[bjorn.syse]

Small wish: How about starting the fire engine automatically when the Fire windows is launched. Most of the time when I launch the fire window, I actually want to use it

Best

- Björn

[kami]

yeah, I thought this too

[JDHill]

I don't know -- wouldn't it have to be optional? (we have too many options already) Because -- what if your model is large, so that the export takes two minutes? I think you should make the decision explicitly, by enabling the engine.

[bjorn.syse]

Perhaps. But why open the fire window in the first place if you're not gonna use it?

[bjorn.syse]

On a side note, if there is a Maxwell_something command that enables it, I could combine them both into an alias, that would do - but I can't seem to find one. Is there one?

[JDHill]

Well, just for example, I always happen to have it open -- I use it as a docking window, which I dock between the object properties and layers windows in a vertical stack on the left side of my screen. Since the previous layout is restored at startup, I have never run into your situation. I'm not saying that you should work this way, just that there are lots of ways in which this stuff gets used.

And no, there is currently no command for starting/stopping fire. Probably the most sensible thing to do would be to add an option to the command which shows the fire window, where by default, it does not start rendering, but can be made to do so if desired by making a small edit to the toolbar button's macro. So, it would never start rendering just because the window happened to be shown (at startup, for instance), but it could be directed to do so when the Fire button had physically been clicked.

[kami]

That'd be a good solution.
I thought about, remembering its status. If it was activated the last time than it should start activated and if it was not activated it could start this way?

[JDHill]

When I can avoid doing so, I would prefer not to provide a single button which exhibits completely different behaviors based on ambient conditions. I think toolbar customization offers a much more appropriate solution:

• The plugin will give you a command which shows the Fire window, and optionally performs an export at the same time.
• By default, it won't do the export, but you are free to edit the toolbar macro so that it does.
• If you like, you can copy the button, so that you have one button which just opens the window, and one which opens it and does the export.

[kami]

the only downside would be that you'd have to redo your buttons, if the toolbar layout is updated.
but how about letting fire run, when you hit the button with the right mouse button?

[JDHill]

the only downside would be that you'd have to redo your buttons, if the toolbar layout is updated.

Of course Rhino allows you to save your own toolbars to their own files.

but how about letting fire run, when you hit the button with the right mouse button?

Sure, clicking with a different mouse button is explicit enough for me.

[polynurb]

right button sounds good!

often i just open all windows i will need for a session and set them up nicely .. i'd also prefer if it would not start always in auto.

*

..something else i noticed though, especially working on a 1200x800 laptop.. how cool it would be if fire could be a display mode.

don't get me wrong.. it is good already.. i am just talking some fantasy out loud..
if it'b be transpatent to rhino as other display mode, so assigning fire to single objects becomes possible.
i guess this is a core issue, but i always wondered: region render is possible, but what about "dynamic regions"?
for compositing, or in this case for a fire preview of certain objects, that would be a great help.
anyway.. fire could always render the whole background/bounding box and something clips defined areas to reveal whatever shademode is set in rhino.
imho, rhino is a great "real-time illustrator", the display mode system is complicated but very powerful. fire would fit great here.

now leaving aside the dream stuff.. being able to navigate inside the fire window is basically what i'd like to see.. i notice that when i work intensively with fire and materials i often end up trying to manipulate the fire view

maybe it could be a borderless window atomatically overlaying a viewport or so?

best,
daniel

[JDHill]

I've planned on doing something like that (the overlay), but it has not yet been a high enough priority to experiment with it. And last time I checked, Fire does not support render region.

[polynurb]

I've planned on doing something like that (the overlay), but it has not yet been a high enough priority to experiment with it. And last time I checked, Fire does not support render region.

[Cosmasad]

Good morning Jeremy,

Could you show us a screen capture of the way you layout your screen (with the Fire window docked between the Layers and Properties windows?

Thank you.

[JDHill]

Here you go: