SU 9 Wishlist

[jgb]

@gaieus said:

Well, that's been raised, too. This way we could manipulate UV mapping much more flexibly.

Could you please explain what UV mapping is all about?

I think it has to do with photorealistic rendering but I really do not know.

[TIG]

@jgb said:

@gaieus said:

Well, that's been raised, too. This way we could manipulate UV mapping much more flexibly.

Could you please explain what UV mapping is all about?

I think it has to do with photorealistic rendering but I really do not know.

It's what happens when you adjust a texture using the right-click texture tool...
It about locating, orienting, rotating, scaling, skewing a texture's image so it's applied to a face as you'd like.
For example apply a texture to a sphere and it'll probably look wrong, to make it 'map' better onto the surface's facets you adjust some of the faces' textures UVs [i.e. put simply XYZ >> UVQ, the XYZ are relating to the geometry while UVQ relate to the how the texture is applied to the face with UV corresponding to XY values etc...

[jgb]

This has been asked before, but my current project needs it in spades.

I'm drawing fairings for my big freighter. That entails drawing a lot of lines that run very close, or co-linear to existing structural lines to get a smooth transition. That will setup my perimeter and control curves that Curviloft will need to make the mesh.

But I need to identify the fairing lines vrs. structural lines in order to refine the curves. The fairing lines are generated in a group so separation is not the problem.

IF I could simply draw lines in colour, or thick/thin that would make it a lot easier to see which line belongs to which part of the structure or fairing. I would convert them to standard line afterwards.

[jgb]

Thanks Tig; You said "It about locating, orienting, rotating, scaling, skewing a texture's image so it's applied to a face as you'd like."

I have exactly that problem applying a Bamboo texture to a tube for my Silver Dart project. I got it right for a vertical stick (a component), but when I rotate a copy or stretch a copy, it screws up royally.

The Bamboo texture originated from a .JPG photo of a section of bamboo.
Playing with materials is not an SU area that I have any experience with.

[thomthom]

@jgb said:

IF I could simply [b]draw lines in colour,

You can do that. Set the Edge Style to Color by Material, and just paint the colours you want for your edges.

[jgb]

@thomthom said:

@jgb said:

IF I could simply [b]draw lines in colour,

You can do that. Set the Edge Style to Color by Material, and just paint the colours you want for your edges.

DOHHH

And I even have the "Edge Styles" toolbar visible that has that icon.

Thanks

[thomthom]

Note that it's a slower edge style than just all one colour, so you might feel an performance hit on larger models.
But it's a mode I sue a lot when modelling from AutoCAD siteplans. Either colour each edge or simply just Color By Layer.

[jgb]

Good point, but at this time I'm just using the edge colour (Red Green and blue) to keep track of lines that need to be edited, vrs. OK lines, so the model will always revert to black lines.

[TIG]

Following on from the Texture-Rotation by typed in angle I wrote a quick tool to do it...
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=329765#p329765

[3rdEye]

I don´t know if anyone already posted one of the following, anyway (i´m almost sure someone has):

• 64 bit
• Multiprocessor support
• grouping Layers in the Layer Window
• grouping Materials
• UV mapping tools
• an improved sky model (like in bryce) with clouds generation, stars in the night etc.

greets, 3rdEye

[numerobis]

@3rdeye said:

I don´t know if anyone already posted one of the following, anyway (i´m almost sure someone has):

• 64 bit
• Multiprocessor support
• UV mapping tools

these three only 1543 times i think... for SU7, 8 and 9

[Gaieus]

[66searcher]

my wish list :
1-64 bit
2-less bugs please !!!
3-interior lighting fixtures(artificial light sources)
4-supporting right to left languages in 3d text tool.
5-preview for 3d text tool in it's window.
7-plugin manager please
8-improve animation setting & options. like any&every other 3d softwares!
9-enable curved construction lines.
10-improve text & dimension tool.(something like Autocad)

[3rdEye]

Ah yes, and not to forget:

• Sketchup Web Player (to view Models like in SU viewer),

Gaieus:

[jeff hammond]

@3rdeye said:

Ah yes, and not to forget:

• Sketchup Web Player (to view Models like in SU viewer),

i think that's going to happen via collada instead of the end viewer needing to install something on their computer in order to read the files.

mac users can already open/view/navigate collada files without needing to install any sort of viewer and i think it's just a matter of time before it makes its way into the web browsers etc.

