BeLight Software

Live Interior 3D Std

Users Manual
Version 2
October 2014

(C) 2014 BeLight Software, Ltd.

All rights reserved.
BeLight Software, Ltd. reserves the right to improve, enhance and revise its products without
notice.
The information in this document is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change
without notice, and should not be constructed as a commitment by BeLight Software, Ltd. BeLight
Software assumes no liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document.
All trademarks, product and/or brand names mentioned in this publication, are the sole property of
their respective owners.
Written by Nick Shubin.
Thanks to Ray East for help in the creation of this publication.

Live Interior 3D Std End User License Agreement

Live Interior 3D Standard Edition End

User License Agreement
THIS LICENSING AGREEMENT (AGREEMENT) IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN
YOU, EITHER AN INDIVIDUAL OR A SINGLE ENTITY, AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE
(LICENSOR). IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO EACH AND EVERY TERM, DO NOT
INSTALL LIVE INTERIOR 3D STANDARD EDITION. YOU MUST EITHER RETURN THE
SOFTWARE, DOCUMENTATION AND PACKAGING TO THE PLACE OF PURCHASE OR,
IN THE CASE OF DOWNLOADED SOFTWARE, DELETE THE SOFTWARE FROM YOUR
COMPUTER AND/OR ANY OTHER DATA STORAGE DEVICE.
1. GENERAL
The software, documentation and any 3D object or ready-made design accompanying this License
whether on disk or on any other media (collectively the Software) are licensed to you by BeLight
Software (Licensor) for use only under the terms of this License, and Licensor reserves all
rights not expressly granted to you. The rights granted herein do not include any other patents or
intellectual property rights.
The title and intellectual property rights in and to any content displayed by or accessed through the
Software belong to the respective content owner. This License does not grant you any rights to use
such content.
2. LICENSE
Licensor hereby grants to You, and You accept, a non-exclusive license to install and use Software
and Documentation, only as authorized in this license. The license permits either multiple users to
install and use the software on a single computer, or a single user to install and use the software
on multiple computers. The license does not allow multiple users to use the Software on multiple
computers. You agree that You will not assign, sub license, transfer, pledge, lease, rent, or share
Your rights under this license. You may not reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the
Licensed Software for any purpose whatsoever.
3D Objects: The Software contains numerous 3D objects that are either owned by Licensor or
licensed from a third party. You are free to use and modify 3D objects as you wish subject to the
restrictions set out in this section. You can publish images (screenshots) of interiors created using
those 3D objects as you wish subject to the restrictions set out in this section. If you are uncertain
about your rights to use any material, you should contact your legal advisor.
You may NOT resell, sublicense or otherwise make available the 3D object(s) for use or
distribution separately or detached from a product or Web page. You may NOT a) create
scandalous, obscene, defamatory or immoral works using the 3D object(s) nor use the 3D object(s)
for any other purpose which is prohibited by law; b) use or permit the use of the 3D object(s)
or any part thereof as a trademark or service mark, or claim any proprietary rights of any sort in
the 3D object(s) or any part thereof; c) use the 3D object(s) in electronic format, on-line or in
multimedia applications unless the 3D object(s) are incorporated for viewing purposes only and
no permission is given to download and/or save the 3D object(s) for any reason; d) use any 3D
object(s) except as expressly permitted by this License; and e) use the 3D object(s) related to
identifiable individuals, products or entities for any commercial purpose or in a manner which
suggests their association with or endorsement of any product or service.

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

3. TRANSFER
You may not distribute copies of the Software including 3D objects, ready-made designs, in whole
or in part, to any third party, nor may you use, rent, loan, sublicense, or lease the Software to third
parties. You may, however, transfer all your rights to use the Software to another person or legal
entity provided that: (a) You also transfer this Agreement, the Software and all other software
bundled or pre-installed with the Software, including all copies, Updates and prior versions, to
such person or entity; (b) You retain no copies, including backups and copies stored on a computer;
and (c) the receiving party accepts the terms and conditions of this Agreement and any other terms
and conditions upon which You legally purchased a license to the Software. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, You may not transfer pre-release or not for resale copies of the Software.
4. ILLEGAL USE
You are not to use the Software, whether directly or indirectly, for any illegal purpose under the
laws or ordinances of Federal, State, or local governments. It is Your sole responsibility to know
and understand the laws and/or ordinances that govern the use of the Software. In the event that
You violate any Federal, State or local law or ordinance by direct or indirect use of the Software,
You shall take full legal responsibility for such illegal use. You shall hold Licensor harmless and
without fault and otherwise indemnify Licensor for any damage, cost or liability incurred by
Licensor as a result of any use, whether or not such use is within the scope of the license set forth
herein.
5. UPDATES
If the Software is an Update to a previous version of the Software, You must possess a valid license
to such previous version in order to use the Update. You may continue to use the previous version
of the Software on your computer after You receive the Update to assist You in the transition to the
Update, provided that: the Update and the previous version are installed on the same computer;
the previous version or copies thereof are not transferred to another party or computer unless all
copies of the Update are also transferred to such party or computer; and You acknowledge that any
obligation BeLight Software may have to support the previous version of the Software may be
ended upon availability of the Update.
6. LICENSORS RIGHTS
You acknowledge and agree that the Software and Documentation consists of proprietary,
published and unpublished property of Licensor. You further acknowledge and agree that all right,
title, and interest in and to the Software and Documentation are and shall remain with Licensor.
This license conveys to You the right to install and use the Software and Documentation in
accordance with the terms of this license. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved by
BeLight Software. The Licensor will not transmit your personal information to any third party
without your express consent.
7. TERMINATION
This license is effective upon installing the software on any machine, and shall continue until
terminated. You may terminate this Agreement at any time. The Licensor may immediately
terminate this License Agreement if you breach any representation, warranty, agreement or
obligation contained or referred to in this License Agreement. Upon termination, you must dispose
of the Software and all copies or versions of the Software by destroying the Software.

Live Interior 3D Std End User License Agreement

8. LIMITED WARRANTY
BeLight Software provides a thirty (30) day money-back guarantee on the Software. If, during this
period, you are dissatisfied with the Software for any reason, BeLight Software will refund your
money if you return the Software and all copies to the place of purchase within thirty (30) days of
the date of the original purchase.
THE FOREGOING IS THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE WARRANTY OFFERED BY BELIGHT
SOFTWARE. BELIGHT SOFTWARE DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS
OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH REGARD
TO THE LICENSED SOFTWARE AND ALL ACCOMPANYING MATERIALS. BELIGHT
SOFTWARE AND ITS AGENTS DO NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE
OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN BY USING THE SOFTWARE.
9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
IN NO EVENT WILL BELIGHT SOFTWARE OR ITS AGENTS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR
ANY DAMAGES, CLAIMS OR COSTS WHATSOEVER OR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL,
INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, OR ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST SAVINGS.
BELIGHT SOFTWARES AGGREGATE LIABILITY AND THAT OF ITS AGENTS UNDER
OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT
PAID FOR THE SOFTWARE, IF ANY.
10. FEES
The Software is available in download and CD versions. If your download version of the Software
does not come with a License Code, you may register your copy of the Software (except for Demo
version) by purchasing a License Code for downloaded Trial version at:
http://www.belightsoft.com/buy/ The License Code will remove the restriction on the save
functionality. By purchasing the CD version of the software, your License Code is delivered to you
together with the CD.
You may not distribute the License Code. By clicking Agree, you acknowledge that you have
paid the Licensor all applicable license fees for the Software.
11. SEVERABILITY
Should any term of this license be declared void or unenforceable by any court of competent
jurisdiction, such declaration shall have no effect on the remaining terms hereof.
12. GENERAL PROVISIONS
This License Agreement is personal between You and BeLight Software. It is not transferable
and any attempt by You to rent, lease, sublicense, assign or transfer any of the rights, duties or
obligations hereunder. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT,
UNDERSTAND IT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT IT IS THE COMPLETE AND EXCLUSIVE STATEMENT OF
THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE WHICH SUPERSEDES
ANY PROPOSAL OR PRIOR AGREEMENT, ORAL OR WRITTEN, AND ANY OTHER
COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN YOU AND BELIGHT SOFTWARE OR BELIGHT
SOFTWARES AGENT(S) RELATING TO THE LICENSED SOFTWARE

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

By using Trimble 3D Warehouse in the software you agree with the following Terms of Service.
Review up-to-date Google 3D Warehouse Terms of Service at:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/preview_tos.html
If you have any questions regarding this Agreement or if you wish to request any information from
BeLight Software please use the address and contact information included with this product to
contact BeLight Software.
2007-2014 BeLight Software, Ltd. All Rights Reserved. BeLight Software and Live Interior 3D
Pro Edition are trademarks of BeLight Software, Ltd. Mac, the Mac logo, Mac OS X, Retina and
Macintosh are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. The inclusion of SPARKLE: Copyright (c)
2006 Andy Matuschak. All other trademarks, registered trademarks, product and/or brand names
are the sole property of their respective owners.

Table of Contents

Contents
Chapter 1:
Introduction.................................................. 13

Brief Description...................................................................13
System Requirements............................................................14
Installing Live Interior 3D.......................................................14
Registration..........................................................................14
Updating the Program............................................................15
Removing the Program..........................................................15
Web Resources.....................................................................16
Conventions Used in this Document.........................................17

Chapter 2:
Live Interior 3D Workspace........................... 19

The Main Window.................................................................... 19

The Assistant........................................................................... 20
The 2D View............................................................................ 21
The Toolbar..........................................................................23
The 3D View............................................................................ 26
Camera Orientation and Walk Control......................................28
Walking Around the Interior....................................................30
Moving Objects in the 3D View................................................31
The Inspector Window............................................................. 32
The Program Preferences........................................................ 34
The New Project Tab..............................................................34
The 3D Settings Tab..............................................................35
The Trimble 3D Warehouse Tab.............................................41
The Miscellaneous Tab...........................................................41
Live Interior 3D Menus............................................................ 43
Live Interior 3D Keyboard Shortcuts....................................... 49

Chapter 3:
Getting Started.............................................. 53

Setting Up the Program after Installation................................ 53

Project Design Workflow......................................................... 55
Quick Start Guide..................................................................... 56
Opening or Creating a Project.................................................56
Drawing Walls.......................................................................57
Drawing a Room...................................................................58
Adding Floors and Ceilings......................................................62
Adding Doors and Windows....................................................63
Adding Furniture...................................................................64
Working with Materials...........................................................65

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Working with Cameras...........................................................67
Setting Up the Lighting..........................................................69
Printing a Floor Plan..............................................................70
Taking Pictures of the 3D View................................................70
Creating a Movie Track in 2D..................................................71
Video Tutorials........................................................................ 74

Chapter 4:
Working with Projects................................... 75

What is a Project?.................................................................75
Creating and Opening Projects................................................76
Project Setup........................................................................77
Saving Projects.....................................................................78
The Project Tree....................................................................79
The Environment Panel..........................................................81
Exporting the Floor Plan.........................................................82
Exporting 3D Views to Graphic Files.........................................83
Exporting 3D Views to QuickTime VR (QTVR)............................83
Exporting to the 3D File Format...............................................84
Printing................................................................................87
The Render Boost Plug-in.......................................................90
Creating Movies....................................................................92
Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D...............................98
Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 3D............................. 105

Chapter 5:
Working with Storeys.................................. 109

Introduction.......................................................................... 109
Managing Storeys in the Inspector........................................ 110
Inspector Controls............................................................... 110
Adding Storeys................................................................... 111
Removing Storeys............................................................... 111
Choosing the Active Storey................................................... 111
Choosing the Ground Floor................................................... 112
Changing the Slab Height..................................................... 112
Changing the Storey Height.................................................. 112
Storeys and the 2D View........................................................ 113

Chapter 6:
Working with Roofs..................................... 115

Roofs in Live Interior 3D........................................................ 115

The Roof Types................................................................... 116
Using Panels, Openings and Niches with Roofs........................ 116

Table of Contents
Adding and Deleting Roofs..................................................... 117
The Roofing Assistant.......................................................... 117
Adding a Roof..................................................................... 118
Deleting a Roof................................................................... 119
Roof Properties...................................................................... 120
Modifying the Style of a Roof................................................. 122
Adding a Skylight to the Roof................................................ 126
Adding a Dormer Window...................................................... 127
Interior Walls in the Loft....................................................... 128

Chapter 7:
Working with Objects.................................. 129

Basics.................................................................................... 129
Adding and Removing Objects............................................... 129
Selecting Objects................................................................ 130
Using the Project Tree to Select Objects................................. 130
Moving Objects................................................................... 131
Modifying Objects................................................................ 131
Materials............................................................................ 131
Walls..................................................................................... 132
Wall Segments.................................................................... 132
Adding and Removing Walls.................................................. 133
Selecting Walls................................................................... 134
Moving Walls...................................................................... 134
Wall Parameters.................................................................. 134
Modifying Walls................................................................... 135
Ceilings and Floors................................................................ 137
Adding and Removing Ceilings and Floors............................... 137
Selecting Ceilings and Floors................................................. 138
Moving Ceilings and Floors................................................... 138
Resizing Ceilings and Floors.................................................. 138
Setting up the Level of the Floor or Ceiling............................. 139
Materials............................................................................ 139
Ceiling and Floor Representation on the Plan........................... 140
Text Label of the Floor......................................................... 140
Windows, Doors and Openings.............................................. 141
Adding and Removing Openings............................................ 141
Selecting Openings.............................................................. 141
Moving Openings................................................................. 141
Parameters of Openings....................................................... 141
Niches and Wall Panels.......................................................... 144
Adding and Removing Niches and Wall Panels......................... 144
Selecting Niches and Wall Panels........................................... 144
Moving Niches and Wall Panels.............................................. 144
Parameters of Niches and Wall Panels.................................... 145
Changing the Size and Shape............................................... 145
Materials............................................................................ 146
Object Representation in the 2D Layout.................................. 146

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Columns................................................................................ 147
Adding and Removing Columns............................................. 147
Parameters of Columns........................................................ 147
Furniture............................................................................... 148
Adding and Removing Furniture............................................ 148
Selecting a Piece of Furniture................................................ 148
Moving Furniture................................................................. 148
Furniture Parameters........................................................... 148
Modifying Furniture............................................................. 149
Staircases.............................................................................. 152
Adding and Removing Staircases........................................... 152
Selecting a Staircase........................................................... 153
Moving a Staircase.............................................................. 153
Parameters of Staircases...................................................... 153
Editing the Opening Shape................................................... 155
Properties of Objects in 2D.................................................... 156
Type and Representation....................................................... 158
Controlling the Object Preview.............................................. 158
Object Properties................................................................ 159
Importing Objects................................................................. 161
Import Options................................................................... 161
Importing Trimble SketchUp Objects.................................. 163
Aligning and Distributing Objects.......................................... 165
Grouping and Ungrouping Objects......................................... 167
Merging Objects.................................................................. 167

Chapter 8:
The Library of Objects................................. 169
The Library Panel................................................................... 169
Object Information in the Library.......................................... 172
Managing Objects in the Library............................................ 173

Chapter 9:
Working with Materials............................... 177

Applying Materials................................................................. 177

Applying a Material to an Object............................................ 179
Working with the List of Objects Materials.............................. 179
Adjusting the Texture Size and Orientation............................. 180
Adding Materials to the Library.............................................. 181
Material Picker....................................................................... 184

Chapter 10:
Lighting....................................................... 185
Light Sources......................................................................... 185
Managing Light Sources in the Inspector............................... 187

Chapter 1: Introduction

11

Chapter 11:
Using Cameras............................................ 189
Chapter 12:
Auxiliary Objects......................................... 193

Text Annotation..................................................................... 193

Measurement Tool................................................................. 195
Images.................................................................................. 197
Images on the Floor Plan...................................................... 197
Images in 3D...................................................................... 197

Chapter 13:
Guidelines and the Layout Grid.................... 201
Guidelines.............................................................................. 201
Layout Grid............................................................................ 202

Chapter 14:
Solving Problems........................................ 203

Troubleshooting.................................................................... 203
Cannot Register the Program................................................ 203
Cannot Open the Program.................................................... 203
Cannot Select an Object....................................................... 203
Performance Issues............................................................. 204
Red Circles on the Floor Plan................................................. 206
Printing Problems................................................................ 207
Known Issues and Limitations............................................... 208
Technical Support.................................................................. 211

12

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction

13

Chapter 1:
Introduction
Brief Description
Live Interior 3D is a program for designing the interior of a house or an
apartment. It helps you visualize your ideas and imagine your future home or
office. Using this program, you can find optimal design solutions and choose a
suitable location for your furniture. Before ordering various pieces of furniture,
you will be able to see how they fit in the interior.
The program lets you design different types of buildings: homes, apartments,
offices, living rooms, dining rooms, etc.
The program contains models of furniture and accessories that are copies
of the actual items produced by leading manufacturers (PIIROINEN,
Villeroy&Boch and others). Some models from the supplied library have no
real prototypes.
The program can be used by professional as well as amateur designers.
As a result, you get a computer model of your apartment. Your project
contains:
A printable floor plan of the apartment with walls, doors, windows,
furniture and other accessories.
3D model that lets you walk inside your apartments. You will see the room
as if you were inside it. You can take photographs (screenshots) of the
preview area.

14

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

System Requirements
CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo (Core i3 recommended)

Memory

2 GB or more (4 GB is recommended)

Video

OpenGL compatible video card

Video Memory

128 MB or more (512 MB is recommended)

OS

Mac OS X 10.6.8 or higher

HDD

2 GB of available space

Display

1024x768 (or higher) with 32 bit color

Min. screen resolution

1024x768

Peripherals

Keyboard and mouse

Other

Apple QuickTime 7 (for exporting to QTVR format)

Google SketchUp 6 or higher (for editing 3D
models)

Internet connection is required to use online services.

Installing Live Interior 3D

Retail version:
1. Insert the disc into the drive.
2. Double-click the Live Interior 3D Standard Edition installer.
3. Follow the installation instructions.
Download version:
1. Double-click the LiveInterior3DStd.dmg file.
2. Double-click the Live Interior 3D Standars Edition installer icon in the
window that comes up.
3. Follow the installation instructions.

Registration
If you purchased the download version of the program, youll find the license
code in the purchase confirmation email. If you have the program on a disc,
find the code inside the program pack on the disc envelope.

Chapter 1: Introduction

15

To register Live Interior 3D:

1. Open the application.
2. Bring up the License dialog by choosing Live Interior 3D Standard >
License in the menu.
3. Enter your name and license code.
Its recommended that you keep the e-mail or the disc package containing
your license code in a safe place in case you need to register the application
after re-installation or after update.
The unregistered version of Live Interior 3D cannot save projects.
To upgrade from the trial to the registered version of the program you need to
purchase and register it. See details on BeLights web site:
http://www.belightsoft.com/buy/

Updating the Program

From time to time, the software developer releases new versions of the
product.
To check for and download the latest update, click Check for Updates in the
Live Interior 3D Standard program menu.
Alternatively, you can visit the Live Interior 3D Updates web page:
http://www.belightsoft.com/liveinterior/update
Before starting the update installer, make sure that the application and
supporting files are placed in their default locations. For default file locations,
see below.

Removing the Program

To uninstall the program completely or delete some of its parts, choose Live
Interior 3D Standard > Uninstall from the menu. Then select the items
to delete and click the Uninstall button.
To delete the program files and folders, select:
Remove Live Interior 3D Application
Remove Live Interior 3D Preferences
These items can be restored by re-installing the application.
To delete objects and materials that you have added to the library, select the
Remove User Content check box. Be careful! You will not be able to restore
the users libraries by re-installing Live Interior 3D.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Removing the Program Manually

To remove the program manually, remove the following files and folders:
Live Interior 3D Standard.app from the Applications folder.
com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStd.plist file from the
~/Library/Preferences/ folder.
If you dont need your custom materials and documents that may be
stored in the programs folder, delete the Live Interior 3D folder from
the
~/Library/Application Support/BeLight Software/ folder.
All *.pkg files whose name begins with liveInterior3D from the
/Library/Receipts/ folder if these files exist.
~ means the users Home folder.
To access the Library folder, in the Finder choose Go > Go to Folder (CmdShift-G). Then type ~/Library/ into the edit box, and click the Go button.
To remove manually the program downloaded fom Mac AppStore, remove the
following files and folders:
/Applications/Live Interior 3D Standard.app
~/Library/Containers/com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStdMAS/
Note: By default, the program saves custom content in:
~/Library/Containers/com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DStdMAS/Data/Library/
Application Support/Live Interior 3D Standard/
Dont remove this folder if you are going to use your content in the future.
To access the ~/Library/Containers/ folder, in the Finder choose Go > Go to
Folder (Cmd-Shift-G). Then copy ~/Library/Containers/ to the edit box,
and click the Go button.

