Importing Objects

The built-in object library may not contain all objects necessary for carrying out your project. The program lets you import other objects stored on your disk in the following formats:

• 3DS (created in the Autodesk® 3ds Max® software)
• Trimble SketchUP™
• Ogre XML
• Collada

To import an object from a file:

1. Select File > Import 3D Object in the menu.


2. Specify the format of the file you want to import and select the file.
   
   
3. Set up the import options (not available for Ogre XML).
   
   
   • Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces
   • Split Object Instances – split a compound object to turn its parts into separate objects in Live Interior 3D.
     
     
   See details in the Import Options section.


4. The Type and Representation dialog will open. Adjust the necessary settings and click OK. You can change the settings later if necessary.
   For more details, see the Type and Representation section.

Imported objects may have references to one or several textures. The program will try to find them in the folder containing the selected file. If a texture is not found, the program will ask you to locate it in the Finder. The texture name will be shown at the top of the Open File window. You can also opt to skip opening textures and simply use the materials from the built-in library.

Import Options

Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces

This option fixes the problem with invisibility of one-sided surfaces.

When you look at a cube, you can see any of the six its sides. To visualize them, 3D software creates faces by one per each side. A faces allow to apply a plain color or texture to corresponding parts of an object making them visible. If there is a need to show the cube from inside as well, each side of the cube should have two faces: the inner and outer.

Most of objects can be previewed only from outside like a cube. To simplify such 3D models, faces for invisible object parts aren't created. If we remove any side of a cube to create an open box, both internal and external faces of the all five sides must be present. The lack of faces where they are needed makes parts of an object invisible.

Adding faces leads to increasing the 3D object size, which results in increasing the document size. Activate the "Make all surfaces double-sided" option if a part of the imported object is invisible.

Split Object Instances

Models can be split into parts when they are made out of several components. For example, some models are composed of several objects (a lamp, a computer, books, etc. on a table). If objects are made up of components, you can split them to remove or rearrange some of these components.

The split options let you choose to split all or only identical objects.

The ability to split a model depends on how it was created.