Default Direction of Appearance (RenderStyle) Picture?

[C-Hoppen]

Hello,

please see the attached image. A wood appearance was assigned to a face.

How can I obtain the default mapping direction from this / any plane face?

I need to know the direction where the texture is rotated by 0 degree.

Thanks

Christoph

[philippe.leefsma]

It's probably buried inside the appearance settings.

Run the following VBA code and analyze the result:

Public Sub GetAppearanceSettingsToFile()

    Dim doc As PartDocument
    Set doc = ThisApplication.ActiveDocument
    
    Dim appearance As asset
    'Set appearance = doc.Assets.item("Rot_Transparent")
    Set appearance = doc.ActiveAppearance

    Dim f As Integer
    f = FreeFile()
    Open "C:\Temp\" & appearance.DisplayName & ".txt" For Output As #f

    Print #f, "Appearance Name: " & appearance.DisplayName

    Dim value As AssetValue
    For Each value In appearance
        PrintAssetValueToFile f, value, 5
    Next

    Close #f
    
End Sub

Private Function ColorToString(InColor As color) As String
    ColorToString = "[" & InColor.Red & ", " & InColor.Green & ", " & InColor.Blue & ", " & InColor.Opacity & "]"
End Function

Private Sub PrintAssetValueToFile( _
    ByRef f As Integer, _
    ByRef inValue As AssetValue, _
    ByRef indent As Long)
    
    Dim indentChars As String
    indentChars = space(indent)
    
    Print #f, indentChars & "Value"
    Print #f, indentChars & "  DisplayName: " & inValue.DisplayName
    Print #f, indentChars & "  Name: " & inValue.name
    Print #f, indentChars & "  IsReadOnly: " & inValue.IsReadOnly
    
    Select Case inValue.ValueType
    
        Case kAssetValueTextureType
        
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Texture"
            
            Dim textureValue As TextureAssetValue
            Set textureValue = inValue
            
            Dim texture As AssetTexture
            Set texture = textureValue.value
            
            Select Case texture.TextureType
                Case kTextureTypeBitmap
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeBitmap"
                Case kTextureTypeChecker
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeChecker"
                Case kTextureTypeGradient
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeGradient"
                Case kTextureTypeMarble
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeMarble"
                Case kTextureTypeNoise
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeNoise"
                Case kTextureTypeSpeckle
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeSpeckle"
                Case kTextureTypeTile
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeTile"
                Case kTextureTypeUnknown
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeUnknown"
                Case kTextureTypeWave
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeWave"
                Case kTextureTypeWood
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: kTextureTypeWood"
                Case Else
                    Print #f, indentChars & "  TextureType: Unexpected type returned"
            End Select
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Values"
            Dim textureSubValue As AssetValue
            For Each textureSubValue In texture
                Call PrintAssetValue(textureSubValue, indent + 4)
            Next
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeBoolean
        
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Boolean"
            
            Dim booleanValue As BooleanAssetValue
            Set booleanValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: " & booleanValue.value
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeChoice
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Choice"
            
            Dim choiceValue As ChoiceAssetValue
            Set choiceValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: " & choiceValue.value
            
            Dim names() As String
            Dim choices() As String
            Call choiceValue.GetChoices(names, choices)
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Choices:"
            
            Dim i As Integer
            For i = 0 To UBound(names)
                Print #f, indentChars & "      " & names(i) & ", " & choices(i)
            Next
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeColor
        
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Color"
            
            Dim colorValue As ColorAssetValue
            Set colorValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "  HasConnectedTexture: " & colorValue.HasConnectedTexture
            Print #f, indentChars & "  HasMultipleValues: " & colorValue.HasMultipleValues
            
            If Not colorValue.HasMultipleValues Then
                Print #f, indentChars & "  Color: " & ColorToString(colorValue.value)
            Else
                Print #f, indentChars & "  Colors"
                
                Dim colors() As color
                colors = colorValue.Values
                
                For i = 0 To UBound(colors)
                    Print #f, indentChars & "    Color: " & ColorToString(colors(i))
                Next
            End If
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeFilename
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Filename"
        
            Dim filenameValue As FilenameAssetValue
            Set filenameValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: " & filenameValue.value
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeFloat
        
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Float"
            
            Dim floatValue As FloatAssetValue
            Set floatValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: " & floatValue.value
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeInteger
        
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Integer"
            
            Dim integerValue As IntegerAssetValue
            Set integerValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: " & integerValue.value
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeReference
        
            ' This value type is not currently used in any of the assets.
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: Reference"
            
            Dim refType As ReferenceAssetValue
            Set refType = inValue
            
        Case kAssetValueTypeString
            Print #f, indentChars & "  Type: String"
            
            Dim stringValue As StringAssetValue
            Set stringValue = inValue
            
            Print #f, indentChars & "    Value: """ & stringValue.value & """"
            
    End Select
End Sub

Regards,

Philippe.

[C-Hoppen]

You better burry this sample 😉  
If I copy and run this api sample it runs into errors. This whole "appearance" and its object model ist weird b*llsh*t. The solution to my question can be found in the Face.Evaluator:

                Inventor.SurfaceEvaluator oSrfEvaluator;
                oSrfEvaluator = oEbeneFläche.Evaluator;

                Inventor.Box2d oParamRange;
                oParamRange = oSrfEvaluator.ParamRangeRect;

                double[] oPoint1 = new double[2];
                double[] oPoint2 = new double[2];
                double[] oParams1 = new double[2];
                double[] oParams2 = new double[2];
                oParams1[0] = oParamRange.MinPoint.X; // "bottom left"
                oParams1[1] = oParamRange.MinPoint.Y;
                oParams2[0] = oParamRange.MaxPoint.X; // "bottom right"
                oParams2[1] = oParamRange.MinPoint.Y;

                oSrfEvaluator.GetPointAtParam(ref oParams1, ref oPoint1);
                oSrfEvaluator.GetPointAtParam(ref oParams2, ref oPoint2);

                // local X Axis is default direction of texture:
                //
                Inventor.Vector oXAxis;
                oXAxis = oTG.CreateVector(
                    oPoint2[0] - oPoint1[0],
                    oPoint2[1] - oPoint1[1],
                    oPoint2[2] - oPoint1[2]);