Is RENDER an add-on?

[cfee]

Under help for controlling ray-trace options for rendering (included standard with dyno-cad 3D) my S.E. (v-15) help instructs me to click the render button on the animate toolbar. I can't find the render toolbar in the toolbars list, and in right-click at any toolbar, then customize, I can't find "render" listed under the available toolbars listing. I'm guessing its an additional purchase add-on that my management didn't see fit to add. Am I correct?

The reason this is important right now, is that shading color control using lighting, faces and part materials, is very iffy, and the results are inconsistent across various parts loaded, with all parameters (including assigned materials) equal. As long as my results stay gray-scale, the situation is manageable, but as soon as I attempt color control, the situation becomes untennable.

The company Owner/CEO has just discovered the benefits of using our designs as presentation materials, and isn't willing to listen to our "reasons" S.E. won't deliver. He wants results. I've Even considered exporting via ACIS SAT to dyno-cad, where the results are far more stable, and the resulting presentation materials are quite excellent (!), but apparently S.E. has been "improved" to no longer allow exporting via various release versions of SAT to allow import to various dyno-cad releases (we have r-2000 loaded and available). S.E. v-11 did a great job with this, and we did some AMAZING things in "dyno-cad from S.E." on a previous assignment - things _that_ boss was certain we couldn't pull off. I was looking forward to delivering the same level of excellence for this boss.

Any suggestions?

Gratefully,
C. Fee

 

[cfee]

See post on the topic of exporting to previous versions of S.E.

I looked ALMOST everywhere for how to do this. I am a bit disappointed with S.E.'s help system, but I still try to go there before coming here.

Thanks again for the patient assistance.

C. Fee

 

[fwc]

Hi

Click Environment > Virtual Studio, the Render Toolbar will appear.
I hope this helps.


Regards

 

[moldcore]

Environment? I'm not seeing that option in version 15. Is it hidden under something?

 

[moldcore]

OK I found it under the assembly environment. I'm new and learning things when time permits. I'm trying to arrange for some training but the dealer seems a little slow getting it started.

BTW, how much training does someone with 14 years experience in another program (Cadkey) need? I'm constantly buried in one project after another and can't get time needed to do the tutorials in SE. The dealer offers three days of training for a pretty steep price, but the program is pretty worthless to me until I learn more about it so I guess I'll have to fork up the cash. Any suggestions on what areas the dealers training should concentrate on?

Thanks

 

[CorBlimeyLimey]

moldcore
Your question should really be posted in a new thread.

However ...

how much training does someone with 14 years experience in another program (Cadkey) need?

That depends on how quickly the individual can learn new methods, naming conventions, toolbar contents, etc. I have been using SW for 4 years & recently started learning SE. I am still slow but can produce reasonable parts & assemblies after working through the tutorials over a few evenings.

can't get time needed to do the tutorials in SE.

Make time ... start early, work through lunch, stay late, take it home, work weekends, whatever ... the tutorials do not take that long to work through & if you're serious about learning SE (or anything else for that matter) you are going to have to put yourself out & find the time ... even if it means delaying a project. If you want to save money, take the three days you would spend at the dealers training & work through the tutorials.

Any suggestions on what areas the dealers training should concentrate on?

That depends ... if it's a one on one training session, try to ensure it's arranged to be as flexible as possible ... so that the trainer can adjust to your level of competence (beginner, intermediate or advanced) and quickly bring you up to a productive speed.
If it's a group training, then you are going to be taught at the speed of the slowest student ... no matter what level you are at.

Good luck.

from (the City of) Barrie, Ontario.

Support bacteria - they're the only culture some people have

 

[cfee]

CorBlimeyLimey-

I agree completely with your entire post, as far as it goes. However, the questions (posted by moldcore) that you are responding to are VERY VALID. As a SENIOR LEVEL INSTRUCTOR intimately familiar with CAD TRAINING ISSUES, I express the opinion that moldcore's spoken and implied concerns are right on.

Anyone interested in adopting a new CAD software system, ESPECIALLY S.E., _must_ run the tutorials. You MUST ask questions of more experienced users, and you _MUST_ try (if at all possible) to afford professional training.

I have run all the tutorials, have access to good experienced users, and have even begun my series of professional training sessions.

