Lightscape User Guide

Converting Solution Files to VRML Files Using LS2VRML

❚❘❘

Where:

txtr.jpg

Indicates:

The name for the generated texture files, combined with an incremental three-digit number for each successive file.

Converting Solution Files to VRML Files Using LS2VRML

You can use the ls2vrml utility to convert a Lightscape Solution file (.ls) to a VRML version 1.0c file. The ls2vrml utility syntax is shown in the following example:

ls2vrml [options] solution_file

To use the ls2vrml utility:

1.

Choose Start | Programs | MS-DOS Prompt.

A DOS shell appears.

2.

At the command line, type the following, then press Enter:

CD “\PROGRAM FILES\LIGHTSCAPE\BIN”

Note: (f the path to the Lightscape application files differs from the above, enter it instead then press Enter.

3.

Using the following syntax, type a command at the command line, then press Enter:

ls2vrml [options] solution_file

The Lightscape Solution file is converted to a VRML version 1.0c file.

Note: You can also use a batch file to create a sequence of commands. For instance, you could create raytraced image files from multiple Lightscape Solution files.

LS2VRML Options

The following table describes the options available for this utility:

Extension: Option:

-a

-bf

-c

n1,n2,n3 ...

Description:

Include active layers only.

Hierarchy subdivision branching factors. Must be integers which are greater than or equal to 2. Lightscape uses the subdivision when creating inline nodes.

It initially subdivides the model into a 3D grid n

1 xn

1 xn

1

. The system associates surfaces that fall completely within a grid node with that node. Grid nodes themselves can be further subdivided into n

2 xn

2 xn

2

subnodes and so on. The default is one level. For more information, see “Exporting VRML Files” on page

245.

Do not compact file. The default is to compact the VRML file, resulting in smaller file sizes at the expense of some precision and readability.

271

B Batch Processing Utilities

Option:

-h

-iw

-ldc

-ml

-nt

-o

-s

-t

-tem

-u

-url

-v infile

Extension:

n,n, ...

n filename n coord unit name

Description:

Print help message.

Do not use WWW Inline nodes. By default, the program writes out many subfiles that are inlined by the main file. Inlining can improve the perceived performance when downloading your model. Subfiles are downloaded only as required by the browser.

Level of detail range cutoffs. The values must be increasing real numbers. Multiple distances are separated by commas and are ordered from the closest (finest) LOD to the farthest (coarsest) LOD. Distances are in scaled model units, i.e. the units of the input model times the scale factor provided with the -s option.

Minimum LOD to convert. n is a non-negative integer. Level 0 (the default) is the coarsest LOD.

Do not output textures.

Output filename. Files without a .vrl extension are given one. Default: to use the same base name as the input file.

Scaling factor for dimensions in file.

Target coordinate system (any permutation of XYZ with optional minus signs).

Default is X-ZY.

Embed textures in outfile. Default: reference textures by filename only.

Length units of model in mm, cm, m, km, in, ft, or mi. Default is m.

Prepends name to inline node URLs.

Show status messages. May appear multiple times for increased verbosity.

Input Solution file.

Textures are not embedded in the VRML file by default. Only a reference to the texture file is written. This reference is a filename, not a URL. You may need to edit the VRML file by hand to find textures across a network, or use the -tem option.

The -bf option is used to subdivide the model into spatially related submodels. Each of these submodels is placed into its own file and included by the main file using WWW Inline nodes. The idea is to group objects of similar size that are near each other into units that a browser can download on an as-needed basis. If the model is a room, the main file would include the floor, ceiling, and walls. Subfiles might include a table or chairs. The table subfiles might reference subfiles with books or a telephone. A browser would then be able to quickly download and display the coarse features of the room (for example, the walls), while continuing to download the details (for example, the table and books). For more information, see “Exporting VRML Files” on page 245.

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Lightscape