A Welcome Message to New SketchUcation Members

Gaieus · 28 Jun 2008, 21:37

Hi Jamie and welcome!

I'm sure you won't only "ask questions" but "answer them" in this section.
It's good to have experienced users aboard. (BTW - have I already said "welcome"? )

Voh · 2 Jul 2008, 02:47

New here. I stumbled across this program while recently at one of my architects office. I searched for sketch up and now have the trial version on the house computer and office computer. I am an engineer, and use AutoCAD all the time, but found Sketchup a great tool for my playing around with floorplans.

Now for the questions. I am trying to import a CAD file cause I am looking to model a backyard & pool to design a cabana. I traced the plat map into cad, but I to be missing something when it comes into sketchup. The imported file has no surfaces or faces. The house is simple cause it has straight lines. The pool is completely curved with a hot tub. Do i have to trace the whole shape out to create the face?

remus · 2 Jul 2008, 05:32

Welcome, and no you shouldnt have to trace the entire thing.

If you right click the imported stuff and click explode it should give you a load of stuff you can use in SU. From here you can either fill in the faces manually (by tracing a few lines) or use the makefaces ruby from smustard. Either way should work.

(www.smustard.com)

Voh · 2 Jul 2008, 15:49

@remus said:

Welcome, and no you shouldnt have to trace the entire thing.

If you right click the imported stuff and click explode it should give you a load of stuff you can use in SU. From here you can either fill in the faces manually (by tracing a few lines) or use the makefaces ruby from smustard. Either way should work.

(www.smustard.com)

Would that be an explode in autocad before inporting or explode in sketchup after importing? If in sketchup, where is that command?

remus · 2 Jul 2008, 17:16

Thats an explode in SU. You get to it by right clicking the geometry->explode.

IwanTijono · 5 Jul 2008, 14:45

Hello you guys, I'm new in this community.
I'm a sketchUp user for quite sometime but dont know about this forum, so I've been using SketchUp only in normal method w/out having knowledge that SketchUp could do more than I thought.
so,I'm glad I found you so that I can learn more about SketchUp.

Gaieus · 5 Jul 2008, 17:04

Yeah, what James says; if you have any questions, don't be shy to post them here (or in any of the related subfoums)

BUTif you have anything to boast wit, PLEASE, post it in the Gallery!

And of course - WELCOME!

deathcloud · 6 Jul 2008, 03:10

hi im deathcloud a sketchup user i use sketchu-up pro 6 and rendering it with vray...i enjoyed using it and it helped me a lot in mywork.. imcurrently working on an architectural firm at the Philippines and i invite filipino architects to log on our forum arkinoy.tk im a newbie in this forum and expects to learn a lot from the pro... il try to post my works at the gallery thanks and God speed..

Gaieus · 6 Jul 2008, 06:00

Welcome JC and I'm looking forward to seeing your posts in the gallery!

fewdavid · 8 Jul 2008, 08:44

hi everybody my name "FEW" from thailand Iam architect and use su for design and presentation glad to meet you and hope everybody comment to my post for work than better thankyou

BorgMan · 8 Jul 2008, 08:54

Hiya peeps! I'm Michael, but frankly the whole interwebz knows me as BorgMan! I've been using SU5Pro for a couple of years now (from before the Google takeover), but I must say I'm quite happy with the program, with a switch to another 3D application nowhere near in sight. I usually model Star Trek (no cannon stuff, only my own) and sometimes dabble into architecture a bit; call it a hobby of mine To be honest, the Google groups didn't really do it for me, so I decided to hop over here and see what you guys have to offer

So... Hi

Gaieus · 8 Jul 2008, 09:55

Hi Few and BorgMan - welcome to SCF!
I hope you will find this place friendly and will share some of your ideas / works over the board.

Marian · 8 Jul 2008, 13:40

Welcome Borgman....you should make a thread for your Hayden class ship in the Gallery here too, it's a perfect example of sketchup mastery.

trumpetcase · 9 Jul 2008, 14:25

Hi!
I'm a CAD user and recently discovered Sketchup, it's great. I've signed up here mainly to find the answer to one question:
I am putting together a web page and I wondered if it would be possible to embed a sketchup file in a similar way to how google maps can be embedded on a page.

