Beiträge von Thorvald

Dietrichs has a lot of different modules, as far as I understand. Some are specialized for log-houses, some for timber frames, some for SIP's. And then there are different levels of the program including more or less smaller modules, like elementation etc. In addition there are some small modules, perhaps a lot, that can be bought as well, like stair module etc. Some of these things I think - maybe - should be included in the "start package". I understand also the reason why it is as it is - because the one man carpenter company doesn't need as much as a big factory and one factory doesn't need log-house module, because they don't build log-houses.

If you want all, you can buy all - but then the program becomes extreemely expensive.

But - I must agree with Vilmantas in, that it is impossible to know what possibilities there are and what one might find useful. You - Dietrichs - should do your self and your customers a favour and make a complete description on your website of the program, levels and all modules that are included in what levels and what can be bought separately - and prices for everything. Then the customer should be able to pick parts of the program and see what could be interesting - and see what is the total price for his choices. When one is done, it should be able to send the list of chosen items to one's salesman for a discussion about if one needs these things, for a final offer and for purchace. This will also be good for marketing because potential customers can see the great possibilities in the program and that they doesn't need to buy all from the beginning.

Ok, this answer sounds useful, because this was the answer from progeCad:

"Thank you for your mail.

progeCAD can already edit and convert all DWG and DXF files to and from
AutoCAD, this is absolutely no problem.

As for 3D models, it will be possible if they are 3D wireframe DXF models
or meshes. Also if Dietrichs uses ACIS SAT files, progeCAD can read those
(progeCAD Professional version includes ACIS 3D solids editing AND AutoCAD
wireframe mesh command support)

I hope that helps."

Ok, I just tried again and it seemed to work well, with a drawing from PlanCad, export to DXF and open in dwg viewer. Perhaps it was earlier I had problems with it. It seems to work ok, except that it seems to convert the millimeter measurements to meter and I don't know if the drawing in Acad will be 1:1 or "paperspace" size?? Also measurements that are close to each other in PlanCad is not positioned the same way as in PlanCad but are on top of each other in dwg.

What about converting complete 3D model from Dietrich to dwg??

I wrote this e-mail to a company with a Cad-program, because I find that the communication dwg --> Dietrichs and Dietrichs --> dwg is a bit difficult and can cause headaches...

"I am very interested in progeCad and I am having a question. I am using another software called Dietrichs ( see http://www.dietrichs.com ) 99,9% of my time and I simply love that software. But sometimes the possibility to open dwg drawings, draw on them, make measurements etc. would be a great advantage. But use $6000-8000 for that? No way! The only disadvantage of this software is the communication to and from dwg-files. This communication is sometimes useful or even required. The communication from dwg files to my program is necessary, because most architect drawings are delivered in dwg. This is also in most cases not a big problem, because I can convert the dwg files to dxf, that my program can read in 2D. So in most cases this is not a big problem (but sometimes it is).

Would progeCad be able to read the dwg files and safe them as dxf files (version 2000)??

Another thing is from Dietrich to dwg. It is possible to export 2D drawings to dxf, that can be opened in AutoCad. This is possible, but perhaps not perfect since measurements seems not to be transferred (probably because of the nature of the dxf - format). It would be excellent if progeCad could on an instant read Dietrichs 2D drawings directly and then one could safe them as original dwg drawings. Would this be possible??

A third thing could be to convert complete 3D models Dietrichs to dwg and dwg to Dietrichs via progeCad - this could in some cases also become convenient.

If these things are not possible, maybe it would be possible to develop it in coorporation with Dietrichs - especially the convertion from Dietrichs to dwg, because a complete file with all drawings etc. in dwg, is sometimes required by project-holders."

Please give comments, because I cannot be the only one who could have customers / authorities who wants the project in dwg.

Yeah it might work. I thought that the dashed hidden lines would be visible, but they are not. (Depends probably if you check "hidden lines" or not, when one take out the drawing).

The other options under "Display" - sketch, object hidden and shade: Sketch could work as well, because it processes quite fast, but the other 2 takes too long time.

But still - a "facade drawing" function should appear on the wishlist.

I do more or less that same as Jim Rogers. I draw a line from the 2nd to perpendicular on the top line, and then I can make such measurements. But to put such lines on a seperate layer, was a quite good idea, because I normally delete such help line when the drawing is finished.

Yeah I have heard about this "freitext" option before, but never really tried it. Now I tried it and it works ok for this purpose. But in this way it is difficult to control that the facadeboards doesn't get too wide and stuff like that. Another thing was that I couldn't find a texture of 2-on-one facades.

The very best result is gained by building up the facade of real wood - this I do when I am going to present the building in more detailed and closer views. But in this case, I think I can maybe live with the result as it is now.

Hi. We have the texture "Horizontal sheatings" in different colors - but of course not in the color Í need - i.e. white or lightgrey white. Funny, because lots of houses are built with white wooden facades... What to do? I could make the facade with woodbeams, painted white as I have done before, but in this case it would be too much work, since the model is just for presentation of a project.

