@solo said:

Does EEVEE use multiple GPU's?

Absolutely. In fact, a GPU (or two) is highly recommended.

It can even use the new RTX series from Nvidia.

EDIT: Correction: While Cycles benefits from multiple GPUs, it appears EEVEE does not. Furthermore, it's not clear whether or not EEVEE takes advantage of the new RTX cards yet (Cyles does).

@majid said:

I am reviving all I know on Blender with new UI, and let me say miles way easier to work with comparing to previous version ...
Yep, Blender 2.8 is a game changer.

@rv1974 said:

https://devtalk.blender.org/t/is-will-eevee-support-multi-gpu/625
[url]https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/110142/eevee-seem-not-to-benefit-from-multiple-gpus-for-rendering
[/url]
No multiple GPUs for Eevee. Are they wrong?

Wow. Really good catch! I just assumed that because cycles supported multiple gpus then Eevee did also. Thanks for the correction. Here's another link I found on the subject.

EEVEE seem not to benefit from multiple GPUs for rendering

Recently I have built a new workstation PC with dual GTX 1080 Ti. I know that in Cycles, each GPU renders 1 tile but I'm not sure about EEVEE. I tested it and it seems that even if I have checked b...

Blender Stack Exchange (blender.stackexchange.com)

@rv1974 said:

My question was about Eevee. From what I understood it's a GPU only engine (not supporting multiple cards rig). So when the memory limit will be reached, will it crash/freeze or give an error pop-up?

EEVEE will render with GPU and/or CPU. It uses OpenGL. I believe if you reach the texture memory limit of your GPU it will automatically render on the CPU (slower of course). My tutorial series covers this and I provide a efficient material shader and one that is more advanced as well.

@majid said:

More than happy to be involved please and may Gosh bless you!

Hi majid! Please email me at chippATchipp.com (replace AT with @). Look forward to working with you.

@rv1974 said:

What happens to Evee when it hits the glass ceiling of video card memory limit?
Currently my average RAM usage (in architectural exteriors) is about 25-40Gb of RAM. The average video card is only 6-12

In my video series, I go over how to optimize your video memory by using a custom streamlined shader which uses significantly less memory than the custom advanced shader.

Furthermore, Blender 2.8 can use both GPU and CPU to render a scene, so if you don't have enough video, you can automatically render in CPU mode, albeit a lot slower.

Hey guys,

You may remember awhile ago I did a video talking about the 20 reasons you might want to consider switching from SketchUp to Blender ( https://youtu.be/8MZkjXanO14 ).

Since then, I've been very busy. In particular, I've been working on workflows and pipelines to be able to quickly move your models from SketchUp to the Free Blender 2.8, which has realtime rendering. This means you can continue to model in SketchUp, but you can render and animate in Blender.

Blender 2.8 is a major update, and now is focused on ease-of-use for new users. It's very much like existing apps, with left button select, way fewer key commands and most everything in menus or buttons.

Consider this comparison:
On the left is the original reference picture. On the right is Blender 2.8's unbiased renderer, CYCLES. (ignore the glass material as I was using a metal). CYCLES is like Thea or other path tracing renderer. It renders faster with GPU cards but it's still minutes (if not hours) per render. Still, it gives fabulous results (and it's free). IIRC, this rendering took around 15 minutes and I have a pretty fast system with 2 GPU cards (1080 and 960Ti).

Now, let's look at Blender 2.8's other renderer: EEVEE. EEVEE is like a game engine, only optimized for modeling and animation and NOT realtime play. Here's the same comparison with EEVEE.

You can see, they are very similar-- and the EEVEE one took less than 4 seconds to render! In fact I can render at 4K resolution a single frame in under 10 seconds. This means creating animations is just ridiculously fast (check out some animations at the end of this video: https://youtu.be/AtjLhPtzL9M?t=54 )

So, why am I here? Well, I've created a course which goes into great detail how to use Blender 2.8 to render and animate your SketchUp models. I specifically want to enable SU users to be able to quickly move their designs into Blender, add materials and light the scene and render.

One of the really cool things, is you don't have to do ANY UV MAPPING! I've put together some shaders and materials, with clear instructions on how to do it all.

