For what it may be worth, I've been using a Mac Book Pro for quite a while, both Bootcamping into Windows XP SP3, as well as with VMWare Fusion.

I run Windows-native applications that require higher-end graphics by booting through Bootcamp (such as AutoCAD 2009), and those that aren't as demanding running VMWare. Of course, I considered the higher end of the CPUs (I believe it's clocked at 2.6GHz) and got it with 4GB of RAM.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

• Diego -

PS Mike, you beat me to the punch, er, reply

Let us not forget (according to an article in Time magazine a while back) it's admitted Sarah Palin was McCain's third choice; the GOP rejected his first two... His third may be our First Mme President.

Cheers,

• Diego -

Hi,
Select the section plane, right-click and from the pop-up, choose "Create Group from Slice". De-activate the Section Plane (from the same pop-up), select the group you've just created and explode it... Now, you can get rid, by deleting, the portion you do not want...

I hope this helps.

Cheers,

• Diego -

Section CutFace, as good as it is, doesn't work as well, for instance in the case of super-nested objects.

So, what to do? My advice is, color in the back faces with black. It works all the time

Cheers,

• d -

@unknownuser said:

the next images are generated from another cad software...

Would you kindly comment, which is this other cad software? Thanks in advance!
Cheers,

• Diego -

I Googled it and found this:
http://www.westinghousedigital.com/details.aspx?itemnum=180

Gimme 2 please
Better yet, with one of these, http://www.matrox.com/graphics/en/products/gxm/th2go/, make it 3!
And, if getting "frenzied" is what it is all about, make it 30, http://www.9xmedia.com/products/videowall/index.php?PHPSESSID=849a2790c8542171d8196e52f83bd13a

Cheers,

• Diego -

For what it may be worth, back in 97 through 99 or 2000 we offered at the Boston Architectural College a Virtual Design Studio; not Virtual Reality but Virtual Realty. Students 'inhabited' via their 3D avatars a virtual space as they designed it; think modeling im Second Life whilst 'living' withing the environment.

The point, at last, is that the modeling environment we used was trueSpace; this was just about the 'only' means to get data into Active Worlds, a Second Life precursor of the time.

Today, and since release 7, trueSpace has another unique feature: the ability to collaborate, co-modeling in a 3D space synchronously. This 3D environment is appropriately called truePlace; people can chat, VoIP and clash-or-collaborate as they inhabit and model their environment.

I'd like to offer my point-of-view: to each their own; know thyself and understand your modeling/design needs, know and choose appropriately the tools, but more importantly know when to let them go, one for another as the needs and demands switch

Cheers,

• Diego -

PS Sorry for the 'Rant-mode'

Hi
find the folder where the software is installed. Assuming it's Windows, it should be here:
C:\Program Files\Google\Google SketchUp 6\Resources\en-US. and under Mac OSX (AWA Windows) the QR card is found under the Help menu.

Cheers,

• Diego -

A while ago someone (Jim, thanks!) brought to our attention a website that did R2V conversion as an online service: http://vectormagic.com/

They've just expanded their business model to include a desktop edition. I was sold back then with the results but didn't particularly like their marketing model, until now; I just bought a license The feature-set of the desktop version is much improved and they still provide the online service for those who so desire it.

Cheers,

• Diego -

FYI
Jim Leggitt's presentation - Tradigital Imaging - was recently added:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0u-6kDbNBg

Cheers,

• Diego -

PS It's not yet up in the 'after-site' though

@dave r said:

I've got this style on my computer at home and of course I'm at work and don't have it here. Can anyone help me identify it and locate where I got it?

Found it.

I do not know if this was already replied separately... but maybe, you got it from here:
http://blogs.taunton.com/n/blogs/blog.aspx?nav=main&webtag=fw-designforum&entry=120

Cheers,

• Diego -

@chris fullmer said:

... field of view between 30 (indoors, on more focused objects) and 60 (outdoors in large open places)...Chris

Hi Chris
it's actually 'best' the other way around. A 60 deg FoV indoors allows for a better sense of the interior space and affords simulating our natural experience emulating our periphery of vision; outdoors, depending on the distance to the objects of interest, it creates extreme distortion. A 30 degree FoV +/_ equates to normal 50 mm lens, the typical focal depth.

I don't mean to sound too pedagogical, but make a point of how to adjust the FoV when I actually teach the topic.

Cheers,

• Diego -

@unknownuser said:

something like SME ?

Hi TBD,
possibly something like it, can't really tell from what's there; maybe if you send me a link to a download?

Thanks!

Cheers,

• Diego -

Dear Fellow SketchUppers
there has been recently a flurry of conversations around visual-algorithmic design (http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=11030), in other words, tools that provide a 'proto-typical' end-user the ability to enhance an application in a somewhat easy straight forward way. The concept of end-user programmability, to create a new software application using for instance some form of diagrammatic, graphical environment is certainly not new:
http://www.hypernews.org/~liberte/computing/visual.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_programming_language
http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~burnett/vpl.html
... nor are end-user development applications tools, some of which even cater to children
http://www.agentsheets.com/
http://toontalk.com/
... and some are more 'serious':
http://www.nwoods.com/
http://www.sanscript.net/
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb483088.aspx

What's in my opinion a new or more recent development (forgive me the pun) is the ability to create a connection between end-user computer-graphics design applications (CG) with an add-on of sorts, an end-user visual algorithmic development environment catered specifically to them. To date I find there are three type of visual dev-environments for CG: those for shaders, including materials editors, image-processors or texture generators; those that work directly within or for 3D-modelers; and, there are also thirdly, embedded shader-editors, modules or add-ons available as a means to edit materials within a 3D-modeler.