Web Resources
Live Interior 3D Home Page: Download, Updates, Buy and FAQ
http://www.belightsoft.com/liveinterior/
Useful articles connected with using Live Interior 3D
http://www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/resources.php
The home page of BeLight Software: Products, Download, Support, Buy
http://www.belightsoft.com/

Chapter 1: Introduction

17

BeLight Software Support

http://www.belightsoft.com/support/

Conventions Used in this Document

Bold text is used for names of menu items, shortcuts, buttons, radio
buttons, edit boxes, check boxes and other controls.
Text in italics is used for names of windows, dialog boxes, panels, tabs
and other elements of the program interface.
Such text formatting is also used for names of programs, files, folders
and web links.
It is also used for chapter and section references, and to introduce
important remarks.
For menu items hierarchy, the > symbol is used. A record File >
Open is equivalent to the Open item under the File menu.
A shortcut (shortkey) is one or several keys that are pressed together.
Cmd-S means you should hold down the Command key while pressing
the S key, then release them.
Ctrl-click is a click holding the Ctrl key down. Right-click is a click by the
right button of a two-button mouse. Both actions are equivalent.
Context (contextual or shortcut) menu is a pop-up menu that contains
options that vary depending on the object (image, text, etc.) you have
clicked on. To open the context menu, right-click or Ctrl-click on the
object.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

19

Chapter 2:
Live Interior 3D Workspace
The Main Window

1 The Library panel displays the library of 3D models or the Project Tree.
2 A handle to expand/collapse the Library panel.
3 The 2D toolbar with tools for adding walls, ceilings, floors and other
objects. For details, see The Toolbar section.
4 The 2D View area for displaying the floor plan.
5 The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views. Move it with the mouse to
distribute space between the views.
6 The 3D mode selector.
7 The 3D View window.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

The Assistant
When you start Live Interior 3D for the first time, it opens the Assistant, a
collection of pre-designed projects. The Assistant allows you to choose what
project to open:
Project from the built-in collection
Custom template (users project saved as a template)
One of recently opened documents
Any project on your computer
Empty project
By default, the Assistant opens on start-up. To control this, use the Show
Assistant on start-up option in the Miscellaneous tab of the program
Preferences dialog.
To open the Assistant at any time, use the File > New From Assistant
menu command (Cmd-Shift-N).

Using Templates
Projects from the Assistant are intended for:
Learning the program. You can open and change a template to see how
the program works.
Creating new projects. You can modify a pre-designed project to meet
your needs, or create a custom template and then use it to make
several variations of the furniture arrangement, decoration and so on.
Pre-designed projects are grouped into categories. In the left part of the
Assistant window is a list of the template categories. The right box shows the
template previews from the selected category.
To open a template, select its thumbnail and click OK, or double-click the
thumbnail.
To open a project saved on your hard disk, click the Open button in the
Assistant. (Or use the File > Open menu when the Assistant is not open.)
The creation of custom templates is described in Chapter 4: Working with
Projects > Saving Projects.
Opening a project as a template differs from opening it through the File >
Open command. The template will not be overwritten: the program will
offer you to save the modified template under another name.

21

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

The 2D View
The 2D view window is used for drawing floor plans.
To open the 2D view, choose the View > Toggle 2D/3D View menu
command or click the 2D View button in the toolbar (item 10 in the The
Toolbar section below).
In the 2D view, you can add objects from the library and draw walls, floors
and ceilings.
1
2
3
4

1 The toolbar (see The Toolbar section below).

2 The Information bar shows detailed information about the selected object,
such as its dimensions, elevation and orientation. The bar disappears when
you hide the rulers.
3 Click on the current measurement unit to choose another in the Project
Setup.

22

Live Interior 3D Users Manual

4 Rulers. To turn the rulers on/off, use the View > Hide/Show Rulers
(Cmd-R) menu command.
When you move an object with the mouse in the 2D View, the rulers can
display rulerlines. Rulerlines are thin lines that show the coordinates of left,
right, top and bottom object edges on the rulers. Rulerlines move along with
the object. To control rulerlines, use the View > Rulerlines menu.
5 The 2D view area.
6 The handle of the splitter bar that separates the Library panel and 2D
View. Move it to the right or to the left to make the Library panel bigger or
smaller.
7 Storey pop-up menu.

The upper section displays a list of storeys in the project. The lower section
lets you add and remove floors. You can also choose the current floor to be
the ground floor.
8 Zoom control.
9 The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

23

The Toolbar

1 The Selection tool for choosing and moving objects.

2 The Straight Wall tool for drawing walls.

3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4

3 Tools for working with slabs.

3.1 The Floor tool. You can add a floor manually instead of using the floor
added by the program.
3.2 The Ceiling tool. You can add a ceiling manually instead of using the
ceiling added by the program.
3.3 The Floor+Ceiling tool. Use it for adding a floor and ceiling objects
together. The result is as if you draw a floor using tool 3.1, and then draw a
ceiling right over the floor using tool 3.2.
3.4 The Ceiling Opening tool. Creates an opening in a slab of the current
storey.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

4.1
4.2
4 Tools for adding auxiliary objects.
4.1 The Measurement tool. Defines distances between the specified points.
4.2 Text Annotation. Adds text boxes for typing or pasting text.

5.1
5.2

5 The Camera tools.

5.1 The Camera tool. Adds individual cameras.
5.2 The Movie Track tool. Adds movie cameras. A chain of these cameras
defines a movie track.

6.1
6.2

6 Zoom.
6.1 Zoom In.
6.2 Zoom Out.
7 The Pan tool (scrolling hand) for scrolling the 2D view with the mouse.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

25

An activated tool is highlighted.

The Straight Wall, Floor, Ceiling, Floor+Ceiling, Ceiling Opening, Text
Annotation and Camera tools have two active modes.
Upon a single click, the tool activates in the standard mode. After adding
or modifying a corresponding object, the tool becomes deactivated and the
Selection tool becomes active.
Upon a double-click, the tool activates in the continuous mode. After adding
or modifying a corresponding object, the tool stays active and you can
continue working with it. This is useful if you need to add, for instance, several
cameras.

10

11

12

8 Browse the Trimble 3D Warehouse on-line collection.

9 Open Inspector.
10 Display the 2D view.
11 Display the 2D and 3D views together.
12 Display the 3D view.

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The 3D View
1

10 11 12

13
14
Walk mode selector
1 The Selection mode. In this mode, the mouse can be used for selecting
and moving objects. To walk around, click on the arrows of the 3D Walk
Control, or use the arrow keys.
2 The Look Around and Fly Around modes. Using the mouse, you can change
the view direction or fly around a fixed point.
3 The Walk mode. The mouse cursor turns into an arrow showing the walk
direction. To change the direction, move the cursor to sides or corners of the
3D view. To walk, press the left mouse button.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

27

Rendering quality selector

4 Display the picture without lights and shadows. The lowest quality, the
highest walk speed.
5 Display the picture with lights but without shadows. Intermediate quality
and walking speed.
6 Display the picture with lights and shadows. The highest quality, the
lowest walk speed.
7 Take a picture of the 3D view.
8 Browse the Trimble 3D Warehouse on-line 3D object collection.
9 Open Inspector.
View mode selector
10 Display the 2D view.
11 Display the 2D and 3D views together.
12 Display the 3D view.
The width of views
13 The splitter bar between the 2D and 3D views. Move the splitter bar to
expand one view while at the same time narrowing down another view.
14 The handle of the library of objects. Move the handle to change the panel
width.
In the top right corner of the 3D preview, a camera icon may be displayed. Its
purpose is described in Chapter 10: Using Cameras.

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Camera Orientation and Walk Control

One of the possible ways to move inside your 3D model is to use the Walk
Control. This is a round control that is sensitive to mouse clicks. The direction
of movement depends on the point where you click on it.
The Walk Control appears at the bottom of the 3D view when you move
the mouse cursor over this area. This happens in the automatic mode. There
are two other modes: the control is always displayed or never displayed. To
choose a mode, use the View > Display 3D Walk Control menu. The control
is semi-transparent and lets you see the space behind it.

Note that the Walk Control is not displayed when the Walk mode is selected
in the View > 3D View > Tools menu.
The current view point can be fine tuned using the Cameras Controls in the
Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector.

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Walk Control

1 2

29

4 5

1 Turn to the left.

2 Move forward turning to the left.
3 Move forward.

12

10
11

13

4 Move forward turning to the right.

5 Turn to the right.

14
6 7

6 Move leftward.
7 Move backward.
8 Move rightward.

Camera Pitch
9 Tilt Up look upwards.
10 Restore the default tilt (double-click) look straight forward.
11 Tilt Down look downwards.

Camera Elevation
12 Move the camera up.
13 Restore the default level (double-click).
14 Move the camera down.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Walking Around the Interior

The program offers several methods of walking and turning around in the 3D
space:
Using the Walk Control.
Using the keyboard.
Using the Look Around and Fly Around tools.
You can control whether or not you can walk through walls and other objects.
To do this, use the Consider Collisions toolbar button View > 3D View
> Consider Collisions. The program disables the Consider Collisions mode
when you walk while a user camera is selected (the camera icon in the right
top corner of the 2D view indicates this).
If the current camera or view point is located in an improper position (inside
a wall, for instance), the program temporarily disables the Consider Collisions
mode which is indicated in the 3D view by the following icon:

Using the Keyboard

The keyboard arrow keys are used for moving forward, backward, and turning
left and right. Alternative shortkeys are shown in brackets.
Up (W)

Move forward

Down (S)

Move backward

Left

Turn to the left

Right

Turn to the right

Cmd-Up (Q)

Tilt the camera up

Cmd-Down (Z)

Tilt the camera down

Option-Up (E)

Move the camera up

Option-Down (C)

Move the camera down

Option-Left (A)

Move the camera leftward

Option-Right (D)

Move the camera rightward

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

31

The walking speed depends on the rendering quality. At a higher quality

setting, the movement will be slower.
Use the rendering quality control to set the most appropriate quality. When
taking a picture (export the 3D view), set the maximum quality.

Using the Look Around and Fly Around Tools

The Look Around and Fly Around tools can be activated either in the View
> 3D View > Tools menu or in the 3D Toolbar. In the toolbar they share the
same button. To activate the selected tool, click the toolbar button or press
the Space key. To select and activate other tool, click the button and hold it
for a while. Then choose a tool in the pop-up menu.
In the Look Around mode, your location is fixed. You can change the view
direction.
In the Fly Around mode, you can fly around a point specified in the 3D view
this way. Place the cursor at the desired point, press the left mouse button
and then move the mouse around.
To change the view direction in both Look Around and Fly Around modes, place
the mouse cursor over the 3D view, press the left mouse button, and move
the mouse.

Moving Objects in the 3D View

To move an object horizontally in the 3D view, drag it with the mouse.
The state of the Glue By option in the Inspector (the Object Properties
tab) defines the vertical location of the object in relation to the floor and
other objects. When the option is disabled, the object movement is strictly
horizontal. When it is enabled, the object can change its elevation. For
example, if you move a vase off a table, it will fall onto the floor.
Holding the Cmd key temporarily disables the Glue By option. When you
release Cmd or the mouse button, the object will have the elevation that it
should have according to the Glue By function.
To move an object in a vertical plane (perpendicular to the current view
direction), hold the Opt key.
The Glue By and Lock Elevation options prevent changing the elevation
accidentally. Disable them to change the objects elevation.

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The Inspector Window

The Inspector is a floating window that lets you change object properties,
control cameras and manage storeys. The Inspector window is sensitive to
the type of the selected object. It displays the current settings for this object
and lets you modify them.
To open the Inspector window:
Choose Window > Show Inspector menu item;
Click the i toolbar button;
Press Cmd-I.
Below is some basic information about Inspector tabs. Each tab is described in
more detail in the sections dedicated to particular objects.

The Object Properties Tab

The Object Properties tab contains the tools that control properties of most
objects.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Object Properties.
The displayed properties depend on the object selected in the project. When
you select an object, the program opens the corresponding set of properties.

The Materials Tab

The Materials tab lets you change materials of objects and create new
materials. The built-in library of materials is located in this tab.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Materials.

The 2D Properties Tab

The 2D Properties tab lets you specify the appearance of objects in the 2D
view.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > 2D Properties.
The Drawing settings can be used only with drawn objects: walls, ceilings and
floors. They allow you to modify the color of outlines, filling, color and type of
the fill pattern.
The Text Annotations section contains text formatting tools.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

33

The Cameras Properties Tab

The Cameras Properties tab lists all the cameras in the current project:
predefined, custom and movie cameras.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Cameras.
Predefined cameras are always present in the list. Custom cameras and movie
cameras can be added and removed by the user.
The camera selected in the Inspector defines the point of view for the 3D view.

The Lights Properties

The Lights Properties tab controls light sources.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Lights Properties.
To change brightness or color of a light source, select it in the list. To turn the
light on or off, click the on bulb icon.

The Building Properties Tab

The Building Properties tab lets you add and remove floors. You can also
change the storey and slab height. Any floor can be assigned to be the ground
level.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > Building Properties.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

The Program Preferences

Before starting your work on the first project, set up the program. The
program settings are stored in the program preferences file and apply to all
projects. The program settings are used as default settings for new projects.

The New Project Tab

These settings are used as defaults for Project Setup when you create a new
project. To change the current project only, use File > Project Setup.

1
2
3
4
5
6

1 Measurement units.
2 The Suppress Units check box lets you hide measurement units in the 2D
layout (you will see 40 00.0 instead of 40 00.0 ft, or 2.6 instead of 2.6 m).
3 Scale of the floor plan in the 2D view. 1:100 means that one meter will
be equal to one centimeter on the screen.
4 The default story height for new projects.
5 Type of 2D representation. Here you can choose either the line drawing
type, or automatically created objects top view.
6 The quality of auto-generated 2D representations.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

35

The 3D Settings Tab

3D settings affect the quality and speed of rendering a picture in the 3D view.

1
2
3
4

6
7
8

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

Retina High Resolution

Full Scene Anti-Aliasing
Textures Filtering
Reflections Quality
Decrease Quality when Moving
Shadow rendering technique
Shadow Casting Lights
Shadow Maps Quality

1 The Retina High Resolution check box enables native high resolution for
all the 3D renderings and auto-generated 2D representations (when activated)
on all Macintosh computers with Retina display. If you face the performance
decrease, deselect this check box.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

2 Full Scene Anti-Aliasing makes the picture look softer by smoothing edges
of objects.
To apply the parameter change, restart the program.
Anti-aliasing: off

Anti-aliasing: on

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37

3 Textures Filtering lets you choose a type of filter, or turn it off.

Texture filtration softens transition from texture tiles near the view point to
texture tiles far away.
To apply this parameter, restart the program.
Filter: None

Filter: Trilinear

Note that in some cases choosing different filter types produces similar
pictures. If only plain color materials were used in the scene, you may
not notice any difference when the texture filtration is on and off. It is not
recommended that you set this parameter to None because textures are used
in most 3D models.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

4 Reflections quality. This parameter affects how detailed the reflected

picture is. At lower quality, the picture may look more pixelated, but rendering
is faster.
5 The Decrease Quality when Moving option can change the rendering mode
automatically. When this option is activated, the program turns off reflections,
shadows and lights while you are walking around in 3D. When you stay still,
lights, reflections and shadows restore. Note that if lights and shadows are
already turned off in View > 3D View > Rendering Quality (or in the
toolbar) then nothing will change when you start walking in 3D.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

39

6 Shadow rendering technique. The program lets you choose the Stencil
Shadows or Shadow Maps mode. The Stencil Shadows mode is the default
mode.
The 3D pictures rendered by these modes are different.
Stencil Shadows

Shadow Maps

The difference:
1. The Stencil Shadows method is more accurate. The Shadow Maps give
less sharp shadows (compare 2 and 4 in the picture). Completely or
almost invisible shadows can be rendered by Shadow Maps when a very
thin object is located very close to a large surface (compare 1 and 3).
2. When you are walking around, rendering in the Shadow Maps mode is
faster if Shadow Maps Quality is set to the intermediate or lower values.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

3. The Shadow Maps mode must be supported by the graphic card. These
cards dont support Shadow Maps:
GeForce4 Ti
GeForce3
GeForce2 MX/4 MX
Radeon 9600/9700/9800/X600
Radeon 9000/9200
Radeon 8500
Radeon 7200/7500
Radeon 7000
GMA 950
7 Shadow Casting Lights defines how many light sources (including the
sun and the moon) are taken into account when the program is rendering
shadows. At smaller numbers, rendering is faster.
Note that if the quantity of considered light sources is too small, you can get
an unrealistic picture because you cannot see shadows that normally exist.

1
2

3
4
5

1
2

3
4
6

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

41

In the picture:
1 Light source 1
2 Light source 2
3 Shadow from the Sun
4 Shadow from the light source 1
5 No shadow from the light source 2 with Shadow Casting Lights set to
Nearest 2
6 Shadow from the light source 2 with Shadow Casting Lights set to
Nearest 4
8 The Shadow Maps Quality can be used to increase the rendering speed. To
do this, set lower or intermediate values. At low quality, shadows look blurred.

The Trimble 3D Warehouse Tab

These options control import of Trimble SketchUp objects.
Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces changes the
way of importing Trimble SketchUp objects. It is set by default.
Split object instances splits a compound object to make its parts separate
objects in Live Interior 3D.
See details in Chapter 6: Working with Objects > Import Options.

The Miscellaneous Tab

Show Assistant on start-up opens the Assistant when you launch the
program. This lets you choose and load a sample project.
Animate Library 3D Preview by default enables/disables automatic
rotation of the selected 3D object in the preview box. Deselect this option to
increase computer performance.
The Save supplied content in projects option lets you control the project
file size. Normally, the 3D models of all objects used in the project are saved
along with the project file. When the option is selected, links to the library
objects are saved instead of the actual objects. The option affects only the
objects taken from the built-in library. Modified library objects and objects
imported from the outside Live Interior 3D are always saved in the project.
The Autosave modified projects option allows the program to automatically
save a copy of a project to the same folder. If the program quits unexpectedly,
at the next start-up the program it will open the autosaved copy.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Snap Sensitivity on 2D Plan defines how close you need to bring one object
to another before the objects snap together.
Automatically check for updates lets you specify how frequently the
program checks for updates.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

43

Live Interior 3D Menus

The Live Interior 3D Standard Menu
About Live Interior 3D

Display information about the program.

Licenses

Open the registration dialog.

Check for Updates

Check for the latest updates on the Internet.

Preferences (Cmd-,)

Bring up the program Preferences dialog.

Uninstall

Delete the whole program or its parts.

Quit (Cmd-Q)

Exit the application.

The File Menu

New (Cmd-N)

Create a new empty project.

New from Assistant

(Cmd-Shift-N)

Open template projects in the Assistant.

Open (Cmd-O)

Open an existing project.

Open Recent >

Open the list of the projects you recently worked

with.

Close (Cmd-W)

Close the active project.

Close All

Close all open projects.

Save (Cmd-S)

Save the open project.

Save As
(Cmd-Shift-S)

Save the open project under a new name.

Save As Template

Save the open project as template.

Revert

Load the last saved version of the project.

Import 3D Object

Import a 3D object.

Export 2D Plan

Save the 2D layout as a graphic file.

Export 3D View

Export the current 3D view to a graphic file.

Export To

Export the project or selected objects to the 3D

file format.

Project Setup

Open project settings.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Print (Cmd-P)

Bring up the standard print dialog for printing the

floor plan.

The Edit Menu

Undo (Cmd-Z)

Reverse the last operation you performed.

Redo (Cmd-Shift-Z)

Reverse the last Undo operation.

Cut (Cmd-X)

Remove the selected objects and place the

selection onto the Clipboard.

Copy (Cmd-C)

Copy the selected objects onto the Clipboard.

Paste (Cmd-V)

Paste the content of the Clipboard into the

project.

Duplicate (Cmd-D)

Duplicate the selected object.

Delete (Backspace)

Remove the selected object.

Make Object Invisible

Make the selected object(s) invisible.

Lock Object

Lock the selected object(s).

Add Selected Objects to

Library

Add the selected object(s) to the current

category of the object library.

Tools > Selection

(Cmd-1)

Activate the selection tool.

Tools > Straight Wall

(Cmd-2)

Activate the wall drawing tool.

Tools > Floor (Cmd-3)

Activate the floor drawing tool.

Tools > Ceiling (Cmd-4)

Activate the ceiling drawing tool.

Tools > Floor & Ceiling

(Cmd-5)

Activate the Floor+Ceiling drawing tool.

Tools > Ceiling Opening

(Cmd-6)

Activate the ceiling opening drawing tool.

Tools > Camera

Activate the camera tool.

Tools > Movie Track

Activate the movie camera tool.

Building >

Functions to add and delete storeys and roofs.

Type & Representation

Open the Type & Representation settings for the

selected object.

Select All (Cmd-A)

Select all objects in the project.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

45

The Insert Menu

Image

Insert an image from a graphic file into the 2D

layout.

Measurement

Activate the Measurement tool.

Text Annotation

Insert a text box into the 2D layout.

Horizontal Guide

Insert a horizontal layout guide in the 2D view.

Vertical Guide

Insert a vertical layout guide in the 2D view.

User Camera

Insert a camera into the 2D layout.

Movie Camera

Add a movie camera to the current position in the

3D view.

The View Menu

Show/Hide Toolbar

Show or hide the toolbar of the main window.

Customize Toolbar...

Customize the toolbar.

Zoom In (Cmd-=)

Enlarge the current view.

Zoom Out (Cmd--)

Zoom out the current view.

Actual Size (Cmd-)

Display the 2D view at its actual size (100%).

Zoom >

Scale the 2D layout to one of the predefined

sizes.

Zoom > Fit Plan

(Cmd-0)

Scale the 2D layout so that it fits the view

window.

Zoom > Fit Width

Scale the 2D layout so that its width fits the view

area width.

Zoom > Fit Height

Scale the 2D layout so that its height fits the

view area height.

Toggle 2D/3D View

(Cmd-\)

Toggle from the 2D to 3D view and vice versa.

