Topic: Window Glass

[Colombian]

Hi, is there a way to draw a glass window in 3D.  I want to be able to see inside the house.  Do you have to render to be able to see transparent? Can it be done by just using the shade tools?

[Keith™]

See this thread
http://www.theswamp.org/index.php?topic=23427.0

[Colombian]

Thanks for the reply I had seen that thread already, but I don't know if this can be done but I want to have a window glass transparent all the time without having to render it, if I use the any of the shades options I want to see my glass transparent.  I hope I make sense.
I do not know how to use sketchup but I've seen it done with that software, you can draw your window glass and have it transparent without rendering it.  Can that be done with AutoCad?  I have 2006 version.
Thanks,

[mjfarrell]

Should 2006 support Visual Styles, try that. Otherwise no.

[jnieman]

Ditto Mr Farrell

Visual Styles (only available 2007 and later) are an 'all or nothing' transparency.  Either ALL objects have "X%" transperancy, or none do.  There is no ByLayer or ByObject transperancy available in visual styles.

Rendering is the only method of obtaining transparency discriminately.

[Keith™]

In 2007, create your new material for glass, or apply your already existing glass material to the object, then turn on realistic visual styles. The glass should be transparent provided your glass material is also set to transparent.

I started with 2 identical solids, created a glass material using the glass template, applied it to the one solid, then made a stone material and applied it to the other solid. The result is what you see.

To prove transparency, the final picture shows realistic and 3D Hidden styles applied. Thus using realistic visual styles in AutoCAD 2007, you can indeed have one material (i.e. glass in a window) transparent while the rest of the material is not.

In 2006 I think there is an option to apply materials to objects while in 3D shade mode, but I don't know if there are realistic styles available.

[jnieman]

That's quite strange.

I guess it depends on video card?

Mine don't go particularly transparent, but rather get orderly-dithered with +'s that are white.  The more density of dithering varies with transparency... and usually ends up garish and non-transparent, but rather 'white' (or whatever color I have set to the edge color I think... can confirm if needed, but it's been a while since I tried)

[mjfarrell]

That's quite strange.

I guess it depends on video card?

Mine don't go particularly transparent, but rather get orderly-dithered with +'s that are white.  The more density of dithering varies with transparency... and usually ends up garish and non-transparent, but rather 'white' (or whatever color I have set to the edge color I think... can confirm if needed, but it's been a while since I tried)

check your adaptive degradation settings

Options>> System>>Performance Settings

Try with none, or roll the dice and randomly turn off a few degraded things.

[jnieman]

Well son of a gun.

Let me pull my foot out my mouth, I'm plain out wrong.

I've changed my hardware settings and performance tuner many times over the years.

The dithering problem only happens when I disable "Enable Hardware Acceleration" which... well, you just plain shouldn't do if you do 3D, unless you have some basic cheapo incompetent video card.  I have a cheapo nVidia gamer card and it does a fine job...

...anyways, the dithering is not universal and sorry for being so cryptic about the situation!

Lesson I learned:  Don't just forget about some feature/tool if I don't find the right solution at the moment.

[mjfarrell]

Now don't go degrading oneself there Josh.....or degrading the hardware, it will hear you.