Frequently Asked Questions
Pre-Purchase Questions
What type of computers support Awning Composer?
Awning Composer can be installed on any computer running Windows XP, Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) and Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit). It can be run on an Apple computer running Windows via virtualization software or Apple's Boot Camp utility.
How long will it take for me to learn how to use the software?
Awning Composer uses a very simple point-and-click interface. Within a few minutes you will be comfortable bringing awnings into a scene and positioning them on the picture of a building. Realistically it will take you 2 or 3 hours to become very comfortable with using the program, but no prior graphics experience is needed.
What do you offer to assist in learning the program?
The program is delivered with a printed, documentation manual. We recommend you follow the tutorial section, which will provide the basics on how to use the program. After that you can use the "Help" functionality built into the program to locate features simply by typing in keywords such as "valance" to get help on adjusting valances, etc.
What happens if I have problems or need assistance?
Our Help page offers several ways to receive assistance.
What happens when new fabrics are released into the marketplace?
Every year we add new fabrics to and remove discontinued fabrics from Awning Composer. These updates are posted on our Updates page for download and are free of charge.
Installation and Upgrade QuestionsHow do I install Awning Composer?
Go to the Awning Composer download page and register to obtain the latest version. You will receive an email with a link to download the software and another email with your registration information. The software will run in demonstration mode until the registration information has been entered.
What if I have multiple computers?
Awning Composer is licensed company-wide. Please refer to the Canvas Link license agreement for details.
Why is Awning Composer asking for a registration number?
A licensed copy of Awning Composer comes with a unique registration number. You must type in the company name and the registration number exactly as it appears in the registration instructions before Awning Composer will run in non-demonstration mode.
My registration number won’t work, what should I do?
The most common cause of this problem is incorrectly typing the company name exactly as it is shown in the registration instructions. Upper and lower case, punctuation and proper spacing all must be put in exactly as shown or the registration number will not be accepted. If you are still having problems, our Help page offers several ways to receive assistance.
I lost my registration number, what should I do?
Contact us via one of the methods outlined on our Help page.
How do I obtain the latest updates to Awning Composer?
Go to the Updates page.
How do I upgrade an older version of Awning Composer?
Awning Composer version 3 (or earlier) is no longer supported. Awning Composer upgrades can be purchased directly from Tri Vantage.
Beginner QuestionsCan I change from one fabric to another without having to start over on an awning?
Yes. Click on the awning to be changed and then double-click a different fabric to load it on to the frame.
Once I get an awning positioned, can I change it to a different awning style?
Yes. Click on the awning in your scene to be changed. Click on the "Replace Object" switch at the bottom of the "Objects" panel on the right side of the screen. Click on the new awning style you would like to see. The original awning will be replaced with the new awning and the fabric will remain the same.
What is the best way to photograph a building?
You always want to photograph a building at an angle so the awnings you put on the building will show some of the front and some of the side. We suggest going to the center of the building then walking straight away from the building until the area of the building where the awning will be installed fills the view finder in your camera. Step to the right about 10 paces and take a picture, continue stepping to the right 5 paces at a time taking pictures each time you stop (you can do this going left of center as well depending on the angle of the sun). When you get back to the office, you can experiment with Awning Composer to find the best angle to showcase your work, but an angle somewhere between 20 to 30 degrees off center seems to work the best.
Why can’t I load the pictures from my digital camera directly into Awning Composer?
Some cameras come with their own software package that automatically stores the pictures from the camera in a proprietary format. To access these pictures, they must be exported out of the camera software as .bmp or .jpg files. The best type of camera to buy is one that plugs directly into your computer and shows up as a disk drive. You can then copy the pictures directly from your camera to your hard drive where Awning Composer can easily access them.
What is the best way to store my building pictures so I don’t get confused?
We recommend that you set up a simple folder system for organizing your pictures. Start by clicking on "My Computer" and then click on your "C" drive. This will bring up a window that shows all of the folders and files in the root directory of your "C" drive. Point to an open area within this window and right click to bring up a menu of options. Click on "New" and then "Folder". This will create a new folder that you can name as "customers". Now click on the "customers" folder and follow the same procedure to create a folder for each of your customers. You can use their name or street address as the folder names. Within each of these folders store your building pictures, rendered drawings and scenes from Awning Composer.
Why does the striped awning fabric on my pictures look ragged?
Use the smoothing button located in the lower right hand corner to smooth out the stripes on the fabric.
How can I make small adjustments to the awning?
When you click on an awning, there are three axis lines that will appear: X is the blue line, Y is the pink line and Z is the yellow line. If you click on one of these letters at the top of the screen, the corresponding axis line will turn red and the motion on the awning will limited to two directions: along the axis or around the axis. By using the arrow keys, you can easily control this movement: up/down arrow keys to move along the axis and right/left arrow keys to move around the axis. To make even finer adjustments, hold down the Shift key when using the arrow keys. When your adjustments are complete, be sure to click on the axis letter at the top of the screen to go back into free movement mode.
