Has there been any progress with the integration of Vectorworks and LC lately?? I remember hearing there was something in the works last year.
I am still building everything twice. I have tried exporting DWG/DXF but the amount of objects to export and rescale is super time consuming.

-Jim
Using Vectorworks 2010 for stage plots and renderings.
Using LC 411 for Visualization.

Hi Jim.
You are right, we are working on that. For example, since v41 you can use Excel to communicate with VW on a fixtures side.
Why not to use LIGHTCONVERSE now for plots and renderings? We have a lot of new functions. Or do you strongly need an objects creation possibilities rather than library based work?

Yes Dmitriy, you are correct.
I build most of my symbols from scratch in VW. I mostly use 3D modeling to build these symbol.
I use LC for my previz or if I know I am going to be tight on programming time onsite.
I am a former ESP user and was always disappointed when my project failed to work because I was using too many fixtures or my drawing was too detailed.
What I like about LC is that the amount of detail I want to use is not an issue and the processing can handle as many fixtures as Ive tried to cram into a rig without choking on memory. I also like the ability to map my cam movements to DMX channels.
I will be very excited when I can export VW directly to LC with all scale, texture, and dmx mapping retained.
Even if VW objects were imported all as a single file that can not be manipulated in LC, but I could add fixtures and they would react correctly in the environment( texture reflections, surfaces, etc)
In my perfect world I would construct my venue in VW. Then export to LC but never need to mess with the venue environment. Only work in DMX environment. If i needed to make changes to the venue. I would go back to VW to make the changes then merge the new venue info into LC.

For now I am still doing everything twice. I also don't get everything in LC that I have in VW because of the limited symbol library.

-Jim

Thank you Jim for explanation.

The fact is that LC operates with library based projects.
Balanced size items are boost performance. For example if you lights up a big model with 200 of lights it will be rendered 200 times, which is very bad due to it's size. But if you have it divided on a small unique parts, duplicated some times or not, each part will has it's own light and will be rendered one time. The realtime starts here.

Our library items are high detailed and highly optimized for realtime rendering. This is a special job called Designer/3D Low Poly Modeller. And doing such models need a lot of knowledge.

Another fact is that the CAD packages are not mind about 3D model's quality. Mostly you can't control how vertices arranged on volume and how they map to polygons. You can't optimize them with Normals mapping and UV coordinates. The exported 3D model of that will looks for LC like, for example, a .txt file for the book publisher - you have it but can't use properly.

We doing all our best to solve this problem. LC will automatically optimize imported geometry data, map UV and generate Normals. For the drawing time you can enable Draw and Light Backside engine, you can also Flip Normals if needed. All of that allow you to importing small objects, unfortunately it can't help on a bigger one.

The possible solution that we can propose you right now is to build in VW the .dxf library of items that you will need. And design the project in LC than.
By the way, v42 will have ability to load files directly without icon creation needed.

Other solution, we have a knowledge of how to recreate your VW drawing in LC. But we will draw it optimized from scratch in StudioMax anyway. This takes a lot of time, but worth it sometimes.

Hi,

Ive draw mine total show-project in Vectorworks 2009 included the decor,trus and light-fixtures.
Now I wound to import this show in Light-Converse.

All the 3d Object as decor,trus and buldings are know problem at the moment. But for the light fixtures Ive didnt find a solution to get it in LC.
I know it is not posible to get the real fixtures from vectorworks to LC.

But ive I Export a Text(Excel) file from Vectorworks white al the Fixture-info like, DMX adress, Channel nr, Fixture code(So Light-Converse can recognize the spot) and of course the position X-Y-Z and Rotation X and Y.

After I Export the file from Vectorworks I Import that file as Excel sheet in LC. The software can place the original Light-Converse Fixture recognize thru the fixture-code on the same place as in the Fixture ive used in mine Vectorworks drawing.

Do you think that mine idea is possible. It would be great and I think its make Light-Converse must intrested for Vectorworks user. In America and Europe.

Hi Patrick
yes, your idea is 100% functional. A lot of people here using it from the beginning of Excel time.
If you have problems in that, just let us know!