3D View > Tools >

Activate the Selection, Look Around, Fly

Around or Walk mode. For more detail, see the
description of 3D view controls.

3D View > Rendering

Quality >

Change the rendering quality. For more detail,

see the Lighting section.

3D View > Daytime >

Change the sunlight options. For more detail, see

the Lighting section.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

3D View > Consider

Collisions

Turns on or off the Consider Collisions mode.

3D View > Show

Statistic Info
(Cmd-Opt-S)

Show or hide 3D rendering information in the

status bar.
Triangles how many triangles were processed
to render the last frame in the 3D scene.
Batches how many batches were processed to
render the last frame in the 3D scene. A batch is
a group of objects or their parts with the same
material applied.
FPS (frames per second) average and at the
moment (in brackets).

Display 3D Walk Control

Change the way the Walk Control appears in the

3D view.

Jump to Selection in 3D
(Cmd-Shift-V)

Display the selected object in the 3D view.

Disable/Enable 2D
Snapping

Deactivate or activate snapping in the 2D view.

Show Rulers (Cmd-R)

Show or hide the rulers.

Show Rulerlines

Show or hide rulerlines.

Show Floor Labels

Show or hide floor labels.

Show 3D Viewpoint

Show or hide the current point of view on the

floor plan.

Show Smart Guidelines

Enable/disable displaying guidelines and snapping

to them when you are moving an object.

Show Grid

Show or hide the layout grid.

Show Storey Above

Current

Show or hide walls of the storey above the

current.

Show Storey Below

Current

Show or hide walls of the storey below the

current.

Show Compass in 2D

Show or hide the compass in the 2D view.

2D Representations
> ...

Select a 2D representation type. This applies

to all objects in the project that can change
the representation, except those whose
representation was manually altered in the
Inspector.
Choose the quality of auto-generated 2D
representation of the selected object.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

Show Copyrights Info

Show the copyright information bar when a

downloaded object is selected.

Enter/Exit Full Screen

(Ctrl-Cmd-F)

Enter or exit the full screen mode.

47

The Arrange Menu

Align >

Align the selected objects by their edges or

centers.

Distribute >

Distribute spacing or centers of the selected

objects.

Group (Cmd-G)

Group the selected objects.

Ungroup (Cmd-Shift-G)

Ungroup the selected objects.

Merge into Single

Object

Create one object out of several selected.

The Window Menu

Minimize (Cmd-M)

Minimize the window that is currently active.

Zoom

Toggle between the maximum size of the window

and the recently set size.

Library >

Open one of the object library sections.

Project Tree

Open the Project Tree.

Trimble 3D Warehouse

Open the browser of the Trimble 3D Warehouse

online library.

Inspector >

Open tabs of the Inspector window.

Bring All to Front

Move all application windows in front of the

windows of other active applications.

Toggle Library

Show or hide the Library panel.

Show Inspector (Cmd-I)

Show or hide the Inspector window.

Show Environment
Settings (Cmd-E)

Show or hide the Environment window.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

The Help Menu

Live Interior 3D Help

Open the built-in Help.

Live Interior 3D Web

Site...

Live Interior 3D product web page.

Useful Online
resources...

Useful resources on BeLight Software web site

connected with Live Interior 3D.

Online Registration...

Open an online registration form.

Send Feedback...

Lets you email your feedback to the developers.

Upgrade to Pro
Edition...

Open the Buy web page with an option to

upgrade to the Pro Edition.

Video Tutorials

Lets you choose and play online video tutorials.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

49

Live Interior 3D Keyboard Shortcuts

Working with Projects
Cmd-N

Create a new empty project.

Cmd-Shift-N

Create a new project by using the Assistant.

Cmd-O

Open an existing project.

Cmd-W

Close the active project.

Cmd-S

Save the active project.

Cmd-Shift-S

Save the open project under a new name.

Cmd-Q

Quit the Application.

Cmd-P

Bring up the standard print dialog for printing the

2D layout.

Working with Objects

Cmd-Z

Undo the last operation.

Cmd-Shift-Z

Redo the last operation.

Cmd-X

Cut the selected object(s) to the Clipboard.

Cmd-C

Copy the selected objects into the Clipboard.

Cmd-V

Paste the content from the Clipboard into the

project.

Cmd-D

Duplicate the selected object.

Del

Delete the selected object.

Cmd-A

Select all the objects in the document.

Cmd-1

Activate the selection tool.

Cmd-2

Activate the wall drawing tool.

Cmd-3

Activate the floor drawing tool.

Cmd-4

Activate the ceiling drawing tool.

Cmd-5

Activate the Measurement tool.

Cmd-6

Activate the ceiling opening drawing tool.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Arrows

Move the selected object in the 2D view. Walk in

the 3D view.

Arrows-Shift

Move the selected object in the 2D view (by

larger increments).

Cmd-G

Group the selected objects.

Cmd-Shift-G

Ungroup the selected objects.

Cmd-Shift-V

Display the selected object in the 3D view.

Working with Windows and Panels

Cmd-+

Zoom In.

Cmd--

Zoom Out.

Opt and mouse wheel

Zoom in or zoom out.

Cmd-

Show the floor plan at 100%.

Cmd-M

Minimize the active window.

Cmd-W

Close the active window.

Cmd-Ctrl-F

Enter or exit the full screen mode.

Cmd-,

Bring up the application Preferences dialog.

Cmd-R

Show or hide the rulers.

Cmd-\

Switch from 2D to 3D view and vice versa.

Cmd-I

Open or close the Inspector window.

Cmd-E

Open or close the Environment window.

Cmd-Opt-S

Show or hide 3D rendering statistics.

Cmd-0

Fit the floor plan to the 2D window.

Space-Drag

Scroll the 2D view using the mouse. This way

you can use the pan tool without deactivating the
currently active tool.

Working with the Mouse

Cmd-Mouse

Turn the snap mode on or off in the 2D view.

Option-Mouse

Duplicate objects in the 2D view.

Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace

Shift-click

51

Select/deselect the object without changing

the selection of other objects (can be used for
multiple selection).

Walking and Looking Around in 3D view

Up Arrow (or W)

Move forward.

Down Arrow (or S)

Move backward.

Left Arrow

Turn to the left.

Right Arrow

Turn to the right.

Cmd-Up Arrow (or Q)

Tilt the camera up.

Cmd-Down Arrow (or Z)

Tilt the camera down.

Option-Up Arrow (or E)

Move the camera up.

Option-Down Arrow
(or C)

Move the camera down.

Option-Left Arrow (or A)

Move the camera leftward.

Option-Right Arrow
(or D)

Move the camera rightward.

Space-Drag

Look around staying in the same place.

Space-Opt-Drag

Move around the point located in the center of

the 3D view.

Cmd-Opt-[mouse scroll]

Move the camera up or down.

Opt-[mouse scroll]

Move the camera to or away from the center of

the screen.

Moving Objects in the 3D View

Cmd-Drag

Move an object with temporarily disabled the

Glue By option. It is used to rip an opening out of
the wall. The object moves horizontally.

Cmd-Otp-Drag

Move an object with temporarily disabled the

Glue By option. It is used to change the object
elevation.

* Drag means you move the mouse pressing down the right key.

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Live Interior 3D Users Manual

Using Trackpad Gestures in the 3D View

Scroll up or down with
two fingers

Move the camera forward or backward

horizontally.

Scroll left or right with

two fingers while
holding down Cmd

Rotate the camera left or right.

Scroll left or right with

two fingers while
holding down Shift

Move the camera leftward or rightward.

Rotate with two fingers

Rotate the selected object.

Pinch with two fingers

Move the camera to or away from the center of

the screen.

Scroll up or down with

two fingers while
holding down Opt-Shift

Tilt the camera up or down.

Using Trackpad Gestures in the 2D View

Scroll with two fingers

Scroll the 2D view.

Rotate with two fingers

Rotate the selected object.

Pinch with two fingers

Zoom in or out at the cursor position.

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53

Chapter 3:
Getting Started
Setting Up the Program after
Installation
Register Live Interior 3D
Register the program if you have purchased a license code. Otherwise, the
program will work in the demo mode.
To do this, choose Live Interior 3D Standard > Licenses menu item to
open the registration dialog box. Input your name and your license code.

Set Up the Program Preferences

Check out the program Preferences (Cmd-,) where the application settings are
located.
Below, you will find brief information that is important when you start using
the program. For details, see Chapter 2: Live Interior 3D Workspace >
Program Preferences.
The New Project Tab
Settings on this tab are used for the creation of new projects. To adjust the
current project, use File > Project Setup.
Set up Measurement Units.
Other settings can be left unchanged.

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The 3D Settings Tab

3D settings affect the quality and speed of rendering a picture in the 3D view.
It is not recommended that you change these settings the first time.
Try walking around in the 3D view. If you feel that your computer renders the
scene quickly enough, try to deselect the Decrease Quality when Moving
check box. In this case, the picture quality will not become low when you are
moving.
The Trimble 3D Warehouse Tab
Options on this tab control import of Trimble SketchUp objects.
Keep them in the default state.
The Miscellaneous Tab
Keep the Show Assistant on start-up check box selected if you want the
Assistant to open and display sample projects when you launch the program.
For better computer performance, dont turn on the Animate Library 3D
Preview by default feature.

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Project Design Workflow

The majority of your work can be done in the 2D view. The 3D view is usually
used in the middle and at the end basically, to choose materials, match
colors, adjust light and, finally, take pictures of your interior design.
Live Interior 3D designs are made up of objects: walls, floors, ceilings,
openings, furniture, lighting sources, etc. You can draw basic objects like
walls, floor and ceilings by using the corresponding tools in the 2D view. More
complicated objects can be taken from the built-in library.
You can add, delete, move, resize objects and apply materials (textures) to
them.
The major steps of the design process are as follows:
1. Opening or creating a project
2. Setting up the project
3. Drawing walls
4. Adding floors and ceilings
5. Adding doors and windows
6. Adding furniture and other objects
7. Setting up the lighting
8. Applying materials to objects
9. Adding cameras
10. Printing a 2D plan, taking pictures in the 3D view, creating QTVR and
movies
Actually, the order of the steps may be altered, as the design process usually
consists of iterations. Some steps may be omitted. For example, you can draw
all the walls, insert all the furniture, and then change their materials. Or you
can change materials right after adding a new object.
If you are creating a multi-floor building, you should add more storeys and
repeat steps 3 10 (all or some of them) for each storey.

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Quick Start Guide

Opening or Creating a Project
Before you start working, you should open an existing project or create a new
one.
To create a new empty project, use the File > New menu command.
To create a project using a template, use the Assistant (File > New from
Assistant).
To open an existing project, open the necessary file by double-clicking on it in
the Finder. Another way is to use the File > Open menu command or choose
your project from the File > Open Recent list.

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Drawing Walls
Usually, you start your project by adding outer walls and drawing interior
walls.
The wall height (actually the whole storey height) can be set in the Building
Properties tab of the Inspector window.

Drawing a Single Wall Segment

1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.

3. Click with the mouse in the layout where the wall should begin, then
move the mouse where the end should be located.
When you move the mouse, thus creating a wall, it snaps to the existing
objects and to the guides at angles of 0, 45, 90, ... degrees (by 45degree increments). Smart guides will be shown to align the wall with
other objects more accurately.
The information bar above the horizontal ruler shows the wall length as
you draw. If the ruler is not shown, press Cmd-R.
4. Double-click where the wall end should be located.

Removing a Single Wall Segment

To remove a wall segment, select it by clicking on it and press the Backspace
(or Delete) key.

Resizing a Single Wall Segment

To resize a wall segment, select it and drag a handle on its end.
The length and thickness of the wall can be changed in the Object Properties
tab of the Inspector window.

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Drawing a Room
1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.

3. Click with the mouse in the layout (1) to start drawing a wall. Move the
mouse pointer and click to specify a corner (2).
Every click will specify the end of the current wall segment and start
another one.
4. Add two more corners (3 and 5).
5. Click on the free end of the first segment (6) to set the end of the last
wall. The program will make the room outline closed and quit the wall
drawing mode.
6. If you need to resize the room, select one of its walls and drag it with
the mouse.

1 2

34

5 6

1 First click
2 Second click (making a corner)
3 Third click (another corner)
4 Current position of the mouse pointer
5 Fourth click (one more corner)
6 Final click

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Before you start drawing walls, set the wall parameters in the Object
Properties tab of the Inspector window. You can also choose Master Walls
(wall templates) in Inspector.

To move a wall, select it and drag it with the mouse.

To apply a material to the wall, drag the material from the Materials tab of
the Inspector window and drop it onto the wall.
To stop drawing a wall segment, press the Esc key.

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Using a Floor Plan Created in Another Program

You may already have a floor plan drawn on paper or in another design
software. It is possible to use this floor plan when working in Live Interior:
1. Make a graphic file of your floor plan. Scan it if it is on paper. Save it as
an image if it is saved as a project from another application.
The most preferable is PDF format. GIF and JPEG are also supported.
TIFF will work, but it is not recommended because of the large file size.
2. Insert the image in a new project using the Insert > Image menu. It is
better to do this after adjusting the project settings.
3. Resize the image to fit the current project scale.
4. Select the image and lock it in the Project Tree to prevent occasional
displacement.
To lock any object, select it in the view, then open the Project Tree
(Window > Project Tree), and click the lock icon near the name of
this object (this object is selected in the Project Tree).

1
2
1 Unlocked image.
2 Locked image.
5. Outline the walls (shown on the plan) and place openings, light sources
and furniture (if their positions are marked on the floor plan).

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Drawing an Interior Wall

One or both ends of an interior wall may be joined with existing walls.
1. Open the 2D view window (View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Straight Wall tool in the toolbar.

3. Click the desired location on the outer wall to start drawing an interior
wall.
4. Click on the opposite outer wall to place the end of the interior wall.
5. If necessary, adjust the location of the interior wall by dragging it with
the mouse.
The joint between the interior wall and the outer wall divides the outer wall
into two parts.

1 First click
2 Current position of the mouse pointer
3 Final click

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Adding Floors and Ceilings

The program adds the floor and the ceiling automatically when several wall
segments make a closed shape. So usually you do not need to add floors and
ceilings manually.
To draw floors and ceilings by yourself, use the corresponding toolbar buttons
in the 2D view:
1. Open the 2D view window (menu: View > Toggle 2D/3D View).
2. Select the Floor or Ceiling tool in the toolbar.

3. The floor or ceiling shape will be determined by its corners.

Click with the mouse in the layout to specify a corner, then click where
the next corner should appear on the floor plan, and so on.
When you move the mouse pointer, thus drawing a wall, it snaps to the
existing objects. Smart guides will be displayed to align a floor or ceiling
with other objects more accurately.
4. Double-click on the floor plan where the last corner should be located.
2

1 First click
2 Second click

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63

3 Third click
4 Current mouse pointer position
5 Final double-click

Adding Doors and Windows

You do not need to leave gaps in the wall for future doors or windows; the
program will do this automatically when you drop a window or a door onto the
wall.
1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel
(Window > Library > Building Elements).

2. Choose Doors or Windows from the drop-down list.

3. Drag the desired door or window onto the wall.
4. Adjust the location of the door or window by moving it along the wall.
5. Adjust the parameters of the door or window by using controls in the
Object Properties tab of the Inspector window.

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Adding Furniture
In this example, you will add a wardrobe from the built-in object library and
adjust its size and location.

Adding a Wardrobe
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the Library panel.
2. Type wardrobe in the search box and press the Return key.
3. Choose one of the displayed wardrobes and drag it into the project
layout (the 2D view should be open).
Another way to find a piece of furniture is to open the Library (Window >
Library > Furnishing), select the corresponding category in the drop-down
list and look through the thumbnails.

Changing the Size of the Wardrobe

1. Open the Object Properties tab of the Inspector window (Window >
Inspector > Object Properties).
2. Unlock the Width, Depth and Height controls by clicking the lock icon
next to them.
3. Enter the desired dimensions.

Moving the Wardrobe to the Right Place

1. To make the wardrobe snap to walls, set the Glue By option in the
Object Properties tab of the Inspector window. Then, select the Bottom
and Back check boxes.
Selecting the Bottom option prevents the object from hovering above
the floor.
2. If you need to turn the wardrobe, use the Rotate control in the
Inspector (Window > Inspector > Object Properties).
3. Use the mouse to move the wardrobe into the proper position.

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65

Working with Materials

The objects supplied with the program have default materials. The objects
material determines its color and also the light dissipation and light reflection
characteristics. Usually, several materials are used in one object.
When creating a specific interior design, you may want objects in your design
to have the same color or finish.
In our example, you will change the materials of a sofa and then copy them to
an armchair.
Changing a Material of the Sofa
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the object library. Select the Sofas category
from the drop-down list. Drag the California VZ sofa to the project
layout.
2. Open the 3D view.
3. While the sofa is selected, open the Materials tab in the Inspector
window. All the materials used in the sofa are shown in the Objects
Materials box (the upper one).
4. Select Wood/ArchiBase_Cherry in Objects Materials.

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5. Open the Wood category in the Materials Gallery, scroll down and click
to select 026 Sharp Oak. It will replace the previously used material of
the sofa.

Copying the Wood Material from the Sofa to the Armchair

1. From the Armchairs category (Furnishing tab of the Library panel), drag
the California armchair to the project layout and let it remain selected.
2. Open the 3D view.
3. Select Wood/ArchiBase_Cherry in the Objects Materials box of the
Inspector window (Materials tab). We want to replace this material with
the one used for wooden parts of the sofa.
4. Click on the Material Picker tool to activate it (the mouse pointer will
change).

5. Now we want to pick the material used for the wooden parts of the sofa.
With the Material Picker tool, click the sofa to pick one of its materials,
and repeat the clicks as necessary to go through its other materials, one
at a time.
Each time, the material picked will replace the selected material of the
armchair. Make sure that you picked Wood/026 Sharp Oak.
6. Click on the Material Picker tool again to deactivate it.
To apply a material to the walls, ceiling and floor, drag this material onto the
object in the 3D view.

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Working with Cameras

Walking in the 3D view allows you to get to any place within your 3D space.
Placing cameras, you can specify one or many locations in the 3D space and
then quickly jump to any of them at any moment.
By default, five cameras are set up in the project.
The cameras are listed in the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector window.

Suppose you want to take pictures of the room from three points, change the
color of walls or furniture, and then compare the pictures to choose the best
color. In this case, you will put three custom cameras in the desired locations,
change the wall color, you just select a camera from the list, and save a
picture.

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To add a camera:
1. Open the 2D layout.
2. Choose the Camera tool in the toolbar.

3. Click on the point on floor plan where a new camera should be located.
4. The camera object has handles (green dots) when selected. Drag one of
them to change the location and orientation of the camera.

The selected camera moves along your walk in the 3D view. So walking is
another way to point the camera in some direction.
Unnecessary cameras can be removed in the same way as ordinary objects in
the 2D view.

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Setting Up the Lighting

The program lets you use several kinds of light sources: sunlight, light from
electric lamps and open fire.
You can manage light sources in the current project using the Lights Properties
tab of the Inspector window. All the light sources are listed here.
Daytime has four predefined states. To choose one, click a corresponding
button in the Inspector: Day, Evening, Night or Morning. The other button lets
you choose the time you prefer.

Electric light sources are under your control. You can add, move and delete
them from the layout. Also, you can use the Inspector window to set their
luminosity and color.
To add a lamp:
1. Open the Furnishing tab of the Library panel.
2. Select the Lamps section in the drop-down list.
3. And finally, drag a lamp into the 2D view.
Lamps must have the Glue By option selected in the Object Properties tab in
the Inspector. Set the lamps to stick to the ceiling (Top) or wall (Back). Lamps
that stand on the floor or on a table should have the Glue By option set to
Bottom. The Glue By option lets you move the lamp in 3D without detaching
it from the selected surface.
To change the luminosity and color of a lamp, select it and adjust its
parameters in the 3D Window Properties tab of the Inspector window. You can
also switch any lamp on or off.
To switch light sources on or off, click the bulb icon in the Lights list in the
Lights Properties tab of the Inspector window.

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Printing a Floor Plan

To print a floor plan, use the Print command from the File menu.
To export a floor plan to a graphic file:
1. Choose the Export 2D Plan command from the File menu.
2. Select the file format. Some graphic formats have adjustable export
parameters.
3. Choose where to save your file, enter a file name and click the Save
button.
The printing scale will be taken from the scale that is set in File > Project
Setup (the Measurements section).
Before printing the layout, you may want to add measurements or some text
to it. Choose Insert > Measurement or Insert > Text Annotation for this.

Taking Pictures of the 3D View

1. Choose a point from which the picture will be taken.
To do this, walk to some point in 3D. If necessary, adjust the camera
position and orientation using the Walk control located at the bottom of
the 3D window.

To make it visible all the time, choose View > Display 3D Walk
Control > Always.
2. Choose the Export 3D View command from the File menu.
3. Select the file format. Some graphic formats allow setting export
parameters.
4. Choose where to save the picture, enter a file name and click the Save
button.
Note: All objects in Live Interior 3D have the Visibility option in the Project
Tree in the Library panel. If you dont want an object to be shown in the 3D
view or on the floor plan, make the object invisible. To do this, select the
object and click the eye icon in Project Tree.

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Creating a Movie Track in 2D

We are going to create a movie track with straight segments. An L-shaped
movie track will lay along two guidelines.
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the tool bar.

