SolidWorks Lab:

@unknownuser said:

By exporting your SolidWorks assembly in the Collada format, your design is now defined by an open standard for 3D applications. This enables you to leverage other 3D authoring applications which may not import native SolidWorks files, including applications on different operating systems. Not only is your model geometry preserved in the export, but colors, textures and motion are available as well.

@thomthom said:

Can't really see how the digital revolution can be compared to using different file format. Using computers instead of pencils became a requirement - not and option. DWG vs Collada is a matter of choosing flavour.

Not revolution but change, not file format but open file format and yes - more choices! You still have choice to use Pro or any other program. Where is the free version of AutoCAD or 3DS Max?

Wrong - there were times before SketchUp, before Autodesk and even before Google. Where are the pencil and the papers - changes happen all the times but usually too slow to see them

It is always the same - the first reaction is annoyance, doubt and looking for arguments why the change won't happen

I know that every change is hard, but we have to try to cut off Autodesk's monopoly! Ask your clients to send you collada files - after all it is your interest! If you want to escape from SketchUP, you will have a bunch of collada files to open easily in any other compatible application! I have jpg's since 1999 and can open them in any viewer - that's freedom!

Blender is not any difficult that any other 3D software in the same class. But with Collada you can import from SketchUP to texture and render - there are very good free renders for it. You ask to much - free, easy and powerful! No way...

Collada support is very positive - a lot of companies are improving their support - Blender, SolidWorks, Modo etc.
The real problem is Autodesk's monopoly and arrogance! If dwg is a standard - make it open standard! About Blender - this hype about the difficult interface is nonsense! Actualy it is very easy if YOU READ ABUT IT! There is coming a new version with a lot of improvement in the UI side ! Read this http://www.blender3darchitect.com/

Be aware - big archives - 300-500 MB
But they are awesome!!
http://zoom.egger.com/ost-eng/zoom-service-downloads_OEE_HTML.htm

@unknownuser said:

First autocad would have to support this open file format!
(And it is not sure that any other data-format transport the datat exactly as DWG.)

Then ask Autodesk to fully support collada export - you are paying for their softwarae, not for the free SketchUP! Or to fully open dwg file format! Big boys always try to kill the small fishes - here in East Europe multinational companies are doing this since democracy!

http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/google_earth_extension_beta/updates/

@hpw said:

@unknownuser said:

Seems to me strange to pay a tons to Autodesk for their crappy monopole and complain about Google decision! The problem is ALWAYS closed and proprietary file formats that holds you in companies prison!

I do not tell that I am happy to pay tons to Autodesk, but when I want to support customers with their prefered data-format, then I have no other chance.
(And I have to accept that they want tons of money every 3 years.)
But Autocad is still a lot better in producing drawings/3D-content in a professional/automated way. (You can not use Ruby for SU-Layout)
Also it has still much more options to customise it for your own needs (LSP/DCL/CUI/VBA).

Anyway I complain about Google that they are on the way to get the same behaviour like Autodesk.
And isn't SKP also a closed and proprietary file format?

@unknownuser said:

We originally assumed that our free Google SketchUp users would never really need to export models into other tools. As it turned out, folks wanted to use Google SketchUp models in all kinds of crazy ways. Things that we could never have imagined! We decided that Google SketchUp users should be able to export their models into some easy-to-read and fundamentally hackable file format to make this easier. Your models should be yours to do with as you see fit.
In our next release, we're going to make COLLADA an official first-class format for all modelers. You'll be able to import and export COLLADA models, as well as COLLADA models wrapped up in the KMZ format for Google Earth, with any version of SketchUp.

We are not talking about software capabilities, but data formats and data exchange! You have to own your files and exchange them freely with others. Draw with AutoCAD, save the files in an open file format and send to anybody even without AutoCAD licence.

Actually, .skm is just a zip archive you can open with any archivator. Inside you will find your picture in .jpg format.

Seems to me strange to pay a tons to Autodesk for their crappy monopole and complain about Google decision! The problem is ALWAYS closed and proprietary file formats that holds you in companies prison! If thee were open drawing format for years...
Can you open jpgs in any image viewer?

@jhoutman said:

Attached are some simple woodworking tools that I use all the time.
They are simple, Create a board - (actually a named component with all three dimensions and oriented in space.
Resize a board.
Drill tool - drills any component
Dado tool - creates a dado easily in any component.
Bring component to front. Handy to create cutting list of components.
Set component Relative. This moves a component relative to another.
Handy for arranging boards in space.

I have started on a component or group stretcher that allows one to resize
say, a drawer, one direction at a time without screwing up the parts that
shouldn't change.

Thanks,

Hi, jhoutman.

I find your plugin very useful and using it all the time. Is there a way to set default thickness and to use simple expressions in the dialog boxes?

http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/EM/materials.rb
Yes, it imports pictures as materials in SketchUP but i cannot get it to work. I open it from the menu, choose a folder with jpg but nothing gets imported into materials window.

There must be a problem with folder names - I changed the name of the folder with the pictures and gave it an english name - it was cyrillic and it worked then!

Anybody got this working? I checked it but nothing happens.

@unknownuser said:

Water Ripples is a freeware Adobe Photoshop compatible plug-in filter. The highly realistic water ripples effect designer has numerous options as well as an impressive 3D quality. The random settings generator produces unlimited variations of rippled surfaces.

Tested and worked perfectly in Gimp - http://www.redfieldplugins.com/filterWaterRipples.htm

@rustyshack said:

A major thank you for this thread. I downloaded gimp and am impressed--it's far superior and much more polished under Vista than the release I tried a couple of years ago on Mac.

The "make seamless" filter works pretty well, but I am eager to try out the adobe filter too. I wonder if the Nvidia normal map plugin will work? I'll give it a try too.

The Seamless Workshop plug-in works very well and gives you more options and control. The normal map plugin is similar to Nvidia plugin, but if you make it work let us know. Watch the free video tutorials at the beginning of this post - they are very helpful and practical. Photoshop is wonderful program but 80% of the people hardly know and use 20% of its power. I posted a link to another very useful program that i'm using in conduction with Gimp when making textures - TileViewer. I copy and paste the textures in the Tileviewer to see the effect before saving.

@tig said:

The script 'points_cloud_triangulation.rb' [Shows in the Plugins menu as 'Triangulate Points'] is here...
http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/points_cloud_triangulation.rb
that also requires 'delauney2.rb' - which you can get here...
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=117071#p117071

I tested it - SUPER USEFUL!!!!! BIG THANKS!!

@earthmover said:

:berserk: Perfect perfect perfect! Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much TIG!

Now I just need a "paint select faces" tool to quickly isolate faces in the triangulated topology. This will be a very useful tool for doing things like adding snow to an irregular shaped object, or adding water to a waterfall.

Sorry, but how did you made triangulated mesh from the points?