VRML - Open source editor for simple office interiors

Author

Open source editor for simple office interiors

Wynn Winkler

2004-04-06, 4:38 am

I would like to build/import/edit/export vrml files of
simple architectural interiors - especially office or
school interiors. The editor should be open-source and
preferably cover at least Windows and Linux.
Blender doesn't talk about interior modeling in its
basic documentation - is it any good at it? and are
there any tutorials? Same questions for White-dune
and the others. When they show examples or tutorial
topics it is generally exterior modeling of solid objects
rather than interior modeling of buildings. There is a
preference for small file size and easy editing
for 3d virtual world use. There is no need for CAD/CAM
accuracy for construction.
Also, any recommendations for open-source utilities
for polygon-count reduction?
Thanks.

Joerg Scheurich aka MUFTI

2004-04-06, 9:34 am

> I would like to build/import/edit/export vrml files of
> simple architectural interiors - especially office or
> school interiors. The editor should be open-source and
> preferably cover at least Windows and Linux.
> Blender doesn't talk about interior modeling in its
> basic documentation - is it any good at it?

Hmm, i see no speciality in interiors compared to other modelling tasks -
beside the fact, that school interiors do not have legs to walk away 8-)

For example, to model a couch (mainly smooth shapes) is rather different
from building a cabinet rack (mainly cubic/quader shapes).

For building smooth shapes it may be usefull to use the NURBS modelling
in white_dune or the subdivision smoothing in wings3d, while the
boolean and array operations from Art of Illusions may be more usefull
for building a cabinet rack.

If Windows and Linux and Open Source is a condition and you dislike
the usage of blender, i would go away from the idea of having one tool
that do anything and change to a bunch of tools for special tasks.

VRML has a Inline node that allows you to crack your project in
different VRML files. Each VRML file can be the direct output of
any 3D modeller, so there is possibly no real need to have one big tool
that can do anything.

Beside some VRML browser based assembly tools, the newest beta version of
white_dune also support the display of the first level of inline nodes.
But white_dune is not complete anyway, as you can see from the version
number 0.27. Don't worry, to be not complete do not mean useless....

> and are
> there any tutorials?

For wings3d and art of illusion, you can find tutorials on their
website. For blender, it may be a bit more difficult to find tutorials,
cause some say, the initial buisness model of the orginal blender company
was to make a free tool that is rather unusable without buying the book 8-(

> Same questions for White-dune
> and the others.

The idea behind white_dune is different. Beside basics and a short
description of the main 3D NURBS modelling tools in the documentation,
the tutorial for working with white_dune is any tutorial for VRML97 itself.
The graphics in white_dune are the same nodes, events and routes as
written as text in a VRML file.
For example, if you have no idea, what a ImageTexture is good for and how
it is used, you will be rather lost in white_dune if you want to attach
a fake structure to a object.
White_dune is usefull, if you know VRML or want to learn VRML.
If the VRML internals are only uninteresting details for you, white_dune
is possibly not the right tool for you...

> topics it is generally exterior modeling of solid objects
> rather than interior modeling of buildings.

The best tool for building interiors of building is a database full
of VRML modells of couches, chairs and cabinets, even if your only
other tool is the vi text editor - if you can write down a Inline and
a Transform VRML command without a accident 8-)

> There is a
> preference for small file size and easy editing
> for 3d virtual world use.

If small size is important, you should focus on so called "low polygon
3D modellers". While joker say: "low polygon 3D modellers are simply too
slow to handle much polygons 8-)" there are a bunch of features, that
are typical for low polygon modellers:
- show each polygon as it is
- there are tools for working with single edges and polygons
- support the change of normals ("smooth shading")
- show the number of polygons
- a polygon reducer

I am not clear, if blender is a low polygon modeller, in fact it was
initially developed mainly for movie creation....

> Also, any recommendations for open-source utilities
> for polygon-count reduction?

I do not know much tools. Art of illusion has a "simplify" operation
in the mesh editor. If you find more, please tell us.

Beside this, the tesselation fields in NURBS nodes of VRML97 amendment 1
can be used for polygon-count reduction, see

http://www.csv.ica.uni-stuttgart.de...sindexedfaceset

for more information.

so long
MUFTI
--
Klicken Sie an Ende zur Abschaltung das System und loeschen Sie
dann alle Gedruckten Schaltkarten.
Beenden
(Card Executive 2.0 for NT Diagnostics)

Heiko Recktenwald

2004-04-08, 10:31 pm

Joerg Scheurich aka MUFTI <rusmufti@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de> wrote:
> VRML has a Inline node that allows you to crack your project in
> different VRML files. Each VRML file can be the direct output of
> any 3D modeller, so there is possibly no real need to have one big tool
> that can do anything.

> The best tool for building interiors of building is a database full
> of VRML modells of couches, chairs and cabinets, even if your only
> other tool is the vi text editor - if you can write down a Inline and
> a Transform VRML command without a accident 8-)

This sounds like a nice perlscript. Can you explain a little bit more?

H.

Wynn Winkler

2004-04-21, 11:05 pm

Heiko Recktenwald <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>Joerg Scheurich aka MUFTI <rusmufti@helpdesk.rus.uni-stuttgart.de> wrote:
>
>
>This sounds like a nice perlscript. Can you explain a little bit more?
>
>H.

Does anyone know of such a database, or better yet, just a site
with lots of vrml files of this type?

Marcello Scotti aka VRkiTECHt

2004-04-21, 11:05 pm

Hi Wynn,

you may want to browse this site:
http://www.int3d.com

regards,

Marcello Scotti (aka VRkiTECHt)
marcello.scotti@telefonica.net
Barcelona

xxx@xxx.yyy (Wynn Winkler) wrote in message news:<40807ea4.7966968@news.west.earthlink.net>...
> Heiko Recktenwald <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> Does anyone know of such a database, or better yet, just a site
> with lots of vrml files of this type?

Marcello Scotti aka VRkiTECHt

2004-04-21, 11:05 pm

Hi Wynn,

you may want to browse this site
http://www.int3d.com

regards,

Marcello Scotti
(aka VRkiTECHt)
marcello.scotti@telefonica.net
Barcelona

xxx@xxx.yyy (Wynn Winkler) wrote in message news:<40807ea4.7966968@news.west.earthlink.net>...
> Heiko Recktenwald <me@privacy.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> Does anyone know of such a database, or better yet, just a site
> with lots of vrml files of this type?