Yes, you guys are right, my bad. It was a group of painted surfaces, not a texture. That's why I was getting the different drop-down menu.

Thank you for the help.

Thanks Chris, but you're using a PC. The pull-down menus are not the same on Mac. Control-Clicking the textured surface gives a pull-down menu, but it doesn't have "make unique texture" and it doesn't have "edit texture image".

Does anybody know where this stuff is on the Mac version?

I hear it's possible to export images from a .skp file, edit them in Photoshop, and import them right back into Sketchup. I can't find out how. Help!

I use SU 7 on Mac OS X.

Thank you.

Thanks for the input. By the way, how can I get rid of the Google Earth terrain? I can turn off the visibility of it, but I'm unable to select and delete it.

The building models were done individually, and georeferenced. The whole model was put together from those individual models. I'm actually using a version with even more stuff in it than the one I linked.

Anyway, any input on how to solve the clipping effects?

Might the random triangles somehow be related to the z fighting (wouldn't it be y fighting ??) in the google earth terrain.

Yes, Watermark is the way to do it. Thank you very much Wo3Dan.

Maximum appreciation.

Just saw Wo3Dan's idea, will try that.

"Always face Camera" didn't work. I selected the photo, then I had to click and drag a rectangle around it to identify it so that "make component" would work. Then I made it a component, and got the "make component" dialog, which included the "always face camera" check box.

I checked that off, and the photo still orbits, pans etc right along with everything else.

I can't get "always face camera" to work at all. Does it work for anybody, or is it just me?

-CA

I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything here. Am I right that it's impossible to to import a 2D photo as a background, then change the view of the model while keeping the 2D photo unmoved?

I can import the 2D photo, but it then acts as a face, and moves around in 3D with everything else. I'd like the photo to just hold still while I change the view of the model.

Possible? I don't want to use photo-match, it doesn't work if the photo's been cropped.

I don't think it's Z fighting, but who knows.

I was using perspective, not parallel or 2-point projections.

Here is a SU model you can use to generate the problem.

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

(sketchup.google.com)

Here is an example of the problem. I originally exported this as JPEG animation, 29.97 frames /second. This is a gif of just 8 frames, 1/second.

This one was with shadows off. Notice the random triangles that appear and disappear.

-CA

I think we're talking about different things. This isn't a limitation of the shadow feature. I'm saying that when you export animations, you get random triangles of solid color put on faces for no reason. Some frames will do this, and many will not. It occurs whether shadows are on or off.

Does anyone else have the problem, or is it just me?

With shadows off, the random triangles are still there, but they are blue and gray instead of black. This is still with JPEG animation.

I've been exporting animations for my movie. JPEG codec seems by far the best quality. Unfortunately some frames get these random black triangles on faces. In another thread Ross McIntosh said it had to do with shadows, but I'm getting the problem with shadows off or on.

I'm using Mac OSX 10.4.11 on a G4 laptop.

I've found JPEG to be by far the best animation setting. The edges become quite smooth, everything looks fine.

Except, we get random black triangles on faces, for no reason.

So Ross, in your opinion, this is something that Google software developers are well aware of, yet deliberately conceal? Is that what I'm understanding?

Sounds like a good description of the problem I'm having, but I also see it with shadows off.

Hmmmmmmmm.

I'm exporting animations from SU free version. I notice certain artifacts like areas of shading that appear and disappear frame by frame. The shadows do the same sorts of thing. I've already used up my hours on the demo of the pro version. Is it possible that the pro version may give better results on animation export?

Thanks.