Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

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BNG
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Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by BNG »

A person on another forum related to Anim8or 3d posted a web link to the sketchup 3d warehouse and I was truly astounded by the mass collection of free models that are downloable directly into the software. I'm going to try converting some of my current TS models and uploading them to their' website. 3ds, dae, dwg models can be import and converted to the native skp model format. I mostly make models for Battlezone II Combat Commander exported as X models unfortunately Sketchup can't directly import or export this model format. Fortunately most of my BZII models are really low poly as they are optimized for BZII game engine. I understand that Sketchup support some kind of animation as well. I'm doing this to share my BZII models with other BZII modders and I needed a place to upload them some where on the web. Leroy.
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Emmanuel
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by Emmanuel »

Sketchup has a lot of models to download and is easy to use for many people because of that existing content !
But when it comes to serious modeling, with big scenes and hundred of objects, hundred of textures, many lights to manage... that's an other story. Sketchup simply doesn't have all the tools trueSpace is offering, and trueSpace user interface is also superior in my opinion...

It is good to have Sketchup in your toolset though... to convert sketchup objects into cob ones :)
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RAYMAN
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by RAYMAN »

Sketchup is a pretty advanced but very specialised tool!
Its mainly the easiest and most powerfull tool for creating buildings of any sort and is
pretty easily becoming an industry standard in that discipline!
Note that you can convert to Collada in the non pro version...
The Google Earth format is a zipped Collada folder that can be unzipped..
The finest thing about Sketchup is its snapping properties and
its easy to ie distribute hundreds of windows or doors with drag or drop onto every
surface..
The Sketchup community has also made a large amount of good and effective
tools as ad ons so that it can be used as a full 3D package.. but its not initially intended for that!!!
Moi 3D is a nurbs app but its also one of the few to export to Sketchup file..
so you can ad nurbs objects directly....!
Sketchup Is not made to be a replacement for full 3D apps though so dont
get that confused and dont expect that!
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RAYMAN
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by RAYMAN »

http://united3dartists.com/forum/vi ... f=5&t=1285" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a link to the MMC 2010 that I made and won...all with Sketchup and Moi3d..
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BNG
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by BNG »

I converted and uploaded my first Truespace model as a skp file from a 3ds model that I made for BZII and imported into Sketchup. The interface is pretty cool and fairly simple like Truespace. Hopefully I can get a few other BZII modders to help out in testing to see if Sketchup can be intergrated into to useful work flow scheme for modders to share BZII assets and game models.

3ds seems to work well with the existing mod tools like 3d Exploration for eventual conversion to XSI.
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RAYMAN
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by RAYMAN »

Truespace and other models work well you just have to know that after import you have to explode the model down to the object pieces and then
smooth with the smooth command and or clean the facetted object with shift plus eraser.. otherwise you dont have a smooth object !!!! and you have the facet lines
in your Sketchup model......sometimes especialy from TS you can have holes in your geometry but you can close those very easily if you redraw the triangles that are missing....
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Sketch clean.jpg
splinters
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by splinters »

Incredibly easy to learn and use (standard CAD in the classroom) but no photo realistic rendering without purchasing a plug in such as Vray.
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

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splinters wrote:Incredibly easy to learn and use (standard CAD in the classroom) but no photo realistic rendering without purchasing a plug in such as Vray.
First of all great to hear from you Paul after such a Long time !
What you probably dont know is that you can use Kerkythea for free and it has an awsome importer also for free that supports
instancing !!!! Even instancing with parts inside a model... like windows etc !
Kerkythea is from the same guy Giannis who now sells Thea and Kerkythea is 99 % compatible with Kerkythea file format.....
Thea ist free but ist around 300 % and is integrated into Sketchup if you load it !
The Blender exporter is open source...... so what you can do is export Sketchup objects and houses and Blender animations into
ONE enviroment including morphs etc.....
Since Blender understands Collada and FBX either directly or through Autudesk conversion app.... both ways you can get
Truespace charecters etc and everything in and out of your Scenes.....!!
When you purchase Thea for Sketchup you as far as I know also get Thea Studio.. so you can also host Thea in Blender !
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Re: Anyone using Sketchup? It looks quite interesting.

Post by splinters »

395 is a but steep for me to experiment with but it does look good.
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