So, it sounds like a workflow would be to build the animation entirely in Sketchup, then output the animation at twice the size needed as a series of .png images without SU anti aliasing and then bring into After Effects for additional effects if desired.

Are there any tips for which style to use in Sketchup to produce the cleanest simple animations, or anything else along that line? Also wanted to ask if animations could be output with an alpha channel background.

Thanks.

I've been away from Sketchup for a year having rejected it's use for my project. The project consists of fairly simple animations of equipment and terrain for insertion into an HD 1920x1080 broadcast program for cable.

One year ago, I could not animate with Sketchup because of the flickering edge detail and so forth. But, this morning I viewed a couple of animations on Youtube that looked pretty darn good.

Is it now possible to produce flicker free animations with Sketchup Pro? Fingers are crossed.

@atotheo said:

Hey - I just stumbled across this thread. Chris already mentioned, but we were the ones that created that Volkswagen commercial that was initially referenced in this thread. I'd be glad to help in any way that I can on what we've learned about SketchUp in a motion graphics workflow.

For the Volkswagen commercial, we used SketchUp as a central planning and final graphics tool, but we also mashed together a number of other programs including:

-Adobe Illustrator
-Adobe Photoshop
-Adobe AfterEffects
-Video footage
-Still photography
-All edited with Final Cut Pro (Premiere would be fine for PC users)

So while SketchUp would not readily be considered a fit for high-end motion graphics, I do believe that it can provide a fresh aesthetic, and when combined with other programs, one can work around the flickering from SketchUp Animation renders.

Anyhow, we've since completed a few other animations, films, and motion graphics projects. My favorite one that we most recently finished (although pretty simple) was for Google.org: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0FsSN7YWHc&feature=channel_page. Be sure to watch in high quality.

Let me know what specs, if any, would be most helpful to share.

Alex,

Thanks for your offer of help. Very much appreciated. My first question is whether any of the work you've done has ended up on an interlaced broadcast format? It would be helpful to know whether you designed for interlaced output or stayed with progressive for final and what your opinion is about it.
From that point, our questions fall in the area of workflow such as whether or not you rendered out your animations in Sketchup or did you take them to another program for rendering? And did you design your own styles and if so, do you have any guidance there?
The last question has to do with exporting an animation out with an alpha background. Do you know if that is possible or not?
Like yourself we'll be combining with After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and then Premiere Pro.

Chris and Al: Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. I should mention that my goal is to find a way to make Sketchup animations work in an HD broadcast project I'm producing, or die trying.

These animations would be fly-arounds of industrial equipment with simple, maybe even one color texture. Our tests so far have been mixed. Our test models are too jaggy with too much line flickering, but one or two models downloaded from the warehouse seem to be much better.

So, it would seem that we just haven't figured out the right style or renderer or something. We've been told that Sketchup won't work for our purposes, but I have to believe there is a way.

Once we've figured out the right way, we'll take them into After Effects CS4 for post.

Would love to have any specific recommendations from anyone interested.

Forgive me for such a bonehead question, but I'm really not sure why sketchup artists render out their work in other software. The only reasons I can come up with are to to combine their sketchup work with work in another software, or give it a different look or maybe the other software renderers work faster or?

Can anyone help a dummie out?

Where did that character come from? Absolutely hilarious and somewhat scary at the same time.

I think we would be better off by by using a live person. We would establish the scene by both medium overhead shots of a drafting table with someone working on the drawing/blueprint. Picture a single drafting table in a pool of light (obviously shot in a studio) then cut to extreme closeups of a hand and pencil moving across the paper, closeups of some of the drafting tools, maybe a shot of a close by computer monitor with a drawing on it, then an extreme closeup of the head of the pencil finishing a line, then tilt up to reveal the drawing itself which would then go into a simple animation.
The whole idea is to provide an intro to the viewer of what is coming, i.e., the animation and that the animation of this piece of equipment is the result of an engineers design. The other reason is that we would return to this "frame of reference" at other points in the program.

Well, it's all about the "look." It seems like we two choices: one is to use sketchup as is with no other rendering done anywhere else in order to preserve the "sketchy/hand design" aspect. I like this idea if we can pull it off because I like the look of hand design. I'm a sketch artist myself and I can visualize a clip in which one would start with a closeup(s) on an artists hands pencilling up the final lines on a drawing and then closing in on the drawing and watching it go into an animation.

The second is to render with some other program and try to match the "cleanliness" of line that the more sophisticated programs can achieve. If that's the look I wanted, we would just get the software that could do that in the first place.

The sketchup animations that we've done so far out of SU 7 Pro are not bad at all with the exception of some line flickering because of thin lines.

However, having said all that, we are still definitely on the learning/testing curve and some things could change. But of course, that's what makes this business so much fun.

And yes, it's a go.

@double espresso said:

@chris fullmer said:

I would love to see SU in television productions. I'm very unfamiliar with what is needed though. I do know that for best video quality, most of tend to export a series of png images at 2 to 3 times the desired resolution and then shrink them in a Photoshop batch or in Premiere or the Mac (Movie Maker?) program. It helps get better looking resolution. What kind of specific info are you looking for?

I'm sure others who actually know something will jump in. There are a bunch of film guys around,

Chris

Never gonna happen. Why would anyone use SU for broadcast animation when there are apps. designed specifically for this that make SU look like a flipbook.

It is going to happen because I'm going to do it. I'll post the program times here on this forum although it's going to be fall of 09 before it's ready for broadcast.
The decision to use sketchup is part practical and part creative. Practical because we can accomplish more animation faster at less cost and creative because I like the sketchy look. It lends itself to an engineering inspired program which is what our project is.
In answer to Chris: Not so much about resolution as smoothness of the animation flow and how the sketchy look holds
together visually. I've seen enough sketchup animations now to know that it can be done.

I would welcome any help that anyone could offer especially in the area of smoother animations. I did find a motion graphics commercial made for Volkswagen which was apparently shown at a trade show. It was extremely well done and featured primarily sketchup graphics.

I'm beginning to believe that HD broadcast production is quite possible if one designs the right "container" for the sketchup graphics.

We've been thinking of maybe a a slow zoom into a drafting table full of blueprints from above and then dissolving out to a sketchups motion graphic or something along that line. Also, am going to purchase that animation bundle from smustard.