Will the program provide dimensional sizes of the awnings I put on the building?
No, but you can enter dimensions when you create an awning and that will put the height, width and depth of the awning in perspective when it is created in the scene. You will need to adjust the awning location in relation to your building picture (see next question).
Why is the awning too big when I use the dimensions feature?
When you took the picture of the building, you may have been standing 50 or 100 feet from the building. When you bring an awning into the scene and it is too big, it means that the awning is really too close to you, so it appears to be too big. What you need to do is move the awning further away so it is the same distance as when you took the picture. You can accomplish this in one of two ways. One way is to click on the awning, hold down both mouse buttons and push the mouse away from you. As you push, the awning will move away from you and appear to get smaller (but the dimensions will not change). Pulling the mouse towards you moves the awning closer to you and therefore it appears to be getting larger. Another way is to freeze the Z-axis and use the up/down arrow keys to move the awning further away or closer to you.
How do I get text to line up with the front valance of the awning?
Left click on the front valance once before you apply text and it will automatically line up with the valance.
How do I access different fonts with Awning Composer?
Awning Composer uses the fonts installed in your computer operating system (Windows) as long as they are True Type fonts. To access additional fonts simply install the new fonts into the operating system.
How do I email a drawing to one of my customers?
Once your drawing is complete, click on "File" and then "Print Preview". This will create a rendered drawing that contains your backdrop and your superimposed awnings. Next click on "File" again and then select "Export Image". This will bring up a selection screen where you can select the resolution of the image to be rendered. After that selection a window is displayed that allows you to specify the file name and folder where the rendered image is to be saved. Once its saved, you can attach the image to an email.
Advanced QuestionsHow do I make my awnings look more realistic?
What makes an awning look realistic is shading. You can adjust the shading by pointing to a location on your backdrop that does not have any awnings, then hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse slowly in different directions. You will notice the shading change as you move the mouse. You can also use the "Ambient Light" slider to adjust the background lighting in the scene and the "Direct Light" slider to adjust the intensity of the "sunlight" being directed at the awnings. The "Object Brightness" slider works when an object is selected and can be used to simulate light emanating from a backlit awning.
How do I make my dark colored awnings look more realistic?
Dark colored awnings such as navy blue and black are very difficult to render realistically because they do not reflect the shading that Awning Composer performs. One trick is to increase the object brightness to make the color look a little lighter, and then adjust the shading as described in the prior question. You can also adjust the object brightness differently for the sides and the front of the awning by using the selection switches located on the lower right hand side of the screen. For example, to make the front of the awning appear brighter, click on the "Sides" switch to remove the check mark and then move the "Object Brightness" slider to the right to make the front of the awning lighter.
How do I make an inside or outside corner between two awnings?
First, create and complete the main awning with the correct valance and fabric options. Next use the "Add Corners" feature to create an inside or outside corner on the right or left side of the main awning.
How do I adjust striped fabric after I have added an inside or outside corner?
Awning Composer will attempt to create the corner as close as possible using the fabric and valance settings from the main awning to which the corner was added. However, some adjustments may be required.
When a corner is added to the main awning, it is created as a "Group". This means when you move the awning, all of the parts of that awning including the added corner will move as group. In addition, adding a corner also automatically turns on the "Group Texturing" option. This means that when you adjust the Texture Width or Texture Offset, all the awnings including the corners are affected.
To only adjust the fabric on a corner, you need to turn off the "Group Texturing" option. Then click on the corner to be changed and use the Texture Width or Texture Offset sliders to adjust the stripes for the corner. You can also adjust the valance on the corner separately from the rest of the awning sections by turning off the Group Texturing option. To make changes to all of the awning sections at once, turn on the Group Texturing option.
How do I show my customer an awning that is constructed from two panels of solid fabric?
For this example, let’s assume the customer wants an awning made of a panel of Jockey Red and a panel of Pacific Blue. First create the awning and apply the Jockey Red fabric. Click on the Pattern Editor (last icon to the right on the second row of options at the top of the screen) and the Pattern Editor window appears. Click on the colored square in the lower left hand corner and a Color window appears. Note the numbers shown for Red, Green and Blue. Click "OK" to exit from the Color window then click "Close" to exit from the Pattern Editor window.
Now select the Pacific Blue color and apply it to the awning. Again click on the Pattern Editor only this time click on the red "+" sign to add another stripe to this pattern. It will ask you for the size in pixels and you make the second stripe the same size as the first stripe (now you should have two stripes both Pacific Blue in color and the same width). Click on the colored square in the lower left hand corner and bring up the Color window. Type in the Red, Green and Blue values you noted for Jockey Red and click "OK" to exit from the Color Window.
