From the great Alex Hogrefe

(raw V-ray render from sketchup)

How to get a similar water surface ?

@numerobis said:

@alexjo said:

I have been wondering. I am good at rendering in 3ds Max, but not SketchUp. yet modeling in SU is x100 easier.

Any disadvantages ?

The import of skp files works quite well. You should keep your modeling clean (orientation of faces, etc.) but this normally also applies to the work in SU, so this should be no big deal. You then should weld verticies after the import and convert the objects to editable poly if you want to work on them in max.

Personally i'm working in both, SU and max - i use SU for the main part of the project with all the numerical imput and modeling from imported DWGs. And max for the more complex or organic stuff (sometimes using a rough SU model as basis) and objects like trees, cars and furniture.
I render in Maxwell so i import everything from max as Maxwell reference into SU and render from there. I currently think about reversing this part and doing the scene composition in max because the proxy display is better in max, but i'm not sure about that at the moment...

I really love the SU snapping and inference system and the navigation. And the direct numerical input is also much better i think. But there are many situations where working in max is so much easier and faster ...and non-destructive with modifiers.

It would be great if there would be a way to link skp files in max where only the modified part would be updated with automatic welding. I tried fbx, but the objects doesn't stay the same, when the file is overwritten so the linking is not possible. A low poly plane, UVW modifier applied, deformend and with turbo smooth on top and the terrain is done with a few clicks... adjustable every time, don-destructive and deformable in real time without waiting like in SU - which starts at low poly counts of a few 10.000 or 100.000 tris.

My dream would be SU (or the major functions of SU) as plugin for max! The great snapping system and direct input combined with the modifiers, advanced modeling capabilities and the polycount/performance of max! (even if the performance would be a bit lower due to the inference engine) - and the navigation of SU inside max, but i don't this will be possible...

...or quads and sub-d and a modifier stack with the tools of max and high poly support inside SU

omg I loved this post. thanks a lot.

You speak my mind.

@rich o brien said:

SketchUp doesn't render but it does if you use third party addons like Vray, Thea, TwiLight etc...

Only disadvantage I see is time it takes to setup materials in Max

I am absolutely FINE with only applying material and systems / vray options etc. I just know for a fact that Sketchup deals with masses and volumes in a whole different way (faces/meshes).

So is the results are identical, whether you model in 3ds max or Sketchup, and render completely in 3ds Max ?

I have been wondering. I am good at rendering in 3ds Max, but not SketchUp. yet modeling in SU is x100 easier.

Any disadvantages ?

@jql said:

Might sound funny though so if you don't really understand the objective try it any other way but just remember this topic further down the road. Then you will hear my voice saying "I told you so!"

It DOES sound rather odd, not gonna lie lol

But, if you mean starting with the tracing the rooms from the inside, then I think I sort of understand the workflow you're referring to. I have seen some tutorials where they start drawing rectangles on top of a plan, but they did include walls.

Either way, I'm going to try it and see how it goes.

Thanks a lot.

@jql said:

You should ignore walls, windows, doors and closets altogether. Do the following and you'll succeed in no time:

1 - Trace your rooms with rectangle or, even better, with rotated rectangle if you're used to it. This way you will generate closed geometry for sure and with "ortho on".

2 - Adust rooms with diagonal/round sides with other tools like move, arc, whatever you need...

3 - Pushpull every room to it's ceiling height by double clicking on every face created.

4 - Do the same for the façades.

5 - Create a couple of Hole Cutting components for your doors and windows and their respective openings on the opposite walls. Distribute these components on the façades and inner rooms as they are in the plan by sticking them on the walls...

6 - Create closets and kitchen cabinets sanitaryware and every other exceptional stuff.

7 - You have your model.

EDIT The difference between CAD and jpg is that for jpg you should create a guideline structure first if you need accuracy...

What happens to interior walls when I get to #3 ?

@rich o brien said:

TwiLight is a great rendering engine based on KT.

Fast , easy and powerful.

wait, is it based on Kerkythea ?

damn, I must say I am extremely impressed by the results of these little rendering engines, and how fast and simple they are.

Esp. that I have studied 3ds max, and have been doing all my modeling and rendering there (which literally took me days upon days). IDK how I was so blind to all of this.

SU modeling, accompanied by a little rendering engine, and a bit of post-processing is where its at. Hmm, though mastering 3ds Max would probably still be a win tho...

@anton_s said:

i spy the Twilight Render

Do I spy a dislike ?

right next to the views ?

thanks