I STILL find S.E. to be cumbersome and poorly organized, with little attention to workflow based processes as a seed to organized menues and command function flow (coordinated user interface). As an IDEAL example, consider my need to render a subassembly I am working on for the owner of my company. Not finding render or even a forward link, anywhere near the color management, shading, and materials processes, I went first to S.E. help, and then to this help site. Here I got the answers I needed, as I knew I would. The level of professionalism and optimism to be found here is encouraging!

However, the help system is sadly deficient in substantive detail. Its almost like whoever wrote it didn't know what to inlcude as responses to the most basic queries. Entering command names returns empty responses. Primary NAMED command options, the same. When I DO get a response with content, the content is missing crucial steps, command names, and menu locations.

Consider this response by "fwc", always someone with good input:

fwc (Mechanical) Jun 15, 2004
Hi

Click Environment > Virtual Studio, the Render Toolbar will appear.
I hope this helps.

Regards

and how hard it was for moldcore to implement it. He eventually DID, however, and we'll all benefit. My question is this: Why wasn't fwc's info available when I went to RENDER in S.E. help? Why did I have to come here?

This last got way too long. Sorry. I genuinely appreciate the help.

C. Fee

 

[fwc]

Hi

You may want to try a word search with "Ray Trace" in SE help. Select topic "Assembly Presentations", you should find what you're looking for in the first paragraph. You should also find this under topic "Rendering Parts and Assemblies".

Good luck!

 

[cfee]

fwc-
hi! Thanks for your input. I actually mentioned this in some detail in the 1st paragraph of my initial post. The questions I mentioned in connection, still apply. I've since used your other post to find the info I really needed. Please note that the info in your follow-on post is NOT included in that 1st paragraph in the S.E. help, and that the help makes no mention (for new users' benefit) as to the action-path to implement the info included. Consequently, as you may also note, your input was still needed, along with others' expressed interest (in following thread posts) in the appropriate answers.

Also please note the leading topic at the head of the return list in the search index results window!

BTW-
The info in the help paragraph was of no actual value as to how to properly set up and execute a photo render, just a mention of some things you can do and some command icons to help.

I find it curious that there's no obvious method of modifying assigned materials WITHIN render, or even a link to go there. In "dyno-cad" a material can be assigned to a part, the particulars of that material edited, and a whole new HIGH QUALITY material created as a result, which can then be saved and assigned to other parts of the same sometimes exotic material, and even shared with others as a newly created/defined material. You can even set the material properties to override/modify color assignments when in plain "shade" mode (a quicker and yet highly useful daily-ops kind of render).
I even went to the users manual (print version) with even less success. Any corresponding facility in S.E. ?

Thanks again for the help. The boss has conceeded that the results we'll live with will have to do. I guess close enough is good enough this time.

Thanks again,

C. Fee

 

[fwc]

Maybe you should go through "Rendering Parts and Assemblies" in SE help, there are some information on rendering method and tips. I believe you'll have the time now. ;-)

 

[moldcore]

Yes, I should have started a new thread but I was thinking that cfee's problems were related as we are both new at this and the help is of very little help unless your familiar with all the terminology.

I've run about 6 of the tutorials but with so much time between each I'm not picking up much. I tried one this morning on surfacing that kicked me out of the program, that doesn't give me much confidence. I'll try it again later and if it repeats, I'll forward the problem to SE.

Thanks for the suggestions,
moldcore

 

[micro72w]

Moldcore, I came from the Cadkey environment last year, I started with V1.93 years ago. Take the training, it is well worth the investment. The time you save will be payed back many fold. We are about to complete our first project in SE. Its taken just about the same time to complete as it did with CK, about 9 months.

Expect to have a slow start up, we did, then we took the training, it made a tremendous boost in productivity. We made the time back when we started documenting due to changes. Our training includes two classes, we still have the second class to take. I suggest you go through the tutorials 2 to 3 times prior to your first class. Take the first class, use the software for about 6 months, then take the second class. Use the online help and I can't stress this enough, use the GTAC phone help, you will find it an invaluable tool, they are great. I burned up the phone line for a long time. Additionally, get logged onto the SE BBS. This and the ENG-TIPS BBS's have been great for finding solutions.

Good luck