@pilou said:

Thea is not yet a mature program ?

I assume it is (I bought a license only a week ago so I don't really know) but my point is that it matured within a specific environment, keyed to the needs of a particular body of users. I think some of the unease about this acquisition is that Thea was acquired by a company that's not well known in this space so it's not obvious what this will mean going forward. When Autodesk bought Arnold there wasn't as much confusion because Arnold customers were often Max or Maya customers so the future implementation of the software wasn't in question. I can't say I've ever heard of Altair's suite of software so I have no idea what they do or what place Thea might occupy in their structure.

As a very new user (see above), I'm disheartened.

Programs like Thea traditionally develop surrounded by a very tight group of users who, through their feedback on the forum and as beta testers, are instrumental in deciding which direction the software takes. The company that buys the software is a very different community and that company generally re-purposes the software to fit the needs of it's own users - which may not be the same as the needs of the original customers.

Fingers crossed that this will work out well.

I just bought a license for Thea for Rhino a week ago. I hope it wasn't a mistake.

Yes, I remember that. But I'm still trying to figure out the simplest way to end up with geometry grouped in SketchUp the same way it's grouped in Rhino before export. Even though layers only control visibility in SketchUp, at least it's a way to make only certain items visible so I can group them and move them to a layer. But I wish I didn't have to do that.

I hope this topic isn't a duplicate. Thought I'd hit Submit but I don't see the thread in the forum.

Anyways ... I've been working in Rhino for awhile but I want to add SketchUp back into my workflow. Rhino has a SketchUp exporter but the results are a bit funky. Faces show up on the proper layers in SketchUp but all lines show up on Layer 0. I'd like not to have to manage my geometry once I've exported it, I'd like everything on the correct layers so I could group and go right to work.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have.

I've noticed (more in reference to sending CAD files to the CNC than to SketchUp) that just moving geometry to the origin doesn't actually work. I have to create something at the origin (just a line is fine) and then snap my geometry to that and then the CNC operator doesn't complain that I'm a mile away from the origin.

Not sure why that is.

Also, somewhat OT, but running Overkill before exporting helps, especially if the file comes from someone else.

Yes, that's what I want to do. I was hoping there was a system similar to iTunes but I guess not.

Reading the email closely indicates that a Single user license allows for installation on two computers. Is that recent (I haven't used SketchUp much in the last two years)? If I remember correctly, it used to be that you weren't limited to how many computers you installed on, just as long as you only used one at a time.

Is there a way to remove a SketchUp license remotely? I left a job some time ago and only now realize I never uninstalled SketchUp on the computer I was using there. The company has changed owners and moved and I have no access to the computer (if it still exists).

I'm wondering if there is any way, like with iTunes, that you can shut off a license remotely.

Thanks for any info you've got.

@sketchuh said:

Do you guys think is it possible any company would develop a software that is more like a hybrid of sketchup/3ds max and or modo or etc...

I really want a software that is easy to use like sketchup but has all the traditional 3d software functionality.

It's called Rhino.

I don't know about custom builders in England but in today's market I think you're looking for these specs, generally -

Intel Core i7 4790 4Ghz
Nvidia GTX 970 4gb
RAM: 16GB 1600MHz

In the US, a 15.6" rig from digitalstormonline with those components would be approx $2500 USD:

https://www.digitalstormonline.com/configurator.asp?id=1139209

As far as post work I'd consider a monthly Photoshop subscription - not too costly.

Then I would I would add a couple hundred to what you have left over and go with V-Ray. Somewhat of a steep learning curve but once you get there, there's nothing you can't do with it.

I added some info to your dwg.

1. Stairs from that period had much lower handrails (30" above the nosing max), and much wider handrails (4" - 5" common).

2. Balusters were very robust, esp on a stair as wide as yours.

3. You don't really have a 'choice' for baluster spacing. The face of the front baluster base aligns with the face of the riser below and the face of the stringer to the side. The other balusters are spaced evenly relative to the lead balusters (whether 2, 3 or 4 balusters - they're evenly spaced).

4. Google 'stair balusters dwg' and you'll find a lot of CAD files. The balusters I put in the dwg were chosen randomly from Worthington Millwork.

