My Sketchup wishes

OG1

Forgive me if I repeat anything else already posted. I know this is only my second post (I think) since joining this site, but I read almost everything in here! I'm kind of shy! Please don't diss me for this post! I apologize if I post anything that might be confusing too. I have a comprehension disability and sometimes don't explain myself well. ><

I have been using Sketchup since 2006 to create content for Virtual Worlds. I have learned that Sketchup was not made for this type of modelling, and am extremely grateful for all the developers (and people outside of this forum) who create plugins and other sources to make the use of Sketchup go beyond what its original intention was for. I started with Sketchup 5 when it was owned by @Last Software. I was hoping that when Google bought it, it would be advanced more and have more opportunity for its use.

I was hoping Google would make Sketchup compete with the likes of Blender, Gmax (at the time) and 3DS Max. I own AutoCad (old one & yuk) and saw Sketchup to be more user user friendly. In my growth from making floor plans to 3D content for virtual worlds, I had hopes that Sketchup would add more to this product to reflect what the future use of its program would be used for.

So far, it seems to me that Google has ignored an opportunity it could compete in. (Just my opinion folks)
This is the only modelling program I am comfortable with, but without Google making efforts to enhance Sketchup, I feel like they are ignoring an ever growing market. If they took me (and other 3D VW content creators) seriously, then how can I take them seriously? I would buy the Pro version in a heart beat if they finally decided to take the market I am (and others) in seriously. By the time I am done buying plugins for Sketchup, I might have been able to afford Bonsai3D or put away for 3DS Max. (OK, that was just a rant!)

Sorry for my venting, I just want Google to know how important Sketchup is to us faithful users. I know I could "go somewhere else" but I really do love Sketchup for its unique and user friendly ways. Not to mention that I am stubborn and don't want to learn anything else! lol!

I've been told to learn Blender, but I just plain don't want to! I love Sketchup.

My wishlist for Sketchup:

Expand the entire program to be Virtual World friendly, not just for architects and engineers.
PLEASE enable a new manner of applying textures to non flat faces. For example, apply a texture to a sphere or orb with no distortion. Something in the program can be told we are apply a texture to a round surface, and not a flat one.
Know what the texture perimeters are. Clarification: No matter what size a texture is, it is usually square, and in most occasions, Sketchup knows the 4 points of that square texture and has the pins on them in the correct position when clicking on a face to position said texture. However, I have come across instances where the pins are not aligned with the borders of the texture. Never have figured out why. Just asked myself "why does Sketchup do that? Why isn't it recognizing the perimeter of this texture?"
Corner to corner application of a texture. For example, I create a wall. I apply a brick texture to it. As it works right now, the texture is applied in a manner that does not follow the lines of the face being applied to. A texture is applied with no regard to the face. The texture, if right clicked on, shows up halfway through the face, instead of aligned with it. So, for instance, If I apply a brick texture to a face, the texture itself should apply itself from the bottom left corner of the face, matching the bottom left corner of said texture. Whether it tiles or not is not important, as we can fix that to the size we want. (Did I just confuse you all?)
UV mapping.
Poly statistics. I understand that the model info shows faces, edges and such, but I need a REAL computation of what the file size of my mesh is when I export it to say, .dae. If a 3DS Max user puts my dae model from Sketchup into MAX, they see more polys than I do in SU. (not sure why. I'm not savvy on that type of thing.) Sketchup is perfect for making low poly meshes, which is needed for VW environments, but what I see in Sketchup compared to what actually gets exported, are 2 different things.
No more double faces. Unfortunately, Sketchup makes decisions for me that I don't know about. I would like to be warned when a face will be created upon a face that already exists. I'm not even sure how this happens. As I said before, I am not a noob at using Sketchup, but still find this happening for reasons I cannot figure out.

There are probably more wishes I have but can't think of them at the moment, and I hope no one is offended by my post in any way. This is just my own opinion and wishes. Yes, I could go to some other program that fits my needs, but I really do love Sketchup and just want to see it, or even a separate, new version of it for these needs, to be a part of the market and area that I use it for. I'll even volunteer to do product testing!

If I have missed anything that Sketchup has to offer, please let me know! Right now I am using free version 8.0.4811. I spoke to a SU rep about the Pro version about a year ago, but could not see where the Pro version would benefit me in what I do. (compared to the free version) I'd love to hear from Pro users if there is anything it has to offer that I didn't see!

Don't throw tomatoes! I can make sauce with them!

