as you can.

22

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Updates?

« on: 2019-10-17, 22:44:55 »

Nice :) We have to sort priorities, switching to new versions is usually not so straightforward and we have to choose carefully :)
Interesting what you said, we have the experience architects are pretty conservative and even big studios are holding their licenses for quite a long period. And if they are switching, usually following this pattern 21->23, 22->24 skipping the next major release of their current version.

Generally this is true for a few reasons.
Migrating to new versions for architects is usually a bit task (with most projects having to run in the new versions rather than having some still on the old version and some still on the new), and due to issues like occasional instability and bugs and sometimes lack of new features to justify upgrading, some architects will opt to skip one version as they upgrade every other version or alternatively keep their office and projects a version behind the current version (with the thinking being that any version you're currently using or upgrading to, is the most stable one since Graphisoft have released all the necessary hotfixes/service packs for it and stabilized any new features).
But not all offices follow this logic as some upgrade immediately to the newest version.
(though, even those that upgrade to the latest version usually wait for a couple of weeks or months after the official release date for the first hotfix before upgrading or migrating their projects if they do. Again, for stability reasons).

So it wouldn't be exaggerating to say that if you're one of the offices upgrading immediately to the newest version, you're doing so knowing that you likely won't have access to your favorite third party plugins and addons until a while after its release since most third party developers are like you and don't have any early access to upgrade their plugins and have it ready for release with or soon after the official release of ArchiCAD itself.

Right now, even one of Graphisoft newest and stronger third party partners (Epicgames; makers of Unreal Engine and Twinmotion) don't have the latest version of their program ready for ArchiCAD 23 yet either and they've been working with GS to release this new version and cross promote each other.

So it's not unusual.

Personally I'm okay with you guys being able to port Corona into a most stable version of ArchiCAD even if it means you're doing so a couple of months late (especially since I personally don't upgrade to the latest version until 5 or 6 months later typically).Also I imagine porting to new versions is fairly complex for third party developers - with the potential of bugs on tops of bugs that might have not been patched yet by Graphisoft themselves - so the choice of porting to a (relatively) more stable version or state of a new ArchiCAD version seems to me to be a wiser decision.

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[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: News

« on: 2019-08-05, 22:50:55 »

Will you be updating the main Trello roadmap (for the Corona 3ds Max roadmap) with the info for this plugin, or are you making a new and separate one for the Corona for ArchiCAD plugin?

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[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: exterior - render

« on: 2019-07-14, 00:48:51 »

Great start, and good shots.

I agree with you about the need for a grass solution (like through a Corona scatter capability as in other Corona plugins) as well as the need to for the current plugin to better handle proxies and allow us to have high poly objects like Trees and vegetation and other entourage.

My only criticism of the render (which is more of a style critique than anything) would be a suggestion for you to avoid doing what a lot of other people do a lot of  (and essentially abuse) in their renders.
Which is, don't have the lights or lamps in your scene turned on when you're doing a daytime render with the sun high up in the sky.
Aside from the fact that you literally wouldn't do that in real life, it also detracts from the realism of your render because there's no way, given how bright the sun really is, that you would see those light washes on the wall on the exterior and on the same wall that is also being illuminated by the sun.
It makes your render look fake and more CGI than it deserves.

Same thing could be said about the lights on the inside as one wouldn't see them lighting up the interior that bright relative to the sun.
Even with lights turned on, in the middle of the day an interior space (with big enough windows and openings) will still get most of it's lighting from the sun's light rather than from the lamps or lights inside.
Some of the textures and materials could also use some more work (or you could use more AO it mask the "plasticness" and fake some dirt and wear and tear), but other than that,...
not too bad for a start.

25

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: More test projects

« on: 2019-06-14, 09:28:19 »

Seems like the question was aimed for the cesarvj02 kitchen he shared - missing UniLIbrary. Thanks for your feedback anyway, I made a ticket already and will investigate this :)

........

Thanks.

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[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: More test projects

« on: 2019-06-13, 20:15:27 »

I have a problem with Library Object in Archicad, mate. :)
Can you put them to Embedded Library?

Seems like this is not a Corona Renderer related question, and as far I understand your issue, I suggest to ask for help rather on the ArchiCAD developers ( Graphisoft ) forum.

Actually it could be (a Corona related question not necessarily directly connected to ArchiCAD).
It's one that's come up before in a different way.

Right now, the Corona plugin gets its textures (maps) information from the ArchiCAD material setting (and loaded maps in the library), which means that if your maps are or were saved as part of the embedded library (or as an ArchiCAD archive file (PLA) with all the library information embedded in) then it will (presumably) get the texture information from that.

But there was talk ( I can't remember if here or at the ArchiCAD forum) about the possibility of loading or saving Corona proxy objects with the ArchiCAD library once the Corona proxy library object issues were fixed or sorted out.
The Corona proxy object is loaded as a library object which then references an external file (like an OBJ file or a Corona format proxy object (GEO).

Is, or can the assumption therefore be that if I had an ArchiCAD file set up to render with the Corona plugin and had some Corona proxy objects (like trees or furniture, for example) as part of the setup, and then saved the ArchiCAD file as a PLA or with the loaded library objects embedded, that the Corona proxy objects (which would read to ArchiCAD as plain simple geometry objects like simple cubes or planes)  could also be conceivably saved along with all the other library objects?

I suppose some cross-checking would be necessary upon loading the file to make sure the paths to the actual proxy files or objects were correct - unless these could also be set up to read as relative (as opposed to absolute) paths like some ArchiCAD reference objects and documents.

I'm not sure if you understand how I mean it.

27

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Next Release Corona ?

« on: 2019-06-10, 23:10:25 »

Great to have you on board Alex.

It's wonderful news to find out that someone else was brought in the help move this along since some of us had feared the worst (i.e. that it had gone the way of the Maya plugin/bridge)

Hope to hear some news and updates soon.

Once again, welcome to the journey.

28

[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Lighting advice neede.

« on: 2019-03-08, 21:15:38 »

Use an invisible light behind the camera (like a Light portal in 3ds Max or one of ArchiCAD's general lights (rectangular) set to light blue to match a sky) and place it out of view behind the camera.

Also you can turn up exposure some more and then also turn up Highlight suppress (compress?) value to reduce the window getting blown out with light from outside.

You could also try to change the camera system to photographic exposure instead of simple exposure (or the other way around) to get more range.

Worst case scenario, just add more lights inside your room.
That's how it would be built i real life anyway

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[Archive] Chaos Corona for ARCHICAD / Re: Corona for Archicad 22?

« on: 2019-02-28, 13:24:18 »

I was telling the architects in work about Archicad and Corona.
Still can't get head around the fact that it's not available for Mac, since 80% of Archicad users are ion a mac.????????

This is patently not true.
The vast majority of ArchiCAD users (WORLDWIDE, at least) are PC users.

The percentages of Mac users may vary from country to country and in some countries the Mac user percentages may be higher than the overall average, but in a big picture sense covering any region of the world, the majority of ArchiCAD users are PC - just like in the totality of computer users in general where Windows has a 90-94% market share (though not that high for ArchiCAD).

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[ARCHICAD] Feature Requests / Re: Initial thoughts, requests and general observations

« on: 2019-01-21, 22:50:15 »

The problem with that is that you wouldn't be able to save out your images in Corona's native .CXR format which allows one to continue editing and working with and extracting layers (render elements) in Corona's Image editor afterwards.
You can only save JPG's (or TIFFs or any of the standard image formats) so say you render out an image and discover the exposure was too high or that the Bloom came out way too high.
Then you're stuck and can't adjust it to the right level like you would with Corona's VFB