Thanks everybody for the great posts on getting that much better with SU.
As Monsterzero has said on another post, "my head is going to explode".

The sheer volume of HELP by the good people in the SU universe is mind boggling.

As a Mac user -- I want to supplement what Cadmastr has said about video viewers and players.

There is freeware available for Macs called TubeTV, http://www.chimoosoft.com/products/tubetv/

In addition to the above I have an excellent DVD player freeware called MPlayer OSX:
http://mplayerosx.sourceforge.net/

I can save the any video from the Internet and then play it in half or full screen on MPlayer.

Danty

Hi everyone,

I've decided to post my collection of chairs and cabinets that i have modeled using Sketchup, I have rendered them just with colors and some have textures.

Hope you like it....

Thanks Peter and Tinanne. The nice comments and suggestions were most appreciated. Danty

I've heard nothing but kudos about KT and want to learn how to use it.
But after checking a couple of tutorials on the KT website -- I'm kind of intimidated.

So many people talk about how easy and quickly KT is to learn.
Oh man, my eyes just glazed over looking at all of those buttons, options and tools.

It took me more than a year to get the hang of SU -- and that is with far, far fewer basic tools (it seems to me) -- although, obviously, VERY powerful.

I love SU and can't imagine modeling my designs without it.

But I feel like I'm diving into DEEP water with rendering.
Maybe it's all the new terms: bump map, antialiasing, emitters, etc.

Podium is rumored to be simpler (and less powerful, of course) but it isn't compatible with Macs right at the moment -- and I'm a Mac user.

What super light-weight, easy entry-level, guaranteed successful (you get my drift?) method might KT users out there recommend for the total neophyte to 3D rendering?

Thanks, Danty

I've been working for quite a little while on a landscape feature I call a "truncated berm".
Finally, I have gotten up to speed on SU with the Sandbox Tools to where I can demonstrate the ideas I have. I realize there are probably better 3D apps. for creating the topography but right now I am concentrating on working with the overall form and design. After all, that's why they it's called SketchUp. What I'm after, especially, is getting across the 3-dimensionality of the model. SketchUp seems to need the assistance of the various rendering apps. (Podium, KT, Piranesi, etc.) to really make the forms "pop". But I would appreciate any input on that subject. Danty

I want to upgrade my SU models to be more photorealistic. Also, I can then import from the far greater selections of plant materials -- which are key to my landscape designs. I was referred to Kerkythea, which looks terrific -- but I use a Mac and there isn't a Mac version yet. Does anyone have experience with a photoreal software that is both SU and Mac compatible -- and isn't impossibly difficult to get up to speed on? Thanks, Danty

Okay, Gaieus.
Thanks for the data.

Danty

I use layers all the time.
It requires close attention -- but it's worth it to work on and keep track of all the parts of a model.
I would like to be able to use different face styles on different layers (i.e., wireframe on layer 1 and shaded on layer 2).
Is that possible?
Thanks, Danty