Last Update 02/20/2005

Q:How to create image with alpha channel
A:Following instructions are valid for PointShop Pro, but should similar for Gimp or Photoshop as well
Create 2 images with same dims. 
1. image will show normal rgb 
2. image will be alpha channel where black will be totally transpartent, white is opaque 
draw in image 1 with all rgb colors 
draw in image 2 with black/white/grey 
Put image 2 as alpha into image 1: 
(make sure that image 1 has no alpha channel: select image 1, Auswahl->Alpha Kanal öffnen, select alpha Kanal und löschen)
select image 1, Masken->Neu->Aus einem Bild, Quell fenster image 2, ok 
select image 1, Masken->Als Alpha Kanal speichern, ok, ok 
select image 1, save 
use in POV_Ray: 
 texture 
{ 
   image_pattern { tga "test.tga" use_alpha}    // wo use_alpha: greyscale from test.tga and used as transparency, w use_alpha: if alpha is there it will be used, if not same as wo use_alpha
   texture_map 
   { 
     [0 pigment { image_map { tga "test.tga"}}] // image map as pigment 
     [1 pigment { transmit 1 } ] 
   } 
 } 


3DWin FAQ: Tips and hints around 3DWin/3DWinOGL
Q:How does 3DWin support Ldraw (www.ldraw.org):
A:3DWin and related products support import and export of LDraw files (*.ldr and *.dat). Support for MDP 
  (Multiple LDraw files) can gained with MDP Workshop (www.ldraw.org)
  Import of LDraw files:
  3DWin fully support LDraw files. It converts all data to 3d faces to make it ready to convert it to other
  3d file formats. Following colors are supported:
  
  LegoColors mLegoColors[MAX_LEGO_COLOR] =
  {
  	{0, 0.15, 0.15, 0.15, 0.0},			// Black
  	{1, 0.1, 0.15, 0.8, 0.0},			// Blue
  	{2, 0.1, 0.5, 0.1, 0.0},			// Green
  	{3, 0.0, 0.65, 0.45, 0.0},			// Dark Cyan
  	{4, 0.85, 0.1, 0.1, 0.0},			// Red
  	{5, 0.85, 0.4, 0.75, 0.0},			// Magenta
  	{6, 0.45, 0.35, 0, 0.0},			// Brown
  	{7, 0.65, 0.65, 0.65, 0.0},			// Grey
  	{8, 0.4, 0.4, 0.4, 0.0},			// Dark Grey
  	{9, 0.55, 0.98, 0.69, 0.0},			// Light Blue
  	{10, 0.08, 0.38, 0.32, 0.0},			// Light Green
  	{11, 0.0, 0.65, 0.75, 0.0},			// Cyan
  	{12, 0.85, 0.4, 0.75, 0},			// Light Red
  	{13, 0.85, 0.4, 0.75, 0.0},			// Pink
  	{14, 0.9, 0.8, 0.1, 0.0},			// Yellow
  	{15, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 0.0},			// White
  	{16, 0.15, 0.15, 0.15, 0.0},			// Current Color
  	{24, 0.15, 0.15, 0.15, 0.0},			// Current Color1
  
  	{256, 0.15, 0.15, 0.15, 0.0},			// Black rubber
  	{375, 0.65, 0.65, 0.65, 0.0},			// Grey rubber
  	{320, 0.80, 0.00, 0.00, 0.0},			// Dark Red
  	{334, 1.00, 0.89, 0.00, 0.0},			// Gold
  	{335, 0.83, 0.63, 0.61, 0.0},			// Sand red
  	{373, 0.68, 0.58, 0.70, 0.0},			// Sand violet
  	{378, 0.62, 0.8, 0.70, 0.0},			// Sand green
  	{379, 0.62, 0.69, 0.74, 0.0},			// Sand blue
  	{382, 0.841176,0.794118,0.447059, 0.0},		// Tanne
  	{383, 0.80, 0.80, 0.80, 0.0},			// Chrome
  	{418, 0, 0.74, 0.34, 0.0},			// Bright Green 0 191 89
  	{462, 1.0,0.89, 0.0, 0.0},			// Orange
  	{494, 0.9, 0.8, 0.1, 0.0},			// yellow
  	{495, 1.0, 1.0, 0.5, 0.0},			// yellow
  	{503, 0.65, 0.65, 0.65, 0.0},			// Chrome
  }
  The table reads as follows:
  ldraw color number, red value, green value, blue value, alpha value
  