Herein are some of the most well known examples in each category:
A. Shaders
The free nVidia FX Composer includes mental-mill artist upon installation, an add-on from mental images (which nVidia recently acquired)
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/fx_composer_home.html
http://www.mentalimages.com/2_4_1_mentalmill_ae/
MapZone (free)
http://www.mapzoneeditor.com/
FilterForge, works as add-on to Photoshop or PaintShop Pro but also works standalone
http://www.filterforge.com/features/editor.html
Spiral Graphics' Genetica, image processor and texture-generator
http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/gen2tour/index.htm
World-machine, generates a particular type of images - heightfield-editor - for simulating terrains and exporting 3D-data
http://www.world-machine.com/features.html
Planetside's Terragen, is similar to the previous but more complex/complete
http://www.planetside.co.uk/terragen/tg2/index.shtml

B. 3D-Modelers
ParaCloud is a third-party product, an add-on, that actually requires Excel 2003 (it works from within Excel) and will connect with various modelers
http://paraclouding.com/WP/
Generative Components is Bentley's add-on for algorithmic design within their Building Information Modeling (CAAD) software MicroStation
http://www.bentley.com/en-US/Markets/Building/GenerativeComponents/
Grasshopper is McNeel's own solution to the same above, but obviously for Rhino. At this point Grasshopper is free
http://grasshopper.rhino3d.com/
***Interactive Creative Environment (ICE)***is a soon-to-be released environment for Softimage XSI 7
http://www.softimage.com/products/xsi/ice/default.aspx
LISP Generator is an AutoLISP recorder of sorts for AutoCAD from Beowolf Technology
http://www.beowolftech.com/lispgen/index.html

C. Embedded Shader Editors in Modelers
Blender
http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Compositing_Nodes_Input
Maya's Hypershade
http://www.pixtur.de/img/text_maya/hires/01-overpaint.png
trueSpace
http://www.caligari.com/products/trueSpace/ts75/Brochure/userinterface.asp?Cate=BUserInterface

I suspect you might be asking yourselves, why is all this relevant or important? In many cases the software tool as it stands is all you might need... and that's perfectly fine. But, I also suggest that often enough human endeavors, especially around creativity, is hindered or at least harnessed by the tools and by the medium. SketchUp, for instance, certainly allows modeling, but how about applying rules of composition, assembly, or geometric proportions or relationships, and without Ruby-coding? How about making the application work differently for each user according to their own field, domain or level of experience or expertise? Add-ons such as Grasshopper, ParaCloud or ICE are leaning towards providing the end-user the ability to create or customize their parent-applications. What's aligned for SketchUp?

Indeed, my hope is some day Google SketchUp will bring-back journaling, or enhance the Ruby-coding experience in a visual way, much like LISP Generator did for AutoLISP or like Dreamweaver or FrontPage did for HTML.

Please kindly let me know what you think.

Cheers,

• Diego -

... here:
http://sites.google.com/site/3dbasecamp2008/

Cheers,

• Diego -

PS Clicking on each link leads to 'other' resources, not just the videos, such as handouts etc.

Hi Lewis
the best sites for everything Blender is Blendernation.com... and of course Blender.org itself

As for the new UI, this was out a while back but it's now on the front of their home page...
http://www.blendernation.com/2008/01/18/25-development-demos-available-on-youtube/

Cheers,

• Diego -

I don't remember where I read it but it seems this release is their last. nVIDIA is going to focus on their newest acquisition, merging the code-base from Gelato into what was formerly mental images' mental ray , which by the way is the rendering engine inside some of Autodesk's products, including 3ds max, AutoCAD and, as of recently, Revit...

Very interesting - any one old enough to remember "Laugh In"

Cheers,

• Diego -

PS Found it: it's in their own PR
http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=68336

OK, so, I'm sorry I'm late to the SU7 News Party. I too attended the AIA but, because I've been swamped, haven't had a chance to post, until now.

I heard from a Googler (he's probably giggling now), who said more or less, "... SU releases will not be any farther apart as Photoshop; the time-lapse between releases should be more or less the same...". I couldn't bear the uncertainty anymore so did the homework: CS2 (Photoshop 9) was released April '05; CS3 was released exactly two years later (April 16, 2007); SU 6's beta-cycle started in July 6, 2006 and was eventually released January '07... therefore, the countdown to beta 7 should be hopefully less than a couple of months away(!?)

Cheers,

• Diego -
  Naively and eternally optimistic

Check it out
http://www.pangeaday.org/

Peace

• Diego -

... and one of the sweetest SVG illustration applications out there is actually free: Inkscape.

An item I've requested a while back on the wish-list is that SketchUp be able to export AWA import SVG.

Cheers,

• Diego -