Here's what I'm calling it:

The tutorial style is video, with no video lasting more than 10 minutes. It's incredibly dense in that I've tried to remove any rambling, umms, errrs, and instead focused on getting TO THE POINT very quickly. It will also include a number of materials and objects you can use/reuse.

AND...here's where you come in. I'm looking for 10 users to help me test this course. Of course you will receive all the objects, materials and videos for free, and in return I'm asking your frank appraisal of what works and what doesn't. I'm only looking for serious users, experienced SketchUp designers and hopefully with some rendering history.

I've got 9 of 15 videos completed (the hard stuff) and I'm currently embarking on the SketchUp for Blenders part where I go over how to setup anbd use Blender 2.8. I've already completed the sections on creating your own materials, light leaks, reflection and irrandiance probes and overall lighting.

If you are interested, please contact me at chippATchipp.com and I'll let you know. I expect the finished series to be out sometime soon.

KIT OPS finally released!

Hey everyone, we just released KIT OPS and if you're interested in non-destructive, hyperdetailed Kitbashing you should check it out at https://kit-ops.com

Quiet lately as I've taken on an interesting plugin project for Blender.

As many of you may know, Blender doesn't really have a component system like SketchUp. That said, Blender's booleans are much more robust and combined with it's modifiers, it can create a pretty solid kitbashing system. In fact, boolean modeling which heretofore has only been seen in NURBS, is possible (with caveats) in Blender.

To that end, I've partnered with some interesting folks and spearheaded a design for a pretty cool kitbashing tool called KIT OPS. KIT OPS could be used to create doors, windows and all sorts of boolean modifier geometry, but right now we're just doing tech INSERTS (KIT OPS INSERTS = SU COMPONENTS).

One particular neat thing about KIT OPS, is it cuts through an entire object. So, if you're inserting a window or door through a wall, it cuts completely through, unlike SketchUp which only cuts through the first surface, requiring you to manually cut the rest. This also results in KIT OPS having a non-destructive workflow, which makes for a tremendous amount of iterative designs.

Anyway, if you're interested, here's a video explaining it. BTW, the renders in the video were done at 15 sec/frame in Blender 2.8 EEVEE at 4K resolution! FWIW, KIT OPS works in 2.79 not 2.8, but once the plugin API is locked down, we'll do the port. This product should be out this week. I'll post here when it's released, just in case anyone is interested.

masterxeon1001 showed me some very interesting ways to create dynamic objects in Blender today and I just had to try it out. Cool beans!

New video on using the GroupsPro addon to help work on different workplanes.

@pilou said:

Personnal BirthDay's Card designed & handcrafted by Syd M itself that is so chic!

This page is a pleasure for the eyes!

Yes, Syd is a special guy. We've known each other over 40 years now and have worked on a number of projects together. He is such an incredible talent and an even nicer guy in person!

For those interested in how to model in Blender, I've created some very short tutes on Intagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnnsDb0HODL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

There's also a copy over on ba Tips and Tricks:
https://blenderartists.org/t/big-little-tips/1126276

The case for modifiers in SketchUp.

Now that Fredo has teased us with an amazing partial-modifier version of FredoBevel,

--I'd like to make a case for modifiers in SketchUp. I've been using them for awhile in Blender and they allow one to create amazing geometry fast, PLUS they also allow for design decisions to be made and fine-tuned later, which is always good.

In SketchUp terms, a modifier is something that happens at a group or component level. Adding color to a group or component could be seen as a modifier. You can change a groups color at anytime without regard to the changes in the underlying geometry.

Let's take a look at an example:

Consider this corridor

Here is the geometry without all the reflections (and no handrails either, they were added later-- using modifiers of course...one polyline for all the handrails on the bottom and one polyline for all the handrails on the ceiling.)

