Simple interior lighting

AdamB · 17 Sept 2008, 13:21

Hi
We use sketchup a lot for single family home design. We always model the interiors as part of our design study, but have not done much with interior lighting/ plug ins. Can some one point me in the diretion of an eefective tool to get started that is on the simple and cheap side.

thanks
j

You could download the free LightUp demo here .

If it works for you, then buy it, if it doesn't, don't buy it.

Adam

ridix · 17 Sept 2008, 13:42

I tried Kerkythea, but it only reads .kmz, .xml, .3ds, .obj, .sia files. In short you need to have SU pro to be able to write in the file format Kerkythea can open.

remus · 17 Sept 2008, 14:29

@ridix said:

I tried Kerkythea, but it only reads .kmz, .xml, .3ds, .obj, .sia files. In short you need to have SU pro to be able to write in the file format Kerkythea can open.

Or you can use the free kerkythea exporter, which youll find here: http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_fil_page.htm

Tobobo · 17 Sept 2008, 14:34

Remus beat me too it but....

There is a ruby available that converts the sketch up model to Kerky

Here is a link to the exporters you need

(www.kerkythea.net)

pbacot · 17 Sept 2008, 15:03

Kerkythea.

Does anyone know of how you put this on the Mac? I went to download but the instructions... I don't know what they're talking about. You need to run in some special mode, "X" this and "X" that.

tomsdesk · 17 Sept 2008, 18:01

I thought the free version wasn't for commercial use...?

Gaieus · 17 Sept 2008, 19:41

Kerkythea is free for commercial use, too.

There is a Mac version of Kerkythea now as well.

The SU2KT exporter will export your SU model to an xml format Kerkythea can read.

For more info, visit the KT site.

Paris · 17 Sept 2008, 21:02

@pbacot said:

Kerkythea.

Does anyone know of how you put this on the Mac? I went to download but the instructions... I don't know what they're talking about. You need to run in some special mode, "X" this and "X" that.

DITTO HERE...
I'm running 10.5.4 and XII is installed, however, when I download Kerkythea there is no icon to actually open the app.
Compared to the ease of Podium, Kerkythea is lame!

Gaieus · 18 Sept 2008, 05:17

@paris said:

Compared to the ease of Podium, Kerkythea is lame!

Interesting point of view. I have never had any problem with Kerkythea. Neither have thousands of other users.

Paris · 18 Sept 2008, 15:13

@gaieus said:

@paris said:

Compared to the ease of Podium, Kerkythea is lame!

Interesting point of view. I have never had any problem with Kerkythea. Neither have thousands of other users.

I was referring to their lack of cohesive instructions for Mac users, a fact that the developers have acknowledged. Podium/Mac is seemless in this respect and their forums are amazing with clear and concise advice. I'm sure KT is a fantastic prog., I'm just having difficulty with a few issues and am frustrated that I can't find a Mac user who can help.

Daniel · 18 Sept 2008, 19:17

Joshvt, Kerkythea, Podium, and LightUp are all excellent programs that would do the job for you, and as you can see they each have their own devoted proponents. All programs have their pros and cons, depending on the user. I suggest you try all three and see which one (if any) works best for you.

Gaieus · 19 Sept 2008, 09:31

The fact is that Kerkythe is being developed by one person who (until recently) didn't have any experience on Mac. Also, this is the first release for Mac and obviously the "Mac user base" is quite small (true that Podium has only released its first Mac version, too).

All the help files for Kerky are being developed by enthusiastic users who devote their time to sharing their experiences. I find these help files quite intuitive and helpful and also the people on the KT forums (and yes, the Podium forum is alo a great place).

GreyHead · 19 Sept 2008, 10:57

There are a set of instructions for using Kerkythea on a Mac here . If you don't have the Leopard version of the MacOS then you need to install some extra code to let Kerkythea run on your Mac. Instructions are in the pdf.

To export from SU to Kerkythea you need the SU2KT plugin available from the KT downloads area here . Again, instructions are in the pdf.

Note that you need to have X11 running if you want your exported file to open automatically in Kerkythea.

Bob (who is not a Mac user)

pbacot · 19 Sept 2008, 14:34

Thanks Bob. That looks easier to understand than what I found so far.

Gaieus · 20 Sept 2008, 05:37

Yeah,I've sen that help post (glad he could help) but what you linked here is the edit mode of your own post
As a moderator, I could enter into its edit mode - I don!t know if other members could (would be interesting to know however).

Paris · 20 Sept 2008, 15:31

@gaieus said:

The fact is that Kerkythe is being developed by one person who (until recently) didn't have any experience on Mac. Also, this is the first release for Mac and obviously the "Mac user base" is quite small (true that Podium has only released its first Mac version, too).

All the help files for Kerky are being developed by enthusiastic users who devote their time to sharing their experiences. I find these help files quite intuitive and helpful and also the people on the KT forums (and yes, the Podium forum is alo a great place).

I realize my post was a bit provocative and certainly don't want to start a pissing contest. The Mac workflow mindset is quite diferent. PC guys drive ten miles to save a penny on a gallon/litre of gas, Mac guys fillup across the street.

Anywho, finally got an answer to my dilema...you got it...from a PC guy!