This is "the" Newbie forum here!

Hi guys, The exported kmz (zip) file contains a kml file with the camera definitions of the scenes. It will add a <LookAt> tag to every scene you have in the skp file and can even "play" them as an animation. So briefly and strictly speaking, there is indeed no camera location in the Collada/dae file itself however there could be some possibility to extract the camera data from the kml file itself and use it somehow for the model file (out of my realm of course). Note however that these camera locations are pretty far from (i.e. not exactly the same as) what you can actually see in SU so I am not sure it's worth the effort. See a kmz file with three scenes (you can "play" those in GE and renaming to zip, you can access the kml file, too) which would look something like this: [image: VgSH_CameraLookAt.png] GaieusLoc.kmz

due to the dread Caliche soil here in Austin: it shifts everything so what you put down does not stay there. A good fabric base will just slide about on the ground (and hopefully the sides will stay up). I am sorry I was not more clear about stating my needs. I need to make one and set it up, then find out just how practical it is. Thanks for the help, I will try the spiral-on-a-cone one (sounds like something you get at Dairy Queen.)

Thanks, Rich. I'll give Twilight a spin and take it from there.

Yes, that sounds like it should be fairly straightforward.

Those plugins are exactly what I was looking for, thank you both for your answers.

I need to be able to rotate around the model. It is a campus model and it will be used to identify parking and its relationship to the entrance for accessibility. I need a QTVR 3d object file so the graphic design firm can add a legend and a few other things around the model and they said that is the type of file they want. I was wondering first how to do that in sketch up without exporting it to another program if that is possible. I tried the cubic pan our plug in but that is not what I am looking for cause that create a panoramic view and I want to be able to see all sides of my buildings and site and be able to manipulate the mouse so that it stops where I want.

Brilliant advice, thanks.

Ah great, thanks alot Gai. I did search for some answers but it was not easy to figure out what keywords that suited the issue. I will try those tips the next time it happens and see if that sorts it. Cheers

@tig said: Model Info > Animation Set Scene Delay to 0 seconds Also try adjusting transition times etc... Thanks TIG I will give it a go.

that's the question isn't it? I know there's an importer for 3ds max. It extracts the data from SL (to get around the issue of the different file layouts I assume)and imports but there are no importers for any other 3d tools that I can find so I assume that the demand hasn't been there previously as (I assume) moving the files has been confined to SL compatible platforms. However, Blue Mars is now on the scene. I confess I really, really don't want to have to start again and would love to be able to lever something out of all my SL builds - and I suspect a lot of SL creators will feel the same way, but it's too early to tell yet. There's already an exporter built into one of the SL clients (emerald) so making it compatible with those would be great as it would put a hurdle before those inworld who would seek to download content that they shouldn't be. /me smiles winningly and looks hopeful

Mate (dude), I haven't got the patience to 'evaluate' the speed of GPU's or whatever. I'd rather use that time chasing more (paid) work!

zoom extent drawing export open in Mac Preview app. choose print choose either print entire image or fill entire paper depending on drawing [image: Uqc2_box-SketchUp.png] [image: iOGg_Print.png] [image: nviX_Print2.png]

Many thanks for the quick replies, it worked like a charm, I had been fighting this problem for a while. I'm sure I will have other issues to deal with, as I learn more, but I will be looking for the answers here. I did take a quick look at the Aidan Chopra Tutorials on You Tube & they look very helpful, I guess I'll have to break down and buy the Dummies book too.

