Why can't the Global Scale be automatically set?

[johnswafford]

I'm back using DreamScape after about 2 years without touching it (this is my first time using v2.5), and I'm puzzled as to why DS uses a manually set Global Scale setting rather than simply taking care of this automatically according to the current system unit/scale settings. As described in the DreamScape docs, the Global Scale setting is used for scaling atmospheric properties to match DreamScape's internal units of meters.

I've become deeply immersed in MaxScript since I last used DreamScape, and in one of my scripts I've used the #worldUnits display type for a "spinner" user-interface item. This essentially does this exact conversion for my script so that the user sees and sets the units they've chosen in 3ds max preferences, while my script works with the actual 3ds max system units.

I seems strange that I can do this myself for free in my own scripts, but a $600 commercial plugin like DreamScape won't automate this simple conversion. I don't think users should have to constantly convert the various dimensions in their heads when using a plugin of this caliber, especially when 3ds max and even MaxScript are set up to make this automatic.

[sitnisati]

Hello,

The purpose of this spinner cannot be automated.
Most of the people are not modeling scene in real world scale, but would like the achieve certain sense of scale.
With this spinner user can tweak this easily without the need to rescale the whole scene.

Regards,

Kresimir

[johnswafford]

Thanks for the reply, Kresimir.

So in order for DreamScape's internal units to truly stay in meters regardless of the current 3ds max system unit/scale, DS must be internally applying a scaling factor to/from the 3ds max system units? In other words, if a user has a complete DS Sky setup and changes the 3ds max system units from meters to inches, DS adjusts its internal scaling to make sure the rendered sky is the unchanged? Is this correct?

[sitnisati]

Hello,

In that case, nothing will change as distances will remain the same, you will change only units display.

Regards,

Kresimir