Light and Background

Settings > Colour Settings > Graphics window

Use the Graphics window function to define the background for the Sheet and Model area, and illuminate your 3-D model with only a few data inputs - on OpenGL basis.

When you call the function, the Light and Background settings dialogue window will be displayed.

Light and Background settings dialogue window

The dialogue window consists of the following tabs:

• Background
  Here you define the screen background - a colour, a colour gradient or a BMP file - separately for the Sheet area and the Model area.
• Light
  On this tab you can define three light sources and the stray light (as the "global" light source).

The following buttons are available:

• Load default settings
  Loads the settings specified in the Configuration Editor (ISDConfigEditor.exe), at System settings > Visualisation > Workstation background and System settings > Visualisation > Workstation illumination.
• Save as default settings
  Saves the current settings of the dialogue window as the new default settings to the configuration database. In the Configuration Editor, these will be the new default settings at at System settings > Visualisation > Workstation background and System settings > Visualisation > Workstation illumination.
• OK
  Applies the current settings of the tabs.
• Cancel
  Discards the changes made on the tabs.

Please note:

• The current graphics window settings are global settings which are not saved together with the drawing. Please use the Save configuration function to save the graphics window settings of the current drawing.
• Instead of the lighting via the Graphics window function you can also use the functions of the 3-D Lighting functions toolbar if desired. The lighting settings specified there will be saved together with the drawing. Please note however that the settings influence each other.

Background

You can select a (single) colour, a colour gradient or a BMP file as background - separately for Model and Sheet views. Please note that the view to which you want to apply the background colour must be active, i.e. if you want to use the background colour for your 3-D model, a Model view needs to be active.

Gradient

1. Activate the Gradient checkbox.
2. Specify the RGB colour for the four corners of the screen by moving the sliders to the desired position, or click the icon and enter the desired colour.

Background

1. Activate the Background checkbox.
2. Select the required background file from the list box. The background files must be saved in BMP format to the HiCAD subdirectory BACKGROUND. Supplied with HiCAD is a BMP template HiCAD2008_4X3.bmp.

Unicolour

1. Activate the Unicolour checkbox.
2. Specify the RGB colour by moving the sliders to the desired position, or click the icon and enter the desired colour.

Please note:

• The Background tab is only available if at least one BMP file exists in the BACKGROUND directory of your HiCAD installation.
• When creating your own background images, please note that they must have a minimum colour depth of 24 Bit.
• User-defined images can be used on a local computer. If you want to use them as defaults for all workstations on a net, an administrator needs to copy the files to the appropriate directories.

Light

On the Light tab you can define three light sources and a stray light (as global light source). The basis of an optimal illumination is the definition and the assigning of particular materials. The properties of a material determine the reaction of objects to light. These material properties are specified in the HiCAD Colour Editor and determine, amongst other things, the amount of reflection provided by each light type.

Light source

Select the desired light source from the listbox. If you do not want to use a light source, deactivate the On/Off checkbox.

Use the sliders in the Position area of the dialogue window to specify the position of the individual light source. Each slider movement will be directly shown as a preview in the drawing. Furthermore, you can specify the portions of diffuse light and specular (reflecting) light for each light source. To do this, specify the light colour and the brightness - either via the slider or via direct value input in the Brightness input field.

Definition of light position

Stray light

Besides the three light sources you can define a stray light as a global light source.

1. Select Stray light from the list box at the top of the dialogue window.
2. Specify the colour and the brightness for Stray light and Skylight. If you do not want to use a stray light, deactivate the On/Off checkbox.

Settings in the Configuration Editor

The default settings for graphics windows are specified in the Configuration Editor (ISDConfigEditor.exe), at

• System settings > Visualisation > Background
  
• System settings > Visualisation > Workstation illumination

The details of the settings are as follows:

Present 3-D Models • Colour Settings • 3-D Model Drawings • Configuration Editor