3D rendered walk throughs

Ecuadorian

So you basically need to fly around your design. I've done this quite a few times.

Try buying smustard's "Camera path" ruby and then render the resulting animation with any render plug-in that supports scene animation, or... try to avoid curved paths, sticking instead to simple camera movements, like I did here with Twilight:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNVqKh2k164
Export to an external render program with a Studio environment capable of creating fly-throughs, like Kerkythea, Vue or Artlantis. With a studio you'll get the smoothest camera path. I've used both Artlantis (old versions) and Kerkythea for this purpose. Pete Stoppel (solo) has used Vue with superb results.
Check the old Artlantis 4.5 in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR3zw-G3PvM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uut3l2dJPns
And Kerkythea:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3cwW2xkloA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiS3l6otTQw
You can also do all material set-up in Twilight and then export to Kerkythea to create the smooth camera path and the animation.
Do it in LightUp. With LightUp you don't need to place any cameras, just fly around while recording your movements. A couple of lazy examples by me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdTdK__qaE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hdTdK__qaE

xrok1

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

BTW, i installed flash 10 and now youtube looks better in FF

numbthumb

Thanks for the reply, Pixero.
I wasn´t even able to start it due to some side-by-side configuration error.

ashscott

Thank you all very much guys, There is now lots for me to consider, the effects you are getting, Ecuadorian, are just what I'm after. Pending IP issues I'll post the result here in a few weeks.

Thanks again

AcesHigh

hasnt someone mentioned a few months ago a plugin (or external program?) to export Sketchup Geometry to the HALF LIFE 2 game engine???

I guess that "playing" inside a house created with Sketchup would be the best walkthrough available, considering how smooth the HL2 engine is... of course, it doesnt make much sense to show you running around your client´s house holding a machine gun, but I guess you can change that with a mod

solo

but would be accurate depiction of the estate agent as a zombie.

Gaieus

Wouldn't you (or anyone who wants to see the walkthrough) need to buy the game for it?

numbthumb

Yeah, I guess you could do that. Although I wouldn´t mind a bit of good old fashion FPS with SU models as well.
BTW are you referring to SketchUp Source Tools?
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SketchUp_to_Hammer_Export_plugin
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SketchUp_to_SMD_Export_plugin

xrok1

i think Playup? http://www.playuptools.com/
and its the crysis engine "CryEngine2" if thats what your refering to.

numbthumb

Hmm. If this is about HalfLife 2 ( as AcesHigh said ), than it has to be the Source engine ( correct me if I am wrong ), and SU Source Tools.

xrok1

@numbthumb said:

Hmm. If this is about HalfLife 2 ( as AcesHigh said ), than it has to be the Source engine ( correct me if I am wrong ), and SU Source Tools.

didn't know about that one. how is it?

numbthumb

Oh, and yes, PlayUp tools does support Valve Source
More info can be found in this thread http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=654523 where the process of getting the geometry from SketchUp to VMF is discussed. As it is said there: (among other things)
"This is especially useful for my exploration of using the HL2 engine to give real-time walkthroughs (NOT recored flythroughs) of arcihtectural renderings."
Personally, I have run into problems with complex geometry, which was totally messed up in Hammer. Workarounds in Blender or 3ds Max were far beyond my capabilities, so eventually I gave up.

ashscott

Anyone had any experience with Hypermove? http://www.bunkspeed.com/hypermove/

Here is an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oi81Lo6x6A&feature=related

Supposed to be real time ray tracing. It certainly sounds impressive but does it live up to the hype? Can anyone enlighten us.....

kwistenbiebel

Princedragoncok posted some tests here on SCF before....

kwistenbiebel

Have you guys seen this .
Why,oh why can't we use this technology as a Sketchup user ?....
The Chrome Engine 4 seems even better for Archviz than crysis...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vud7p7iIV6w

[flash=560,340:3ifqe996]http://www.youtube.com/v/vud7p7iIV6w&hl=en&fs=1&[/flash:3ifqe996]

Pixero

I have played both games in the video above and they do look great.

The question is rather, can they be used commercially and do they have a effective workflow for archviz?

I don't think so.
I'd like it if they where, but they are waaay to expensive for most archviz users.
Also how would you present it to the customer?
A demo at your office (or with a laptop at the customer) or with a movie made with some screen grab software?
Unity (and others) may not look as good but at least they have the possibility to make a presentation available thru a webpage or an exe that can be put on a cd.

numbthumb

@pixero said:

Unity (and others) may not look as good but at least they have the possibility to make a presentation available thru a webpage or an exe that can be put on a cd.

I couldn´t agree more.
I actually got kind of carried away discussing something that actually has more to do with game modding than with presentation itself.