Latest Contributions by RobertHexter

Ah okay I see, Thanks this could be a useful approach elsewhere! Strikes me that you could certainly create a set of specific example design patterns for use with the cga language. It could be most helpful for those wanting to discover possible rule approaches to solve their required outcomes. "to always place the same specific assets regularly among a certain street shape" Actually the solution above was too randomly select and place an asset from a given selection set along a street shape with irregular random offset spacings. 😉 Thus the code setups an initial selection(to prime the pump, so to speak) then the next leaf is recursively selecting and placing. But I'm pretty sure there are many ways to approach a similar solution, some probably more elegant that this. 🙂 ... View more

Hey was just looking over this again not so sure I understood this specifcally. - use modulo function ( 5 % 2 = 1 ) with a recursion index ... View more

Interesting thanks, I'll give it a go! ... View more

Thanks for the response, but I guess I am not using it as you would regularly. 😉 Okay so I understood the insert rules for streets having studied the modern streets examples they were helpful, and tally with your post. I needed to create broken streets, I am not using the city engine street geometry as output.  This is almost the solution, I need to work on the spacing of the instances I am placing as they are currently butted to each other.I would like to space them out a little more, so adding some random variance to one of the splits should do it. The importance here is the random selection of a new instance at each recursion whilst filling the street. This is also interesting as it shows how cityEngines Rules generate nodes and get added to the execution stack and how different it is to normal code execution. /** * File:    streetTest.cga * Created: 20 Aug 2012 18:28:49 GMT * Author:  rhexter */ version "2011.2" //attribute and function to randomly select a street section for insertion //- lengths are unitized to 25m sections //- x4 represents the number of lanes, could be a varible attr streetAsset = "asset" setStreetAsset = "assets/road_details/Street_"+listRandom("Short;Medium;Long")+"_x4" + ".obj" // attribute to kick off our knowledge of streetsectionlength @Hidden attr streetModelUDim=0 PlaceInstance(asset) --> /*   Inserts the selected model asset */ //Provide some Feedback print ("PlaceInstance: In") print ("Placing \"asset\": \n\t" + asset) print ("InstanceLength: \n\t" + assetInfo(asset, sz)) alignScopeToGeometry(yUp, 0, 0) s(0,0,0) center(xz) r(scopeCenter, 0, 89, 0) // skew'd for easy visual reading of section placements i(asset) print ("PlaceInstance: Out") PlaceStreetPiece(streetModel, streetModelLen, remainingStreetUDim) --> /*   This leaf is recursive:   In one side of the split it:    - inserts a preselected model,    (because we know the udimension of it and it fits the street)    - in the other:     - it chooses a new random model     - checks if it fits the remaining street udimension     - passes it to its-self to place       rinse/repeat */ print ("*-----------------------------------------*")// iterator section feedback break print ("PlaceStreetPiece: In") split(u,unitSpace,0) {    streetModelLen:    //Place the streetModel previously choosen here, cos we know it fits    PlaceInstance(streetModel)       print ("RemainingStreetLength: \n\t" + remainingStreetUDim)     |// split   remainingStreetUDim :    //Work out our next model to place that will fit within our remaining streetUDimension    print ("-----------------------------------------")// iterator section feedback break    print ("-----Try to pick a new Random \"Model\"----")    set(streetAsset, setStreetAsset) // randomly pick a new model for next iteration placement    print ("Chosen streetModel: " + streetModel)       [     case assetInfo(streetAsset, sz) < remainingStreetUDim:      // if our chosen model fits, place it                PlaceStreetPiece(          streetAsset, //the next chosen streetModel          assetInfo(streetAsset, sz), // streetModelLength          (remainingStreetUDim-assetInfo(streetAsset, sz)) // the remaining StreetUDimension          )     else:      print ("-----------------------------------------")// iterator section feedback break      print ("StreetModel Did not fit " + streetAsset)      print ("-----------------------------------------")// iterator section feedback break      NIL    ] } print ("PlaceStreetPiece: Out") print ("*-----------------------------------------*")// iterator section feedback break attr dim = 1.0 attr markerDim=2.0 Street --> /*   Begin to fill the streets with streetAssets     Set an initialModel here:   - we need know its length   -- we need this information to setup and pass in   the recursive leaf's values */ set(streetAsset, setStreetAsset) set(streetModelUDim, assetInfo(streetAsset, sz)) //Feedback print ("Start streetAsset: " + streetAsset) print ("Start streetModelUDim: " + streetModelUDim) split(v,unitSpace,0) {   ~dim: NIL   |   markerDim:    // PlaceStreetPiece(streetAsset, streetModelUDim, remainingStreetUDim)    PlaceStreetPiece(streetAsset, streetModelUDim, geometry.du(0,unitSpace)- assetInfo(streetAsset, sz))   |   ~dim: NIL    } ... View more

So re-reading your reply here again Matthias: http://forums.arcgis.com/threads/55547-Accessing-Street-Attributes?highlight=street important : Attributes on Start Shapes, such your specific Lot's StreetWidth attributes are constant for the Model since those Attributes are specific INPUTS for CGA to create the Model on this shape. Once the Model Generation is started, CGA works just with the input it gets. CGA just executes a series of geometric operations. Once the Model Generation is started, CGA can not go back and check the environment around the shape and read more info to further process that data in the current Model. That is currently not possible, but may change with an upcoming release. [same is true with sampled map layer information: it is constant during the Model Generation process.] Does this also mean that once a generation process starts it can't be interrupted, it has to complete generation and end in a resulting leaf(or error)? i.e. by the changing of an attribute during the generation process such as streetWidth Attr does it not halt execution and restart the generation? Not that i require this I'm just interested. What I am not understanding is if I place a list to appear in a UI (@Range) for a shapeNode, for a user to select a streetWidth, for the initialStreetShapeSegment, why the result of this change can not set the attribute on that initialStreetShapeSegment and have it start the regeneration of the initialStreetShape leaf. Yet a map layer can alter this value? Is there a way to customise per project the attributes and settings on those initialShapes(non user StartShapes)? ... View more

original post removed to redirect focus on issue ... View more

Are you using instances or one large static mesh for your world? If one large static mesh then export as fbx and you should get the lot, do not export each building to a separate file, consider breaking the city or map into regions of fbx data. Multiple meshes mean multiple draws in runtime if you have many materials and textures, reduce the number of these. If you intend to use instances in Unity, then you will require a method of writing the instance locations in a format that can then be read by Unity and placed by Unity. Consider the Unreal instance placements demo data. I assume that something could be written into Unity to allow the read and placements of these subsequent locations. Instances would be most effective management for building mesh data but comes with some caveats you'll discover those along the way. One large lump of mesh via the fbx export will cost more in the runtime and may or may not require editing afterwards for efficiencies  sakes. Note: this is not a magic bullet for mesh generation and will still require some careful rule crafting and 3d modelling work to get the best from the data, if you are looking at a game style application. You will need to consider a 3d package, Max Maya or and appropriate modelling app. Nevercenters Silo is a good cheap alternative for home use(it does have its quirks mind). ... View more