echoboy. You google "kerkythea". There's a plugin "SU2KT" that works to export from SU to Kerkythea, which is a standalone application. It's not the easiest renderer to learn.
You can use almost any image for your background. In SketchUp the background image is called a "watermark". There's info about it in the online help center.
It's never been the point of SketchUp to be complicated by its own photo-realistic rendering tool. There's plenty of alternatives such as the plugins like Podium and LightUp as well as all the rendering programs out there such as Thea, Kerkythea and so on. You have plenty of choice without making SketchUp more complex.
I managed to forget about Maxwell Render. There is a free version for Sketchup--it operates as a direct plugin which incorporates the renderer right into SU. The free version of Maxwell is limited to a render resolution of 800x800, and there are some other limitations as compared to the full, licensed Maxwell.
Actually all you have to do is go into 3D warehouse and you will see the plugin for products.
CLick on it and it will show you all the different manufactures that are part of this plugin. Also, most are DC....
Here is an (empty) model with a style saved in it. It has some clouds. To my best knowledge, it was shared by Chris Fullmer on the old @Last forums before Google shut it down.
thanks for your help, my other question is when I initially set up a drawing what is the correct procedure for setting up drawing units. I typically work in feet and inches, not meters.
Thanks, everyone for your reply. One more question I'm new in Piranesi, do any of you know
how to set up a drawing, the book I have isn't that great. Especially when I want
to insert people, objects. Sometime they scale up and down and other times they don't.
Plus the book always works in meters.