sketchucation logo sketchucation
    • Login
    ℹ️ GoFundMe | Our friend Gus Robatto needs some help in a challenging time Learn More

    Method to make models lighter?!

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved SketchUp Discussions
    sketchup
    17 Posts 8 Posters 7.8k Views
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • M Offline
      Marron
      last edited by Marron

      Hi!

      I have for a long time searched for a way to simplify models. I have tried some poly reduce plugins but SketchUp just hangs.
      I have tried to export as collada, used mesh lab to reduce polygons but with poor results.

      We often convert CAD files to skp and sometimes the geometry is very complex.

      Is there anyone who has a good method for reducing polygons and make the models lighter?

      Below is a download link to the model I have problems with right now. It is a part to a robot.
      I would like to reduce the size from 29 to 7-8 MB.

      http://www.speedyshare.com/file/D8tRB/IRB760-450-318-Link3a-CAD-00-v2.zip

      2012-02-03_101913.png

      Thanks in advance!

      /Marcus

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • thomthomT Offline
        thomthom
        last edited by

        No model is attached. 29MB is too big for the forum. Can you upload to a third party hosting? Maybe a screenshot in the post as well?

        Thomas Thomassen β€” SketchUp Monkey & Coding addict
        List of my plugins and link to the CookieWare fund

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • M Offline
          Marron
          last edited by

          @thomthom said:

          No model is attached. 29MB is too big for the forum. Can you upload to a third party hosting? Maybe a screenshot in the post as well?

          Sorry, fixed [attachment] now! πŸ˜ƒ

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Dave RD Offline
            Dave R
            last edited by

            I don't have time to download your model to see if you've done this but one thing you could do is split the model down its centerline, delete half, make the other half a component, copy it, flip it to mirror and place the copy next to the original component.

            I did that with this pipe clamp for the orange parts as well as the crank. That as well as using components for the threads makes this clamp a very small SketchUp file at 179 Kb.


            http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6733484733_d29d75f500.jpg

            Etaoin Shrdlu

            %

            (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

            G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

            M30

            %

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • hellnbakH Offline
              hellnbak
              last edited by

              Wow! When you turn on hidden geometry this thing turns almost black! You say you want to reduce it to somewhere between 7-8MB, something like this shouldn't even come close to being that large. I'm certainly no expert in this area, but I'd have to say that reducing the polys on something like this isn't going to give you acceptable results. Just way too many polys to begin with. But hey, I could be wrong. It hasn't happened yet, but there has to be first time πŸ˜†

              "Politicians are just like diapers -- they need to be changed often, and for the same reason"

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • TIGT Offline
                TIG Moderator
                last edited by

                Marcus
                You are unlikely to simplify it with the click of a button - it's just too complex for any tool's algorithm to work out what's important to be left in the form... so it's a 'redraw'...
                If you were going to model this small item from scratch, as a new SKP it would be many orders of magnitude lighter.
                The rounded off portions have thousands of facets, which are just not needed.
                There are thousands of coplanar [or effectively coplanar] edges etc...
                If you had modeled a whole town it would been a smaller file!
                It'd be easier to redrawn it using the original as a base, and save as a separate MUCH lighter SKP...
                You can adjust Style settings to reduce modeling 'drag' but on a file this size some is inevitable...
                What is the work flow?
                Is this 'robot-arm' something you want to include in a larger model ?
                The accuracy of its representation is academic if being super-accurate kills your PC!
                [Re]Make it only as detailed as it needs to be in your SKP context, if it's only seen from a distance then it doesn't need to every tiny detail does it ? It's been modeled to make accurate castings not for use in a SKP.

                TIG

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • hellnbakH Offline
                  hellnbak
                  last edited by

                  I have a fairly powerful computer and it could not explode this thing. Struggled for 18 minutes before I gave up. Never seen so many polys in one place 😲

                  "Politicians are just like diapers -- they need to be changed often, and for the same reason"

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • Rich O BrienR Offline
                    Rich O Brien Moderator
                    last edited by

                    I got it to 9.5mb and it's not mirrored so I think 5mb is feasible.

                    Reduced.png

                    Reduced_2.png

                    Download the free D'oh Book for SketchUp

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • soloS Offline
                      solo
                      last edited by

                      I guess the question is, what quality do you need?

                      What do you plan to do with the model? Render, 3d printing?

                      http://www.solos-art.com

                      If you see a toilet in your dreams do not use it.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • M Offline
                        Marron
                        last edited by

                        Thanks to all of you!