  Also transparent colors (0 - 15) are correctly converted. Dithered colors are supported as discribed.
  Special note for POV-Ray: 3DWin does not support POV-Ray primitives as some other converters do, because
  POV-Ray renders 3d faces in most cases faster and more accurate. Especially Boolean Operations slow POV-Ray 
  down.
  
  Export to ldraw files:
  3DWin exports any 3d file to several ldraw files. Each object is splitted into its surface components 
  and written. It uses color 4 (red).
  Note for part designer: Use a single texture on a single object to export to ldraw.


Q:Does 3DWin support Windows XP?
A:Yes, 3DWin supports all Windows versions from Windows 95 to Windows XP

Q:I´m using Cool3D from ULead.
A:Modify your objects as described below ("mirrored"). Edit direct x export image handler options 
  and select "smart (power 2)" as resize option. Some 3D programs need image maps with 
  size of power 2 (64, 126,256...). 
  In Cool3D start import, select "D3D" and import your direct x file.

Q:I have exported to direct x and the scene looks "mirrored"
A:Please try the following:- import the file
	- open the object selector
	- select all objects
	- open the process objects dialog
	- enable flip
	- enable scale with the vector -1 1 1
	- press process
	- export to x

Q:Does 3DWin support Blender file format
A:Not yet, but please use DXF instead. Please note that the blender fileformat is not yet published.

Q:How to convert SPatch DXF to POV-Ray?
A:Import DXF file with default DXF settings.
  Select all objects and open "modify objects" dialog:
  Enable "unify", enable "weld" with 0.001, enable "smooth" with 89.0.
  Enable "rotate" with <90,0,90> and press "process".
  Export to POV-Ray and render.

Q:Is the 3DWin V4 plugin for Moray available?
A:The plugin is now available for V4. Just look under tb-software products.

Q:How does "weld tolerance" work?
A:Weld moves vertices together in that way, that faces could share vertices in a mesh.

Q:How to convert Poser files to Povray
A:Export Poser figure to "Wavefront OBJ"
  Select Single Frame
  Include all items to export
  Save it
  Deselect all flags, enable "Include figure names in polygon groups", enable "Weld body part seams"
  Start 3DWin
  Select "Alias Wavefront" as import format
  edit options:"Create Objects by Group", select weld tol -1.0
  Add following image search pathes from Poser folder: Textures\Poser 3 Textures,Textures\Poser 4 Textures and Textures
  Open "Modify Scene" Dialog
  Enable "Rotation" and use <90,0,0> as roation vector and press "Process" button.
  Export to pov.

Q:How to use 3DWin with Moray?
A:If you want to use your 3DWin output with Moray you have to do some things:
  enable udo/mdl output during POV-Ray export.
  copy *_p.inc, *_m.inc and *_o.inc to Moray\PovScen
  copy all images to Moray\PovScen
  copy *.mdl to Moray\mdl
  copy *.udo to Moray\udo

  start Moray and load your mdl file.
  Press F9 to render.

Q: how to convert MAX into 3ds?
A: only 3DS Max itself can "convert" *.max to "*.3ds". The max format contains 
   a lot of plugin references and it is impossible to evaluate without Max itself.

Q:I tried some RIB exporting - I think it worked OK but they were VERY dark?
A:Lights in Renderman/BMRT and Lighflow are distance dependend.
  The export works well if you "normalize" the whole scene.
  
  Thomas Baier