Changing exterior finishes quickly

[ssmith9819]

I have a multifamily condo that i need to show several options for the exterior finishes, stone, Board & Batten, cedar shake and lap siding all of which have a couple of color options. I would like to be able to show the options rather quickly ("live") on the screen. I am afraid to use the material painter as it causes me problems and it seems to me there should be a way to do it without creating a wall def for each material, maybe not but I hope so?!?!

Thanks in advance for your help

[Pat1217]

Sherman,
Have you thought of creating your options ahead of time and showing your clients your selections either through a slideshow or a presentation with Windows Movie Maker?

Pat

[Allen42acj]

Hi Sherman
You could save a copy under another name and use the spray paint on the walls that way.
If it gets screwed up,no big lose..
X1 is better at using it,but not recommend..

[lbuttery]

Sherman:

Consider putting the various choices on layers and then creating as many layersets as needed to show the combos of options.

Lew

[ChiefCanada.com]

Here is another way, just go into your siding layer of your current wall definition and change it there. It will then change every instance of that wall def, all floors, even the gables. Make sure you have various materials in your "plan materials" for a quick change. You might even consider grouping these plan materials at the top of the plan materials list list with number in front eg 1siding 2stucco etc.

[somearchitect]

As a general rule, I never let my clients watch me work "live", because there are only two outcomes that I've experienced:

1)It goes well, and it all looks too easy.
2) [more commonly] The technology lets me down when I try to go extra fast, and I look like a moron.

Since neither way does anything to support their perception of value in my hefty hourly rates, I never let clients see the magic happen. In a situation like you're describing, I'll create several rendered images for a client to review in JPG or bitmap format for discussion.



Just my two cents' worth.

Chris Allen

[cgirerd]

I use a method like Rob suggested. I have a whole load of materials set up with names like "aExterior Siding," "aExterior Trim," "aInterior Walls," "aFascia," "aRoofing"... I use the "a" in front to pop it to the top of the materials list. So my model is set up with those materials. Then when I want to change them, I click on the material in a 3d view with the rainbow tool, go to the Texture tab, and browse to a new material in the Texture file. And that's it. Then you don't have to mess with the spraypaint tool and worry about the wrong things changing by accident.

I just had a "live" 2 1/2 hour session with a client this morning. I don't do them that often, but when it's something where a client needs to see lots of options, I find they really appreciate the opportunity and can make decisions more quickly. Of course, I wouldn't do it for roof changes, or something complex that would have a strong chance of things getting messed up. If you're mostly showing cosmetic changes for exteriors, I think that's a fine thing to show the client a lot of options quickly. You can always do a screen shot of various material combinations and email them to the client to review later at home. Saves a bunch of color printing, too!

Christina

[ssmith9819]

Thanks everyone for the info. I will create new "a" material names to use quickly. This should be easy enough. I didnt think about creating materials, I guess I could not get my mind off of the new wall def possiblity.

Thanks again

[George Godwin]

Rob & Christina, - Thanks. Very helpful.

[cgirerd]

You're welcome. I just counted my "a-" materials folder in the library browser since I was curious after writing this... I have 48! I use these materials in my template plans, as well as in my symbols, so it makes it easy to make things "match" in a project. Plus, if I get a new symbol or add something that has another material, I don't have to remember the current name of my siding or roofing material (I hate having to find materials with names like "847482") in the plan materials list to find it, I just have to spraypaint (I do use it in this situation) with the appropriate "a- " whatever from my library materials folder, and it matches whatever is current in the project.

Christina