Rendered walk Throughs?

[damob23]

I was wondering is it possible to create rendered walk throughs of your max models, i.e the ability to move around freely ? what options are available with out use of a max licences, to show clients for example,

[Cad64]

What do you mean "without the use of a max license"? :?

[damob23]

something you could run and view with out max running on that machine, independent of max, just trying to find out about both options. viewers that need max installed and ones that dont.

[Cad64]

Ok, well you can create an .avi file of your walkthrough that could be viewable with Windows Media Player.
Have a look at this tutorial: http://www.cadtutor.net/dd/studio/walkm5/walkm5.html

[spittle]

As far as getting a rendered Max model into a real time walkthrough, the only way I know of would be to import into Unreal Editor (or a similar engine). It's a game engine that comes free with games such as Unreal Tornament.

This would require the end user to have purchased the game and have it installed on their PC.

I plan to learn this very soon. http://eat3d.com/ have some good tutorials.

You can do this as long as you're not selling it. So perhaps displaying a concept to clients would be legal but not selling it as a product.

You can do a real time walkthrough with a Revit model and the viewer but not with textures. Or Solidworks enables you to rotate your model with crappy textures with a free viewer but no real time walkthrough.

[Cad64]

So when you send your walkthrough to the client, you're going to explain to him that he has to purchase and install Unreal in order to watch it? :?

Hmmmm, somehow I don't think that's going go over very well. :unsure:

Just follow the tutorial I linked to previously. You will be able to create an .avi file that's playable on any standard media player. I've done this several times at work.

[spittle]

He didn't specify what he wanted to do with it.

People within my company are often asking me if I can do real time walkthroughs and want the ability to take something away viewable on a laptop, so for £8 for my PC and £8 for theirs to have the Unreal Editor (i.e. buy one of the games that comes with it) then they would have the abiltiy to walk through a model in real time with decent textures and lighting.

[Cad64]

As far as getting a rendered Max model into a real time walkthrough, the only way I know of would be to import into Unreal Editor (or a similar engine). It's a game engine that comes free with games such as Unreal Tornament.

I think I'm gonna have to try this and see what kind of results I can achieve. The more I think about it, the more interesting it sounds.

[spittle]

I bought the next gen texturing dvd from eat3d and think that'll give you the info to get you started. Also the texturing tips are really good.

If it's for business use, perhaps contact Unreal to let them know your proposals so you can have an e-mail in your inbox from them saying what you can and can't do with it.

[Cad64]

I just read through the description of that DVD and it sounds very interesting. I think I'll have to add it to my collection. :thumbsup:

[damob23]

Thats exactly what im looking for, Actually I have and used unrealED quiet a bit a few years ago, What im doing is construcint a model of a university campus in ireland, We scanned all the campus using lidar scanners, we brought this data into autocad, built up the 3d solid there and then file linked into max, textured it, put windows doors in etc, Save its as a max file. What I want the 3d rendered walk through is for to display to different deptartments and researchers what we are capable of producing, it would be for show only.

So could i actually import a max file into the unreal ed?

[Cad64]

No, you can't import directly from Max, but here's a tutorial that I was looking at. I haven't got around to trying this yet though. http://fordy.planetunreal.gamespy.com/gradientssmeshtutorials/contents.html

[damob23]

I will have a look at that cheers, Here is something else that mite be worth a look.

http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/2007/05/tutorial-1-importing-sketchup3d-max.html

[cadboi08]

Will any of this let you turn and look left/right/up/down without installing anything?

[Cad64]

I was thinking about getting this training DVD: http://eat3d.com/kismet.

[spittle]

Thats exactly what im looking for, Actually I have and used unrealED quiet a bit a few years ago, What im doing is construcint a model of a university campus in ireland, We scanned all the campus using lidar scanners, we brought this data into autocad, built up the 3d solid there and then file linked into max, textured it, put windows doors in etc, Save its as a max file. What I want the 3d rendered walk through is for to display to different deptartments and researchers what we are capable of producing, it would be for show only.

So could i actually import a max file into the unreal ed?

You could import your model - might have to export as .obj file, and then reapply your texture maps. I think it remembers your UV coordinates. Think you'd have to do the lighting in unreal.

If using procedurals, I think render to texture would be your solution.


Will any of this let you turn and look left/right/up/down without installing anything?

You could navigate as if you're playing a computer game but the user would need it installed on their PC, walk, run, look around. Could prob whip out a gun too!