Part 1.  Download  OpenStreetMap Data

 

Part 2.  Create a New Project and CityEngine Scene

 

1. Start CityEngine.  Click on File, New –> choose CityEngine project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Name the project file, choose either the default location or your location of choice, and click Finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Click on File, New –> choose CityEngine scene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Name the CityEngine scene, and save it to  the default location.  The default location is where you saved the CityEngine project.  The scenes folder is within the project folder. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Download the sample rule file –> Rule File

–> place the rule file “OSM_excercise.cga” into the Rules folder that is within the newly created CityEngine Projects folder.  This file will be used later to generate the CityEngine models.

 

Part 3.  Importing OSM Data into CityEngine

 

1.  Under the File menu, choose Import.  In the Import popup box, choose “OSM Import.” Click Next

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  The OSM Import popup box will appear. In the File parameter, click Browse –> locate the OSM file (file.osm) that you downloaded earlier.  In the Offset area, click Center –> In the Projection dropdown choose, Cartesian(Disable Projection)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  There are many layers within the OSM file, but we are only interested in the “Highway” layer.  Check the box next to “Highway.”  For this excercise, disable Pedestrian and Footway if they are available in the list.  –>   Check the box next to “MapOSM tags”, and “Run Graph Cleanup Tool After Import”–>click Next

–> Click Next again on the Map OSM Tags page

 

4.  Under Graph Cleanup, check the boxes to “Intersect Segments,” “Snap Nodes to Segments,” and “Merge Nodes.”  Leave the Snapping Distance and Merging Distance with the default values. Click Finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The OSM street data is now imported and ready to use within CityEngine.

 

Part 4.  Create Street and Lot Shapes from OSM Data

 

(Note that this part of the tutorial is only dealing with the creation of initial shapes.  Later the shapes will be used to create actual models. )

 

1. With the Selection tool (q) select all or a portion of the new street graph network within the viewport.

The selection should appear in the Inspector panel(Alt+I for Inspector panel) as three separate data types: Block, Segments, Nodes.   Blocks will generate parcel areas, Segments will generate streets, and Nodes will generate street crossings and intersections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Blocks (Parcels):  In the Inspector panel –>click on the Blocks tab, and click the black arrow to open the “Block Parameter” rollout.

Each of the rows under the “Name” column control different functions for creating shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Name field “shapeCreation,” switch the button to “On” to change the Value field to “true.” This will create our block and lot polygons.

If the “subdivisionRecursive” value is set to “true”, the blocks will be subdivided into multiple lots based on the fields “lotAreaMin” and “lotAreaMax.”

 

If “subdivisionRecursive” is set to false, then only one large lot will be created.

 

3.  Segments (Streets):  In the Inspector, click on the Segments tab, and open the “Street Parameter” rollout –>For the Name field “shapeCreation,” switch the button to “On” to change the value to “true.”

This will create our street shapes.

Each of the other fields under the Name column control the street shape: streetWidth, sidewalkWidthLeft, sidewalkWidthRight, curved, curvedSegmentLength.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Nodes (Crossings):  Repeat the previous steps for the Nodes tab within the Inspector.  This will create shapes for street crossings and intersections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  We can change values in the Street, Block, and Crossing Parameters to manipulate the shapes that are created.  Make a selection in the viewport, and change the shape’s Parameter values, observe how the shapes respond parametrically.

 

Part 5.  Generating Models from Shapes

 

We will start by loading a new Rule File, then applying the rule to the shapes to generate models.

 

1.  Hide the Graph Network and make sure to show Shapes and  Models.

 

 

 

2.  For this tutorial we will use a sample rule file to generate our models. This rule file will create an offset  “green” space within the lots, with a second offset that will extrude a building form.  The file also contains the Simple Streets rule file from a City Engine tutorial file. The street rule will extrude sidewalks and create crossings and intersections.

3.  Now select all or a portion of the shapes to create models.

4.  With the shapes selected, go to the Inspector tab, click the Browse button –> select the “OSM_excercise.cga” rule file.

With the rule file selected, click “Generate” at the top of the toolbar.  Our models are now created.

 

 

3.  Segments (Streets):  In the Inspector, click on the Segments tab, and open the “Street Parameter” rollout –>For the Name field titled “shapeCreation,” switch the button to “On” to change the value to “true.”

This will create our street shapes.

Each of the other fields under the Name column control the street shape: streetWidth, sidewalkWidthLeft, sidewalkWidthRight, curved, curvedSegmentLength.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  Nodes (Crossings):  Repeat the previous steps for the Nodes tab within the Inspector.  This will create shapes for street crossings and intersections.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  We can change values in the Street, Block, and Crossing Parameters to manipulate the shapes that are created.  Make a selection in the viewport, and change the shape’s Parameter values, observe how the shapes respond parametrically.

We are now ready to apply a CGA Rule file to the shapes to create our models.

 

Download the Rule file by clicking the link –>  Rule File

Replace the “Assets” folder within the CityEngine project with the “Assets” folder from the downloaded zip file.  Place the “Building_Streets.cga” rule file  in the “Rules” folder within the CE project.

 

Part 2.3  CityEngine:  Generating Models from Shapes

We will start by loading a new Rule File, then applying the rule to the shapes to generate models.

1.  Hide the Graph Network and make sure to show Shapes and  Models.

 

 

 

 

 

2.  For this tutorial we will use a sample rule file to generate our models. This rule file will create simple textured buildings from the lot shapes.  The file also contains the Modern Streets rule file from a City Engine tutorial file. The street rule will extrude sidewalks, create crossings and intersections, texture the ground plane, generate light posts, traffic and pedestrians.

3.  Now select all or a portion of the shapes to create models.

 

 

 

 

 

4.  With the shapes selected, go to the Inspector tab, click the Browse button –> select the “Buidling_Streets.cga” rule file.

With the rule file selected, click “Generate” at the top of the toolbar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will now change some of the rule parameters to create a higher level of detail for the street and building models.

Part 2.3.1  LOD

1.  Within the CE viewport, make a selection of a road model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Go to the Inspector –> Under Rule Parameters, find the “highLOD” row under the Name field –> change the Value from False to True.  This will add cars to the street model

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  In the CE viewport, select both of the sidewalks –>Again,

change the “highLOD” value to true. The sidewalks now have pedestrians, trees, and furniture.

For this exercise, will turn off the tree models–> Find the “treesPercentage” value in the Rule Parameters and change it’s value to zero.  We could leave the tree models, but we will add more detailed models in Vue later.

 

 

Part 3.2  Vue: Atmoshpere

 

We’ll now create clouds and an atmoshphere for the scene

 

1.  Tool bar –> Atmosphere –>click Load Atmosphere

 

2.  Browser through the the different atmospheres and choose one that suits your scene –> click Ok

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can make adjustments to the atmosphere and cloud layer in the Atmosphere Editor

 

3.  Tool bar –> Atmosphere –> click Atmosphere Editor

Part 3.3  Vue: Render

Start by positioning the main camera view for the final render shot. Once the view is established you are ready to render the scene

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.  Tool bar –> Render –> Render Options

2.  Under Preset Render Quality –> Click Final

3.  Render Destination –> click Render to screen

4.  Adjust the size and DPI of the rendering

5.  Click Render