2. Place the cursor over the point where the movie track should begin.

3. Press the mouse button and dont release it.

Now a movie camera has been added and it is rotating in the direction
of the mouse.
Change the direction of the camera (it should be pointed along the
horizontal guide line rightwards, in this example). When done, release
the mouse button. You can adjust the orientation of the camera later.

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4. Move the cursor to a new position for adding the second camera.

5. Click on the floor plan to add a new camera. After adding the second
camera, dont move the mouse (see the next step).
6. Now, the movie track should turn right. To force the existing track
segment to stay straight, we will use the Opt key. When it is pressed,
the existing part of the movie track keeps the shape constant while you
are moving around the Movie Track tool. Press Opt before you move
the cursor.
Point with the mouse at a new camera location and click.

Dont release the Opt key, because we do not want the previous track
segment to change its shape.

Chapter 3: Getting Started

7. Move the cursor to the location of the end point of the movie track.
Double-click to add the final camera. Then release the Opt key.

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Video Tutorials
In order to help you make your first steps in Live Interior 3D, the developer
offers video tutorials. These short videos describe how to do some particular
tasks. Watching the tutorials, you will also learn the program interface.
To bring up the window with the video tutorials, select Help > Video
Tutorials.
To view the video tutorials, Internet connection is required.
All tutorials are in English.
An alternative way to view the tutorials is to go to the developers web site:
http://www.belightsoft.com/products/liveinterior/screencasts.php

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Chapter 4:
Working with Projects
What is a Project?
A Live Interior 3D project is a computer file in a special format which is used
to save your work. This file stores the floor plan drawing, used 3D models,
materials, etc.
A Live Interior 3D project is based on the 2D layout of a building. The floor
plan shows walls, windows, doors and furniture (objects).
The project stores various project settings (they can be modified in the Project
Setup dialog).
The program can create a 3D representation of your project layout. The 3D
view is available at any moment of the design process.
You can modify the project by editing the layout in the 2D as well as in the 3D
representation.
An easy way to start with the program is to open one of the sample projects
by using the Assistant.

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Creating and Opening Projects

To create a new empty project, use the File > New (Cmd-N) menu
command.
Default settings of a new project correspond to the program Preferences
(Cmd-,). They can be modified later in the Project Setup dialog.
A typical project design sequence is described in Chapter 3: Getting Started
> Project Design Workflow.
To create a project from a template, use the Assistant.
By default, the Assistant opens on start-up. To change this, use the Show
Assistant on start-up option in the Miscellaneous tab of the program
Preferences dialog (Live Interior 3D Standard > Preferences).
Another way to open the Assistant is to use the New From Assistant (CmdShift-N) command from the File menu.
To open a project located on your hard drive, double-click on it in the Finder.
Another way is to use the File > Open menu command or choose your project
from the File > Open Recent list.

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Project Setup
To access the project settings, choose the File > Project Setup menu
command.
The settings are grouped in the following tabs:
Project Info You can type the authors name, copyright information
and project description to save together with the project.
Measurements Here you can choose measurement units for your
project.
The Suppress Units check box lets you hide measurement units in the
2D layout (you will see 40 00.0 instead of 40 00.0 ft, or 2.6 instead
of 2.6 m).
You can set the scale for your project (a predefined or custom one).
1:100 means that a one meter distance will be one centimeter on the
screen. Also, you can specify the scale as 1/4 in : 1 ft. The default
measurement values are taken from the New Project tab of the program
Preferences.
The upper left corner of the rulers shows the current measurement
units. For quick access to the Measurements section of the project
settings, click in the corner where the current measurement units are
displayed.

Preview You can choose an image that will be shown for the preview in
the Finder when your project file is selected.

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Saving Projects
To save your project, use the File > Save menu command or the Cmd-S
shortcut.
You have the option to save your project in the Mac OS native bundle format
(.li3d), or in the compressed format (.lizd). The bundle format includes a
Quick Look preview that makes it useful on the Mac OS platform. In the
compressed format, your project is a regular file (not a bundle). This format
should be used for emailing, sharing over the Internet, or backing up to a
non-Mac OS network drive.
All the materials used in the design are saved in the project file. This
guarantees that your project will look the same way on other machines with
Live Interior 3D installed.
If you plan to view the project on a computer where Live Interior 3D is not
installed, save the 2D and 3D views as graphic files.
For more information, see Chapter 4: Working with Projects > Printing.

Saving Templates
To save your project as a template, use the File > Save as Template menu
command. Templates are saved only in the compressed format (.lizd).
Once you have saved a custom template, the program doesnt retain the link
between the open project and this template. To update the template after
modification, select it in the Save As Template dialog to overwrite.

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The Project Tree

The Project Tree is a list of objects that have
been added to the current project. To open it,
choose Window > Project Tree.
1 The floor selector. You can choose to
display objects located on one floor or on all
the floors.

1
2

2 An object. Clicking an item in the list, you

will select the object in the list and in the 2D
and 3D views.
3 Sub-items of an object. Click on the
triangle to show or hide an objects sub-items.
4 The Visibility option. Click on the icon to
hide or show an object in the project.
5 The Lock option. Click on the icon to
prevent the occasional changing or moving of
an object.

6 Turn on/off the preview animation mode.

7 Zoom in or zoom out the preview.
8 Show or hide the preview box.

4
5

6
9 The preview box displays the preview of the 7
object selected in the Project Tree. If a camera
or movie camera is selected, you can see here 8
the view produced by this camera.
9
Objects get a default name when you add them
to the project. For example, all wall segments
are named Wall. If you need to distinguish
objects of the same type, assign different
names to them. To change the name, doubleclick on it in the Project Tree.
The objects are grouped by type.
The Project Tree can display items on a selected floor or all items in the
project. When all floors are displayed in the Project Tree, floors and slabs are
at the top. Walls, windows, furniture, etc. are sub-items of the corresponding
floors.

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When you select an object in the 2D or 3D view, it gets selected in the Project
Tree, and vice versa.
If you need to select all objects of the same type, it is easier to do this in the
Project Tree.
In the Project Tree, the objects have two controls:
Visibility clicking the eye icon makes the selected object visible or
invisible in the 2D and 3D views.
Lock if the object is locked, it cannot be moved or modified.
A locked object cannot be selected by clicking on it in the 2D or 3D view.
These settings can be modified for several objects by a single click when those
objects are selected in the list (multiple selection is possible).
Some objects may contain their parts shown in the list as sub-objects. For
instance, a door object has a door frame and a door itself. Their parameters
may be changed separately. A wall object contains crowns and bases on both
sides.
To bring up the context menu, right-click on an object. Most commands are
the same as in the context menu in the 2D view. In addition to those, you will
find View In 3D. Use this command to find objects in the 3D view.

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The Environment Panel

The Environment panel lets you set up the
geographic orientation of the building, time
of day and cloudiness. All this affects the
3D scene illumination intensity.
To open the panel, choose Window >
Show Environment or press Cmd-E.

Daytime & Weather

Choose daytime. Four buttons (1) set
predefined time (6:00, 12:00, 18:00 and
24:00). The last button lets you set your
own time. To do this, use the numeric time
control (3) or turn the hour hand on the
clock (2) with the mouse.

3
4

To vary cloudiness, use the slide bar (4).

Geographic Location
Rotate the compass (6) with the mouse to
change the geographic orientation of the
floor plan. The compass icon on the floor
plan, if it is enabled by the check box (7),
will reflect the selected direction.
The Latitude parameter (5) defines how
high the sun is at any particular time of
day.

5
6

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Exporting the Floor Plan

To save your 2D layout as a graphic file, select File > Export 2D Plan. The
following formats are available: PDF, BMP, TIFF, JPEG and PNG.
The scale of the exported floor plan is the same as the scale specified in the
Measurements section of the project settings (see Chapter 4: Working with
Projects > Project Setup).
If you need more control over the export layout, you can save your floor plan
to a PDF file using the printing procedure. In the system print dialog, choose
PDF > Save as PDF.

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Exporting 3D Views to Graphic Files

To take a picture of the current 3D view:
1. Open the 3D View.
2. Make the 3D View display the picture you want to shoot.
To do this, choose the camera pointing in the necessary direction in the
Camera list (Inspector window, the Cameras Properties tab). Or, use
the walk controls and camera orientation tools to position the current
camera.
3. Choose the File > Export 3D View menu item, or click the camera icon
in the 3D toolbar.
4. Choose the image format and size.
You can choose one of the following graphic file formats: BMP, TIFF,
JPEG, PNG. Graphic formats with compression let you choose better
quality or better compression.
5. Type a file name and click Save.
After an image is saved, the program offers to show you a preview of it.
To print the 3D view, open the exported picture in the Preview application and
print it (File > Print).

Exporting 3D Views to QuickTime VR (QTVR)

QuickTime VR (virtual reality) format lets you save a panoramic view of your
project from the point where you are standing in 3D. Then you can open the
exported file in QuickTime and look in any direction.
To export to QTVR:
1. Open the 3D View.
2. Walk to the central point of your panorama.
To do this, choose the camera located at the desired point from the
Camera list (Inspector window, the Cameras tab).
Or, use the walk controls to navigate to the necessary point.

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3. Choose the File > Export 3D View menu item, or click the camera icon
in the 3D toolbar.
4. Choose QTVR format. Then select the size and quality.
5. Type a file name and click Save.
After a QTVR file is saved, the program offers to show a preview of it.

Exporting to the 3D File Format

You can export to the following formats:
Trimble SketchUp (*.skp).
VRML Version 2.0 (*.wrl).
X3D (*.x3d).
RenderMan (*.rib). This format is used to transfer your 3D scene to and
export photorealistic images in 3Delight.
Collada (*.dae). This format is used to transfer your project to other 3D
editing programs (3DS Max, Maya, Cinema, Strata, Shade and others).
The list of applications that support Collada can be found on the Collada
web site.
Render Boost (*.lga).

Trimble SketchUp
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a floor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you dont have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Trimble SketchUp (*.skp) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
floor, entire project).
5. Select the version of the SketchUp format.

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6. To simplify the object before exporting it, select the Merge coplanar
triangles check box. To keep all the details, keep the check box
deselected. This option does not affect the object in the Live Interior 3D
project.
7. Type a file name and click Save.

VRML Version 2.0 and X3D

1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a floor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you dont have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select VRML Version 2.0 (*.wrl) or X3D (*.x3d) in the Save As Type
drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
floor, entire project).
5. Type a file name and click Save.

Collada
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a floor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you dont have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Collada (*.dae) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. In the Export section, choose what you want to export (an object, a
floor, entire project).

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5. Set up the export options.

Up Axis defines the name of the vertical axis in the output file. If you
dont know the requirements of the software you will use to open the
exported scene, keep the default state.
Specify whether you wish to export the light sources, predefined and
user cameras using the corresponding check boxes.
Select Fix Texture Coordinate if textures with applied transformations
look incorrectly in the software used to open the exported scene.
Select Copy Texture Images to export all textures used in your 3D
scene to a dedicated folder. Without this option activated, the textures
from the texture library are used to render the scene. For this, Live
Interior 3D must be installed to provide this library.
Relative Path to Texture Images lets you choose either a relative or
absolute path to the folder with exported textures created by activating
Copy Texture Images. What you should specify depends on the
software you will use to work with the exported scene.
6. Type a file name and click Save.

Render Boost
1. Choose what you want to export.
To export an object, select it in the project.
To export a floor, activate it in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector.
To export the entire project, you dont have to select anything particular.
2. Choose File > Export To... in the menu.
3. Select Render Boost (*.lga) in the Save As Type drop-down list.
4. Select a radio button according to what you want to export: an object, a
floor or the entire project.
5. Type a file name and click Save.

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Printing
To print:
1. Choose File > Print (Cmd-P) to open the Print dialog.
2. Select a paper format. If several printers are installed in your system,
select the proper printer before choosing the paper size.
3. Choose the paper orientation. If most of your 3D views or floor plans
have horizontal orientation, activate the landscape mode.
4. Set up margins.
5. From the left panel, drag and drop 3D views or floor plans you wish to
print onto the sheets. You can add as many sheets as you need.
6. Click Next to proceed to the system Print dialog. Set up the printing
options.
7. Click Print to send your project to the printer, or click PDF > Save as
PDF to export it as a file.

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The Print Dialog

8

10

1
2

3
4

6
7
1 Select the printer you are going to use. The list of compatible paper
depends on the selected printer.
2 Select a paper format. You can either choose a standard paper size or type
in custom dimensions. All sheets have the same size.
3 The thumbnails of all available 3D views and floor plans. To print, you
need to drag them onto the sheets to the right. Each floor plan corresponds to
one of the floors in your project. Each 3D view corresponds to one of cameras.
If you need more 3D views, add more cameras.
4 These are the sheets where you compose the printing layout. You can
move the placed graphics around using the mouse. To resize a 3D view, select
it and drag one of corner handles. To resize a floor plan on the selected sheet,
change its Sheet scale. If needed, the program automatically increases the
sheet size so that its content is laid out over several pages. After printing, you
can glue the parts together.

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5 The zoom for the sheet preview. Additionally, you can right-click on the
preview area and choose one of zoom options.
6 Add new sheets.
7 Remove the selected sheet. You cannot delete the last sheet.
8 Select the page orientation here. All sheets have the same orientation.
9 Margins help you define the amount of blank space along the page sides.
Certain printers cannot print near the edges of the paper. You may need to
increase the margins to meet the capabilities of your printer. By setting up
margins, you can insure that no graphics appear in the unprintable area. All
sheets have the same margins.
10 Sheet scale controls let you set up the scale for floor plans on any sheet
individually.

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The Render Boost Plug-in

An alternative way to render a 3D scene is to use the Render Boost plug-in. It
is powered by Lightworks Artisan software.
Once you install this plug-in, its controls appear in the main menu and tool
bar.
The use of the plug-in is described in its own documentation. The page you
are reading is aimed at explaining the integration between Live Interior 3D
and the Render Boost plug-in.
Note that only one instance of the Render Boost plug-in can be opened at the
same time.

System Requirements
Live Interior 3D Pro or Standard Edition installed (App Store versions
supported)
Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later
Intel only, 2 GHz processor
500 MB of free hard drive space
3D class Video Card with 256 MB, minimum OpenGL 1.4 (1 GB of memory,
Unified Shader Model and OpenGL 2.0 support recommended)

Licensing
To obtain the all functionality of the plug-in, you need to purchase the license
code. To input it, select Render Boost > License in the main menu, then fill
in the Owner and License Code fields.

Opening the Current 3D View Right Inside the Plug-in

To render the current 3D view, you need to open it in the plug-in. You can
send the 3D scene to the plug-in directly, or you can export all necessary
information to a file, and later open it in the plug-in. The first method is
preferred because it lets you modify your project in Live Interior 3D and
instantly update the scene in the plug-in.
To export the scene directly, choose Render Boost > Render Scene... from
the main menu, or click

in the 3D tool bar. Note that your project must be saved before exporting. This

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is needed because the plug-in saves the settings for the scene in the same
folder where project is located.
To update the scene in the plug-in, select Render Boost > Render Scene...
again.
Opening or updating the 3D scene in the plug-in can take some time
depending on the complexity of the project.

Exporting the 3D View to the Render Boost Format

1. Select File > Export To....
2. Set Save As Type to Render Boost (*.lga).
3. Choose whether you wish to export: the selected object, the current
floor or the entire project.
4. Click Save.

Opening a 3D Scene From a File

In Live Interior 3D, choose Render Boost > Open File.... Then select a *.lga
file.

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Creating Movies
You can create a movie as you walk through your 3D space. Live Interior uses
the MOV file format to save movies.
If you need to create a panorama of the 3D space, see Chapter 4, Working
with Projects > Exporting 3D Views to QTVR.

Movie Track and Movie Cameras

Movie creation begins with creating a movie track that is a path along which
an imaginary video camera moves. You can place multiple movie tracks in
your project. A movie track can be edited at any time. To create a movie,
you should select a movie track and start the process by clicking the Record
Movie button below the movie track list in Inspector > Cameras.
A movie track is made up of one or several straight or curved segments. The
track runs over anchor points movie cameras. End points of the movie track
are also movie cameras. When you create a movie track, you place movie
cameras in some key points in the 3D space. Intermediate points will be
interpolated automatically according to a Bzier curve.
Movie cameras are represented on the floor plan by an icon with two triangles.
Interpolated points are represented by a line. The arrows in the movie camera
icon define the direction of camera movement along the path.

1
2
3
4
1 The beginning of the movie track (the first movie camera)
2 Movie track
3 Intermediate movie camera
4 The end of the movie track (the last movie camera)

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Selecting a Movie Track

Ways to select a movie track:
Click on a movie track in the 2D view.
Click on a movie track in the Movie Track category in the Cameras tab of
the Inspector window.
Click on a movie track in the Auxiliary category of the Project Tree.
A selected movie track is highlighted on the floor plan by blue color.
Selecting a Movie Camera
To select a movie camera, click on it on the floor plan, or choose it in the list
under the corresponding movie track in the Cameras tab of the Inspector
window.
A selected movie camera may also define a point of view for 3D view as an
ordinary camera. In this case, a viewing frustum (blue triangle) next to it
displays the direction of the camera.
The preview in the Project Tree displays the view produced by the selected
movie camera.

1 Selected movie track

2 Camera control points
3 Selected camera
4 Deselected camera
5 Camera direction point

2 5

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Creation of a Movie Track in 2D

A simplified process of creating a movie track is described below. A more
detailed way can be found in Chapter 4: Working with Projects > Creating
and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D.
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.

2. Click on the floor plan where you want the movie track to begin (point 1
in the picture below).
3. Make more clicks to add more movie cameras to the current track (point
2 in the picture below).
4. Double click to place the last camera (point 3 in the picture below).

The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.
Important!
The number of movie cameras depends on how curvy a movie track should be.
A less curvy track requires less intermediate cameras. A straight track requires
only two cameras at its ends. Do not add unnecessary intermediate cameras.
Extra intermediate cameras are needed for a more accurate creation of a track
with a complex shape.

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Creation of a Movie Track in 3D

A simplified process of movie track creation is described below. A more
detailed way can be found in Chapter 4: Working with Projects > Creating
and Modifying Movie Tracks in 3D.
1. Walk to a point in 3D that should be the start point for your movie.
2. Open the Cameras tab of the Inspector and click the Add Movie Track
from 3D Viewpoint button (3D view should be open). The icon of the
button indicates the current mode.
Add Movie Track mode:
In this mode, clicking the button creates a new track and adds a
new camera to it.
The icon of the button will turn into the image below, indicating that
new cameras will be added to the current track by clicking the button.
Add Movie Camera mode:
In this mode, clicking the button adds a new camera at the end
of the selected track.
Note: For creating a new track none of the existing movie tracks should
be selected. To deselect a movie track in the Inspector, click the Movie
Tracks title above the list of movie cameras.
3. Move in the 3D space to the next position. If necessary, adjust the
orientation, tilt and elevation of the camera.
4. Click the Add Movie Camera from 3D Viewpoint button in the
Inspector.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add more movie cameras.

Adjusting a Movie Track

You can change the shape of a track on the floor plan by:
moving cameras to new places;
changing the shape of track segments between movie cameras (location
of cameras is unchanged).
To change the location of a movie camera, select a movie track and drag the
camera to a new place.
To change the shape of a track segment without moving cameras, drag the
camera control points around the corresponding camera.

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You can see the view from any movie camera in the 3D view. To do this, select
it in the Camera Properties tab of the Inspector. If you start walking around,
the camera will change its location and direction correspondingly. This way you
can adjust key points of the movie track.
A camera icon in the top-right corner of the 3D view appears when a movie
camera is selected. This indicates that if you walk in 3D, its position will
change.

Creating a Movie
To create a movie from a movie track:
1. Select a movie track.
2. Click the Record Movie in the Cameras Properties tab of the
Inspector.
3. Type the name for the new movie file and choose a folder to save it in.
4. Set up the movie properties.
For better quality, choose higher resolution and frame rate. Note that
setting high resolution or high frame rate produces movie files of a large
size.
Select a video codec. The H.264 codec provides better compression
ratio (requires QuickTime 7 or higher to play back). Select it for
smaller file size at the same movie quality. Prefer the MPEG-4 codec for
compatibility with more types of video players.
The Quality slide bar lets you change the compression rate. The higher
quality you set, the lower compression rate is used.
5. Click Save.
After creating a movie, the program offers to play it.
Tip: Creating movies with a long track or with high resolution may take quite
long. Choose minimum resolution and/or frame rate to create a preview
movie. When you are sure that all the cameras are positioned well, create a
movie of the desired quality.

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Looping Movies
You can loop a movie track by placing the beginning and the end of the movie
track at the same point. To do this, select a track, bring up its context menu
and choose the Loop Movie item. Live Interior will automatically add a new
track segment to close the track. If you deactivate the loop option, the added
segment will disappear.
To play back such a movie, load it in QuickTime and select the View > Loop
option in its menu. Then click the Play button.

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Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 2D

A Simple Way of Creating a Movie Track
A simple way of creating a movie track is as follows:
1. Choose the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.

2. Click with the mouse on the floor plan where you want the movie track
to begin (step 1 in the picture below).
3. Make more clicks to add more movie cameras to the current track (step
2 in the picture below).
4. Double click to place the last camera (step 3 in the picture below).

The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.