@martinrinehart said: Any contemporary desktop PC has all the power you need for SketchUp. (This does not apply to rendering programs, which like lots of power.) For good SU results you'll be happy with 2GHz CPU (single), 2GB RAM. SU doesn't eat a lot of hard disk space. Tell the vendor that the graphics card has to be SketchUp compatible. Most are. For Windows you want XP Pro. 7 is almost as good, Vista is slowest but SU can tolerate it. When buying a PC, there is an inverse relationship between price and support. Shop a bargain basement vendor like TigerDirect and you are on your own for support. Get an Apple and you've paid for, and will get, good support. Buy a PC at your local store and expect a little, but not too much, free support. Save money on your PC. AMD is cheaper than Intel. With the money you save, buy a good monitor. 24" LCD, 1920x1200 resolution. Couple of other considerations. As background I designed and built my own PC a few years ago because I was sick and tired of the never ending changes by Intel and MS then trying to force one to buy a new computer. So also think about: Do you want lap top or desk top; Do you want to be able to modify or expand the performance down stream. Like more memory, different video, larger hard drive etc. If so this probably means a desk top vs lap top; Get as much memory and USB ports as possible within your cost constraints. I think 2GB is on the low end for a general purpose machine as well as a 2 GHz processor. I have a 3.2GHz and 4GB of memory for a design that is now almost 3 years old. Get big Hard drive if possible Good monitor is right on; Good video system within your cost constraints. Sketchup only states Open GL ( Graphics Library) rqmnt. of like ~1.4 while a machine you buy now should do better than that 3.0 or better. If it is higher than this make sure it is downward compatible to the 1.4. Some lap tops are short in this area so make sure it is Open GL compliant and not just compatible; Do some reading on like CNET and PC World for their evaluation of various machines; Stay away for windows VISTA. Windows 7 is out but I think it is still too early to tell how good it really is. When you buy from say like Dell, HP etc their Windows is what is called a OEM version so you do not get direct support from Microsoft but, must go through them. Make sure you buy from some one with a good track record on customer support. Ref # 6 above. If you don't want Win 7 and have to buy VISTA check to see if the OEM's are offering a downgrade package to Win Xp. Some where because of the VISTA problems. Lap tops are nice for portability but, given the reliability of electronics is tied directly to the operating junction temp of its parts a desk top will usually be more reliable for the same performance. They usually have more fans and space for better cooling etc. that laptops . Good Luck

@pghstone83 said: I'm trying to insert a set of steps on to the back porch of a house. How do you set it up before pulling the object into the design? I figured it was like attaching the roof but no luck. Also, does anybody know a good plugin for vinyl decks and steps? See this link for tuts on steps http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sketchup+steps&search_type=&aq=f. Don't think there will be any difference for vinyl vs dimensional lumber unless you are looking for some thing which brings in the actual dimensions or the ref plugin does that. You can add vinyl to your component library Sorry did a search for Archiland after writing the above but the link should stiil show the process

I fixed the problem by unmaximising the Sketchup window and then changing the dimensions of the unmaximised window to be the same as the maximised. Makes the start up slicker and faster. The relevant registry entry seems to be: REGEDIT4 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\SketchUp7\MainFrame] "FirstTime"=dword;00000000 "wp.bottom"=dword;00000307 "wp.flags"=dword;00000000 "wp.left"=dword;00000000 "wp.ptMaxPosition.x"=dword;00000000 "wp.ptMaxPosition.y"=dword;00000017 "wp.ptMinPosition.x"=dword;ffffffff "wp.ptMinPosition.y"=dword;ffffffff "wp.right"=dword;00000500 "wp.showCmd"=dword;00000001 "wp.top"=dword;00000017 Thanks for your help.

Thanks remus. I think this will give me a head start. Cheers!

@gaieus said: Let's not talk about "images" (they are 2D raster file formats like jpg or png) but "models" that you can download from the warehouse. See the screenshot - whatever you download from the warehouse into your "In model" (temporary) library, you can simply drag and drop into the secondary window > libraries (that is on your Hard Drive) Thanks for your help Csaba!

All the styles you have "tried" so far have been probably accumulating in your file (also this is why it may be "bloated"). Especially sketchy styles tend to be big in file size as they can contain considerable size raster images. Try to purge your file under Widow > Model info > Statistics.