Now here's the geometry that created the corridor:

1. Opened ended cube
2. Same cube, just a tad larger as a boolean cutter for the wall
3. Overhead polygon for lighting
4. Rectangle polygon for floor
5. Wall and bottom

Only 12 polygons, and 2 polylines for the handrails!
So, how to get to here from there?
These are the modifiers being used:

1. SOLIDIFY This modifier takes polygons and extrudes them making them thicker or thinner. It was used on ALL of the objects above (other than #2, the Boolean Difference) to give them thickness.
2. BEVEL This modifier was used on #1 to create the camfers, then again on #1 to add more fillets to the chamfre corners. It was also used on #5 to create the round interior and exterior. Because it was applied before the Solidify on #5 both the inside and outside were automatically bevelled.
3. MIRROR Selective mirroring and grouping was used on virtually all the objects in order to create symmetrical versions of everything.
4. ARRAY The Array modifier was also used to create multiple corridors and stack them together end to end (not shown in picture).

The advantage of doing all of this, is I only need to edit the 5 items shown in Green to adjust the sizes, dimensions and design of this corridor.

While this is an extreme example, it does demonstrate the power of modifiers.

It would be great if SU would add a modifier stack and let plugin developers create modifiers for objects.

This is simply stunning work. What a herculean effort by Fredo.

I know of no other bevel/fillet/chamfer tool that can do all of this, outside NURBS based solids modelers. My thoughts in no particular order:

1. SQUIRCLEThis geometry has been known for quite a while in the Industrial Design profession. It has to do with creating a soft continuity between normals as the surface moves around a corner. In CAD is it typically referred to as G2 or G3 continuity setting. The result of using squircles is you don't get strong highlight artifacts at the borders between flat surfaces and the beginning of a bevel. It turns out NURBS are used to create it, and SubDivision surfaces are based on such continuous geometry. I don't know of any other bevelling tools in poly modelers that can do this without having to approximated with SubD geometry. Great work!
2. UNDO/REDO Wow, the beginnings of parametric modifiers in major SketchUp tools. Modifiers are extremely powerful and capable design tools, allowing users to change designs long after the fact. Nice job!
3. WORKS WITH JUST ABOUT ANY GEOMETRY This is something I've been looking for awhile now. Too many times has SU been limited for me to create industrial designs based on the lack of a really robust bevelling toolkit. This fixes all of that!
4. SUBDIVISION FILLET GENERATOR Clearly this is a byproduct of the tool, as Fredo had to innovate and take a total different direction to solve many of the filleting issues. This is a truly unique feature and not one I believe is represented anywhere else in the world. Just amazing!

Wishlist: (can't help myself)

It would be reallynice for a group or component to remember their bevel setting even after an edit. IOW, FredoCorner would become a true modifier, and attempt to apply the bevel at the group level after the group or component has been edited.

Side note: I've been working a lot lately in Blender, and I use their modifiers now all the time in modeling. It really helps the design process because I can go back and forth quickly. I'll share more in a different thread.

Thanks very much Fredo for a magnificent tool!

PS I heard from the Blender bevel tool developer after one of my videos, and he told me YOU inspired him as he began work on the Blender bevel tool

From one of the SketchUp developers (jbacus) over in the SketchUp forums:

"I am keen to support end-user development in SketchUp for Web in the future, but as you guys have seen me say several times already, this is a tough project that isn’t going to come soon. We’re much more able to implement the sort of features that are most commonly accessed through an extension right in the core application. That’s the path we’re on for now."

What’s up with SketchUp Make?

As SketchUp evolves, our free software is shifting from desktop to web, where we think more people will be able to access, learn, and master 3D drawing. This week, we’re introducing SketchUp Free to the world. Our free w…

SketchUp Community (forums.sketchup.com)

All about how to use materials in your Blender scene. In many ways, Blender is similar to SketchUp with regard to how it handles materials.

HDRI lighting is incredibly easy to do in Blender with the free HDRI Lighting Setup addon. Check it out:

A primary reason for switching from SketchUp to Blender is that SketchUp (in 2018) still cannot do bevels!

Even with Fredo's amazing plugin, it still doesn't work-- and it's not Fredo's fault as he's told me it's about how the engine architecture in SketchUp works. UGH!

Blender does magnificent bevels and the bevel modifier is just fabulous!!! Watch to see!

New tutorial on Smoothing meshes in Blender. Compares with how SketchUp does it.