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Setting the Camera Direction while Creating a Movie

Track
The following method lets you point a new camera while adding it. Another
way is to change the camera direction after the track is created.
The process of creating movie tracks is as follows:
1. Click the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.
2. Place the mouse cursor on the floor plan where you want to place the
first movie camera.
3. Press the mouse button (the left one for 2-button mice). Keeping the
button pressed, move the mouse to change the camera direction. Then
release the button.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for adding more cameras.
5. After adding the last camera, press the Esc button.
The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.

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Keeping the Last Segment Unchanged while Creating a

Movie Track
When you are moving the mouse cursor while adding a new movie camera (4
in the picture), two track segments, before and after the last added camera
(2), change according to the location of the cursor (4). Segments (1) and (3)
are straight. After the camera moves, they become curved (5).
Press the Alt key if you wish to keep the previously added segment
unchanged while moving around a new movie camera to find a better place for
it. This will force the previous segment (6) to freeze when a new segment (7)
reshapes following the mouse cursor (new movie camera).
Follow the steps below:
1. Add one or multiple movie cameras.
2. Add another movie camera (2 in the
picture) to your movie track by a click.
Do not move the cursor until you press
the Alt key.

3. Place the mouse cursor where you want

to place another movie camera.
4. Click on the floor plan to place a new
camera. Now you can release the Alt
key, or keep it pressed to continue using
the current mode.
5

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Setting the Shape of the Current Segment while

Creating a Movie Track
The following method lets you adjust the curvature of the last track segment
while you are adding a new movie camera. Another way is to use the camera
controls after the track is created.
The process of creating a movie track is as follows:
1. Add one or multiple movie cameras.
2. Click on the point on the floor plan where you want to place another
movie camera, but do not release the mouse button.
3. Press the Alt key and move the cursor around the camera to adjust
the shape of the track segment. The direction of the camera will stay
constant.
4. Release the Alt key and continue adding new movie cameras, or finish
the process by hitting the Esc key.
The location of movie cameras, the shape of track segments and the direction
of cameras can be changed after creating the track.

Adding More Movie Cameras to an Existing Movie Track

To add a camera to the end of a movie track:
1. Select a movie track by clicking on it on the floor plan.
2. Click the Movie Track tool in the 2D toolbar.
3. Click on the last camera of the selected track.
4. Click somewhere on the floor plan to add new movie cameras.
Another way to continue adding cameras at the end of a movie track is to
double-click the track in the 2D view. Then click on the floor plan to place new
movie cameras.
To add a new movie camera before or after some specified camera on a movie
track, select the existing camera, bring up the context menu and choose Add
Movie Camera After or Add Movie Camera Before item.

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Changing the Location of a Movie Camera

2 4

1 Track segments
2 Camera control points
3 Selected camera
4 Camera direction point

To change the location of a camera:

1. Click on a camera in 2D to select it.
2. Drag the handle (item 3 in the picture above) to move the selected
camera to a new place.

Adjusting the Direction of a Movie Camera

You can change the direction of any movie camera after a movie track is
created. To do this:
1. Click on a camera in the 2D view to select it.
2. Drag the camera direction handle (item 4 in the picture above) to rotate
the selected camera.

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Adjusting the Curvature of Movie Track Segments

To adjust the track segments (1) located next to a specific movie camera (3):
1. Click on a camera in the 2D view to select it.
2. Drag the camera control handle (items 2 in the picture above) to modify
the shape of track segments.

Removing a Movie Camera

To remove a movie camera, select it on the
floor plan by clicking the mouse and press the
Del button.
Or, do the following:
1. Open the Cameras tab of the Inspector
window.
2. Click the triangle next to the Movie Tracks
category to expand it.
3. Expand some specific movie track to get
all the included movie cameras displayed.
4. Select a camera and click the Delete
button below the list of cameras in the
Inspector (or hit the Del key).
Or, bring up the context menu for the selected
movie camera on the floor plan and choose the
Delete Movie Camera item.

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Removing a Movie Track

To remove a movie track, select it on the floor plan by clicking the mouse
(click on the line, not on a movie camera) and press the Del button.
Or, do the following:
1. Open the Cameras tab of the Inspector window.
2. Click a triangle next to the Movie Tracks category to expand it.
3. Select a specific movie track and click the Delete button in the
Inspector (or hit the Del key).
Or, bring up the context menu for the selected movie track on the floor plan
and choose the Delete Movie Camera item.

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Creating and Modifying Movie Tracks in 3D

Creation of a Movie Track in 3D
1. Walk to the point in 3D that should be the start point for your movie.
2. Open the Cameras Properties tab of Inspector. The 3D view should be
open for further operations.
Make sure all the existing tracks in the list are deselected. To do this,
click the Movie Tracks category title (1 in the picture).
3. Click the Add Movie Track from 3D Viewpoint button (2) in the
Inspector.
If Add Movie Camera mode is activated (in this case, the button icon
looks like item 5 in the picture), which means an existing movie track is
selected (see step 2).
Clicking the Add Movie Track button creates a new track with a new
movie camera located at your current position in the 3D space.
4. Move in the 3D space to the next position. If necessary, adjust the
orientation, tilt and elevation of the camera by using controls in the 3D
toolbar.
5. Click the Add Movie Camera from 3D Viewpoint button (5) in the
Inspector.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to add more movie cameras.
The location and orientation of movie cameras can be changed later in the 3D
or 2D view.

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1
6

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Changing the Location and Orientation of a Camera in

3D
1. Open the 3D view and the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector.
2. Expand the corresponding movie track to see the list of included
cameras. To do this, click a triangle next to the track name (4 in the
picture).
3. Choose a movie camera. When you select a camera, the 3D view
renders a picture taken by it. This helps you find the camera you need.
4. Use the walk controls in the 3D toolbar to adjust the location and
orientation of the selected camera.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to adjust more cameras.
6. When finished, deselect the current movie camera in the list by clicking
on the Movie Tracks category title (1 in the picture), or on a blank line
in the Inspector camera list.
Note, if you leave any camera selected and start walking in 3D, its location will
change following your current position.

Adding New Cameras at the End of the Existing Track

To continue adding cameras to the end of the existing movie track:
1. Open the 3D view and the Cameras tab of Inspector.
2. Select a movie track in the list, not a camera.
3. Walk to some location to define the place for a new movie camera.
Adjust its orientation if necessary.
4. Click the Add Movie Camera from 3D Viewpoint button (5 in the
picture) in the Inspector.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to add more cameras.
6. When finished, deselect the current movie camera in the list by clicking
on the Movie Tracks category title (1 in the picture), or on a blank line
in the Inspector camera list.
Note, if you leave any camera selected and start walking in 3D, its location will
change to your current position.

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Removing Movie Cameras or Tracks

1. Open the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector window.
2. Click the triangle next to the Movie Tracks category to expand it.
3. Select a camera or track and click the Delete button below the list of
cameras in the Inspector (or hit the Del key).
To select a camera, expand some specific movie track to get all the
included movie cameras displayed.

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Chapter 5:
Working with Storeys
Introduction
Live Interior 3D supports the creation of multi-storey buildings. A new project
contains only one floor. You can add new floors above or below it.
All projects must contain a ground floor. When it contains multiple floors, any
of them can be selected as the ground floor.
In the Project Tree, each floor is represented as a compound object that
includes other objects furniture, doors, windows, etc., located on this floor.
To control storeys, use the tools in the Building Properties tab of the Inspector.
Each storey includes a slab above it. This slab is invisible in the 3D view until
you add the ceiling to the current storey or add the floor to the storey above.
In the 3D space, the elevation of an object is calculated in relation to the
storey where the object is located. An object can be listed in the Project Tree
among objects of one storey, but the object can appear in another storey in
the 3D picture. This happens when the elevation of an object is greater than
the storey height.

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Managing Storeys in the Inspector

The Building Properties tab of the Inspector allows you to perform the
following operations on storeys:
Adding storeys
Removing storeys
Choosing the active storey
Choosing the ground floor
Changing the slab height
Changing the storey height
Live Interior 3D Standard lets you create
projects with only one or two floors. For
more floors, use the Live Interior 3D Pro
edition.

Inspector Controls
1 The elevation of the ground floor.
Increasing this parameter elevates the
whole building.
2 The thickness of the foundation. If your
building doesnt have the basement, the
Foundation parameter must be equal or
greater than Elevation.

1
2

3 The thumbnail of a floor.

4 The thumbnail of the current floor has a
blue frame. To select other floor, click on its
thumbnail. The 2D view displays the floor
plan of the selected floor.
5 This icon identifies the ground floor.
To change the ground floor, select another
floor, and choose Mark Storey as Ground
in the pop-up menu of button (7).
6 Add a roof. By click on this button you
add a roof above the current floor. If you
click and hold the mouse button, the pop-up
menu will open. This menu gives a choice to
add a roof in the current floor or above it.

3
4

6
7
8

9
7 Add a floor. By click on this button you
10
add a floor above the current one. If you
click and hold the mouse button, the pop-up

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menu will open. This menu gives a choice to add a floor above or below the
current one, or to choose the selected floor as the ground floor.
8 Delete the selected floor.
9 The slab thickness. Select a floor to change its slab thickness.
10 The storey height. Select a floor to change its height.

Adding Storeys
To add a storey above the current one, click the button (7).
To add a storey below the current one, click and hold the button (7) until the
pop-up menu is displayed. Choose Add Storey Below Current.
When you add a new storey, it becomes active automatically (its floor plan is
displayed in the 2D view). The outer walls, floor and ceiling of the previously
selected storey are being copied onto the new floor.

Removing Storeys
To remove the active storey, click the Delete Current Storey button (8) in
the Inspector.
All the objects located on the removed storey will be removed too.
If you remove the ground floor, another floor automatically becomes the
ground floor.

Choosing the Active Storey

The active (current) storey is the one whose floor plan is displayed in the 2D
view. The active storey name is displayed at the bottom of 2D view. In the
Inspector, the thumbnail of the active storey is highlighted.
To make another storey active, click on its thumbnail.

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Choosing the Ground Floor

A new project has one floor by default. This floor is the ground floor. After
adding more floors, you can choose any floor to be the ground floor. To do
this, make that storey active. Click and hold the button (7) until the pop-up
menu is displayed. Choose Mark Storey as Ground.

Changing the Slab Height

Use edit box or steppers (9) to change the slab height of the active storey.

Changing the Storey Height

Use edit box or steppers (10) to change the height of the active storey.

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Storeys and the 2D View

The 2D view displays the floor plan of the active (current) storey.
To preview the outer walls of the storey above or below the current one,
choose View > Show Storey Above Current or View > Show Storey
Below Current.
Only one storey can be active in the 2D view at any time.

Using a Pop-Up Menu

In the left bottom corner of the 2D view, you can find a pop-up menu that lets
you choose the active storey and perform operations on storeys.

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Chapter 6:
Working with Roofs
Roofs in Live Interior 3D
A roof is a special object in Live Interior 3D. As well as walls, it is created
inside the program (but it cannot be imported). When the program creates the
roof it takes into account the original roof style (the template selected in the
Roof Assistant) and the outline of the outer walls.
Any roof has several sides. Gables are also considered as sides. So, (1), (4)
and (5) in the picture are roof sides. A roof side can have several segments.
The side (1) has two segments: (2) and (3).

Roofs are listed in the Project Tree. You can select a roof or its parts in the
Project Tree or in the 3D view.
A roof can be added to any storey that is entirely or partially under the open
sky. Usually, a roof takes up the whole upper storey.
A roof may change its shape dynamically when you add, delete or resize walls
or the floor. The height of the roof is not limited by the corresponding storey
height.

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To create a skylight, you can cut a window into the roof.

To apply a new material to the roof, drag the material from the library onto
the roof in the 3D view. See Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying
Materials for more details.

The Roof Types

The Roof Assistant in Live Interior 3D lets you choose one of the basic types
such as gable, hip, mansard or other. A more complicated roof can be created
by adding or deleting roof slope segments and by changing their angles. The
properties of roofs are located in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector.

Using Panels, Openings and Niches with Roofs

To add a panel, opening, or niche to a roof, drag one from the object library
onto the roof.

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Adding and Deleting Roofs

The Roofing Assistant
The Roofing Assistant helps you add a standard roof to your building.

1 Roofing templates.
2 Magnification slider.
3 Soffit type. You can also change it in the Object Properties tab of the
Inspector.
4 Preview of your project with the added roof. You can rotate the picture
with the mouse.
5 Roof orientation. You can turn the roof in 90 degree increments.
6 Zoom and live rotation controls for the preview.

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Adding a Roof
To add a roof together with a new storey:
1. Select the upper storey of your building (1) in the Building Properties
tab of the Inspector.
2. Click button (2) in the Inspector to open the Roofing Assistant.
The following steps are to be made in the Roofing Assistant described
above.
3. Click on a roofing thumbnail (1) to select the roofing type.
4. Set up the Roof Orientation (5).
5. Choose the type of the soffit (3).
6. Click the OK button.

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To add a roof in the current storey:

1. Select a storey (1) in the Building Properties tab of the Inspector.
2. In the Inspector, click button (2) and hold it to have the pop-up menu
open.
3. Choose Add AutoRoof on the Current Storey (3) to open the Roofing
Assistant.
The following steps are to be made in the Roofing Assistant described
above.
4. Click on a roofing thumbnail (1) to select the roofing type.
5. Set up the Roof Orientation (5).
6. Choose the type of the soffit (3).
7. Click the OK button.
Once a roof is added, you can change its properties using the Inspector.
After a roof has been added, the corresponding button in the Inspector
changes its function from adding to removing.

Deleting a Roof
To delete a roof:
1. In the Building Properties tab of the Inspector, select the storey where
the roof is located.
2. Choose Edit > Building > Remove AutoRoof from the Current
Storey.
To delete a roof together with the storey, in the Building Properties tab of the
Inspector:
1. Select the storey.
2. Click the Delete Current Storey button.

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Roof Properties
The tools located in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector let you change
the style of a roof. To change the materials of a roof, use tools in the Materials
tab of the Inspector.
1 The type of the soffit. You can choose either basic, simple, horizontal, or
box end soffit.
2 The elevation of the roof in relation to the floor level.
3 The maximum size of the fascia.
4 Switch to another roof side.
5 The list of segments of the selected roof side and parameters of each
segment.
6 Add a roof segment above the selected one.
7 Add a roof segment below the selected one.
8 Delete the selected roof segment.
9 The roof segment type. Slope creates a tilted segment. Gable makes the
segment vertical. Hole makes the selected segment disappear.
10 The angle of the selected roof segment. You can adjust the angle of
Slope segments only.
11 The height of the selected roof segment. Note that you cannot modify the
height of the uppermost or a sole segment.
12 The thickness of the selected roof segment.
13 The overhang distance of the selected roof segment.

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2
3
4
5
6
7
8

9
10
11
12
13

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Modifying the Style of a Roof

You can modify the style of a roof using the tools in the Object Properties tab
of the Inspector.
The examples below show how to modify a gable roof to gambrel, hip, and
shed roof. All of these roof styles are standard and can be created using the
Roofing Assistant. The goal of the steps below is to demonstrate the use of the
tools in the Inspector.
To select the sides of a roof and preview the result of your actions, open the
3D view.
Modifying a gable roof to a gambrel roof:

1. Select a roof slope.

2. In the Inspector, click the Add Segment Below Selected button (7).

3. Change the angle (10) of the lower segment to 60.

4. Adjust the height (11) of the lower segment if necessary.

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5. Repeat steps 14 with the other roof slope.

Modifying a gable roof to a hip roof:

1. Select a gable and change its angle (10) to 45.

2. If necessary, adjust the overhang distance (13).

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other gable.

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4. Change the material of new slopes using the Material Picker located in
the Materials tab of the Inspector.

Modifying a gable roof to a shed roof:

1. Select a roof slope and change its type to Gable.

2. Select the other roof slope and change its angle (10) to 10.
3. If necessary, adjust the overhang distance (13) and thickness (12) of
the roof slope.

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4. Change the material of new slopes, using the Material Picker located
in the Materials tab of the Inspector.

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Adding a Skylight to the Roof

To create a skylight, drag a window from the object library (Window >
Library > Building Elements) and drop it onto the roof. It is easier to
position a skylight in the 3D view. The 2D view can be used to align already
added skylights.
This way you can also add an opening, niche or panel.

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Adding a Dormer Window

To add a dormer window, drag it from the Dormers category in the Building
Elements section of the object library and drop onto the roof. Once the dormer
is in the 3D View, move the dormer around to install it properly.
To remove a dormer, select it in the Project Tree and press the Delete key.
You can replace the default window with another window or opening of your
choice.
All parts of dormers (except for windows or openings) are the same segments
used to create roofs. To change the configuration of a dormer, you should use
tools from the Object Properties tab of the Inspector. Here you can set the
dormer width and change the angles of its segments.
It is possible to change the dormer type using the same technique as
described in the Modifying the Style of a Roof section.
You can save modified dormers to the object library.

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Interior Walls in the Loft

Use the Loft Walls to split the space in the loft. Unlike the standard walls (the
Storey Walls), the height of Loft Walls is not fixed by the current storey height.
Loft Wall height follows the ceiling height even if the ceiling is sloped. Unlike
other wall types, Loft Walls dont change the shape of the roof.
The same tool in the toolbar is used to add walls of any type. The default wall
type is Storey Wall. When you add walls in the loft, the program automatically
switches to the Loft Wall type. To change the wall type, use the Type pop-up
menu in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector.
Note that you should use Loft Walls only in the loft.

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Chapter 7:
Working with Objects
Basics
In the 2D layouts and the 3D views you can operate with several major types
of objects:
Walls
Ceilings and Floors
Windows, Doors and Openings
Columns
Furniture
Staircases
Light Sources
Cameras
Special objects:
Dimension Lines
Text Annotation Boxes
Images
The object type is the most important property of an object. Objects have
different behavior depending on their type. For example, separate wall objects
can merge, thus making a greater wall, but the furniture items cannot do that.
Depending on the type of the selected object, the program enables or disables
some tools or settings (in the Inspector window), showing only the operations
allowed for this object.
Objects have two types of representation: one for the 2D layout, and another
one for the 3D view.

Adding and Removing Objects

There are two different ways to add objects. For adding walls, ceilings, floors
and cameras, use the tools from the 2D view toolbar. All other objects will be
taken from the object library or imported to the project.
To remove an object, select it and press the Delete or Backspace key.

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Selecting Objects
To perform most of the operations on an object, you have to select it.
To select an object, click on it in the 2D or 3D view.
An object selected in the 2D layout remains selected when you switch to the
3D view, and vice versa.
Objects in 2D
All selected objects are marked with a light-blue frame, or outline.
The selected walls, floors, ceilings, text boxes and dimension lines have
handles (green dots). They are used for resizing the object. Camera
handles let you move the camera with or without turning it.
For walls, doors, and windows, you can select one of their two sides,
and it will be highlighted with the green color. Both sides of the object
can be selected at the same time. To select a specific side, click on it in
the 2D or 3D view.
Side selection helps to perform side-specific operations such as changing
materials and modifying mouldings.
Objects in 3D
In the 3D view, the selected object is highlighted by a white boundary
frame around it. You can often select an object in the 3D view by
clicking on it with the mouse.
An alternative (and sometimes the only) way to select an object is to use the
Project Tree (see below).
To prevent the occasional movement or modification of an object, you can
lock it in the Project Tree or in the context menu. A locked object cannot be
selected by clicking it with the mouse. You should unlock it first.

Using the Project Tree to Select Objects

All objects added to your project are listed in the Project Tree section of the
Library panel. This gives you two ways to access an object: it can be selected
in the currently open view or in the Project Tree.
To open the Project Tree, choose Window > Project Tree from the menu.

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The Project Tree will help you do the following:

Select several objects, especially if they are of the same type.
Select locked objects (this is the only way to select them).
Select an invisible object.
Select an object that is too close or hidden by other objects making it
difficult to click on.
For more information about the Project Tree, see Chapter 4: Working with
Projects > The Project Tree.

Moving Objects
To move a selected object, use the arrow keys, or simply drag it with the
mouse.
Locked objects cannot be moved. An object can be locked or unlocked in the
Project Tree.

Modifying Objects
Most object properties are available in the Inspector window. The Inspector
window presents an object-dependent set of controls. It shows the tools and
settings that can be applied to the selected object.
In the Type and Representation dialog box, you can flip the object and change
its orientation and dimensions.
For more information, see the sections describing various types of objects in
Chapter 6.

Materials
When you add an object to the project, it comes with default materials. You
can apply new materials.
The library of materials is found in the Materials tab of the Inspector window.
Applying a new material is described in Chapter 8: Working with Materials >
Applying Materials.

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Walls
Walls are the basis of your project. Usually you begin creating a floor plan by
drawing external and then internal walls.
Walls can be of different types. Below are described the Storey Walls (general
type of walls). Most of information here is also applicable to Loft Walls.
To verify or change the wall type, go to the Object Properties tab of the
Inspector. Walls of different types cannot join.

Wall Segments
A wall segment is a piece of a wall that is limited by two end points. When
the segment is selected, the end points (ends) are marked by green dots handles (item 6 in the picture).
If you draw a wall segment that crosses another one, both segments will split
into two smaller segments.
If a segment joins another one in the middle, the latter will split into two
smaller segments.
The program can join two segments of a straight wall into one when you
remove the wall that crosses and splits it.
2
3
1

6
4

15 Wall segments.
3 and 4 These are parts of a single segment that has been divided into two
parts by joining the 5th segment.
6 Handles (green dots) of the 5th segment.
7 The highlighted side (green) of the 5th wall segment. This indicates that
this side will change if you modify wall properties in the Inspector (mouldings
or materials).