[Gaieus]

Well, true that especially with html 5 coming to major browsers, displaying 3D content will be easier. But even nowadays you can already display your content (well, exported content - and you need a browser plugin of course) via a couple of media like 3DVia or the LightUp Webplayer. Unity also has a webplayer plugin and you can walk-about in scenes created in SU and exported to unity... Here are some examples.

[jbacus]

@3rdeye said:

I don´t know if anyone already posted one of the following, anyway (i´m almost sure someone has):

• 64 bit
• Multiprocessor support
• UV mapping tools

You're right- these requests are frequently made, though they are usually masking other more general requests. I've discussed them in detail several times in our Help Forums. Here are a few links you might wish to review:

64-bit: "Google SketchUp Questions and Ideas: 64-bit version of SketchUp" and Make a 64 bit version for XP and 7

Multiprocessor support: Google SketchUp Questions and Ideas: Multithreaded version of SketchUp

UV mapping tools: Google SketchUp Questions and Ideas: Improve Texturing Tools

john
.

[jgb]

There is to my mind one major SU task that can really take advantage of a MultiCore processor.

Autosave / Manual Save.

This is a memory read and Disk I/O process which I expect would be independent from the edit and rendering processes. The AutoSave function consumes a lot of time with large files, and is very disruptive to the train of thought when drawing, but is indispensable, and should happen more often than most people set it to. Passing this function off to a 2nd core would make any delay almost unnoticeable.

Now, how do you handle the ongoing edits/drawings during this save period, where the save function may or may not yet have read the memory locations being edited? That's the conundrum. 2 possible solutions..

1 - Well, that's what the Undo/Redo stack is all about. The 2nd core can post-save interrogate the stack to see if the save function has recorded the changes. If it has, go back to sleep, if not, append the file for the next save.

2 - Have the 2nd core copy the memory image to another area of unused memory, then do the save from that memory. In terms of memory management that would be no different than a user having to wait out a long save function before the cursor is released. The memory swap would be almost unnoticeable, and maybe even justify using 64bit ops to do just that.

I still maintain that saving the Undo stack appended to the last full save is a faster way to autosave.

[Anton_S]

I got a big wish here!!! I love new tools and other stuff, but they take a lot of space in the view. My idea is to allow sketchup view to be set full screen. I want to toggle it with one button, or some command. Ex: press F11 to set view full screen, hide the toolbars, and menus, and if click it again set the view back to standard position. I think I'm not the one who likes it, I think everyone else who read the wish would love it. Hope that wish comes true, or something like that.

[jgb]

I keep my toolbars along the top (2 rows) left side (double wide) and 1 row on the bottom of my screen.
I have a bit of room on the left for a few more icons I may need later.

I also keep 4 dialogs open along the top of the screen just below the toolbars, Components, Materials, Entity Info and Layers. Comps and Mats are minimized until I use them, Entity and Layers are always maxed, in fact layers are at full length, as these 2 are used constantly. All that real estate takes about 1/2 the total screen area leaving me a smaller square as my work space. I even have my Windows XP toolbar at screen bottom minimized for a bit more work space. It rises up when by cursor hits screen bottom edge.

However, as Anton_S stated correctly, this does take a lot of space away from drawing, and there is no way I know of to toggle hide the toolbars with a single keystroke/shortcut, and I wish there was. There is a toggle for the dialogs, <Window><Hide/Show Dialogs> which is now a shortcut key