Swift 3D Max Rendering Problem

[daxfire]

I made a model of a small Neighborhood using sketchup, then imported into 3ds max 8 and tried to export it using swift 3d Max. I imported it into 3ds uas a .3ds file as it was the only way I could figure out how to retain the color. This is my first time using swift 3d Max so I'm not sure how everything works yet. I have used the regular swift 3D before though.

So heres the problem:

This first picture is a picture of the model in sketchup

This second picture is what it looks like after I export from 3Ds using Swift 3d Max. As you can see, the lines in the sidewalk, as well as in the windows are missing. Yet the wireframe in 3ds still shows them in there.

I tried playing around with a lot of the export options but nothing worked. Does anybody know how I can fix this? Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[gerbick]

How are the lines made? Lines/Polylines or actual geometry/polys? I've found that fine lines tend to be ignored if they're not "substantial" enough.

[daxfire]

Well I imported in from sketchup, which only has one regular line tool. So I used the same line as I did everywhere else. It appears that these lines are not showing up because theyre inside the polygons instead of on the border of them, so they don't divide anything specific. They're sort of like a decoration.

[gerbick]

Can you select them and raise them slightly above the sidewalk and windows... 0.1 movement for the sidewalk in the Y and 0.1 in Z for the windows should bring them forward perhaps?

[daxfire]

Raising them above the sidewalk didn't work, but when I go back to sketchup and change the color of every second sidewalk tile to red, then re-import to 3ds and render it, the lines do show up. So I'm pretty sure the problem is that the lines don't show up unless they're dividing things that are different colors. Have a look:

[gerbick]

Now that's just strange out. I don't have Sketch-Up installed, but the way it handles those lines and how it's defined in the *.3ds has to be odd or something in that one regard.

Also you're up closer in that second render than the first. Not saying it should make that much of a difference, but does it exhibit the same lines when you're that close when they're the same color?

[daxfire]

Also you're up closer in that second render than the first. Not saying it should make that much of a difference, but does it exhibit the same lines when you're that close when they're the same color?

Yeah, it exhibits the same lines.