Using sketchup to make a skybox, or a panaramic view.

firestarter

Using sketchup to make a skybox, or a panaramic view.
(skybox definition here http://www.avantivitastudios.com/what_is_a_skybox.html)

Can one edit a cameras exact position, like have it set in an exact position, say in the center then set its angle, I want to take images of my scene from exact places, one cannot guess it for a skybox, they need to be exact, so ones needs to key in the position angle and FOV of the camera, is this posible in sketchup?

Chris Fullmer

Wehby has made a script called cubicpanoout.rb that will export a series of images that make up a skybox. His script will export these images from anywhere you have your camera already set up. Its a free script and it can be found here:

http://www.smustard.com/script/CubicPanoOut

Hope that helps,

Chris

EDIT: It is possible to set up your camera using the place camera tool. So put it where you want, then the script will export the perfect images for you so you don't have to mess with rotating the camera 90 degrees, setting the 90deg FOV, forcing the image ratio to square etc. All that is done by the script.

firestarter

If it works this will be amazing , Ill play with this tommorrow, for city scape skyboxes this will really do the trick

Gaieus

Not only it works but it exports your images so that later you can even stitch them together to make a 360 degree QuickTime Panorama movie.

There is trick however; turn off shadows and turn on "use sun for shading" only otherwise the top and bottom faces of the cube will be darker and you will see the seam between them and the side faces.

firestarter

I turned of shadows from view, then just unchecked shadows,
use sun for shading - where is the checkbox for that, I dont see it any place?

Alan Fraser

It's right underneath the brightness sliders on the Shadow Settings box.

firestarter

I go to window from the top menu, then shadow settings in the drop down menu, it opens a menu file, there is a checkbox for display shadows, we uncheck that box as instructed, under it is time and date sliders, under that is light and dark sliders, then we have written, display, under that check boxes for on faces, on ground , from edges.
And nothing else, this is version 5 of sketchup, either Im on the wrong thing, or in my version the setting is some other place, or it is in version 6 only.

mine is this

not this

EDIT
I found it, its in Display settings for versions of SU older than 6