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The word wall is used in the program documentation both for a single wall
segment and for a wall consisting of multiple wall segments if the number of
segments does not matter.
When you are creating a room, wall segments
should join (like segments 2 and 3, or like 3, 4 and
5) to form a closed shape. The joint may break
when you resize, move or add wall segments.
Places where segments are joined incorrectly are
marked by red circles on the floor plan. You should
move a segment aside and then return it back to restore the connection. If
this doesnt help, delete the affected segments and add them again.

Adding and Removing Walls

To add a single wall segment:
1. Select the Straight Wall tool.

2. Click in the drawing area to start drawing.

3. Double-click to specify the end of the wall.
To draw a rectangular room:
1. Select the Straight Wall tool.

2. Make four clicks in the drawing area to specify the corners of the room.
The program will end the current wall segment and start a new one with
each click.
3. Place the end of the last wall where the first wall begins. The program
will make the room outline closed and quit the wall drawing mode.
When you draw, the program snaps the mouse pointer to help you align the
wall with other objects or to draw your line in the straight horizontal or vertical
direction in the 2D view.

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To stop drawing an unfinished wall segment, press the Esc key.

To remove a wall, select it and press the Backspace key.

Selecting Walls
To select a single wall segment, click on it with the mouse.
To select several segments, click on each of them while holding down the
Shift key, or draw the selection frame over them.
All the wall segments used in the layout are listed in the Project Tree. You can
use this list to select all the walls together.
When you move the mouse pointer over the selected wall, the pointer changes
to:
bidirectional arrow indicates that you can move the wall;
cross (when over a handle) you can move the handle and change the
wall length and direction.

Moving Walls
If a wall segment has a free end (which does not make a corner with another
segment), you can drag it with the mouse to resize the wall or to change its
direction.
When you move a segment with two ends joining other segments, the
program will change the length of these segments to keep the walls joined.
So, the room will be reshaped. To rip a wall segment out, drag it holding the
Option key.
To move walls without changing their size and direction, you should select and
move all the joined segments together.

Wall Parameters
The Information bar displays the wall length, thickness and angle. The bar is
located above the horizontal ruler at the top of the window. To toggle (show/
hide) the ruler together with the Information bar, use the Show/Hide Rulers
command in the View menu.
Most of the wall parameters can be modified in the Inspector window.

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The set of tools in the Inspector window allows

you to adjust the thickness and length of the
selected wall. You can also choose the shape
and size of the wall bases and wall crowns in
the Mouldings section.
To change the shape of a crown or a base, use
the corresponding drop-down list. If the wall
should have no crown or base, select the -
item. You can also change the width and height
of the selected crown or base.
The Flip Sides button swaps the materials, wall
crowns and wall bases on the sides of the wall.
The Master Walls box contains wall templates
with predefined thickness and materials.
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility
and Lock options.
Making a wall invisible lets you take a picture
of the 3D view from a greater distance. You
can take a picture from outside the room to
encompass more objects in the picture.

Modifying Walls
Wall Size
To change the length of a wall, select it and
drag its handle with the mouse. Alternatively,
you can use the Object Properties tab of the
Inspector window.
The thickness can be set directly in the Object
Properties tab, or you can select a predefined
wall type from the Master Walls box in the
Inspector window. The walls from the Master
Walls box come with preset thickness and
materials.

Wall Height
All the walls on a floor have the same height equal to the height of the storey.
To change it, use the Building Properties tab in the Inspector.

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You can make a wall look lower than the storey height. To do this, insert an
opening into the top part of the wall.

Wall Crown and Wall Base

The Mouldings section in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector window
controls the wall crown, base and trim. You can change their length and
thickness, as well as size and shape. Also, it allows you to remove a crown,
base and trim from any side of the wall.
Selecting a particular side of the wall lets you see the mouldings on the side
that will be changed.
To change the material of the crown, base or trim, select it in the Project Tree,
and then select the material in the Inspector window. Another way is dragging
a material onto the crown, base or trim.

Materials
Use the Materials tab of the Inspector to apply or change a material. See
Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials for more detail.
The end surfaces (butt-ends) of walls do not have independent materials, they
use the same material as one of the wall sides.

Wall Representation in the 2D Layout

You may want to make walls look differently in the 2D view depending on
their material or thickness. To do this, use tools in the 2D Properties tab of the
Inspector window.
You can use the settings from the Drawing section to change the color of the
wall outline and the fill of wall segments, as well as apply fill patterns.

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Ceilings and Floors

Adding and Removing Ceilings and Floors
The program automatically adds a floor and ceiling when you have drawn a
closed shape with walls. So, usually you do not need to add ceilings and floors
manually.
Automatically added floors and ceilings have the default names AutoFloor
and AutoCeiling in the Project Tree.
In contrast to manually added floors and ceilings, automatic floors and
ceilings:
change size and shape when you move or resize walls;
split into two parts when a room is broken into two pieces by adding a
wall.
The AutoFloor and AutoCeiling cannot be deleted.
To add a floor or a ceiling manually, select the corresponding tool in the 2D
toolbar. Then click in your layout several times to add corners. And finally,
double-click to add the last corner and exit the floor/ceiling drawing mode.
Floors and ceilings can be added together.

To remove a floor or a ceiling, select it and press the Delete key.

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Selecting Ceilings and Floors

To select a ceiling or a floor in the 2D layout, you should click its outline.
Sometimes it is difficult because the outline goes over walls (walls have higher
priority for selection). Since all ceilings and floors are listed in the Project
Tree, you can select them in the list.
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility and Lock options.

Moving Ceilings and Floors

To move a ceiling or a floor, select it and drag its edge with the mouse.
Note: When you move ceilings or floors, they turn to regular (non-automatic)
objects: they will not change their shape when you modify walls.

Resizing Ceilings and Floors

To resize a ceiling or a floor, select it and drag a
corner handle with the mouse.
The Information bar shows the dimensions
of the selected ceiling or floor. If the object
is rectangular, and its sides are vertical and
horizontal, the dimensions will mean the width
and height. To show or hide the Information bar
and rulers, press Cmd-R.
To change the shape of the ceiling or the floor,
you can add or delete its corner handles. To
add a handle, right-click on the floor or ceiling
outline and select Add Contour Point in the
context menu. To delete a handle, right-click on
it and select Delete Contour Point.
To lock or unlock the shape of custom floors or
ceilings, click on the Edit Geometry icon in the
Inspector.

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Setting up the Level of the Floor or Ceiling

Rooms located on the same storey may have different floor or ceiling levels.
To recreate this in the program, you have to add a custom floor or ceiling and
set its elevation different than that of the AutoFloor or AutoCeiling.
1
2

3
4
1 The AutoCeiling that has the default level.
2 A custom ceiling with the Elevation lower than AutoCeiling.
3 A custom floor with the Elevation higher than the AutoFloor.
4 The AutoFloor that has the default level.
To change the floor and ceiling levels, select it in 2D and change the
Elevation value in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector.

Materials
Use the Materials tab of the Inspector to apply or change a material. See
Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials for more detail.

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Ceiling and Floor Representation on the Plan

To make objects look differently in the 2D view depending on the material,
size or other principle, apply different stroke colors and pattern fills. They can
be changed in the 2D Properties tab of the Inspector.
You can use the settings from the Drawing section to change the outline color
and fill color, as well as apply fill patterns.

Text Label of the Floor

Unlike the ceiling, the floor has a text label. By default, the label is displayed
on the area of the floor. To add your own text, double click the label.
The location of the label in the 2D layout can be changed. To do this, drag the
label to a new location.
If a custom floor is placed over the AutoFloor, the area of the AutoFloor
decreases by the area of the custom floor.

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Windows, Doors and Openings

Windows, doors and openings have a similar behavior in the program, so the
term opening will be used for all these objects except we need to describe
the difference between them.

Adding and Removing Openings

To add an opening:
1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel.
2. Select the desired category in the drop-down list.
3. Drag an opening to your project layout.
When you bring an opening over the 2D layout, the opening snaps to walls
and changes its orientation according to the orientation of the closest wall.
To remove an opening, select it and press the Delete or Backspace key.

Selecting Openings
To select an opening, click on it.
All the openings used in the layout are listed in the Project Tree. You can
select them in the list.

Moving Openings
To move an opening, drag it with the mouse. Another way is to use the arrow
keys when the opening is selected.
When you move the opening close to a wall, it will be inserted into the wall
automatically. To rip the opening out, drag it out of the wall.

Parameters of Openings
The Information bar shows the opening height, width, thickness, elevation
and angle. The bar is located above the horizontal ruler. To show or hide the
Information bar and rulers, press Cmd-R.

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Most of an openings parameters can be

modified in the Inspector window.
The Flip Sides button rotates the opening 180
degrees.
In the Inspector window, you can control the
elevation of openings.
The Elevation parameter can be locked/
unlocked by clicking the lock icon. Locking the
elevation is useful when you need to move an
object only horizontally in the 3D view (for
example, to distribute windows in the wall).
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility
and Lock options.
The Look Through check box should be
selected if a door or window has transparent
parts. In this case, objects in the room behind
the door or window are displayed correctly
in the 3D view. Deselecting the check box
turns off rendering objects behind the door
or window. This speeds up rendering the 3D
picture.
To change an objects properties such as the
orientation in 3D, the origin point and 2D
representation, select the object and click
the Type & Representation button in the
Inspector. The program will open the Type &
Representation dialog.

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Dimensions of Openings

To change the dimensions of an opening, use the Object Properties tab of the
Inspector window. You can adjust the height, width, thickness, elevation and
frame thickness.
The Inner/Outer Parts Ratio slider sets the position of an opening in
relation to the wall (how deep it is in the doorway).

Materials
Use the Materials tab of the Inspector to apply or change a material. See
Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials for more detail.

Opening Representation in the 2D Layout

You may want to make openings look differently in the 2D view depending on
the material they are made of. To do this, use the 2D Properties tab of the
Inspector window.
You can use the settings from the Drawing section to change the outline color
and fill color for the opening, as well as apply fill patterns.

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Niches and Wall Panels

Niches and wall panels have a similar behavior in the program, so the term
object will be used for these objects except when we need to describe the
difference between them.

Adding and Removing Niches and Wall Panels

1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel.
2. Select the corresponding category in the drop-down list.
3. Drag the object into your project layout.
When you bring the object over the 2D layout, it snaps to walls and changes
its orientation according to the orientation of the closest wall.
To remove a niche or wall panel, select it and press the Delete or Backspace
key.
The built-in opening editor lets you create and edit openings, niches and wall
panels.

Selecting Niches and Wall Panels

To select an object, click on it.
All the openings used in the layout are listed in the Project Tree. You can
select them in the list.

Moving Niches and Wall Panels

To move an object, drag it with the mouse. Another way is to use the arrow
keys when the object is selected.
When you move an object near a wall, it will be inserted into the wall
automatically. To rip the object out, drag it away from the wall.

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Parameters of Niches and Wall Panels

The Information bar shows the objects height, width, thickness, elevation,
angle and area. If several objects are selected, the combined area is
displayed. The bar is located above the horizontal ruler. To show or hide the
Information bar and rulers, press Cmd-R.
Parameters of niches and wall panels can be
modified in the Inspector window.
Thickness of a wall panel object can be either
positive and negative. With the positive value, it
looks like a wall panel. With the negative value,
it looks like a niche.
Niches and wall panels can be attached to walls
with only one side.
To attach a niche or wall panel to another
wall side, click the Flip Sides button in the
Inspector window.
In the Inspector window, you can change the
elevation of an object. By clicking the lock icon,
you can lock the Elevation parameter to move
an object only horizontally in the 3D view (for
example, to distribute niches in the wall).
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility
and Lock options.
To change an objects properties such as the
orientation in 3D, the origin point and 2D
representation, select the object and click
the Type & Representation button in the
Inspector. The program will open the Type & Representation dialog.

Changing the Size and Shape

To change the size of an object, use the tools located in the Object Properties
tab of the Inspector. You can adjust height, width, thickness, elevation and
frame thickness.
To customize the shape of the niche or wall panel, right-click on it and select
Edit Wall Panels, Openings and Niches. See Chapter 7: Working with Objects
> The Wall Panels, Openings and Niches Editor for details.

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Materials
To change the object material, use the material library located in the Materials
tab of the Inspector. See Applying Materials for more detail.

Object Representation in the 2D Layout

By default, objects are displayed on the floor plan by a simple outline. You can
choose another image in the Type & Representation dialog. Another option is
to use the view of the object from above in 3D. You can select the type of 2D
representation in the 2D Properties tab in the Inspector.
To help distinguish objects in the 2D view, apply different stroke colors and
pattern fills. They can be changed in the 2D Properties tab in the Inspector.

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Columns
Adding and Removing Columns
1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel. Then select
Columns in the drop-down list.
2. Drag the column into your project layout.
The height of the added column will be equal to the storey height.
To remove a column, select it and press the Delete or Backspace key.

Parameters of Columns
The Information bar shows the column width,
depth and height. The bar is located above
the horizontal ruler. To show or hide the
Information bar and rulers, press Cmd-R.
Most of the column parameters can be modified
in the Inspector window. The Inspector window
lets you modify the dimensions of the selected
column, as well as the height of its capital and
base. You can also rotate columns.
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility
and Lock options.

Column Size
Column dimensions are found in the Object
Properties tab of the Inspector window.
The height of the column base and capital can
be adjusted separately.
The default column height is equal to the height
of the walls.

Materials
Use the Materials tab of the Inspector to apply or change a material. See
Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials for more detail.

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Furniture
Various pieces of furniture have similar behavior in the program, so the term
object will be used for all of them except when we need to describe the
difference between them.

Adding and Removing Furniture

1. Open the Furnishing tab in the Library panel.
2. Select the necessary category in the drop-down list.
3. Drag the required object to your project.
Furniture can be added from the built-in library or imported from a 3D model
file.
To remove an object, select it and press the Delete or Backspace key.

Selecting a Piece of Furniture

To select an object, click on it with the mouse.
To select several objects, click on each of them holding down the Shift key, or
use the mouse to draw a selection frame over them.
All the objects used in the layout are listed in the Project Tree. You can select
objects by clicking on their names in the list.

Moving Furniture
To move an object, drag it with the mouse. You can move objects in both the
2D and 3D views.

Furniture Parameters
The Information bar shows objects width, height, depth, elevation and angle.
The bar is located above the horizontal ruler. To show or hide the Information
bar and rulers, press Cmd-R.
Most of the furniture parameters can be modified in the Inspector window.
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility and Lock options.

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To change an objects properties such as the

orientation in 3D, the origin point and 2D
representation, select the object and click
the Type & Representation button in the
Inspector. The program will open the Type &
Representation dialog.

Modifying Furniture
Since the library does not have all possible
pieces of furniture, you may want to adjust the
existing objects for your needs.
All adjustable parameters can be found in the
Object Properties tab of the Inspector window.

Size
To resize the object, select it first, then unlock
the dimensions you want to modify, and enter
the new values.
To resize the object proportionally, select the
Maintain Aspect Ratio option.

Orientation (Rotation Angle)

To rotate an object, use the Rotate tool in the
Inspector window.

Elevation
To change the elevation of an object, use the
Elevation tool in the Inspector window.
The 3D view lets you drag an object with the
mouse upward or downward, but this is less accurate.
The Elevation parameter can be locked/unlocked by clicking the lock icon.
Locking the elevation is useful when you need to move an object only
horizontally in the 3D view (for example, to distribute things over a table).

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Object Location in Relation to Walls, Floor and Ceiling

The location of most of the objects in the room is pre-determined by their
purpose. For example, tables and chairs are always located on the floor;
wardrobes and bookcases stay on the floor near a wall. Most lamps hang from
the ceiling or are affixed to a wall.
The program takes this characteristic of
the objects into account. This is especially
convenient when you move an object in
the 3D view: it stays stuck to the selected
surface. So you do not need to worry about
chairs and lamps hovering somewhere
between the floor and the ceiling.
The Glue By set of options in the Inspector
window lets you select up to three object
sides that will stick to walls, the floor or the
ceiling. The left, right, front and back sides can glue to walls; the top side can
glue to the ceiling, and the bottom side - to the floor.
When the Glue By option is checked and you bring the object close to a wall,
it sticks to the wall. The program may rotate an object if this is necessary to
place it parallel to the wall.

Placing an Object onto the Top of Another

Objects like TV sets, computers, and cookware are usually located atop other
objects such as tables and stands.
For example, lets place a TV set onto a table. To be able to change the
elevation of the TV set, unlock its Elevation property in the Object Properties
tab of the Inspector by clicking on the lock icon.
Way 1 (works when the TV set object is higher than the table) Drag the TV
set over the table in the 2D or 3D view. The TV set will automatically jump
onto the table.
Way 2 (the objects height doesnt matter) Drag the TV set over the table in
the 2D or 3D view. If the tables top is higher than the TV set, the latter will
appear under the table. Increase the Elevation value in the Inspector to lift
the TV set until it is on the table.
Way 3 (the objects height doesnt matter) Drag the TV set over the table in
the 2D or 3D view. If the tables top is higher than the TV set, the latter will
appear under the table. Press Cmd-Opt and drag the TV set upwards in the
3D view.

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The Cast Shadows Option

The Cast Shadows option allows you to turn on/off rendering shadows. This
can be useful to:
Minimize the task for the rendering engine.
Calculating the 3D scene with all the shadows displayed requires
more time. To speed up rendering, disable unnecessary shadows. For
example, shadows on walls and floor carpets are not seen at all and can
be switched off.
Emphasize some key objects in your 3D design.
You can create a design where only several objects drop shadows.
This will attract more attention to key objects, keeping others in the
background.

Lamp Parameters
Lamps are found in a separate section of the Furnishing tab. In addition to the
parameters that furniture items have, lamps allow you to change color and
luminosity of light. These parameters can be modified in the Light Properties
tab of the Inspector window.

Materials
Use the Materials tab of the Inspector to apply or change a material. See
Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials for more detail.

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Staircases
Stairs are a special object type in Live Interior 3D. Unlike other objects, they
create an opening in the slab above. To activate this property, an object
should have the Stairs type in the Type & Representation dialog.
Look at the picture below. There are two copies of the same staircase object.
The left one is Furniture which is a generic object type. The right one is Stairs.
When you import a 3D model of a staircase, it has the Furniture type by
default. Change the object type in the Type & Representation dialog manually.

The Stairs object consists of two components: the slab opening and the
staircase itself. You can see its structure in the Project Tree.

The parent item Stairs Opening is responsible for the whole object. When it is
selected, you can change the material of the opening. To change the material
of the staircase, select the Stairs item. To change the name of this item,
double click on it in the Project Tree.

Adding and Removing Staircases

1. Open the Building Elements tab in the Library panel.
2. Select the Stairs category in the drop-down list.
3. Choose a model and drag it to your project layout.

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To remove a staircase, select it and press the Delete or Backspace key.

Selecting a Staircase
To select a staircase, click on it with the mouse.
All staircases in the project are listed in the
Project Tree. You can also select them in the
list.

Moving a Staircase
To move a staircase, drag it with the mouse.
Another way is to use the arrow keys when a
staircase is selected.

Parameters of Staircases
The Information bar shows the height, width,
thickness, elevation and angle of a staircase.
The bar is located above the horizontal ruler. To
toggle whether to show or hide the Information
bar and rulers, press Cmd-R.
Parameters of staircases can be modified by
using the Inspector window.
Width and Height control the size of a
staircase.
The Height parameter is the vertical dimension
of an object in the 2D view. It is not the same
as the object height in the 3D view.
The default height of a staircase in 3D is equal
to the storey height (the distance from 1 to 4 in
the picture).
The Elevation parameter defines the distance
(3) between the bottom of a staircase (2) and
the floor (4). Elevation can be used when a staircase begins on a platform
that is located above the floor level (see the picture below).

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4
By default, the top of a staircase meets the floor of the storey above (7). If a
staircase has a handrail, its top (5) is above the floor level. You should meet
the top stair with the floor manually by setting the Handrail Height value
(6).

5
6
7

The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility and Lock options.

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To change an objects properties such as the orientation in 3D, the origin

point and 2D representation, select the object and click the Type &
Representation button in the Inspector. The program will open the Type &
Representation dialog.

Materials
Use the library of materials located in the Materials tab of the Inspector
window to apply materials to a staircase.
To change the material of a staircase opening, select this object in the 2D or
3D view. Or select a Stairs Opening item in the Project Tree.
To apply new materials to a staircase model, expand a Stairs Opening item in
the Project Tree and select its sub-item Stairs.
For details, see Chapter 9: Working with Materials > Applying Materials.

Editing the Opening Shape

The shape of the opening in the slab can be changed on the floor plan. The
opening is displayed by a dashed line in the 2D view. The default opening
shape usually coincides with the outline of the object seen from the top.
To change the shape of a staircase opening, move the handles on the opening
outline with the mouse.

The number and location of the handles depends on the model shape. Spiral
staircases usually have more handles than straight stairs.
To prevent the opening shape from occasional change, lock it using the Edit
Geometry option in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector. In this case,
the handles are not displayed.

