NEED HELP WITH APPLYING DECALS

[toycept]

I'm trying to apply a decal and having trouble. I think I'm going about it the correct way but the decal image is not showing up on the part face. With Photoshop running, and the part open, I select the part face onto which I want to apply the decal. I select "Decal" from the Photoshop menu. The decal editor opens, I select "create from file", choose a bmp file, the file shows up on the right side of the decal editor. I click the file and click apply, go to "image" use selective color mask to get rid of background on decal, click apply. Go to "Texture", select "plane" (decal is going on a flat surface)... click apply. Click render and no decal.

I'm obviously missing something here... Can anyone help? BTW, I'm running SW 2006 sp0.0

Thank you.

 

[rockguy]

Sounds like PhotoWorks isn't picking up your surface selection. Try pre-selecting the surface and then opening the decal editor. The decal will instally be applied (you can see and adjust it in real time)to the surface in the SW graphics window if you are doing it correctly.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 2/22/06)
SW 2006 SP 3.0

 

[toycept]

thanks for the help Rob. I've tried preselecting the surface on which I want the decal to appear. It just doesn't show up. Could it be something in the software is not right?

 

[Theophilus]

Are you following through on the other tabs, then clicking Apply before exiting? You may need to select "current view" to establish which way the decal faces.

What graphics card are you using?

Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe trumps reason.

 

[toycept]

Yes... completing all other tabs, hitting apply to each. I used to be able to apply decals in 2005..and haven't used the feature since installing 2006. Now having problems. The graphics card installed is Nvidia FX500.

 

[D3sign3r]

Yeah they have changed the look of photoworks in 2006.
Be sure to change the 'projection' of the decal under the "Mapping" section. I find the default layout is usually incorrect because my decal wraps around the entire part (looks like a fancy pant job).
I believe I use the "Label" option the most. Just make sure your decal size is correct and the location of the decal on the part is in the right position also.
I love the photoworks features. Makes my rendered assemblies look spiffy. I've actually fooled some of our employees into thinking the prints are actual photographs ;-)

 

[rockguy]

Under PW options/sytem options do have the last option "hide decals in SW checked"?

Be sure and "save" the decal, its easy to miss this in the new decal PM.

Have you tried, saving the file closing SW and then re-opening sw and the file?

Also, try open the PW tab of he task pane and dragging and dropping a sample SW decal onto your face and see if that works.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 2/22/06)
SW 2006 SP 3.0

 

[rfus]

Your problem is that you need to go to the bottom in the mapping tab, then in the photoworks tab hit Update Preview.

You should see the decal on the part, but without hitting this update prview tab you will see nothing when you render.

I love the new decal interface, but I do find this update preview step kind of annoying. I find this quite annoying to because I make annimations where the screen on a handheld device will continually change as the device rotates and explodes, so everytime I hide one decal and show another I have to go into edit decal and hit update preview. Then I run the animation through the photoworks buffer from the last point I stopped it. Sometimes the animation just randomly starts from the beggining and not from tbe time specified. This is annoying as well, but other than that I love photoworks.

RFUS

 

[rockguy]

Are you in "lightweight" mode. Decals don't show in lightweight.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 2/22/06)
SW 2006 SP 3.0

 

[toycept]

First off.... thanks for all the response and help.

I followed Rob's suggestion and took a look at the Photoworks Options. When I scrolled down and tried to access Photoshop Options a warning window appeared that said.... "An unsupported operation was attempted". But if I hit the "OK' button a number of times... the options would finally open. When I went to check Hide Decals in SW...and went to check that option..the same warning came up ... I went and tried to access a number of other tabs like "advance", Illumination, file locations (all the tabs that line the top of the Photoshop Options.... and I keep getting this warning... "An unsupported operation was attempted". Does this sound like anything familiar. Something is not right here.

Thank you again for the help.

 

[rockguy]

You may want to run a repair on your installation?

Rob Rodriguez CSWP
President: Northern
Vermont SolidWorks User Group

http://www.robrodriguez.com

(updated 2/22/06)
SW 2006 SP 3.0