Learning WIP

Post by **Bob James** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:20 am

This is a WIP mainly from the learning TWL point of view. I generated this model of my house to get approval for the solar arrays and the addition of the garage. The stucco isn't the correct color (should be a light tan), but I haven't yet figured out how to "make" tan stucco. I submitted the original model before I purchased TWL: the color was right, but it didn't look like stucco.

l don't yet know how to get and/or use hemispherical skies (or any other kind of sky for that matter), and I have so much to learn besides that. I PhotoShopped a sky for the approval model.

I've loaded KT and am trying to learn how to use the materials, etc. from KT in TWL. I downloaded the big recursive tree in front from the KT forum.

When I change the preferences to use the KT materials, I get two sets of everything (one from KT and the other from TWL).

I'd been using a Mac until TWL came out and it's so great that I've bought a new PC so I can use it at home as well as at work:TWL is a great program.

Ecuadorian · Post by **Ecuadorian** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 8:47 am

Hi, Bob.

The image already looks 100x better than my first Twilight renders.

Yes, there is a lot to learn about rendering, but don't despair, you have a forum-full of people ready to help here.

A few tips:

You can change the color of the stucco directly in SketchUp, and Twilight will render it. Just go to the Material Edit tab and play around with these sliders:

: materials.PNG (26.88 KiB) Viewed 11759 times

Also try checking the "colorize" box.
To return to the original color, just hit the "reset color" square.

You can get awesome material textures and spherical skies from http://www.cgtextures.com. For many materials, CGtextures has "tiled" versions; use them if possible.

To load a spherical sky, click the fourth button in Twilight's toolbar (Twilight Light Editor), go to the Sun/sky tab and choose "Spherical sky" from the drop-down. Then click the "Browse" button to load your 360º sky.

: spherical sky.png (33.62 KiB) Viewed 11760 times

Post by **Fletch** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 1:42 pm

Bob, please read the manual! Please watch the video tutorials, all your questions are answered in them!

Post by **Bob James** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 5:56 pm

Fletch wrote:Bob, please read the manual! Please watch the video tutorials, all your questions are answered in them!

Fletch,
I understand it's not easy for you to remember back when you first started, but I spend a lot of time reading the manual and watching tutorials and cruising the forum: there's a LOT to digest for a newbie. I am trying! The manual is not all that helpful (to me) on details of things like spherical sky, use of KT in TWL, etc. Maybe I'm just slow.

Ecuadorian,

Thank you for your help: that's the kind of help that I need

Post by **olishea** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:02 pm

you will get there mate just keep practicing and posting...you will get very good in no time at all.

I would learn how to use this first without getting bogged down with KT as well.

Post by **Fletch** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:35 pm

If there are ways we can improve the manual, please let us know!

It describes inserting skies on page 24. It describes Sphericals briefly in Reference section

Ecuadorian · Post by **Ecuadorian** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 6:37 pm

It's not a problem in the manual, Fletch. It's just that some of us learn a lot more when we have someone as a "coach".

This reminds me when I learned to use Artlantis 4.5 back in 2001. I spent entire days going through each tutorial in the disc and devouring the printed manual. When the day came to show what I had learned by rendering a project we were working on, I was failing miserably to even properly set the sun.

One of the other designers in the office had to give me some hands-on help, not only in that occasion, but many times as well. There were so many "shaders" that I didn't know which one to use, but he gave me some good advice. Artlantis seemed incredibly easy at first sight, but trying to keep everything in the manual in mind while you're actually working can be challenging when you're starting. I'm glad I had architect Eduardo (that's his name) to help me out.

Post by **Bob James** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:00 pm

Ecuadorian wrote:It's not a problem in the manual, Fletch. It's just that some of us learn a lot more when we have someone as a "coach".
.

I guess I'm one of the "some of us"

Thanks for your encouragement.

Post by **Fletch** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 8:29 pm

I had to have someone in the office help me with SketchUp when I ran into things not covered in the video tuts... so I can relate.

I started 3D rendering with Microstation in '97... so I've been at it a while. Actually - I did some Form-Z before that come to think of it...

I actually technically started drawing art with a computer in 1989-ish with MSoft Paint

but yes, it's probably hard for me to remember all the beginning stuff I had to muddle thru... I followed tutorials for a week thru the entire manual to learn microstation... then started teaching it at uni.

Now, I can not remember a thing about that program except I could build almost anything at all quite quickly and easily... and starting AutoCAD by building the Milwaukee Art Museum in 3D just about killed me

what a dinosaur

Post by **d12dozr** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:13 am

Great start, Bob its going to be interesting to see how it progresses.

...+1 for coaching and video tuts...the manual is excellent, but I learn so much better when I can SEE it

Fletch, the MAM would be hard for an AutoCAD pro....absolute hell for a beginner! ...but it sure is lovely to look at

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