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Properties of Objects in 2D
The 2D Properties tab of the Inspector lets you specify the appearance of
objects in the 2D view.
To open the tab, choose Window > Inspector > 2D Properties.
The described tools work with walls, floors, ceilings and auxiliary objects (for
instance, text annotation or an imported image).
1 Objects contour line. When this option
is on, you can choose the color of the line.
Supported objects: walls, floors, ceilings,
images and text annotations.
2 Objects fill color. Supported objects:
walls, floors, ceilings and text annotations.

3 Pattern fill. It is useful to mark off walls,

2
floors or ceilings when different building
materials are used for them or their parts.
4 The angle of cameras, images,
measurements and text annotations.

5 The text alignment options.

6 The font size.

7 Open the standard Fonts pane to

change the font of text annotations and
measurements.
8 The color of text annotations and
measurements.

6
9 Use a simple outline of the object as the
representation. The image used by default
is in the vector format which provides the
7
8
best quality when you print the floor plan.
You can choose another image in the Type &
Representation dialog.
9
10 Represent an object using the
10
overhead view of the object in 3D. This
representation is created automatically
11
upon the current top view of the object.
To change its quality, use the View > 2D
Representation > Auto-Generated menu.

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Type and Representation

The Type and Representation dialog lets you change the properties of
objects. It opens when you import an object, when you choose the Type and
Representation command from the Edit menu, or use the context menu of
an object.

The tools in the Type and Representation dialog change only one copy of the
object: the one which was selected when you opened the dialog box. Other
copies that may be present in your project remain unchanged.
The program uses the same model for all the copies of each object in the
project. If you modify one of the copies, the program will have to create
one more model specially for the changed object. So, using the Type and
Representation dialog you can increase the total number of object models in
the project. This may result in a decrease in the programs performance.

Controlling the Object Preview

The 3D Representation box displays a preview of the 3D model.
To change the size of the preview picture, click the zoom buttons above the
preview.
To rotate the 3D model in the preview, place the mouse pointer above the
picture, press the mouse button and drag it to any side. To restore the default
orientation (angle) and magnification of the model in the preview, double-click
on it.
The settings in the preview box do not affect the object, they change the
preview picture only.

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Object Properties
The Object type is the most important object property. It determines the
behavior of the object. You can set it to Furnishing, Window, Door and
Stairs. The difference is that windows and doors can be inserted into walls,
while furniture cannot. Any object that is not a door or a window, should be
specified as Furnishing.

Rotating an Object
Rotating an object in the Type and Representation dialog means the object will
change its default orientation.
Changing the orientation of an imported object is necessary when objects are
imported upside-down or when a door or window is inserted across a wall.
To rotate an object, use the Rotate 3D Representation sliders.
It is recommended that you allow the program to update an objects origin
after an object is rotated. To do this, select the Change Object Origin to
option, keeping its sub-options unchanged.

3D Flipping
3D flipping lets you make several objects out of a non-symmetric model.
For example, by applying front-to-back and left-to-right flipping, you can
create three new doors from a single door model. This is especially helpful
when the door model has a handle at one side but you need a handle at
another side.
To flip an object, click the corresponding 3D Flip button.

Change Object Origin

The Change Object Origin option allows you to change the origin of an
object already added to your project and lets choose an origin for an object
are currently importing to your project. Changing the object origin affects the
current objects copy only. Objects in the built-in library never change.
The object origin is a point on the object surface that is used by the program
to define the object location in the 2D layout and in the 3D space. By default,
the most optimal point on the object is used as the origin.

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For instance, the origin is used to rotate an object. When you rotate an object,
it rotates around its origin. So, changing the origin may change the object
behavior.
The default origin is usually set depending on the object type: for furniture
this is the center of the bottom; for wall pictures the center of the back
surface; for ceiling lamps the center of the top.

Object Size
Object dimensions determine the size of an object. The size can also be
modified in the Inspector.

Image for the Floor Plan

The 2D representation box shows the current object representation for the
2D view.
To choose an image from the library, click on it.
To use a custom image, click the Custom Image button and navigate to the
graphic file.

2D Flipping
2D flipping mirrors a 2D representation. This is needed for adjusting the
orientation of an image for the 2D view to match with the 3D object. For
example, after left-to-right flipping of the door, you should flip its image on
the floor plan, too.
Note: The 2D and 3D flip operations work independently for better flexibility.
Make sure the 2D representation matches the 3D object.

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Importing Objects
The built-in object library may not contain all objects necessary for carrying
out your project. The program lets you import other objects stored on your
disk in the following formats:
3DS (created in the Autodesk 3ds Max software)
Trimble SketchUP
Ogre XML
Collada
To import an object from a file:
1. Select File > Import 3D Object in the menu.
2. Specify the format of the file you want to import and select the file.
3. Set up the import options (not available for Ogre XML).
Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces
Split Object Instances split a compound object to turn its parts
into separate objects in Live Interior 3D.
See details in the Import Options section.
4. The Type and Representation dialog will open. Adjust the necessary
settings and click OK. You can change the settings later if necessary.
For more details, see the Type and Representation section.
Imported objects may have references to one or several textures. The
program will try to find them in the folder containing the selected file. If a
texture is not found, the program will ask you to locate it in the Finder. The
texture name will be shown at the top of the Open File window. You can also
opt to skip opening textures and simply use the materials from the built-in
library.

Import Options
Make all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible
surfaces
This option fixes the problem with invisibility of one-sided surfaces.
When you look at a cube, you can see any of the six its sides. To visualize
them, 3D software creates faces by one per each side. A faces allow to apply a
plain color or texture to corresponding parts of an object making them visible.
If there is a need to show the cube from inside as well, each side of the cube

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should have two faces: the inner and outer.

Most of objects can be previewed only from outside like a cube. To simplify
such 3D models, faces for invisible object parts arent created. If we remove
any side of a cube to create an open box, both internal and external faces of
the all five sides must be present. The lack of faces where they are needed
makes parts of an object invisible.
Adding faces leads to increasing the 3D object size, which results in increasing
the document size. Activate the Make all surfaces double-sided option if a
part of the imported object is invisible.

Split Object Instances

Models can be split into parts when they are made out of several components.
For example, some models are composed of several objects (a lamp, a
computer, books, etc. on a table). If objects are made up of components, you
can split them to remove or rearrange some of these components.
The split options let you choose to split all or only identical objects.
The ability to split a model depends on how it was created.

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Importing Trimble SketchUp Objects

To import an object in the Trimble SketchUp format, use the File > Import
3D Object... menu command as described in the Importing Objects section.

Using Drag & Drop for Importing

Live Interior 3D supports importing Trimble SketchUp models by dragging
and dropping them from a folder on your hard disk into the Live Interior 3D
project.
To change the properties of an already imported object, use the Type and
Representation dialog box. To open it, choose the Type and Representation
item in the Edit menu.
If the imported object is a door or a window, you should specify this in the
Type and Representation dialog. You can also change the orientation of an
object and its icon on the floor plan.

Direct Import from Trimble 3D Warehouse

Live Interior 3D supports integration with Trimble 3D Warehouse.
You need to have Internet connection to import objects directly from Trimble
3D Warehouse since it is located on a web server.
To import a 3D model directly from Trimble 3D Warehouse:
1. Click the Trimble 3D Warehouse button in the tool bar or choose the
Window > Trimble 3D Warehouse menu item.
The Trimble 3D Warehouse page will open in a pop-up browser
window. The interface of the browser is described below.
2. Find the model you want to import. Use thumbnails and hyperlinks in
the browser to navigate, or use the search box.
Once you have found a model for your project, open its page.

3. Click the Get Model button on the object page.

The button may also be called Download to Live Interior 3D, or
Download Model, or Download to Trimble SketchUp.
Until an object is completely downloaded, a replacement image will be shown

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in the 2D and 3D views.

The duration of the download depends on the object file size and on the speed
of your Internet connection.
You can set up the import from Trimble 3D Warehouse by using the Make
all surfaces double-sided to avoid invisible surfaces and Split Object
Instances options described below in the Import Options section. These
options can be changed in the the Trimble 3D Warehouse tab of the program
Preferences. Click the Import Options button in the browser window toolbar
for quick access to these options.
To change the properties of an already imported object, use the Type and
Representation dialog box. To open it, choose the Type and Representation
item in the Edit menu. If the imported object is a door or a window, you
should specify this in the Type and Representation dialog. You can also change
the orientation of the object and its icon for the floor plan.
Browser of Trimble 3D Warehouse Model Collection
The built-in browser used to navigate the on-line model collection has a
toolbar, preview box and a status bar.
Toolbar buttons (from left to right):
Go to the previous page and Go to the next page navigation
through the recently previewed pages.
Reload current page.
Go to the home page opens the Trimble 3D Warehouse home
page.
Import settings opens the import settings in the Trimble 3D
Warehouse tab of the program preferences.
The browser mostly behaves as an ordinary web browser.

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Aligning and Distributing Objects

In Live Interior, you can arrange objects in the layout using the Align and
Distribute commands located in the Arrange menu.

Aligning Objects
Objects can be aligned by centers or edges.
Align Centers Horizontally:

Align Right Edges:

The Align Centers command aligns the centers of the selected objects along
a straight line.
When you apply the Align Edges command, objects are aligned to the
outermost object.

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Distributing Objects
Arrange > Distribute Spacing makes the distance between the edges of the
selected objects equal.
Arrange > Distribute Centers makes the distance between the centers of
the selected objects equal.
When you distribute objects, only the middle ones will change their location.
The top and bottom objects (when distributed horizontally) and the left and
right (when distributed vertically) stay in the original location.
The Distribute operation allows you to speed up adding and positioning
multiple objects.
For example, you need to insert four windows in a wall and distribute them
with the same distance between each window. The quickest way is:
1. Insert all windows in the wall.
2. Place the left and right windows to the proper locations.
3. Choose Arrange > Distribute > Openings Spacing in the menu to
get other windows placed automatically.
Note that unlike furniture, openings have separate distribute commands in
the menu. This is necessary because openings should stay in the wall when
moved. For this, both their coordinates (in the 2D layout) may be changed if
the wall is not parallel to any of the rulers. Other objects, when distributed,
change only one coordinate.

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Grouping and Ungrouping Objects

You can combine several objects into a group to treat them as a single one.
For example, you might group objects laying on a table with the table in order
to move them together.
To group objects together, select them by clicking on them while holding down
Shift, and choose Arrange > Group (Cmd-G) in the menu.
To ungroup the objects, select the group and choose Arrange > Ungroup
(Cmd-Shift-G) in the menu.
A group of objects is represented in the Project Tree as a single item.
Nested grouping is also supported. You can group either separate objects or
a group with another group. When you ungroup the bigger group, objects in
a nested group will remain grouped. For example, you can group a lamp with
a table. Then group this group together with a chair. After ungrouping the
overall group, the table with the lamp will remain grouped and the chair will
be separate.

Merging Objects
One more command to combine objects is Arrange > Merge into Single
Object.
Merged objects become one regular object. Unlike grouping, merging is
irreversible. You cannot split merged objects unless you apply Edit > Undo
(Cmd-Z).
Merging is effective for objects that contain identical details. For example, a
3D model of a tree can be created by duplicating the same leaf many times.
This tree will be rendered faster if you merge its parts rather than group them.
Also prefer merging if the objects you wish to combine have the same material
applied.
If there is a chance you need to separate objects, or arrange them in different
way and combine again, use grouping.

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Chapter 8:
The Library of Objects
The program is provided with a library of objects (3D models of furniture,
doors, etc.). In your projects, you can use this built-in library or import more
objects. Imported items can be added into the library for further use. The
library is located in the Library panel.

The Library Panel

The Library panel is a part of the main program window. To open the panel (if
it is hidden), use the Toggle Library toolbar button (4 in the picture) or the
Window > Toggle Library menu command.
To change its width, move the handle near the bottom-right corner of the
panel.

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1 The Project Tree lists all the objects in the

project. See the Project Tree section for more
information.

1
2
3

2 The Furnishing section of the library of

objects. It includes furniture, lamps, fireplaces
and other objects.

3 The Building Elements section of the library

of objects. It includes doors, windows, niches,
openings, columns, staircases and 3D shapes.

4 Hide/Show the Library panel.

5 The object categories pop-up menu. The
objects in the Furnishing and Building Elements
sections are grouped into categories. You can
add more categories for objects that you add
yourself. Custom categories appear below the
main list. To manage custom categories, use
the options at the bottom of the list.

7
8
9
10
11
12

13
6 The thumbnail of an object. To add an
object to the project, drag its thumbnail into the 2D or 3D view.
7 Search box. To find an object, type an object name into this field and
press the Return key.

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8 The context menu of the library is intended for managing objects in

custom categories. To bring up the context menu, you can also right-click on
an object thumbnail in the library. Some operations work only with objects in
custom categories.
Cut remove a selected object and place its copy to the Clipboard.
Copy copy a selected object to the Clipboard.
Paste paste an object from the Clipboard in the open category.
Delete delete a selected object.
Substitute with Selection in Project replace an object selected in the
library with an object selected in the project.
Substitute with Selection in Library replace an object selected in the
project with an object selected in the library.
Item Info display details of an object selected in the library.
9 Hide/Show the object preview box (12).
10 Zoom in and zoom out of the object preview.
11 Turn the preview animation mode on/off. When the animation mode is
enabled, the object rotates in the preview box so that you can see it from all
sides. It is recommended that you turn this feature off on slow computers.
12 Preview of the selected object. To rotate the object in the preview box,
place the mouse cursor over the preview, press and hold the right button,
then move the mouse in the direction you wish to rotate the object.
13 The logo of the item manufacturer. If you like one of the doors, windows
or a piece of furniture, click on the logo. Your web browser will show the
manufacturers website where you may be able to purchase the actual piece of
furniture or get more information about it.

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Object Information in the Library

The Item Info dialog box shows information about an object selected in the
library.
To open the dialog box, double-click on a thumbnail in the object library.
The displayed data can be modified if you have selected a custom object (an
object added to the library by the user). The information of objects supplied
with the program cannot be changed.
The Title is the object name shown in the library below the object thumbnail.
The Description field may contain some additional information. It will
be displayed as a pop-up hint when the mouse pointer is over the object
thumbnail.
The name selected in the Manufacturer drop-down list will be shown
together with the company logo in the 3D preview box of the library when the
object is selected. If the object does not have an actual prototype, or if the
manufacturer is unknown, select Unknown for this field.
The Keywords box is intended for searching keywords.
The Thumbnail section allows you to preview the thumbnail of the object and
change it (for custom objects only).
The thumbnail can be made as a snapshot of the 3D object. To change the
thumbnail picture, click the Change button. Use the mouse to rotate the
object in the box. Then click OK.
When you add a new object to the library, the program offers you to enter
information into the Item Info dialog.

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Managing Objects in the Library

The interface of the 3D object library is described in the Library Panel section.
To open the Library panel, use the Window > Library menu.

Adding and Removing Object Categories

To add new object categories into the library, click on the pop-up menu and
choose the New Category item. Spaces in the category name are not allowed,
the program replaces them with the underline character.
To delete a custom object category with all included objects, choose Delete
Category in the pop-up menu. Note that the built-in categories and objects
cannot be deleted.

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Adding and Removing Objects

Objects imported into your project can be added to the library.
1. Open the category in the library where you would like the object to
be stored. It is recommended that you add new objects to a custom
category.
2. Right-click on the object and choose Copy in the context menu.
3. Right-click on the object thumbnails area of the library and choose
Paste.
4. The Item Info dialog box will appear. Type the object name into the
Title box.
The Description and Keywords fields can be left blank. If you plan to
add a great number of objects to the library, enter some information
into these boxes. This will simplify finding the required object later.
Keywords should be separated by spaces.
If necessary, change the 2D thumbnail.
5. Click OK.
Later, you can open the Item Info dialog by double-clicking on the object
thumbnail in the library.
To delete a custom object (a built-in one cannot be deleted), right-click on the
object and choose Delete.

Copying and Moving Objects

To create a copy of an object in the library, right-click on it and choose Copy.
Then open the destination category, right-click in the thumbnail area and
choose Paste.
To move an object to another location in the library, right-click on the object
and choose Cut. Open another object category, right-click in the thumbnail
area and choose Paste.

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Replacing an Object in the Library

You can only replace objects in custom categories.
To replace an object in the library with an object selected in the project:
1. Select an object in your project.
2. Right-click on an object in the library and choose Substitute with
Selection in Project in the context menu.

Changing the Order of Objects

To change the order of objects within a particular category, drag the objects
thumbnails to new positions. You can re-order objects only in custom
categories.

Undoing and Redoing Previous Actions

To undo or redo your previous actions in the object library, right-click on the
thumbnail area and choose Undo or Redo.

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Chapter 9:
Working with Materials
Materials are used to apply some color to an object or to map a texture onto
its surface. This makes the object look like its real prototype. A material
determines the object color and also affects light dissipation and light
reflection.
Materials are controlled from the Materials tab of the Inspector window.
The materials supplied with the program cannot be modified.

Applying Materials
The material library is located in the Materials tab of the Inspector. It lets you:
Choose and apply a material to an object.
Preview materials already applied to an object.
Create new materials.

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1 The list of all materials of the selected

object(s). Each item here represents a
part of the object. The same material
may appear in the list several times. This
means that it has been applied to several
parts of the object. Actions possible with
the materials listed here are described
below in Working with the List of Object
Materials.

2 Material picker. It allows you to choose

a material of one object and apply it to
another. Use it to make objects match.

2
3

3 A handle to expand or collapse the

list (1).

4
5
6

4 Texture size (horizontal and vertical).

See Adjusting the Texture Size and
Orientation for more details.

5 Maintain aspect ratio.

6 Texture offset parameters allow you to

change the positioning of the texture on
the objects surface.
7 Texture rotation control.

8 Material category selector (it

allows you to add and remove custom
categories).
9 Thumbnails of materials.
10 Thumbnail size control.
11 Actions menu:
New Material opens the Create
New Material dialog.
Delete Selected Material removes
custom materials.

10
11

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Applying a Material to an Object

Method 1:
In the 3D view, drag a material from the library (9) or from the Objects
Materials list (1) and drop it onto an object. Be careful, as an object may have
multiple parts. Point to the exact part of the object you want to modify.
Method 2:
To change the material:
1. Select one or several objects.
2. In the box (1), select one or several materials that you wish to change.
To select multiple items, click on them while holding down the Cmd key.
3. Choose a new material in the material library (9). You can either click on
it or drag and drop it onto any material of that object (1).
To copy a material from another object, use the material picker (2).

Working with the List of Objects Materials

1
2
3
4

1 One of the objects materials.

2 The name of the object whose materials are listed below.
3 Material on a side of a wall. The icon to the right indicates which part of
the wall this material belongs to.
4 Material of the selected wall side (indicated by green highlight).

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Materials used for walls have an additional icon (3 and 4) that indicates
which part of the wall this material belongs to. An icon with a green highlight
indicates that this side is currently selected.
To apply the material of one part of an object to another, drag and drop it.
For example, to apply the brick material in the above illustration to both wall
sides, grab the material (3) and drop it onto the other (4).
Clicking on a material while holding Option selects all identical materials.
Alternatively, you can right-click on a material and choose Select in the List.
This way you can update materials universally in a few clicks. For instance,
replace all fabric parts of multiple furniture objects with a different material.
To locate an objects material inside the library, double-click on it or rightclick on this material and select Reveal in Library. Note that some objects
in the library have materials that arent present in the library. As a rule, these
objects are provided by furniture manufacturers and its logo is displayed in
the library preview.
When you drag and drop a material onto another in the Objects Materials list,
you update not only the material but also its transformation settings.

Adjusting the Texture Size and Orientation

Use the Texture Transform settings to adjust the texture size and orientation
of materials applied to an object. This function is available for walls, ceilings,
floors, wall panels, openings and niches if a material with a texture has been
used. You can also adjust the texture of roofs and dormers.
The Texture Transform settings are useful for making a texture meet a wall
edge or corner.

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Adding Materials to the Library

To add a material, click the gear button at the bottom of the Materials tab and
choose New Material. The Create New Material dialog will open.

2
3

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1 Preview box.
2 Preview mode switch: sphere, cube and flat surface samples.
3 Matte / Glossy selector.
4 Library of materials.
5 Texture category selector.
6 Library of textures
To create a new material:
1. In the Materials tab of the Inspector, open the category that best suits
the material you wish to create.
2. Click the gear button and choose New Material in the pop-up menu.
3. Type the material name.
4. Choose either matte or glossy.
5. Select a material template. If you plan to use a texture, choose a white
or light-gray template.
6. To create a textured material, select the Has Texture check box,
choose the texture category.
Select a texture from the library. To choose a custom image, scroll down
the texture thumbnails, and click on Import Custom The maximum
allowed texture size is 512 x 512 pixels. When you import a larger
image, it will be scaled down retaining the original aspect ratio.
7. Click OK to save your material.
To add a custom texture, right-click on the texture library and choose Import
Custom Texture....
To remove a custom texture, right-click on it and choose Delete Current
Texture....

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The Actual Texture Size

The texture for wall or floor tiles should render corresponding the actual
tile size. To achieve this, set the Scale slider in the material editor in the
middle. Apply the texture to an object (wall or floor). Now you can set up
the actual tile size. Select the object and click on a triangle to expand the
Texture Transform section (Inspector, Materials tab) to access the texture size
controls. Set the Texture Height and Texture Width to 12 if the tile size is
12 by 12 inches. Note that you should have inches selected in File > Project
Setup.

