Autodesk 3ds Max
Autodesk 3ds Max
The following minimal combination of hardware and software is required to install and operate the RPC Plug-in.
The following is the recommended combination of hardware and software required to operate the RPC Plug-in.
Install the RPC Plug-in into 3ds Max 2013 by running the installer. To insure that you have the latest version of the RPC plug-in, install via ArchVision Dashboard. During the installation, you will be prompted to confirm the location of the 3ds Max or 3ds Max Design 2013. Please make sure that the listed location is correct. Once the installation is complete, you may open 3ds Max and access the plug-in under the "Create" panel in the main roll-out (typically, this roll-out starts with "standard primitives"), by selecting the "RPC" option.
Electronic Download: After downloading the RPC installer from http://www.archvision.com, run the installer by double clicking on the file that you downloaded. This will start ArchVision’s installation wizard. When prompted for an installation directory, choose the directory where you installed the 3D application. This directory should be selected for you by default, but if there is an error, you can change the directory by clicking on the "Browse" button.
Install from CD: Run the executable file found on the RPC CD. You will be prompted to confirm the location of the 3D application's main directory. Please make sure that the listed location is correct. Once the installation is complete, you may open the 3D application and access the RPC Plug-in by selecting the "RPC" option.
The RPC content (.rpc files) contained on your CDs will not be copied automatically into your Maps directory. An entire RPC library may consist of hundreds of megabytes (or more) of content. Because of their size, ArchVision opted not to force these libraries into your Maps directory during installation. The location of the RPC content files is handled solely by the user.
The content files must reside in the Content Paths of the ACM. If you choose to leave the content on the CD, add the CD-drive directory to your Content Paths. However, as content will only be available while the CD is present, the RPC Plug-in will not function properly if the CD is removed. RPC content must be available at all times during rendering.
Additional content can be licensed from the ArchVision Dashboard or ArchVsion.com
Only RPC Content detected in the ACM's path is available to the RPC Plug-in. To make RPC Content available to the ACM, it is necessary to configure a Content Path.
1. Select Configure Content to open the RPC Content Configuration Dialog
2. Click on the Update Tab.
3. Select Network or Local to specify a path to the running ACM. The file to browse for is rpcacmapp.exe
4. Finally, select Update Content and all Content available in the paths of the ACM will now be available for use in the application.
Note:If the paths need to be rescanned because of added content or path changes, check the box beside Force the ACM to rescan it's path prior to clicking the Update Content button
Once you have selected RPC from the "Standard Primitives" pull down (located under the Create Panel), you will see an RPC button appear. Click on the button and you will see the RPC Selection Dialog. Once the Plug-in has been installed and configured you will see all of the RPC content files available in the Current Content List of the ACM.
To place an RPC file into your design application, choose the RPC content you want to place from the "RPC Selection" dialog. Move to your view port within the application and click and hold your left mouse button at the location you want the RPC to appear in your scene. Drag your mouse to set the orientation of the RPC. Once you are satisfied with the placement of the RPC, you can release the mouse button and you will see an RPC icon that represents the RPC you just placed in your scene.
Once you have placed RPC content in your scene, you can edit certain settings for the RPC objects. You can find the editable options under the "Modify" panel when you have an RPC selected. You will also see an RPC "Mass Edit" button available when you are on the "Modify" panel. The Mass Edit will allow you to edit the options for multiple RPC objects simultaneously.
The ArchVision Content Manager (ACM) is a powerful platform designed to help manage content. The ACM is free and is required for use by many new applications. This version of the RPC Plug-in requires the ACM to be running in order to access RPC Content. It is simple to use and will provide many new features. The RPC Plug-in for 3ds Max / Design requires the purchase of a license or a valid RPC All Access subscription or content will render watermarked.
The ACM must have all RPC Content in it's path for the RPC Plug-in to be able to access the RPCs. The following step will explain the process of configuring Content Paths in the ACM and how to create a path to the ACM from within the 3D application.
When the RPC Plug-in is run for the first time it will create a file in the plugcfg directory called RPC.ini. This file contains several parameters that control the default behavior of the RPC Plug-in. It can be opened and edited using a text editor.
[Help]
RPC Help=<Path>\rpc.chm
This is the path to the RPC help file. It should only be changed if you move the
help file.
[Misc]
RPCPrefix=
0 : no prefix
1 : prepend 'rpc_' to all RPC object names
[Filtering]
FilterType=
1 : summed
2 : pyramidal
3 : none
[Previews]
ShowPreview=
0 : do not load textures for preview in the material editor
1 : load textures for preview in the material editor
This will have a significant impact on performance. Unless you really need to see preview
textures in the material editor we recommend leaving this set to 0.
[Defaults]
Group Pref=
0 : do not group RPC and spline
1 : group RPC and spline
5 : you have not yet made a selection on how RPC objects and splines should behave.
[License]
Type=
The values here should only be modified in the Plug-in interface. The only exception
to this is on net render clients you may need to set this to 4.
4 : Unlicensed mode - render only mode, editing is not allowed
[Lighting]
LightUseScene Settings=
0 : Use the default lighting settings (all lighting options are enabled and Gamma is set to 1.0)
1 : Use the previous lighting settings
[Scene Lighting Override Values]
LightAutoInclude=
0 : Disables the option that Includes Planar RPCs in Lights on Placement.
1 : Includes Planar RPCs in Lights on Placement.
LightIgnoreSelfIllum=
0: Disables the option to ignore self illumination.
1: Rendering will ignore RPC's self illumination value.
LightExposureInclude=
0: RPCs are included in Exposure Control calculations.
1: RPCs are excluded from Exposure Control calculations.
MR_Gamma=
Numeric value which determines the Gamma value.
The settings can affect the performance of the Plug-in and should only be altered when the user is familiar with the RPC options and their effects.
To apply image filters to your RPC content, the location of the filters must be specified in your External Files paths. If you use filters then the filter files must be available at all times for the RPC Plug-in to render properly. Therefore, all filters should be copied to a generally accessible location. The Bitmap Paths should then be set to point to that directory.
In Autodesk 3ds Max 2013, the map paths are configured under Customize> Configure Paths> External Files. Please refer to the Max online help for additional information regarding map path configuration.
Currently, only filters designed to work with Photoshop 5.5 (or previous) will work with RPC.