@ Gaieus
Thanks a lot man!! I've read your hints and i've successfully done what i was struggling to achieve!
Bye bye - ciao

@ Alan Fraser
Thanks a lot man, you've just saved me a lot of trouble! You always give helpful hints!
bye bye - ciao

Hi all
I've started a new green energy project
This time it's a single axis solar tracker plant.
I've attached the beginning of a five-module with four panel each unit (have a look at the design to better understand what i'm trying to say...).
Is there a way i can rotate each module around his axis... i've tryied several times but i only messed up the model...
Can someone help me?
Thanks a lot!!

solar tracker unit

Thanks a lot!!!

What is displacement?
Thanks

Ok guys this is my first SU 'serious' design.
It's a 40 kWp photovoltaic power plant that i hope we are going to install up on the roof of a big building.
I have to say something now: i'm an engineer, i'm not a designer nor an architect, so this is my first experience with this kind of design software and i haven't tried any rendering programs yet.
This is all done using SU.
I have tried to use layers and components in the right way but the design is still sooo heavy... expecially when i enable shadows... I haven't found much improvements using layers... even if i make many layers invisible the design is still heavy... is it normal? the design is about 13 MB... is it normal? maybe i have heavy textures...
All right let me know what you think about it...

Bye bye - Ciao

@ modelhead
Thanks for your support and your tips, i appreciate them a lot.
Bye

@ Alan Fraser
Thanks a lot for your wonderful little tutorial.
I've done as you've said and i think i've done pretty well..
Bye

Hi
i'm not really experienced in rendering stuff, so i apologize for my noob questions...
Which rendering program have you used? I think i should use it too cause i haven't changed my laptop yet and i think it would explode trying some indigo like renderings
Thanks

Thanks modelhead!
Your advice is really appreciated!
Bye

Oh this is a heavenly piece of advice!
Thanks a lot, you've just solved my problem!
Bye

Hi all
Today i'm on a asking spree.. sorry
I've designed a 3m long galvanized steel support bar trying to apply correctly components and copy/flip concepts...
I don't know if i've correctly learned the lesson... I've hidden some edges to see a unique bar at the end but i don't think i've reached my goal: i don't see any unwanted black edges between my bar components anymore but i see white edges (weren't they hidden?)... is it normal? how can i avoid this not so good effect? i wanna see a unique bar at the end without any white edges...
Can you help me? Have you got some suggestions?
Thanks a lot

unwanted white edges

Hi all
I've found a good textures site and i've downloaded this texture



I like it but i have a problem: i've used it as i've downlaoded it (ok i've scaled it a bit) but i have noticed that the final result doesn't look like a real pebble floor but as many real pebble floors one next to the others... how can i fix this problem? do i have to change the image with photoshop? can i do it with picasa? is there any tutorial about that? i'm not keen on photo-editing...
Thanks a lot

This pebble floor doesn't look right at all

@remus said:

Id like to particularly recommend CGtextures, from that list. Its a very comprehensive site, although there is a download limit (unless you fork out some cash, of course.)

Thank you all for those links!
I think that CGtextures is one of the best free textures sites!
Bye

Hi all
The title says it all...
In particular I am looking for metal surface textures... Can you help me? Do you know some good sites where i can find free textures for SU models?
Thanks a lot!!

@unknownuser said:

Gian,
I'm having trouble finding the Grant Marshall Tutorial/Technique... I was wondering if you could point me in the right direction. I tried to google it and the link that looks like it would take me there says that it has been taken down. Any ideas?

Edit: Never mind...found it!

Hi
Can you share with us that link?
i'm interested in that technique too.
Thanks a lot

Hi all
Thank you all for helping me.
I don't know... i have done exactly as lewiswadsworth said and actually i got my design imported in SU with only a few mesh lines that i successfully erased, but after that i've tried to import a little more complex item in SU and the result wasn't as good as the previous one...
This my SolidWorks part (a common screw):



And this is the same screw imported in SU with 3 different mesh density setting (setting change done as lewiswadsworth told me):



There are always too many meshes... It will take a hour to get rid of all those lines...
And i've even selected the merge faces option in SU...
Isn't there a way to send all those lines to hell without spending half the day?
Thanks a lot!!

@solo said:

I did a straight conversion using Deep exploration.

Whant kind of software Deep exploration is?
Thanks

I attach the 3ds file
I don't know.. maybe i should change some settings in Rhinoceros export procedures... Who knows?
Thanks for your help!

3ds file

Hi all
Yes i'm not experienced in SU and i'm not experienced in SU meshes at all...
What are they? When do meshes appear? I mean i've never encountered meshes in SU... well not until tonight!
I've recently submitted a topic about how to import Solidworks designs in SU...
Well i menaged to do that successfully! How?
I have Rhinoceros 4 installed on my PC too, so i imported in Rhino my SolidWorks design, then i saved it as .3ds design and i opened it in SU...
And HERE something mysterious happened, a lot of meshes appeard on my imported design! Those meshes nearly scared me to death!
Here some images, so that i can explain better what i'm tring to say:
SolidWorks initial design:



Same design, imported in SU:



What, why, how, when (that's all) happended? I've even tried to give that thing a metal color but those meshes didn't disappear... Do i have to see those meshes forever?



Can someone tell me what's goin on and how can i handle meshes?
Thanks a lot!!!