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Material Picker
The Material Picker tool is used to copy a material from one object to
another instead of searching for this material in the library. If two objects
allow you to apply the Texture Transform tool, the Material Picker copies
the transformation settings too.
Using the Material Picker is convenient when you need to match materials
for several furniture objects.
To copy a material:
1. Open the Materials tab of the Inspector window. Open the 3D view.
2. Select the destination object for which you want to change a material.
Its material(s) will be shown in the Objects Materials box.
3. Select the material(s) you want to change.
4. Click the Material Picker button to activate the tool.

5. With the Material Picker tool, click the source object to pick one of
its materials, and repeat the clicks if necessary to go through its other
materials, one at a time. Each time, the material picked will replace the
selected material of the armchair.
6. Click the Material Picker button again to deactivate the tool.
When you point with the tool to an object, its material is displayed in the
Inspector to the right from the Material Picker button.

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Chapter 10:
Lighting
Light Sources
To make 3D pictures more realistic, the program allows you to add and adjust
light sources. The program simulates light from the sun and moon as well
as light from electric lamps and fire. If enabled, reflections and shadows are
shown in the 3D view.
The rendering quality depends significantly on the settings in the 3D Settings
tab of the program Preferences.
To see reflections and shadows in the 3D view, you should turn them on. To do
this, use the View > 3D View > Rendering Quality menu command or the
3D toolbar.
To render light, turn Lights and Shadows on. This can be done using the
Render Quality buttons in the toolbar.
Without Lights and Shadows

Lights Only

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Lights and Shadows

The Inspector window lets you control the properties of light sources. The light
sources are listed in the Light Properties tab. They can be switched on and off
by clicking the bulb icon.

Sunlight and Moonlight

The sunlight settings are available in the Environment panel.
To open it, choose Window > Show Environment or press Cmd-E.

Artificial Lighting
To add a lamp, drag it into your project from the Furnishing > Lamps section
of the Library.
Lamps and candles behave almost the same as ordinary pieces of furniture.
The Light Properties tab of the Inspector window has the light parameters
section. There you can adjust the luminosity and color of the light source and
turn it on/off.
If a lamp has several bulbs, you can usually control them separately. This
depends on the 3D model.
Note: If your project has a lot of light sources and other objects, the 3D scene
may be rendered quite slowly when you are walking in it. In this case it is
recommended that you turn on the lights and shadows only if its necessary.
For more information on performance, see the Troubleshooting section.

Chapter 10: Lighting

Managing Light Sources in the

Inspector
The Light Properties tab of the Inspector
controls light sources. To open this tab,
choose Window > Inspector > Light
Properties.
The list of light sources in the Inspector
contains light sources actually present in
the project.
1 Daytime buttons let you select phases
of the daylight. This option affects the
sunlight.

1
2
3

2 The light source that emulates the

sunlight. It is always present in the list.
3 The selected light source.
4 Parameters of the selected light
source.
To change the brightness or color of a light
source, select it in the list and change the
parameters (4).
To turn the light on or off, click the bulb
icon.
To adjust several light sources together,
select them in the list (3). Then change
their parameters (4).
A lamp may have several light sources. If
you select such a lamp in the list (3), the
Inspector will display the parameters (4)
of all light sources of the lamp. To adjust
the luminocity or color of several light
sources at the same time, select them in
the list (4).

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Chapter 11:
Using Cameras
Cameras are special objects used to specify locations and perspectives in the
3D space for taking pictures. Cameras can be also used as the starting point
for walking around in 3D. Choosing such a predefined camera, you can quickly
jump to a specified location at any time.
By default, five cameras (views) are set up in the project. Their locations are
fixed (you cannot remove them), and they are not shown on the floor plan.
You can add more cameras to save your favorite points of view. Custom
cameras behave in almost the same way as ordinary objects, and they are
visible on the floor plan. You can change their direction, move and delete
them.
Lets suppose you want to take pictures of a room from three points, change
the color of walls or furniture, take another series of pictures, and then
compare them to choose the best color combination. In this case, you will put
three custom cameras in the desired positions, and after changing the wall
color, select a camera from the list and save a picture.

Managing Cameras in the Inspector

The Cameras Properties tab lists all the cameras in the current project:
predefined, custom and movie cameras. To open this tab, choose Window >
Inspector > Cameras.
Unlike predefined cameras, custom cameras and movie cameras can be added
and removed by the user.
The Inspector lets you select any existing camera, including movie cameras.
The selected camera defines what is displayed in the 3D view.
New cameras and movie tracks have default names. To change the name,
double-click on it.

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1 The list of predefined cameras. Their

quantity is constant. Their location in the 3D
space cannot be changed.
2 The list of custom cameras.
3 The list of movie tracks. Sub-items of
each movie track are movie cameras. For
more information, see Chapter 4, Working
with Projects > Creating Movies.
4 The Delete button lets you delete
selected custom cameras, movie tracks and
movie cameras.

5 Add Movie Track from 3D Viewpoint

(Add Movie Camera from 3D Viewpoint)
lets you add a movie camera to an existing 3
movie track or create a new track. The
button is activated when the 3D view is
visible.
If a movie track or a movie camera is
selected in the list, clicking the button adds
a new camera to the current movie track.
Otherwise a new movie track is created.

4
5
The location and orientation of the added
camera corresponds to your current position 6
and point of view in the 3D view.
7
6 Add Camera from 3D Viewpoint
lets you add a new camera. The location
and orientation of the added camera
corresponds to your current position and
point of view in the 3D view.
7 Controls that allow you to adjust the
elevation and orientation of custom cameras
and movie track cameras. These tools can
also control the current point of view that
isnt linked to any camera.

8 Export an image or create a movie. The

function of this button depends on the type
of selected camera.
Export 3D View export a picture from the current 3D view. This button
does the same as the File > Export 3D View menu item.

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Record Movie start the process of creating a movie from the selected
movie track.

Choosing a Camera
All predefined and user cameras are available in the Cameras Properties tab of
the Inspector window (the User Cameras section). Custom cameras are also
listed in the Project Tree.
To jump to a saved position in the 3D view, select a camera in the Inspector.
If you select a custom camera and walk around in the 3D view, the camera will
change its location to reflect your current position. This way you can better
adjust the location and direction of the camera.
The preview in the Project Tree displays the view of the selected custom
camera.
To prevent the occasional movement of a camera, lock it in the Project Tree.
Alternatively, click on another object in the 3D view (a wall, for instance) to
deselect a custom camera and then start walking.
A camera icon in the top right corner of the 3D view indicates that a custom
camera has been selected and that its position can change.

Adding and Deleting Cameras

To add a camera, use the Camera tool from the toolbar above the 2D view.
While walking around in the 3D view, you may want to save some viewpoints

to return to them later. To do this, click on the Add camera from 3D

Viewpoint tool in the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector.
All user cameras are listed in the Cameras Properties tab of the Inspector and
in the Auxiliary section of the Project Tree.

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To delete a custom camera, select it in the Inspector and click on the x

button.
To rename a camera, double-click on its name in the Inspector.
Cameras can be also renamed or deleted using the Project Tree.

Moving Cameras in the 2D View

To move a camera, drag it with the mouse, or select it and press the
arrow keys. This results in parallel movement (without rotation).
When selected, the camera has two handles: the front one (the upper dot on
the picture) and the central one.
When you move the front handle with the mouse, the camera turns around
the central handle point. The camera location stays unchanged.
By dragging the center handle, you will move and rotate the camera at the
same time.

The Viewing Frustum of the Active Camera

The viewing frustum and the view direction of the active camera are displayed
in the 2D view. Use them to point a camera to some place or object. You can
turn the frustum on or off using View > Show 3D Viewpoint.

Printing a Floor Plan without Cameras

Most likely, you do not need to have cameras visible on the printed floor plan.
To hide cameras, open the Project Tree (Window > Project Tree), select the
camera(s), and click on the eye icon to make the camera(s) invisible.

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Chapter 12:
Auxiliary Objects
Auxiliary objects are objects that help you create a project. They appear on
the floor plan but arent visible in the 3D view. In this chapter these objects
are described: text annotations, images and measurement tools.
There are also guide lines and cameras in the program. These objects are
described in separate sections.
Auxiliary objects are grouped together in the Project Tree.

Text Annotation
The Text Annotation tool is used for adding text comments to the 2D
drawing.

To activate the tool, choose Insert > Text Annotation. Or use the toolbar
button.

To format text, use the tools in the 2D Properties tab of the Inspector window.
The font size doesnt change when you choose another scale in the Project
Setup dialog.
Text boxes can be moved and resized in the same way as other objects (by
moving the resize handles while the object is selected).
The text boxes used in the project are listed in the Project Tree. You can use
the Project Tree to lock the text boxes or make them invisible.

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To add text, select the Text Annotation tool, draw a box in the layout, and
then type text.
To edit text, double-click on it.
Note: There is another type of text box in Live Interior 3D: text labels. This
is a part of a floor object. For more detail, see Chapter 7: Working with
Objects > Ceilings and Floors.

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Measurement Tool
The Measurement tool lets you measure and show the distance between two
points in your layout.

To add a dimension line:

1. Select the Measurement tool. This tool shares a button in the tool bar
with another tool. To choose the Measurement tool, click the tool bar
button and hold it until a pop-up tool list appears.

2. Click in the layout to select the first point.

3. Click in the layout to select the second point.
4. By the last click, to select where you want the the measurement to be
displayed.
The dimension line object has three handles when selected. The middle handle
lets you adjust the distance between the numeric value and the object you are
measuring. The handles on the ends define the distance to be measured.
The measurement units will be the same as the ones used for the rulers. You
can change them in the Project Setup dialog. To hide the measurement units,
use the Suppress Units option.
The measurement tool can be snapped to object sides or to handles (of a wall,
for instance). In this case it moves and changes its size together with the
object. Placing handles of the measurement tool near these points will cause
it to move separately from an object. Zoom in the 2D view and move the
handles of the measurement tool around to be sure that they have snapped to
the object.

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To change the font, size or color of text, use the 2D Properties tab of the
Inspector. The font size doesnt change when you choose another scale in the
Project Setup dialog.
The Information bar displays the total length of all selected measurements.

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Images
Images on the Floor Plan
An image can be added to your floor plan. This image may contain your logo,
the floor plan or other information.
Adding an image with a floor plan is useful because you can see where walls,
furniture and other are located. For this purpose, a floor plan created in other
program should be saved in a graphic format such as PDF, TIFF or JPEG.
To add an image, choose the Insert > Image menu command. Or drag and
drop an image from Finder to the 2D view.
The image properties are located in the Object Properties tab of the Inspector.
The image size in the Inspector is displayed in the measurement units selected
for the project.
The Project Tree lets you control the Visibility and Lock options.

Images in 3D
To display an image in the 3D view, you should apply it to an object as a
material (texture).
There are several ways:
Create a custom material, and then apply it to the object.
Drag an image from Finder and drop it onto an object. This is the simplest
way. The program will create a custom material automatically and place it
in a category with imported materials. The texture will more than likely be
tiled on the objects surface.

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Creation of a Wall Picture

1. Right-click on an image in Finder
to open the Info pane. Find out the
aspect ratio of the image sides.
We have:
765 / 473 = 1.62

2. Add a wall panel from the library to your project.

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3. Resize the panel using the Object Properties tab of the Inspector. Lets
say that we need to have the height 1.5 m. The width will be calculated
using the aspect ratio of the image:
1.5 * 1.62 = 2.43 m

4. Drag the image from Finder and drop onto the panel. Alternatively, you
can choose a material in the Materials tab of the Inspector.

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5. The image is tiled. Correct this using the Texture Transform tool in the
Materials tab of the Inspector. Make sure that the Preserve Texture
Aspect Ratio is on (the chain icon indicates this). Input up one of the
image dimensions, for instance the width.

The same way you can apply a texture to other objects. But remember that
the Texture Transform tool works only with walls, wall panels, ceilings,
floors.

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Chapter 13:
Guidelines and the Layout
Grid
Guidelines
Guidelines allow you to align objects on the floor plan and mark up the layout
before drawing and placing objects. The guidelines are not exported.
To add a guideline:
Place the mouse pointer over the ruler, press the mouse button (the left
one if you have a 2-button mouse) and drag the guide into the drawing.
Then release the mouse button.
Alternatively, you can choose the Horizontal Guide or Vertical Guide
item in the Insert menu.
To select a guideline, click on it with the mouse. The selected guideline
becomes highlighted.
If you place the mouse pointer over a guideline, the pointer changes into
a bidirectional arrow. Ctrl-clicking (right-clicking) a guideline will open its
context menu.
To move a guide, drag it with the mouse.
To remove a guideline, select it and press the Delete key, or use the context
menu.
Like other objects, the guides are listed in the Project Tree. There is the
Lock option in the Project Tree: by setting it, you will prevent the guide from
unwanted movement.
Live Interior 3D also has smart guides. Smart guides are temporary guides
that appear when you draw walls, floors, or ceilings, and when you move
objects. Smart guides are aimed to help you align objects.

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Layout Grid
In addition to layout guides and smart guides, you can use the layout grid
when arranging objects in the 2D layout.
The View > Show Grid menu shows and hides the grid.
Grid spacing is linked to the measurement units used for rulers and to the
layout scale. The program changes grid spacing automatically when you
change the scale of the 2D view.
One vertical and one horizontal line of the grid cross the zero point of the
rulers.

Aligning Objects to the Grid

Only layout guidelines can snap to the grid. Objects do not snap to the grid.
To align objects to grid lines:
1. Add a guideline (using the Insert menu, or in another way).
2. Move the guide to snap it to the grid.
3. If necessary, lock the position of the guide in the Project Tree.
4. Align the object(s) to the guideline.

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203

Chapter 14:
Solving Problems
Troubleshooting
Cannot Register the Program
See recommendations in Chapter 1: Introduction > Registration.

Cannot Open the Program

The program cannot find its files or folders, or they are damaged.
Solution: Re-install the program. Before this it is recommended that
you remove files and folders according to the uninstallation procedure in
Chapter 1: Introduction > Removing the Program.
Incorrect program settings were saved in the program preferences file.
Solution: Delete the preferences file
com.belightsoft.LiveInterior3DPro.plist from the
~/Library/Preferences/ folder.
The program cannot open a broken document.
Solution: Open the program by double-clicking its icon, then try to open
the document.

Cannot Select an Object

The object you cannot select may be locked. Find the object in the Project
Tree to verify this.

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Performance Issues
To speed up 3D rendering:
1. Check the settings in the 3D Settings tab of the Preferences dialog.
Set the Full Scene Anti-aliasing parameter to a lower value or None.
Set the Reflections Quality parameter to a lower value.
If you have an option to choose between the Stencil Shadows or Shadow
Maps shadow rendering, select Shadow Maps with a lower value of the
Shadow Maps Quality. In the Stencil Shadows mode rendering works
slower but creates more realistic pictures. Switch to Stencil Shadows
in order to create screen shots or movies.
Set Shadow Casting Lights to Nearest 2 or Nearest 4. This way you
limit the number of light sources considered in the current 3D scene.
Make the 3D view window size as small as possible for comfortable
work. This is effective on computers with small amount of video
memory.
While you are working on the project, choose View > 3D View >
Rendering Quality > Without Lights and Shadows mode in the
main menu. Choosing Lights Only is less effective.
On a Mac with the Retina display, deselect the Retina High
Resolution check box.
2. Keep this in mind when you are editing your project.
In the Project Tree hide those objects that arent critical for your current
work, or those which are invisible from the current point of view. For
example, if you have a very detailed model of the car in the garage, or
a lot of trees outside, hide them while you are editing the interior of the
rooms.
Turn off the light sources located outside the room you are editing, and
those which arent critical for the current 3D scene. You can control the
light sources on the Lights Properties tab of the Inspector.
Objects shouldnt plunge into the floor, ceiling or walls. To be sure that
an object is placed properly, activate the Glue By (appropriate object
side) option, and move the object around to let it snap to the floor,
ceiling or other nearby surface. Be careful when you change the objects
elevation manually.

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205

Draw the walls carefully. Red circles on the floor plan indicate the places
where walls join not neatly. Fix all such issues.
Avoid opening more than one project at the same time. Such projects
opened in the background consume computer resources that could be
used for the project you are working on.
Dont use too many reflective materials. The program performance can
drop down if you apply reflective materials to a large number of small
objects.
Avoid creating many variations of the same object using the Type and
Representation dialog (3D properties) or in the SketchUp application.
The more different objects are present in the project, the longer
rendering takes. The program works faster with a number of copies of
the same object rather than with the same number of different objects
(of the same complexity). The program uses one pattern object for all
its copies in the project. An object even slightly modified can be treated
it as a completely different one.
The following settings can also help you optimize the program performance.
Parameter or Property

Where to Change

Set To

Affected
View

Decrease Quality when

Moving
(does not increase the
speed of walking when
Rendering Quality is set
to Without Lights and
Shadows)

Program
Preferences -> the
3D Settings tab

No Lights and
Shadows

3D

Textures Filtering

Program
Preferences -> the
3D Settings tab

Bilinear
(setting None
can make the
quality of the
3D picture
unacceptable)

3D

Cast Shadows
(switch off shadows of
unimportant objects,
and when the shadow is
invisible because of the
object location)

Inspector window
-> the Object
Properties tab

Off

3D

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Animate Library 3D
Preview by Default

Program
Preferences -> the
Miscellaneous tab

Off

2D and
3D
when the
library is
shown

Rulerlines

View menu

Off

2D

Rulers

View menu

Off

2D

Red Circles on the Floor Plan

Every red circle on the floor plan indicates a place where wall segments are
joined incorrectly. A bad joint may cause problems with creating automatic
floors and ceilings, displaying the affected walls in the 3D view, etc.
To fix the problem, you should move a segment aside and then return it back
to its place. If this doesnt help, delete the affected segments and add them
again.

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Printing Problems
The printer does not print:
Check the cable connection between the printer and the computer.
Make sure the printer is turned on.
If several printers are installed in your system, make sure the correct
printer is selected in the program.
Check the paper source selected for the printer: some printers have
several input trays.
Make sure paper is properly loaded into the printer.
If your printed text or images have low quality (light stripes or gaps on the
printout, the printout fades out, you see wrong colors), check the ink or toner
level.
If the

printout is blurry, or ink dries out for a long time:

Make sure the paper meets the printer specification requirements.
Check if the correct side of the paper is used.
Check if the proper paper type is selected in the printer settings.

To understand the cause of the problem, make a test printout from another
software. If the problem persists, the problem is connected with the hardware.
For more detailed guidance, refer your printer Users Manual.

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Known Issues and Limitations

The developer is constantly working to resolve problems that appear in the
software. The developer is aware of the inconveniences and problems listed
below.
To avoid submitting a duplicate problem report, please check if the issue is
already listed here.

3D View is too Small

The 3D view is too small or it doesnt expand by resizing the main window.
Unlike the 2D view, the size of the 3D picture is limited by the amount of the
video memory in your computer. To find out whether the problem is connected
with a broken 3D picture (possible bug) or memory limitation (normal
behavior), look at the 3D picture in a blank document. The 3D View should
have a plain gray background. The 3D picture should have a shadow along
two or more opposite borders. When you make the main window smaller,
the 3D picture may take all the space in the view area. In this case the gray
background and shadow will disappear.

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Video Cards that do not Support Per-pixel Lighting

The following and earlier models dont support per-pixel lighting:
GeForce4 Ti , GeForce3, GeForce2 MX/4 MX, Radeon 9000/9200, Radeon
8500, Radeon 7200/7500, Radeon 7000.
To find out which type of video card is in your computer, click the Apple menu
and choose About This Mac. Then click the More Info button to open the
system profiler and navigate to the Graphics/Displays section.

The Project Exported to SketchUp Contains Unwanted

Triangles
The project or objects exported in Trimble SketchUp format contains unwanted
triangles.
The incorrectly exported model looks in SketchUp this way:

The correctly exported model:

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To solve the problem, in the 3D Settings tab of the program Preferences

(Cmd-,) select the Stencil Shadows shadow technique instead of Shadow
Maps before exporting.

VRML Player Displays a Project too Dark

This can happen because players support limited number of simultaneous light
sources. The VRML 2.0 specification requires for support at least eight light
sources. If your VRML file is displayed much darker then your project in the 3D
view in Live Interior, try to turn off some light sources and export VRML again.
Different VRML players support different number of light sources. For example,
Instant Player 2.0.0beta7 worked normally only with seven (or less) light
sources.
Note that the spotlight in a VRML player should also be considered as a light
source. Turning it on you may exceed the limit.

An Object Doesnt Cast a Shadow

Make sure that:
The appropriate rendering mode is activated. Choose View > 3D View
> Rendering Quality > Lights & Shadows.
The object has the Cast Shadow check box selected in the Object
Properties tab of the Inspector.
If there is no shadow anyway, check how many triangles the object has. If
the number of triangles indicated in the 2D toolbar is greater than 32000, the
object cannot cast a shadow.

Chapter 14: Solving Problems

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Technical Support
The developer of Live Interior 3D offers free technical support.
By E-mail:
[email protected]
Technical support form on BeLights website:
http://www.belightsoft.com/support/
Forum on BeLights website:
http://www.belightsoft.com/forum/
When reporting a problem, please make sure to specify:
The version of Live Interior 3D you are using.
The version of Mac OS X installed on your computer.
Your previous actions that could have lead to the problem.
If the problem persists, describe how to reproduce it.
When necessary, illustrate your report with screenshots (press CmdShift-3 to save a screenshot on your Desktop).