Gaieus

Just a couple of thoughts (in order of your numbering). Not solutions, just thoughts.

what VW programs are you using?
You are an old member of these forums so I guess you are aware of the numerous plugins that can help with texturing organic shapes. True that many of them - while can nicely texture inside SU - when the model is exported, it breaks the texture into zillions of tiny, individual pieces. Is this what you mean?
Hm. I have never seen this but would of course be curious.
The reason is that SU "starts" a texture tiling from somewhere - namely from the world origin if you are texturing some raw geometry. If you group first and the group origin (or better; component origin, which you can see and manipulate) is in the corner of the face, SU will start the tiling from there.
Although we have a bunch of plugins (as said under #2 already), indeed some better and more consistent (with exporting) UV mapping would be very welcome.
I guess the statistics are different because when exporting, SU also needs to triangulate meshes and 3rd party apps see the triangulated mesh already (with obviously more polygons)

OG1

Hi Gaieus! Thanks for the reply. I didn't know someone replied to this. I thought I had my settings set to be emailed if a reply was made.

In response to your reply:

NuveraOnline, which I export the mesh from Sketchup as a .dae and IMVU, which I export the mesh as an .xmf. I mainly create for NuveraOnline now though.
I am not sure I have seen all the texturing plugins in here to be honest. That is one of the things I look for too. There are two plugins I do use a lot though (when dropper based projection doesn't quite work) and those are: UVTool kit, and UVProjection. I apologize for not remembering the developers names who made them. (fibro fog!>< )

The distortion happens in Sketchup after texture application. Not on export.
The orbs get the textures pretty much all the way, except the sides are distorted. (or top and bottom, depending on which direction (or axis) the texture is applied.)

3 & 4 are basically the same thing. After reading my original post, I just realized I repeated myself. Just described the issue in #3, and the wish in #4.

@unknownuser said:

If you group first and the group origin (or better; component origin, which you can see and manipulate) is in the corner of the face, SU will start the tiling from there.

I have never tried this, so thanks for mentioning it. I'll see if I can figure out how to do that and give it a try!

I understand the triangulation on export. One would think a simple square would turn into 2 triangles. I wish I still had the screenshot to show you (I deleted it, I think) but I had sent one of my exported .dae's to a friend to look at the mesh in MAX as I couldn't find an issue with what I thought was a low poly mesh. It then caused lag (acted as high poly) in the editor tool and client of the VW (NuveraOnline).
When she looked at the mesh in MAX, she took a screenshot of what she saw and emailed it to me. There were many, many diagonal lines on one face that I thought, didn't make sense to be there. Half of this rectangular face had many lines triangulating it, and none were on the other half. Strange thing indeed. Not sure I explained it well. I'll have to see if I have a copy of the screenshot hidden somewhere on my PC! If I find it, I will post it.

Thanks again for your response Gaieus!

opal

took me long enough to get around to posting in this thread.. OG and I both create models for NuVera and I understand everything she said up there. (she's my sketchup enabler.. taught me the program)
I have horrible vision and sketchup is the only program with an interface I can actually see to work with.
Texturing spheres without stretching.. yeah.. have not been able to do that either.
The way I get around that single face triangulation is to first group the offensive face that's a crap load of polys.. then break out ThomThom's Vertex tool plugin and make that face coplaner. (OG.. yes.. I tolja I bought a plugin) Can't say enough good things about that tool but I digress. After making it coplaner, those extra dividing lines can be erased without distorting the model or losing faces.

I* have my own little wish list for sketchup.. which involves things I really don't understand but would learn. Skinning and rigging of avatar like models*. Currently, sketchup is the red-headed step child for virtual world clothing and animation creation without those abilities. Now if there are plugins that do this, I have not found them.
My other wish is that I could use a two keystroke shortcut. Maybe this can be done but as I recall, I got an error or it just wouldn't take a second key for a shortcut. Example.. for say count triangles (good plugin) I'd like to use CT but it won't let me.

OG1

@unknownuser said:

I* have my own little wish list for sketchup.. which involves things I really don't understand but would learn. Skinning and rigging of avatar like models*. Currently, sketchup is the red-headed step child for virtual world clothing and animation creation without those abilities. Now if there are plugins that do this, I have not found them.

+1 I might even be able to teach you these things as I have plugins (and have used them!) that enables such things for using at the other place!
(they were made specifically for the other place. Won't work for Nvo. )

I know there is a plugin for this somewhere, and I can't find it, and really don't think Sketchup should be a 'plugins operated program', especially for simple things as my next wish: I want "In Model" to be MY default Materials window thingy! So, maybe give us that option in our preferences?

wonders why Google doesn't look at some of these plugins made for simple tasks and just implement them into the program. I'm pretty sure the developers make them for us who want ease of use, and probably wouldn't be offended if Google helped us get rid of plugin bloat by adding these simple tools. Hint hint.