@rickw said:

Another thing I'm considering is a SceneGroupReader. It would be a view-only interface (no drag/drop or organization tools) that would provide just the collapsible groups and click-to-select scenes. It would be offered with the organization set and as a free standalone. Thoughts?

Maybe this would be useful for someone... my boss could use it when showing a model with tons of tabs to a client in my absence. I wouldn't want to limit anyone's options. But for me, it would be useless.

I would go for the 'pro' scene organizer/exporter version... call it "SceneMaster" or "SceneMonster" if you like - meaning I want two tabs in the dialog at the top... one to use the scene exporter tool, the other to use the scene organizer/viewer tool.

some clarification questions.... can I drag and drop more than one scene at a time into a group? this is key!!!! (I didn't see you do that in your video demo)

If I'm in one file and have 30 different scenes, and I don't want them all, but want to export and bring in scenes 3-6, 10-15, 17, and 24 into a DIFFERENT MODEL... can I do that with your tool?

Can I use your organizer to, say, remove the check from the 'remember hidden geometry' box to a select group of scenes all at once? KEY FEATURE!!! I see this as a drop-down dialog box under the 'group' title... and it applies that set of check box settings to each scene in the group.

Can I auto-batch-rename all the scenes within a group easily? I type in "Exterior_#" and it renames all the scenes in the "Exterior" group to Exterior_1, Exterior_2, Exterior_3... etc.

Can I assign a color to a group of scenes? So that the Group one's tabs can all be red, and group two's tabs can all be blue, etc? (this could be randomly generated colors for the groups if you want - but it's easier to see a color than read a name sometimes)

Can I select a group and just loop the animation or just export the animation for that group only? This is another Key wish/feature!!!

I assume if you open a model with a hundred scenes in it, you've accounted for dynamically adjusting your dialog to fit them all into that dialog on the same screen... right? Also, I assume your tool automatically loads all the existing scenes into it, not just the ones created after opening the dialog.

Thank you, Tom.

here's the 'final' final...

this is looking promising, Rick!
Is there a way you could develop a "Scene Organizer" so I can drag-n-drop these 6 scenes before in front of 45 others or quickly add/delete some properties of many scenes at once. ctrl-selecting multiple scenes and quickly grouping them, etc.?!

indeed, Vray is excellent for interior or exterior.
Let's give this guy some help in learning along the way, shall we?

in addition to the comments about the grass, etc. I think the glass on the exterior is too 'clear'... but as I haven't used Vray cannot help you improve it... are you using a spherical sky? Also, finding better trees and putting in a couple different varieties of trees will help.

I think it looks like you've put light in the building... too much light... and perhaps that's why the glass looks wrong.

Thank you, Solo, for generously sharing your creativity and your palms!

love that star wars shot... made me laugh! thanks!

excellent as always... but the yellow/green on the pick guard distracts my joy.

thanks guys, you are too kind.

I am not paid for perfection... I like the term 'Photo-artistic' and avoid 'Photo-realism' in my vocabulary... I rarely get the joy/chance to 'shoot' for perfection or 'photo-realism' - so I guess I aim for 'ambiance'. clearly perfection didn't happen on this image either. There is a bit of DOF... the houses in the background are a bit fuzzy... I am scared of DOF because I find it 'overdone' in many renders I see IMHO... guess it wouldn't hurt to add a bit more.

I agree about the people, I need to buy some good 3D people... the 2D folks are ok... but
well, in the very final image, which I didn't post here, I deleted the 2 worst walking on the right side... I did a terrible job with their shadow.

re:patience - no patience needed for painting the grass and trees in KT, adjusting their positions, materials, etc... all went just fine! fun! ...the only patience involved in this image was working with a couple of perfectionists, both of whom kept making 'one more little thing' changes loooong after they had ample time to view the prelim... or even a couple of 'finals'... that's what kills a budget

@Mateo... hvala! ... I will try to post more often.

Fredo, I'm with Coen,

I got this so I can offset the edges of a curved surface onto the surface... but the LINE TOOL ON CURVED SURFACE?! well... that just made my day

This is obviously a labor of love you have created.

Thanks to you, the Joint Push Pull, the Soap Skin Bubble, Free Form Deformation, and the Subdivide and Smooth tools I am officially at a creative loss... I mean... I'm sitting here saying "now I can draw ANYTHING I WANT!" and just like when I got Z-brush's demo... had no idea WHAT I WANT to create.

Thanks so much for your work, and generosity!

Thanks for sharing this great review, Kwist, good work!

Hi all!

Here's a little image I did recently... thought I should share. It's no "Hapke"... but it puts food on the table...

see larger image

Rendered in Path Tracing Progressive with 48 passes at 2800px. (rendered overnight)

Post pro: people, and some slight glow/tonemapping... and a few little tufts of grass on the cut lawn in the shadow of the tree or at edges of paving.

all else was straight KT! (trees and foregrass were all 3D - KT models (trees converted from x-frog, grass by Frolfer12) ) I created the sky global myself from many photos I took on various vacations. I created a half-dome and mapped it in SU. But I don't use that in KT... I use the very same image but it's actually contributing light to the scene as a sky global.

here's my SketchUp prelim for the client:

here's my first run in KT with ZEROPOST-PRO ... I added another 3D tree species and moved trees around in the final shown above... added models of the neighborhood in background, models of cars, etc.

here's the thread where the image is discussed further.

@plot paris -
that was great!

I can see that being on a segway saves your tired feet from walking all day - this makes sense... if you're a postman or policeman... just in dangerous situations... feet would be preferred IMHO.

Morisdov,
thank you for sharing! (applause)
this looks really great - can't wait to try it.

I noticed in your video that it appears the working of the rotate tool is SketchUp is still a bit frustrating for you... perhaps I'm wrong... if so, sorry - I mean no offense! It is a very difficult thing to master for many people I teach!

The tip I give in training people in SU at our office is: when you go to place the center of the rotation tool protractor, click and drag (don't just click and release the mouse button right away) and PULL the center rotation axis of the tool (like the axis of a motor bike wheel) into an SU colored axis direction. then you will see it highlight as it locks the rotation tool onto that axis. Then let go of your mouse button when the rotate tool is locked into the axis you wanted. Then click first to set a 'base' 'zero' point... then START rotating in one or the other direction, THEN click your second point, or just type the angle you want after you have started it rotating.

Ross, I was just ROLLING after watching that... it proves that setting a video to tough-sounding music does NOT make your product "Tough"... it actually made the video even funnier than I think it was intended. I think (shakes head in pity) it's going to be a while before Segway riding is welcomed into the "Extreme Sport" community.

interesting... I was expecting something along the lines of Flash animation, or oragami, or layered cut-outs... you know... I can see potential here.

I too would like this tool! (handy for modeling cabinetry doors for instance - quickly create the gap between)

great quality of light, very clean!

love it! great explain, too.

looks great, Ramzy, only thing would be to use IES lights in the cans... and as Daniel mentioned... some 'stuff'.

- Making IES lights

- Explanation of IES lighting and IES test scene

beautiful image - the first one you posted. it looks like 'old school' illustration with 'new school' flare. lovely.