What I'm picturing here is, a building or something I've drawn, in a box on my webpage, with controls whereby visitors can rotate it and look at it in 3D right there on the webpage.

I guess this might mean importing it into another program? I could always make a video of it rotating or something, but what I really want is for it to be interactive, so the user can turn it around.

Any insights would be appreciated.

remus · 9 Jul 2008, 18:12

Hi trumpetcase, as far as i know there are 2 ways to embed an SU model into a webpage. Theres a program called hypercosm which, after installing a plugin, lets you view the model in full 3D.

Theres also a little thing from google (i cant rmeember what its called, sorry.) that lets you export a series of images from your model. This can then be placed in your website and viewed in a series, giving the impression of rotating the model in 3D.

trumpetcase · 10 Jul 2008, 16:33

Hi Remus thanks for the reply. Hypercosm seems to be roughly what I was looking for except as far as I can see it requires the user to download their player so is not hugely accessible. Also it is only for windows and I am a mac user. They say on their website to tell them if you want it for mac and if there's enough demand they might release a version - so I did.

As it happens I'd had a similar idea to the other alternative you suggest and I gave it a quick go using apples' iweb. I simply rotated the model incrementally and exported screen shots as png files using sketchup's own export facility, then put them in a folder numbered in order. I then imported this as an album into iweb. iweb creates an album preview image that, as you move your mouse across it, flicks through the images in that album, so immediately you get the effect of rotating the model, faster or slower depending how fast you move the mouse. So this is a pretty good option, except that it is possibly a bit clunky and high on memory, as web sites go, like most of iweb's end results.

trumpetcase · 10 Jul 2008, 17:24

It's me again. Tell me if I should be starting a new thread or something with this...! I thought I'd share with you all the email exchange I just had with a guy from hyercosm (you can find his email on their website) because it contains some interesting links

I said to him '...Am I right in understanding the user has to download your viewer in order to view the models on a webpage? Is it possible to have a simple interactive 3D model which can be viewed via flash? Simply to give the impression of rotating the model. I'm just thinking of maximum accessibility, not requiring the user to install something new.'
and he replied:

It would be great if you didn't have to install a viewer of any kind,
but unfortunately, without a player the only things that you have
available to work with are: (1) Flash, (2) Java, and (3) Javascript.

People have tried for years to create 3D viewers using all three of
these technologies, but they are all much too slow. You can create toy
demos with them, but you can't view the types of 3D models that are
useful. For that, you need access to your machine's video card, which
requires a player.

Here are some examples that you can try out to see what I mean:

Flash
http://www.flashsandy.org/demos
http://www.cleoag.ru/labs/flex/parkseasons/
Java
http://www.frontiernet.net/~imaging/java3dviewer.html
Javascript (the slowest of them all)
http://www.uselesspickles.com/triangles/demo.html

-abe

ROQ · 13 Jul 2008, 15:44

Hello,
I'm new, live in Hollywood CA; have been using Sketchup since mid 2007 ('bout a year) for Design Review Board presentations with Southern California municipalities... as well as simply for illustration of work for clients.

Recently started doing long-distance design with online discussion and transfer of documents, text-messaging with tradesmen in the field, mobile calls with customers and contractors. Requires patience, but I see a huge future for this kind of work... contractors respond enthusiastically to the tools it provides for their client communications and their ability to see the effect of various ideas without the cost of trial and error, great flexibility.

I'm interested in learning how to add and make styles and tasteful backgrounds for renderings; am enjoying seeing the work of some very talented people on this forum.

Rafael O. Quezada

Gaieus · 13 Jul 2008, 16:58

Hi Rafael - and welcome to the forums here!

I'm sure you will have a great chance to apply some of the great styles (and much more) our most valued contributors share here as well as get some inspiration in trhe Gallery of the board!

I keep being amazed what people can come up with there all the time!

deathcloud · 14 Jul 2008, 08:38

@gaieus said:

Welcome JC and I'm looking forward to seeing your posts in the gallery!

thanks mr. admin wow this forum was awsome i hope there is also a forum like this for filipinos.. theres few of my countrymen who uses sketchup for modelling they havnt seen the advantage of sketchup.. geezz.. i m also hosting a forum but for filipino architects.. but i spend more time reading here than maintaining my forum.. thanks for the warm welcome