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    Face Me Trees with correct shadows: where can I find them?

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    • Rich O BrienR Online
      Rich O Brien Moderator
      last edited by

      SketchUp can only cast shadows from geometry.

      To make transparent images cast the correct shadow you need to trace around them.

      Or use TIG's Image Trimmer to do it.

      Download the free D'oh Book for SketchUp 📖

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      • srxS Offline
        srx
        last edited by

        Search "scf deciduous trees" in 3dwarehouse...

        www.saurus.rs

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        • EdsonE Offline
          Edson
          last edited by

          @rich o brien said:

          SketchUp can only cast shadows from geometry.

          To make transparent images cast the correct shadow you need to trace around them.

          Or use TIG's Image Trimmer to do it.

          it does not seem to work with 2017. anyway, what would be the suggested workflow? import a png, select it and run Image Trimmer? nothing happens when I do that.

          edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
          http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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          • TIGT Offline
            TIG Moderator
            last edited by

            As far as I know my ImageTrimmer [part of SKMtools] works in v2017.
            I've not tested it on a v2017 MAC though.

            You must have Java installed and enabled and all .jar files must be set to execute in Java - some compression apps hijack the extension and stop them executing...

            You then need a PNG image with a transparent [alpha] layer.
            I'd 'flatten' it to remove all transparency, then add back the alpha layer, and select the 'background' color[s] using a magic-wand and <delete> it...
            You should now have a PNG Image to import that has a transparent 'background'.
            Note that everything you want to keep must have no transparency.
            Every pixel that has any transparency is ignored.

            Crop the PNG as tightly as possible, to minimize the transparent 'background' area, because every pixel will be considered, even when it'll be ignored !

            You select the Image and run the tool, after a few prompts it should end up being a 'cut-out' component, you can then add a face-me behavior etc to it...

            Post an example PNG and I can show you ??

            TIG

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            • srxS Offline
              srx
              last edited by

              https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search.html?q=scf%20deciduous%20trees%26amp;backendClass=both

              www.saurus.rs

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              • EdsonE Offline
                Edson
                last edited by

                @tig said:

                As far as I know my ImageTrimmer [part of SKMtools] works in v2017.
                I've not tested it on a v2017 MAC though.

                You must have Java installed and enabled and all .jar files must be set to execute in Java - some compression apps hijack the extension and stop them executing...

                You then need a PNG image with a transparent [alpha] layer.
                I'd 'flatten' it to remove all transparency, then add back the alpha layer, and select the 'background' color[s] using a magic-wand and <delete> it...
                You should now have a PNG Image to import that has a transparent 'background'.
                Note that everything you want to keep must have no transparency.
                Every pixel that has any transparency is ignored.

                Crop the PNG as tightly as possible, to minimize the transparent 'background' area, because every pixel will be considered, even when it'll be ignored !

                You select the Image and run the tool, after a few prompts it should end up being a 'cut-out' component, you can then add a face-me behavior etc to it...

                Post an example PNG and I can show you ??

                thanks, TIG. please find a png atached.


                PNG TREES_00001.png

                edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                • EdsonE Offline
                  Edson
                  last edited by

                  @srx said:

                  https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search.html?q=scf%20deciduous%20trees%26amp;backendClass=both

                  thanks a lot! those are very good trees for what I need.

                  edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                  http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                  • TIGT Offline
                    TIG Moderator
                    last edited by

                    The main issue with your tree PNG is that it isn't tightly cropped to the desired pixels, and lots of the leaf pixels have some transparency - so ill be ignored too.
                    The simple solution was to remove the transparency layer [aka 'flatten' the image], add back a new transparency layer, then use a magic-wand to select the background and delete it.
                    After a little tidying up of a few wayward pixels we have a suitable PNG.
                    It does take a while to trim as it is a very complex shape...

                    I'll post it once it's done...

                    TIG

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                    • TIGT Offline
                      TIG Moderator
                      last edited by

                      Try this...


                      FaceMeTree.skp

                      TIG

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                      • EdsonE Offline
                        Edson
                        last edited by

                        TIG,

                        thanks very much for the trimmed tree.

                        however, I am still in the dark as to how to do it. would you mind giving me a few tips on how to do it exactly?

                        please, see the image below. it is from a png as it opened in Photoshop. there is just one layer and the background is already transparent. so how can I "remove the transparency layer"? and then how can I add a transparency layer? removing pixels with the magic wand is easy enough.

                        then, considering I was able to do it correctly, is it enough to just import it as an image and run Image Trimmer?

                        best regards.
                        Screenshot 2017-05-31 14.43.47.png

                        edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                        http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                        • filibisF Offline
                          filibis
                          last edited by

                          That grey & white checker indicates that those areas are transparent. So you are good to go with that image and try Trimmer in SketchUp.

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                          • EdsonE Offline
                            Edson
                            last edited by

                            @filibis said:

                            That grey & white checker indicates that those areas are transparent. So you are good to go with that image and try Trimmer in SketchUp.

                            I think it is not working in 2017 for mac. every time I tried it it crashed Sketchup.

                            edson mahfuz, architect| porto alegre • brasil
                            http://www.mahfuz.arq.br

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                            • filibisF Offline
                              filibis
                              last edited by

                              It's not just you, SketchUp didn't respond for me as well. So, i think there needs to be more simplified selection needed (smooth) which means you're going to lose some leaf details.
                              Here i got this result (11312 entities) with attached 'simplified tree'. I believe you can refine selection to get more leaf detail without adding more entity.

                              tree_shadow.JPG

                              Simplified tree

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                              • chippwaltersC Offline
                                chippwalters
                                last edited by

                                Good tip. Thanks for sharing.

                                Currently working with Cross-Reality technologies

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