New to Cheetah3D - Using it for master thesis. Help!

MatsBa

New member
Hi everybody! I am new to cheetah, and I just had a three day course in this program in preparations for my master thesis. My goal is to make an AR application that will show a visual timeline of one specific location in Oslo. The area i have chosen is the area in and around Oslos city hall. These last three days I had the pleasure of being introduces to this program, but I cannot say that I feel capable of tackling this task on my own quite yet. I am therefore posting here for some tips and general guidelines. I will try to post some pictures of the area that I am trying to build, first and foremost I need help to tackle the issue concerning the main building in the area. The city hall. I was just wondering if there were any immediate impressions from you guys in regards to what my first move should be. I know I may not be able to present all the important facts needed for you to help me in depth, but that is also why I am here, so you could guide me in facing with my upcoming problems. Here is my effort.

On the internet, they claim that the city hall is 49 meters in length, 31 meters in width, and 21 meters in height. By looking at satellite pictures and pictures taking of the building, i can´ t really see the clear distinction of the 18 meters, so I´m having a hard time understanding the dimensions. And my second concern is that, to make this as realistic as possible, do I type in these dimensions in Cheetah so it would be realistic, or is it too big, or too small? How would i know? Thanks. I could only attach two files (makes sense, i would make a mess) so please let me know if I need to focus on any additional information that I may not be focusing on.
 

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Hi.
I usually try GoogleEarthPro (which is free) or GoogleMaps to get some kind of footprint first where you can take some measurements with its built-in tools
Oslo City Hall.jpg

- but if you need correct sizes&scales I try all I can to get some Blueprints from actual city/town-maps
They have a great website; https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/oslo-city-hall/3126/
Maybe get in contact via email about plans&views by unveiling your project+goals.
I´m not sure where you´re from - just in case you´re a citizen I believe/guess there´re Arnstein Arneberg+Magnus Poulsson archives of the architects you can consult.
Regarding Cheetah3d I´d take 1unit as 1m what should work fine. When you reach camera clipping it can be adjusted accordingly.

Cheers
Frank
 
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Hi.
I usually try GoogleEarthPro (which is free) or GoogleMaps to get some kind of footprint first where you can take some measurements with its built-in tools
View attachment 35596
- but if you need correct sizes&scales I try all I can to get some Blueprints from actual city/town-maps
They have a great website; https://www.visitnorway.com/listings/oslo-city-hall/3126/
Maybe get in contact via email about plans&views by unveiling your project+goals.
I´m not sure where you´re from - just in case you´re a citizen I believe/guess there´re Arnstein Arneberg+Magnus Poulsson archives of the architects you can consult.
Regarding Cheetah3d I´d take 1unit as 1m what should work fine. When you reach camera clipping it can be adjusted accordingly.

Cheers
Frank
Thanks for the fast reply Frank. Really nice info, I really liked google maps too, just dont know how exact I need to be, or how much it matters when you are on site. But do you have any useful tips on how to start the building process after the measurements are done? Should i start with four individual objects or should i start from the ground up, using the extrude tool when trying to create transitions to balconies and different floors with different textures? And wow, thanks for the Google Earth pro tip!
 
Okey, so I finally understood how I could use blueprints, and I was wondering how I should make these sylinders at the front of the building. This will be used for a mobile application so I only need to make the exterior on all sides. But I have not yet understood how I should go about when building and at the same time avoid as many triangles, or polygons as possible (If i used this term correctly). In the example of the front building which i have attached, I first chose to use "ring cut" on all of the sylinders and then used the "extrude" tool to heighten the building following the blueprint and making a gap where it needs to be a gap. What i am wondering is this. Is it easier to just make a cylinder from the cylinder object tool and copy pasting? Or is extruding a better option? Or is it a better option? Thanks again
 
I'm no substitute for Frank but I'll do my best.

All the objects in the Cheetah menu are Parametric
Objects until they are made "editable".

Until made editable you can't select the objects
polygons points and edges directly.
 
I'm no substitute for Frank but I'll do my best.

All the objects in the Cheetah menu are Parametric
Objects until they are made "editable".

Until made editable you can't select the objects
polygons points and edges directly.
Yes, thanks ZooHead, just found that out. But in Franks gif he says to use a "parametic box" which is used as a template? Before the next slide which shows a transparent box which is used to align, is it possible to change the opacity for alignment? Then he creates a "plane" of the template with the height edges still attached to the air, how?! And while I have you here Zoo. In the picture you posted in Helmuts thread of Hagia Sofia, I see there are many lines (triangles/edges) on the outside of the model, is this something i should avoid when making an AR app? Does many edges/lines take up cpu? How should a model like the Oslo City Hall? By dividing it into four parametric objects individually and then subtract all those tiny spots for the windows? Or should i do it from the ground up with all the windows accounted for? I have only learned to make one window using the inner extrude tool... Thanks!
 
Ok let me take this one step at a time.
Yes, thanks ZooHead, just found that out. But in Franks gif he says to use a "parametic box" which is used as a template? Before the next slide which shows a transparent box which is used to align, is it possible to change the opacity for alignment?
In the Properties Panel for each object there is Display Type set it to wireframe for the box.
 
Then he creates a "plane" of the template with the height edges still attached to the air, how?!
Choose a Plane from the Object Menu, change the Plane to the wall thickness squared.

Then use the Transform Tool with Snapping set to Component to place it in a corner of the box.

If you double click the ball in the center of the Transform Tool it turns blue and is
decoupled from the model and can be placed or snapped anywhere you need.
Then double click the ball to lock it in again.
 
And while I have you here Zoo. In the picture you posted in Helmuts thread of Hagia Sofia, I see there are many lines (triangles/edges) on the outside of the model, is this something i should avoid when making an AR app? Does many edges/lines take up cpu? How should a model like the Oslo City Hall? By dividing it into four parametric objects individually and then subtract all those tiny spots for the windows? Or should i do it from the ground up with all the windows accounted for? I have only learned to make one window using the inner extrude tool... Thanks!
You'll have to point me to the post you're talking about, but I have no Idea about AR app making,
although more geometry will surely be more information for the cpu to handle.

If you have a Box/Building with one window. The windows geometry will extend through all the walls floor and ceiling.
The building is mostly square which is good news as far as keeping the polygon count as low as possible.
Curved lines are made of many small straight lines, and the tighter the curve the more segments are needed to define it.
 
If you only need the exterior it may be better to start with splines.
Add the spline to a Polyplane Creator and to that add a Shell Modifier for height.

Spline Hall.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Oslo City Hall.zip
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  • Oslo City Hall 02.jpg
    Oslo City Hall 02.jpg
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Instead of using a whole new tool-set I´d go the polygonal-way:
Oslo Rathaus 3d start.gif

In the end you´ll need just good image textures mapped via UV-mapper to polygon selections.
That´s how GoogleMaps is working.

Cheers
Frank
 
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