Installation and Use of the ARAS 3D Import Utility

This software is intended for well-seasoned 3D modelers. It requires a development environment be set up on the target machine. It also requires that you have a 3D CAD application, like Rhinoceros® or AutoCAD®, and be a proficient user of that program. Download and install the following software, in this order:

1. Get Visual Studio 2015 Community Edition https://www.visualstudio.com/downloads/#visual-studio-community-2015-with-update-3-free (a reboot may be required)

2. Windows 8 and Windows 10 users need to get “Games for Windows Marketplace Client” http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=201134 Select “Close” option when completed. You need a Windows Live ID to do this. If you don’t have one, you can create an ID for free.

3. Install XNA Game Studio 4.0. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cspublic/tcgp/XNA_Game_Studio_2015.exe This package will go through 5 different steps. Continue with each step, until the Microsoft Software License Terms are displayed, then click ‘Install”. Warning: If the DirectX component reports a Failure, it just means there is already a compatible version of DirectX installed on the computer. If this occurs click “OK” and “Finish”. The setup will continue.

4. Download the ARAS 3D Import Utility installation file from here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/farozone/ARAS3DImportUtility.exe You can run the .exe file from your “Download” folder, or copy it to start the installation program. By default, this installs the utility in a subfolder of the \Program Files (x86) folder and puts an icon on your desktop.

5. YOU MUST run the program as an Administrator! Right-

mouse click on the desktop icon and select the “Run as Administrator” option and agree to let the program run.

6) When properly installed, open the program and it should look like this: 7) Select the File pull-down menu, select Import, then select Static

8) A sample model of a Hyundai Tucson is included with the installation. Select it from the folder and click the Open button. 9) For this model, click anywhere in the program window, use your left mouse button to drag, right mouse button to rotate the vehicle and use the scroll button on your mouse to zoom back until you can see the vehicle. 10) Models may come in tipped on their side. Select the “Transform Model” button. Select the “Rotate” option, and set the Y value = 270. Click the <> button to apply the change.

11) Be sure to also check the scale of the model and adjust it as needed. Models may have been created with a particular unit, which affects the size at which they are imported.

Converting 3D Models to the ARAS Format using the ARAS 3D Import Utility

Once you have the development environment set up on your computer, you are ready to work on models. Models can be created from scratch, but an easier method is to find a model close to what you need and modify it to work for your diagram. Free and low-cost models are available online from 3D Warehouse, TurboSquid, and other websites. Models are commonly available in .obj, .skp, .3ds, and other formats. There are multiple programs that can be used to create and modify 3D models. To use the ARAS 3D Import Utility, you can use any 3D CAD application that can export to the .fbx file format. It is recommended that you apply textures and materials in your 3D modeling application. Once you are happy with the model, save it to an .fbx file for use in the ARAS 3D Import Utility.

Open the ARAS 3D Import Utility.

Under File/Import select the appropriate option. For example, use the “Static” option for the .fbx files that are generated with Rhinocerous. Select the file to open. The .fbx model is imported. Now we need to assign material properties. As an example we selected the window mesh to apply a glass finish, using these settings: Diffuse color: (Black) Drag the slider for diffuse back so the windows are clear. Set the Reflective Index to give the glass a reflective appearance.

Object Type: For glass, you need to select “Window”.

For the tires, set Diffuse to black, Object type to wheel, or the specific wheel on the car like “Front-Right Wheel”.

Since the tires and wheels spin select . Do the same thing for the other tires and wheels.

Select the body, and check the box for Paint, and set the reflective index to medium or higher, depending on your preference. Set the Group Type to body. For Lights (used by ARAS Reality), pick each individual group and select the appropriate “Part Type”. For this example, we selected “Right Headlight”. Set “Part Type” to the appropriate light.

With vehicles, you will want to to set the vehicle specs so the model is represented properly in calculations. Click on “View” and select vehicle specs. This is an example of the specs for a symbol that we brought in. It is the user’s responsibility to look up and verify the specs and make any necessary changes. You can change the size of the model by typing the distances in the X,Y,Z fields of the Transform Model dialog box. To use the Scale value, you enter a scale factor. With size, you enter the actual length, width, and height.

In this utility, you are embedding attributes for each object that you select. There are other attributes you can affect, so explore the utility to learn all of its features. When you are finished editing the model, save the file as the ARAS default file type (*.a3xml). The ARAS programs are designed to recognize the attributes on the symbol and there are pop-ups that allow you to manipulate how you use those attributes.

Here is the finished model in ARAS Reality.

This is the same model with all of the lights turned on.

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