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solo

I use Vue a lot and use .skp -->.3ds using Deep Exploration and it works great for me so far.

remus

Solo, does that preserve the textures on the SU model?

Im looking at giving vue a go (nothing to do with the fact that theyve got a free PLE version, i swear.)

Alan Fraser

I haven't used Vue for a while, but my experience of it was that it did mess up the textures if you exported to 3ds with welded vertices. The trick was to export preserving the texture coordinated then weld the vertices in Vue. You just need to be a little careful of material grouping, then it's no real problem.

Here's a thread on the old forum that explains the procedure. This was prior to V6 and does not contain textures, but it does explain about the Split function in Vue.
http://betaforum.sketchup.com/showthread.php?t=54994&highlight=vue+alan+export

remus

Cheers alan, im assuming thats the case if you use deep exploration to convert as well?

solo

Remus, Yes it does maintain the texture coordinates.
tell you what, once you up and running with the PLE version and you have a model thats textured and want it used in Vue let me get it and convert it for you. However with a prog like Vue why in the world would you want to texture in SU in the first place? Just export your model using colors for textures and do the texturing in Vue, and if using a photo texture then map it in SU and you will notice it will be maintained in Vue and can even be replaced with a higher resolution one in vue.

remus

Cheers solo. Didnt realise vue did texture mapping, another thing i'll have to have a look at.

Bruell

@solo said:

I use Vue a lot and use .skp -->.3ds using Deep Exploration and it works great for me so far.

where is this deep exploration? in SU? in the export? or in the Vue Import? I used OBJ because the 3ds resulted in missing geometry and twisted faces.

remus

Deep exploration is a rather pricey file conversion/management program. It does a very good job of converting files between lots of formats, often a lot better than the SU exporters can do.

john.warburton

@unknownuser said:

One of the new features will be called Nibble, This feature will progressively Eat away at your model until eventually there is nothing left. The process can be controlled and the amount of nibble and the rate of nibble and when to stop the nibble are user controlled.

I also heard that they were thinking of features called "lick" and "suck" until the marketing people thought about the slogan ...

plot-paris

@john.warburton said:

I also heard that they were thinking of features called "lick" and "suck" until the marketing people thought about the slogan ...

tomasz

@john.warburton said:

features called "lick" and "suck"

I think new version will be much different. They could call it SuckIt Up 1.0... beta ??

Now taking seriously. I have an impression that Google is preparing something similar to the 'Chrome' but in 3D world. It takes so long because:

they are(?) almost rewriting the whole thing
Google SU Team members were excited at Base Camp - because they are working on an 'open source(?)' new approach to 3D modelling and because they are able involve their own talents and ideas
they are(?) creating Linux version as well

I wish it was true

Tomasz

solo

Tomasz wrote:

@unknownuser said:

It takes so long because:

LOL, could be a great thread, I will start.

SU7 is taking so long because:

They are moving the Sketchup department from Boulder to Wassilla, Alaska to avoid the 'High poly army' from gathering if it does not have features they want ...who's gonna picket in Alaska in winter?