MULTI GPU for Archicad and more

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  • I believe this is related to the main core of Enscape but it will be a totally different approach to be able to use a multi gpu rendering calculation.

    With this option the quality of the rendering can be improved tremendously.


    How do we activate the lights in Archicad during the night.

    Is there an option for bump files?


    Thank you

  • Hi ArchitectsVR ,


    Not sure on the Multi GPU. I did hear they were working on something along those lines but maybe an Enscape member can give an update.


    The Archicad lights should be showing in the night (I`ve had them working) although I have noticed some imported lights may not work properly. Try a few different archicad ones to see if you can get them to work.


    No bump at this stage. Enscape uses the basic settings for materials rather than the Cinerender settings/images. They may map the cinerender files into Enscape or it may be easier for them to just extend the AC add-on to allow additional surface channels like they have in sketchup.


    Any thoughts on this Enscape?

    • Official Post

    ArchitectsVR Multi GPU support is on our agenda and received a further upvote through your message. Thanks for your feedback!


    ArchiCAD lights should work without issues, but be aware that we currently don't support the following: parallel lights, sun lights, window lights, cube area lights and hemisphere area lights. Maybe some of these lights were used?


    Regarding bump, we'll support the cinerender-materials soon, but we'll also have to look into what is possible to render. There might be a material editor in the future, but for now it's not something which is planned.

  • @Demian Gutberlet You may find its easier to build your own material editor for archicad rather than trying to port in the Cinerender options. With you own editor add on you will have full control of the parameters you want to use.


    To be honest for the standard archicad user the Cinerender material settings are pretty full on so people just won't use them. We already have transparency so really just need a channel for bump/shine. If you want to entice archicad users you need to make it easy and with your own add-on you can do that.


    The Cinerender system is now obsolete so I wouldn't expect it to hang around forever in Archicad.


    A good step for enscape should be to have your system built into archicad so that it can be used as a render engine for a 3D view like we can now. See image

    I know that octane have been able to build their render engine in. This way we can have preset views within archicad that are rendered with enscape.


    The holy grail would be to have the main working 3d window rendered with enscape instead of the crappy open GL but that may be a push too far!


    Thanks

  • I 've been thinking also about rendering the 3d window in real time instead of having the opengl but for editing the objects in the 3d while rendered this indeed looks something pushed to far as we have to be able also to select objects and edit them!


    Concerning the material editor to be honest the last two years I've never used Cinerender again. We are using Octane like Gavin so the idea of having an independent option for material setting for Enscape looks more practical. If this is going to be optionally in connection with the opengl settings this will make the Archicad 3d Window (which is Opengl) and the Enscape rendered window look more "similar" in matter of appearancem, while having a similar material editor interface.


    For sure normal, bump, displacement, and secular are necessary with the relevant options for picture import.


    Thank you.

  • An idea is to have the OpenGL window as a transparent overlay to the enscape rendered window so all the click functions (hotspots etc) are controlled by the OpenGL overlay but under it is just the synced live rendered Enscape view. This would require enscape to be a little more inbuilt so I can't see them going this way in the short term but at least this setup would allow the function of the openGL 3D environment to remain unchanged.


    You could have the open GL contours showing over the Enscape view.


    Just a thought.

  • Allow me to disagree with the cinerender as an "useles material editor" opinion. In archicad, most cinerender materials already have the bump maps and other info associated with the same opengl materials. If possible, the best solution would probably get that information automatically. The users wouldn't need to add an extra information for standard archicad materials because this information is already on the cinerender material editor. Those that use the cinerender engine, wouldn't need an extra effort to export their materials for VR. Unless technically problematic, would be a lot simpler just to get the information that, in most scenarios, is already there. The question of cinerender will be for a lot of time on Archicad or not is a thing that only Graphisoft can respond but if there's already a library built, from my point of view, it doesn't make sense not use it.


    Maybe the sensible approach would be adding a menu on OpenGL materias that replace the bump map from cinerender if some image is added but, if nothing is done, the information from cinerender would be used automatically. In this case, a future replacement of cinerender settings would not be a problem and users who don't want to navigate the cinerender options could just add their bump maps through this simple menu.

  • C1618 we want to come up with a better solution for ArchiCAD materials with our next release. Let's see whats feasible.