11 Replies Latest reply on Jan 27, 2009 10:03 PM by Bruce Cox

    Projecting an image to surface.

    Bruce Cox
    Bruce Cox Jan 12, 2009 2:18 PM
      The pic shows a flat image inserted into a sketch, over a fairly complex terrain model.

      Is there a way to project the image straight down to model? Within the SW part... It would be helpful to have the picture ON the terrain solid as I add buildings and such. My goal is not a photoworks picture. I'm pretty ignorant about illustrating and mapping images and such but if someone said it can be done I'd learn. If it just plain can't, I don't want to waste time on it.
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      • Categories: SolidWorks, Surfacing
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        • Projecting an image to surface.
          1-GFEX8U Jan 12, 2009 2:20 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
          If the topo was one surface you could add the pic via the texture tool.
          • Projecting an image to surface.
            Charles Culp
            Charles Culp Jan 12, 2009 3:39 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
            Bruce,

            Edit the appearance at the part or body level. In the Apperances feature menu, go down to the "appearance" section, and click the Browse... button. You can then select an image file to map onto your body. After applying the image it will look patterned, and not oriented properly, but that's ok.

            Once it is there, go to the "Mapping" tab of the appearance. From this you want to set the style to "planar mapping", and then you will have to fiddle with the axis/rotation to get it to work, although it should align itself to the axes, so chances are it is already correct. Make sure to set the "mapping size" to the largest, and then since you are working with a cubic model, it should fit perfectly. Unfortunately SW does not have a way to fine tune the mapping size that I know of, maybe it takes photoworks though...
              • Projecting an image to surface.
                Dan Riffell
                Dan Riffell Jan 12, 2009 4:43 PM (in response to Charles Culp)
                Could you try it as a decal?
                • Projecting an image to surface.
                  Bruce Cox
                  Bruce Cox Jan 13, 2009 4:06 AM (in response to Charles Culp)
                  Charles, thanks, it's almost working. It wrapped nice... but it's rotated 180 and too small. In the mapping section I have no size/orientation controls available. Help says "Only textural appearances have editable texture properties" I'm stuck on what needs to be done to make my .jpg a "textural appearance".

                  When I specified the .jpg as an appearance it then prompted to save as a .p2m file. And no mapping tab was available. Next time I applied an appearance the map tab was there but only what you see in the picture.

                  BTW, I'm overlooking the Mississip.
                    • Projecting an image to surface.
                      Bruce Cox
                      Bruce Cox Jan 13, 2009 4:16 AM (in response to Bruce Cox)
                      ok, just like you said... plannar mapping!

                      it's looking good... just about 10% too small. i will try enlarging the original jpg.
                        • Projecting an image to surface.
                          Bruce Cox
                          Bruce Cox Jan 13, 2009 12:09 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
                          Resizing the original jpg didn't change the texture size. The box you see in the pic is the max size of the texture. Unfortunately for me, applying the texture to the terrain is really cool and I am forced to waste time getting it to work. Hehe.

                          My next thought is to crop the .jpg just right so when it fills up the max size it is proper scale. A lot of trial and error but the max size does cover my property.

                          Another thought... I open the .p2m file in notepad and get this:
                          ================
                          color texture "color_texname" "d:\house\t1.jpg"

                          shader "top_name" "top_mtl"
                          (
                          "num_cols" 0 ,
                          "color_effect" "2d.p2a" ,
                          "illum" "model_3.p2a" ,
                          "mapping" 2
                          )

                          material "iii" "swt_main_phen"
                          (
                          "col1" 1 1 1 ,
                          "ctex" ""color_texname"" ,
                          "ambient_factor" 1 ,
                          "diffuse_factor" 0.75 ,
                          "specular_factor" 0.5 ,
                          "specular_color" 1 1 1 ,
                          "exponent" 50 ,
                          "reflectivity" 0 ,
                          "mtl_ior" 1 ,
                          "transparency" 0 ,
                          "ambience" 1 1 1
                          )
                          end material
                          =======================
                          Will anything in there to control size?
                    • Projecting an image to surface.
                      Charles Culp
                      Charles Culp Jan 13, 2009 1:13 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
                      Copy your latest question to the photoworks area.
                      • Projecting an image to surface.
                        1-GFEX8U Jan 13, 2009 1:15 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
                        Dosen't Photoshop CS Extended have a image-to-model wrap tool?
                          • Projecting an image to surface.
                            Dan Riffell
                            Dan Riffell Jan 13, 2009 1:20 PM (in response to 1-GFEX8U)
                            I guess that's a "No" on the Decals then?
                              • Projecting an image to surface.
                                Bruce Cox
                                Bruce Cox Jan 13, 2009 2:21 PM (in response to Dan Riffell)
                                What I read about decals is they won't wrap. So I didn't pursue it. Maybe that's changed in 09... but help says decals require photoworks... I can't even find photoworks. Used to be a button that loaded a menu.

                                Oh well, got a hot job yesterday, terrain has to go on the back burner.
                                Thanks to all.
                                  • Projecting an image to surface.
                                    Bruce Cox
                                    Bruce Cox Jan 27, 2009 10:03 PM (in response to Bruce Cox)
                                    Thought I'd give on update. I figured out the largest appearance mapping allowed was too small for my terrain. It would scale down but not up. I never tried photoworks. So I cut out just my property, which is also a littler bigger, and cropped the image to fit the area that the largest map size covered. You can see the land behind the pond is where the image starts to repeat. I could have split the land again but this is close enough for me. It lined up real close. The effect is amazing. Well... I think so. A lot of people buy aerial photos of their land, now I can fly over it myself without leaving the ground. It should be fun over the next few years modeling projects and sticking them in the virtual property.