                        We are an automation company and we use models of robots and other equipment to make 3D layouts of our concepts. So the quality doesn't need to be that good.

                        Here is the whole robot in this case:

                        http://www04.abb.com/global/gad/gad02007.nsf/0/82CF3B4294860215C125785000218FE5/$File/add1-white_720.jpg

                        The mirror method was clever. Rich O'Brien, thanks for your work. Can you tell me your method?

                        TiG, yes that's probably the most efficient way the make the model lighter. This part became 29 MB, but the other parts of the robot have a size of 300 kb - 2 mb.

                        Thanks again, now I know how I need to handle this.

                        /Marcus

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Dave RD Offline
                          Dave R
                          last edited by

                          Marcus, it looks to me as if nearly all of the robot could be done with halves that are mirrored. And if you are using the SketchUp model to make 3D layouts, I think you could further simplify the components by leaving out a lot of the fine detail. I would assume your layouts would include things other than the robot so you'll find that it is extremely worthwhile to reduce it as much as possible.

                          Etaoin Shrdlu

                          %

                          (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                          G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                          M30

                          %

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • TIGT Offline
                            TIG Moderator
                            last edited by

                            The 'Mirror' method is quite straightforward...
                            When you are making an object that has an axis of symmetry you make a component of one half and place a second instance of it next to the first one, Scaling -1 and snapping edges together as required [if the 'mirroring-plane' is not axial then there is then my Mirror tool that will automate the process a little for you].
                            If desired, you can then make a single component of the two sub-component 'halves'.
                            When you edit one side the other half automatically adjusts to match.
                            To see what you are doing use the View > Compo Edit to toggle the rest of the model and similar components on/off - sometimes it's useful to be able to snap other things but sometimes they can obscure your view/picking...
                            It there isn't a natural 'line' at the junction of the parts you can select the edges that abut and 'hide' them, so the two parts appear to blend seamlessly together...
                            If you have more axes of symmetry you can of course have more copies of the parts, so editing one edits the other[s]...Capture.PNG

                            TIG

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Alan FraserA Offline
                              Alan Fraser
                              last edited by

                              I really would suggest modelling the entire thing from scratch. Maybe by importing the original CAD work one piece at a time, placing it on a separate layer that can be hidden when not in use, then taking measurements from it to construct a lighter version.
                              We do stuff of similar complexity for architectural vusualization. So just to give you some idea of what to aim for, what is possible...and what it will look like; the model below...the entire model...is only 4294 faces and weighs in at 452 Kb...less than half a megabyte.

                              http://www.formfonts.com/files/1/7387/getinge-booms_FF_Model_ID7387_1_getingeboomsJPG.jpg

                              3D Figures
                              Were you required to walk 500 miles? Were you advised to walk 500 more?
                              You could be entitled to compensation. Call the Pro Claimers now!

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Dave RD Offline
                                Dave R
                                last edited by

                                Alan, that looks like a good model. Whose boom is that? It looks a bit like some of the stuff we've got. Have you done a boom for anesthesia services?

                                Etaoin Shrdlu

                                %

                                (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                                G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                                M30

                                %

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • Alan FraserA Offline
                                  Alan Fraser
                                  last edited by

                                  It's a Getinge boom, Dave. Doesn't look like we have any anaesthesia one yet. You can see the medical stuff here. most of the big equipment starts on page 3.

                                  3D Figures
                                  Were you required to walk 500 miles? Were you advised to walk 500 more?
                                  You could be entitled to compensation. Call the Pro Claimers now!

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • Dave RD Offline
                                    Dave R
                                    last edited by

                                    Ah. Thanks. That Philips MP70 looks nice but the heart rate is too high and the SpO2 is too low. πŸ˜‰

                                    Etaoin Shrdlu

                                    %

                                    (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                                    G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                                    M30

                                    %

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • Alan FraserA Offline
                                      Alan Fraser
                                      last edited by

                                      @dave r said:

                                      .....but the heart rate is too high and the SpO2 is too low. πŸ˜‰

                                      Sounds like the results of my last check-up. πŸ‘Š

                                      3D Figures
                                      Were you required to walk 500 miles? Were you advised to walk 500 more?
                                      You could be entitled to compensation. Call the Pro Claimers now!

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • 1 / 1
                                      • First post
                                        Last post
                                      Buy SketchPlus
                                      Buy SUbD
                                      Buy WrapR
                                      Buy eBook
                                      Buy Modelur
                                      Buy Vertex Tools
                                      Buy SketchCuisine
                                      Buy FormFonts

                                      Advertisement