5. Because the pitch of your stair changes from the curved section to the straight section you'll need easement pieces to make the transition in your handrail and your stringer.

6.Your best references are: A Treatise on Stairbuilding and Handrailing by W & A Mowatt and Modern Practical Stairbuilding and Handrailing by George Ellis. Both available in reprints from Amazon.

Hope this helps in some way.

StairAC2004_2.dwg

On the Rhino forum there's a file you can run called Holomark2 that spits out a data sheet when it's complete showing all of the components of your computer and how well they performed with a total score at the top. Real useful. It's Rhino specific, not V-Ray specific but it nonetheless provides real valuable information. Would be great to have something like that here.

Encouraged me to think my next computer is going to be a i7-4790 w/ a GTX-970

@rspierenburg said:

http://help.chaosgroup.com/vray/help/sketchup/150PB/examples_material.htm#reflection_color

Chaos Group has a whole help file for Vray for SU. Really well written.

Do you know if there's a downloadable version of this document? I'd like to put it on my phone (long subway rides to and from work). I have V-Ray for Rhino and I have that user manual on my phone which is useful even though that document was written by someone with a less than perfect command of the English language.

I hate the dongle. Plain and simple hate it. Probably because the 3 software packages I use - SketchUp, Rhino and modo all let me install wherever as along as I'm only using one instance at a time. That's one end of a spectrum, the dongle is the opposite end. I have V-Ray for SketchUp and for Rhino. Which means I have a USB that's worth too much money to lose or damage. I'm an independent contractor but forget that idea of taking it to work on my client's computers. Both of my home installations failed and required the intervention of Chaos. They're extremely nice and they're helpful but I'm not crazy about trying to explain to a client why I've got a USB stick in their computer that needs something called a Wibu key (or whatever it's called) and it can't find the program and nothings working and I can't trouble shoot it myself, I've got to sit and wait for someone to call me back. On their time.

Whenever I've had cause to uninstall and reinstall any other program I have a license for I've been able to do it myself with no intervention from the software company. I could uninstall and reinstall Rhino in the middle of the night if I wanted to. Not so with dongle problems. I haven't upgraded either version because the installation was so finicky and the installation instructions were so convoluted and confusing and I ended up with so much down time that I just don't want to go there. And yes, Chaos worked it out - they actually ran my computer remotely to solve the problem. They were great but be forewarned - if you do have problems it's not a simple uninstall and reinstall.

Hate it.

Also, I think people should bail from Max in favor of Cinema 4D - a really great program and simple to use (compared to Max) like SketchUp. I'm doing a demo right now and it's going to break my heart when I get to the end of it and face the fact that I can't afford it right now. Love working in it, love animating in it.

Try it - the demo is for 42 days plus they give you an hour one on one with a Cinema trainer.

@frederik said:

[
Comparing SU with 3ds Max seem slightly ridiculous IMO...
It's like comparing a Lamborghini with an Audi...

I think it's more like comparing a battleship to a speedboat. Sure, the battleship can do more but it's a bit much for taking a spin around the bay.

@dave r said:

Do you use LayOut at all?

Thanks for the reply.

Intermittently. Primarily as a means to export 3D views of SketchUp models, not for CDs which come out of AutoCAD LT in my workflow. LO generates a much better image quality than Rhino so sometimes I'll import my Rhino work to create perspective views out of LO. Therefore, none of the big improvements of the last release affect me much.

@numerobis said:

But they are still not saying what happens if you skip two versions... on purpose?!?

Yeah, I guess that's the issue. The icons for SketchUp 2014 & 2013 are both on my taskbar. I'm often not aware of which one I've opened. There's so little difference. $95 isn't much but if Trimble had bundled all of the changes between the last two versions into a plugin and offered it for sale I doubt I would have even considered it.

Maybe I'll wait this time.

I just got a notice from Trimble that it's time to renew my Maintenance and Support. It's not much - $95, but I'm trying to remember what I got over the last year for the $95. Also I'm not clear what happens if I don't renew and just wait for the next release. The notice says: "Please renew now to avoid reinstatement fee." What's the reinstatement fee? How much?

Kind of confused - maybe someone can chime in and clarify?