Now click on the "Paint Can" icon on the left side of the Pattern Editor window and left click over one of the stripes to paint it Jockey Red. Now click on the "Apply Changes to Selected Awning" button at the top of the Pattern Editor window to paint your awning in the fabric you just created. When you click on "Close" in the Pattern Editor window, the program will prompt you to save the new fabric that you created. You can now adjust the stripe width using the "Texture Width" slider and the centering using the "Texture Offset" slider, both of which are located in the lower right corner of the Awning Composer screen.
How do I change the number of cutouts on the valance?
Use the Valance tab in the upper right hand corner of the Awning Composer screen to add a valance to the selected awning. Click on the "Edit Valance" symbol (red icon to the right on the second row of options at the top of the screen) to bring up the Edit Valance window. Use the "# of Cutouts Across Front" slide bar to make the adjustment. To review the new settings click the "Apply" button in the lower right hand corner of the window.
Is there any way to remove the sides of an awning so just the top cloth remains?
Select the awning (when its selected it will have the X, Y, and Z axis running through it and the awning style will be stated in the title bar). Near the bottom right of the screen is a window labeled "Texturable Parts." There are check boxes associated with each part of the awning that can be adjusted. Uncheck "Sides" to remove the awning sides. To make the awning look more realistic, you can add side support bars using the "Miscellaneous" objects menu on the right side of the Awning Composer screen.
Can I modify or create my own frames?
No. But you can combine different objects to create shapes that are not in the objects library.
How do I create Channel Letters?
Use the 3D Text option (small black arrow next to the letter "A" on the second row of options at the top of the screen) to bring up the "Add 3D Text" window. Enter the text for your channel letters and then click on the "Extrude Text" option. You can control the thickness of your channel letters using the "Text Depth" slider. To apply a front color, click on any front face of any letter and then click on the color to be applied. To apply color to the sides of the letters, click on the side of any letter and then click on the color to be applied.
Technical QuestionsWhen I run Awning Composer, why is the right side of the screen cut off?
Your display resolution is set too low. Check our System Requirements page for instructions on modifying the resolution.
When I run Awning Composer, why do all of my awning colors appear gray?
Your color settings are incorrect. Check our System Requirements page for instructions on modifying the color depth.
When I try to adjust my color settings to 16-bit high color or 32-bit color, I can only see options for 16 colors and 256 colors?
Your video card and/or your video drivers are not capable of displaying 16-bit high color or 32-bit color mode. You may need to purchase another video card or obtain updated drivers. You will need to contact your computer supplier to resolve this issue. Check our System Requirements page for color and resolution requirements.
When I run Awning Composer, why are the icons so large?
The font sizes for the operating system are set too large. The font size can be adjusted through the Control Panel (see Display, Settings, Font Size and set it to "Small Fonts").
When I try to print, why does the system give me an overflow error 6?
The printer is not accepting the output from Awning Composer. Outdated printer drivers usually cause this problem. Even though you may have just purchased your printer, the drivers shipped with the printer may already be out of date. Most printer manufacturers post the latest versions of their printer drivers on their websites. Downloading and installing the latest version of the drivers should resolve the problem.
What should I do when I get an Automation Error?
Automation errors usually occur due to a lack of resources (usually lack of memory) on your computer. Restart your computer and try it again.
What should I do when I get a DirectX Error?
Awning Composer could be improperly installed. Uninstall Awning Composer by clicking on the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs (select Awning Composer from the list of installed programs). Re-install Awning Composer after downloading the latest version.
I'm running Windows XP and my computer crashes when I scroll up or down in a list box. What should I do?
This is an inherent problem with Windows and one, which we cannot resolve. However, there is a simple workaround that will also improve overall computer performance. Go to the Control Panel, Display and click on the Appearance tab. Click the Effects button and then uncheck the check box associated with "Use the following transition effect for menus and tooltips".
By turning off the visual effects you solve the problem and in addition you will also improve system performance because it disables many of the unnecessary animation features.
I installed new software on my computer and now Awning Composer is not running properly, what should I do?
Awning Composer, along with most other software, uses a series of shared libraries. Unfortunately these libraries are not all at the same version, so when you installed your new software, it changed the version of one of the shared libraries required by Awning Composer.
Uninstall Awning Composer by clicking on the Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs (select Awning Composer from the list of installed programs). Re-install Awning Composer after downloading the latest version.
How do I determine if I have the latest version of Awning Composer?
To check your version of Awning Composer, open the software and go to "Help" in the menu bar and then select "About". If your build number is different from the latest build number on the Updates page, then there is an update available for download.