Thanks yet again Gai, you certainly are helpful!

I didn't mean to put you on the hotseat -- being an admin and all!

Thanks again Gai,

I would probably just render architecture -- with maps for plants (not 3d -- as from what I understand -- this adds too much complexity).

The only other thing I want is "quick - easy - quality." Oh yeah, and fast too. (Quick = setup, fast = rendertime.)

I don't really have time to check out all the Demos -- although I guess that is probably what it takes to be truly informed! (Thanks Markus.) So don't pull any punches -- let the Flame Wars begin!

Thanks guys.

Ok, so how do you model an elephant?

Or a little more seriously, what is the preferred (rather inexpensive) renderer for SU?

Oops - and thanks Dale too.

Thanks Gai,

I will see how it goes...

Hi all,

As you can probably see from my post count, I am new here.

As a bit of background, I am an architect that has been practicing for 30 years, and so far I have been using "traditional" methods. Well, it seems that I can resist the 3d computerization no more, and I am trying to decide which software to learn. Which brings me to SketchUp and your very nice forum here.

I have been working with the free version and following the tutorials, and I think I am starting to get the hang of it. However, it seems that the basic functionality is somewhat limited, and you have to add all these plugins to be able to work more effectively. (Many thanks to all you genius coders out there.)

So anyway, my question is this: With all the plugins that are available, how do you know which plugin to use when, and what plugin is preferred over another? And is there a "basic plugin kit" that you can get that has all the best plugins "pre-collected?"

I also wonder whether SketchUp is the best software for me to get going, or (since learning any software takes quite a bit of time) if I should look into other software as well or instead?

Any responses appreciated, and thanks in advance,

Bill