I am beginning to be needing a sufficient method to make facade drawings - because we are beginning to more work on our own shoulders and needs therefore the possibility to make presentation drawings for projects. And for that one needs to make facadedrawings. Untill now I have made some of the facadedrawings by making them manually in PlanCad and in the last case I used OpenGL pictures of the facades, scaled to correct scale as facadedrawings. None of the methods are very satisfying. I wonder how you out there are doing it.

Today, I remembered a function in D-Cam (8-4) to hide everything behind objects that are in front. I thought this would be a good way to make facadedrawings - but the problem was that it took very, very, very, very, very, very long time for the computer to complete this command. This was only a 120 m2 house in 2 stories. So I guess it would be impossible on bigger houses. So I wonder if that is the way you do it?

This could be a point for the wishlist:
I would like a seperate function: file/drawings/store/facadedrawings. This function automatically creates the facadedrawings for all 4 (or more) facades - like if you used function (8-4) + save current view. In the dialogbox there could be following choices:
- Automatically create facadedrawings from 4 sides of the house.
- Choose what sides to make drawings of.
- The possibilty to choose planes at an angle to x-y plane.
- The possibilty to choose planes that goes through the house (it could be that you have an "inside facade" (atrium)).
- Choose if you want all facades in one drawing file. Example 4 "normal" facades, and perhaps a submenu where you can choose the location of the single facades.
- Choose to get a single drawing file for each facade.
- Choose if you want a normal line drawing.
- Choose if you want a drawing with shadows (submenu with position of sun - or that you in another part of the program tells the program what direction is North, and in the drawing menu you choose the time of the day and the program automatically makes correct shadows).
- Choose if you want a line drawing with rendered surfaces - i.e. with colors and textures that you have used.

This would indeed be a very nice drawing function! Can we get it in version 8?...

Ok, I see. That was sufficient answer. Then I must try to get that laptop with Nvidia grapfic card, in case I would buy it (some day - or another laptop).

Hi.

From time to time, I fall in love with a computer (but I don't buy them all...) :wink: E.g. I buy if it's time for a new computer.

For the moment I am in love with LG R710-SAP77V. But the computers in this 710 series all have ATI Graphic card and in this computer it is ATI® MobilityTM Radeon® HD3650 (512MB VRAM, 1,983MB Hyper Memory) and Windows Vista Home Premium. Will it be so from version 8, that it doesn't matter so much if you use Nvidia or ATI grapfic cards?? - That one will get the same performance from cards on same level?

Hello. I have Internet Explorer, and I couldn't find the setting ypu think I should be looking for.

Zitat von Jim Rogers

...
Another way to do it is with a screen capture option on your keyboard. Pressing the Prt Scr button, (if you have one) will capture a screen image of your screen and place it onto your computer's clipboard.
From there you open a program like MSPaint and then paste that image onto that screen.
...

This is the method I normally use. Excepth from I use Paint Shop Pro to paste the image into....

Well - the other comment about resizng the big format picture is of course correct. But you might think about advances and disadvantages.

- High resolution and big format pictures saved from OpenGL: This method takes a long time and you have to resize the picture afterwards.
- The method with high resolution prints to PDF gives PDF-pictures that looks as good as or even perhaps better than from the first method. And if you are not going to put the picture on a drawing you are finished. (Except from that the PDF-picture for some reason is rotated 180 degr., I have no idea why). In the cases where you want to get a picture out of it you can make screen dump, or maybe you have software that can convert PDF to JPEG.

See my examples.

Yeah, to make a factor 7, I had to write 7000.

Hmmmm., this I don't understand - If I change the ratio to t.ex 3 the size of the picture becomes very small. Aah, I understand now - because you might work in meters and I in millimeters. Ok had to go up to a factor 7 to get a acceptable result. This makes the files size of the png-file huge, and going higher was not possible for computerpower. Then it is possible to take a screen-dump when viewing the picture, and save that - and that reduces the file size drastically - from 71 Mb to 180 Kb...

I found another method that also worked quite well. This is to take high resolution prints to PDF-file. If you then wants picture files that you can insert on drawings you can again make screen dumps when viewing the pdf-file.

Hi.

Why is it that when I log on the forum is opened in another window?? I know I have changed some settings trying to make something else work better, but it seems to have made things worse.... But exactly what settings I must change back (and back to what) I am not sure of. I think it is something aboute secure websites or sites that you trust or whatever. Anyone?

I think I would like to try option 2, I tried option 1, but is not very satisfied. But where do I set this zoom factor that you talk about in option 2??

Ok great, sounds interesting. I will look at these things when I am more ready to make the pictures. I still have a few things to make on the model - like a garage and small houses for bicycles etc. But those I will just make as volume models for now.

Hi.

Is it possible to avoid these shadows that makes the white wooden facade look with a lot of black, when viewing from distance? I always use "textures and edges" mode, because it gives the most correct view (at least when closer to the house. The facade is made from profiled beams, as you can see on the detailed view. Maybe it is something about light, but I don't know what settings to use. Or can it be something about lines from structure objects behind facade boards (even though the facade panels are about 50 mm from other parts of the wall behind)??

Any suggestions how to make it look better, or I just have to take the pitures at a closer view?

Oh great, that worked perfectly. I thought I had already been there, but obviously not exactly in that way.