Edge of the world!
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Is there an easy way to add a sky background dome for your model to sit in?
My issue is that at the moment when you view the model you can see the edges of the terrain upon which the model sits. It looks like the edge of the world. Could you create a dome and import an image of the sky giving the model a more realistic feel?
Thanks!
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I know it has been tried before, although im not sure how successful anyones been at using skydomes. You may well have some luck just importing a sky image, though. It wont automatically adjust to fit your model though.
Another idea might be to use an image as part of a face me component(see attached file.)
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Further to Remus' comments, another thing I typically do is set the ground colour to a colour that works with my terrain. Typically that won't be the same exact colour as the terrain but I do use the rgb value of the terrain as a starting point when setting the ground colour. I then adjust it as best I can until I get a reasonable (never perfect) result.
Fog can also be used to bring the effective horizon line closer. To do this you assign a sky-like colour to the fog & play with the fog sliders to set its position. It can help for some models but the big downside is it produces a sky that relatively monochromatic without the gradation of the regular sky.
On many models I will end up creating some model elements that hide the ground & horizon beyond my model. Fences and trees/shrubs can be quite effective when the camera position is low. Of course they aren't always appropriate but are perhaps the most effective tool when you can use them. In the example image I attach I used a bunch of face-me trees to buid up a wall of vegetation that hides the edge of the model - so the ground colour became irrelevant. For that example the trees all came from the collection you get as a bonus when you buy Podium. Similar custom trees can be made using Al Hart's free RpTreeMaker software tool. FormFonts also have a good selection of ready-made vegetation components. (My image features lots of other FormFonts components but not their trees).
Anyways I hope these comments give you ideas on how to cope with your 'edge of the world' problem.
Regards, Ross
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I made a model using a skydome:
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a1ef1720d22e9898a380d72272f0b71fMore models you can find in the 3DWarehouse by searching: " sky dome "
Regards, Stoff
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Thanks guys. I have used a skydome from the warehouse and I am pretty happy with the result. For some reason the skydome is semi-transparent. Does anyone know of a way to keep the sky of the skydome but make it opaque?
Thanks again,
Sadz
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If you export the image and save it a jpg then reload it, it will lose its transparency.
If it's not transparent to a png's alpha channel, you can turn off its transparency in the material browser > choose the image > Edit tab > and at the bottom you will find the transparency/opacity slider. Note however that materials with 70+ % opacity will cast shadows so ou may nee to go to the entity info box of the skydome and turn off "cast shadow"
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Note that transparency on a skydome can be a very good thing. It allows you to adjust the look of the sky by simply adjusting SketchUp's own Sky or Background colour settings. It makes the skydome far more versatile. You might be able to brighten, darken, or even achieve sunset or night effects all with the same skydome.
Regards, Ross
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