Visualizer for SketchUp

driven

you can link them together for different effects e.g. shiny_plastic, shiny-tile...

Mike Lucey

I've been using Visualizer since it first launched. It suits me as I'm not really into spending any time on producing renders. I was disappointed when they announced that they would not be further developing the application but at least they made the current version free to use.

A couple of days ago I came across AmbientOcclusion for SketchUp http://www.ambientocclusion-sketchup.com

Its much like Visualizer, couple of clicks and after a few minutes you have a render. It also offers the option of rendering in the SketchUp viewport which I rather like as against rendering in a window. After seeing the first in-viewport render I thought that Trimble SketchUp should buy this app and include it in SketchUp Pro ........ just a thought. It definitely would distance SketchUp Pro from SketchUp Make!

There are two versions of AmbientOcclusion, Lite at $39 which only produces mono renders and Pro at $89 that does color, textures and depth-of-field effects.

Its expensive when compared to Visualizer, originally at $20 and now free, but I think the output quality is far superior to Visualizer in far less time, just a few minutes for me in most cases, quite impressive.

I have emailed the developers and they advise that they have lighting among other features on the 'to do' list. Hopefully they will keep improving the plugin without making it bloated.

Here is a Visualizer and AmbientOcclusion render of a little project I'm working on. Both renders were done in around 3 minutes and I spent zero time fiddling around with settings.

Vizualizer Output

AmbientOcclusion Output

willanie

I do like the added shape detail provided by the ambient occlusion shading. Can you get reflections?

pbacot

Thanks, I thought so but I wasn't sure it was doing anything. I'll experiment more. I need reflections for exterior shots. I'd like to see more AO than Visualizer but not quite happy with what I see in the AO 4 SU app. If I want to spend more time, I go to Twilight.

BTW with the poor materials window on Mac Sketchup, it is still slow and tedious just to change material names to try different effects.

Mike Lucey

@willanie said:

I do like the added shape detail provided by the ambient occlusion shading. Can you get reflections?

I think so Will. Attached is an image from the AO site which shows reflections. I have not tried it out yet.

pilou

For SU 2016 (Visualizer yet installed on SU 2015)
Installation don't work directly !
(I suppose that is working directly if Visualizer don't yet installed!)

A little trick! (For Windows 8.1 - I don't know Mac's world! )
Make this new folder Plugins (don't existing because 2016 is new and empty)
and copy past from the ProgramData / SU 2015:
Folder ImaginationVisualizer and file ImaginationVisualizer.rb
That's all!

You must have that!

Works like a charm! And works in duplication 2015 2016 !

driven

on a mac just move /copy the folder and file into the User plugin folder and it works fine...

willanie

Great! ... I was wondering if making it work for 2016 was as easy as that.
thanks

pbacot

Has anyone had luck with pool water for enhanced materials? With a texture you get ripples, but the pool water only comes out very dark blue for me, not good for swimming pools. "Water" texture under NON enhanced textures looks OK but no ripples.

willanie

Hi pbacot,

You can use a png image with an alpha channel that is less than 1.0 or 255

Here is an example.

test_save.0738.png

pbacot

Thanks! So the trick is the texture?

pilou

http://getvisualizer.com/blog/glass-water-and-reflections.html

pilou

And with the 2016 it's very more easy because there are some new Materials !!!

So nothing to do!

pilou

Nothing to do, just wait 10 secondes for undarkness!

So you can re-import it in the 2015 and render if needing!

WIth Ivy

pbacot

Thanks Pilou! That might make DL 2016 worthwhile. (I have to update Mac OS--2016 does not work on Lion I think.)

frankwil

Can anyone expound on getting Visualizer to work in Sketchup 2016 for Mac OS X? I'm seeing no plugins, or folders for that matter, anywhere inside Sketchup 2015 that I can identify as belonging to visualizer, though I know it's there and is working for that version of SU. My problem is that I've just drawn some fairly complex models in SU 2016, but can't get visualizer to work after a normal install, and don't want to have to recreate them in SU 2015.

juju

@frankwil said:

My problem is that I've just drawn some fairly complex models in SU 2016, but can't get visualizer to work after a normal install, and don't want to have to recreate them in SU 2015.

Unfortunately I can't help with the earlier part of your query, but you should be able save the SU2016 file as a SU2015 file without any trouble at all, no need to recreate the model...

beacharch

How can I get the APP to work on Mac OS X? I saw the earlier post and saw no answer. How can I get to work?

willanie

Hi beacharch

This approach assumes you have already installed Sketchup2015 or Sketchup2014 and Visualizer.

After installing Sketchup2016
dont start Sketchup2016 yet and go to folder
/Library/Application Support/

If there isn't one already create this folder hierarchy(exactly matching upper and lowercase)
/Library/Application Support/Sketchup 2016/Sketchup/Plugins

from /Library/Application Support/Sketchup 2015/Sketchup/Plugins
copy these two items(one is a folder the other is a ruby file)
ImaginationVisualizer
ImaginationVisualizer.rb
paste them into
/Library/Application Support/Sketchup 2016/Sketchup/Plugins

Now launch Sketchup2016 you should see Visualizer under the Extensions pull-down.
If Visualizer doesn't show up in the Extensions pull-down
click on
Sketchup->Preferences->Extensions
you should see Visualizer with an unchecked toggle box ... check that toggle on
close the preferences window

and Bob's your uncle Visualizer running in Sketchup2016
(you may have to relaunch Sketchup)

beacharch

Thanks, that worked fine!