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    ℹ️ Licensed Extensions | FredoBatch, ElevationProfile, FredoSketch, LayOps, MatSim and Pic2Shape will require license from Sept 1st More Info
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    • RE: Sketchup to OpenSim ?

      Here's a link on how to configure grids for the viewer, http://opensimulator.org/wiki/Viewer

      If they're running a mesh enabled simulator and running a stand alone simulator, instead of using hosted service like Second Life or Inworlds, they need to configure the sim, http://metatek.blogspot.com/2011/07/multi-user-sim-on-stick.html also check http://opensimulator.org

      If you have a mesh enabled browser, when you click build, select upload and don't see model, either the sim or the region isn't mesh enabled. If it's standalone they need to back up their inventory, OAR files then install a newer version, OpenSim 0.7.2 is mesh enabled. If you're using a hosted service, you're SOL.

      As a precaution, export the model as both obj and collada, and use MeshLab to import the obj to export as a collada. There's still a problem with uploading SketchUp exported collada files, it's either the exporter or artifacts in the model.

      posted in Hardware
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Collada mesh problem

      So the problem is in the collada file exporter instead of the issues with the model's geometry, grouping, and textures? If so, would the simplest workaround be to use a converter like FBX? Or would there be an issue involving reworking/cleanup that would require the file to be imported in another modeler?

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • Collada mesh problem

      One virtual world allows collada file uploads for content. There's some issues involving files that SketchUp exports. Any thought on what's causing a lot of very, very small meshes, the mesh acting as if it were partially exploded, the extra vertices, the extra textures, and what can be done to prevent these from occurring?

      Runitai Linden said about SketchUp at SLCC, during The Future of Mesh presentation: "We have a list of applications we test against. Blender ... we wanna make sure we're compatible with Wings3D ... and 3D Studio and Maya because they're the big players from Autodesk. ... and Zebra. You'll notice that I didn't say SketchUp, and that's intentional. SketchUp's exporter creates content that just isn't very efficient for the Second Life importer. You end up with a lot of very, very small meshes, and there's a lot of overhead in Second Life for each individual mesh object."

      Besides the numerous small meshes, people importing in Blender to export mention having to clean up the numerous extra vertices. Some texturing in SketchUp to upload instead of importing in another program to texture mention about it causing mesh issues as follows.

      When you rotate a texture on a face, SketchUp interprets that as a new material, and saves it as a secondary texturable surface. When you get it into SL, you'll now have "2 textures" on the cube.It causes a problem if you're building a semi-complex object, with let's say 10 sides. The max number of "faces" (textures) that a mesh in SL can have, is 8. So even if you're using the same texture over and over again, and just scaling and rotating it, it can unexpectedly create more than 8 faces in the mesh... resulting in the mesh uploading as "more than one part".

      Another issue about the mesh that after uploading it's not grouped as a single mesh, with or without textures. It doesn't matter if you exporting the model "as is", make the entire model into a group before exporting, or make the entire model into a component before exporting. If you click on the mesh then try to move it, only a small part follows, leaving the rest behind, as if it were partially exploded.

      posted in Newbie Forum sketchup
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Can a tweaked texture be made for SketchUp using PhotoShop?

      That answers it partly, the normal map goes in the layer above the diffuse map and blend is set to multiply. But for multiple maps, how are the layers supposed to be organized (with the diffuse map always the bottom layer)?

      Is the layer order supposed to be as follows from top down or does it matter with the exception that the diffuse map is always the bottom layer?:

      1. ambient occlusion
      2. displacement
      3. specular
      4. normal
      5. diffuse

      Is blend mode for maps 1-4 except normal map set to multiply, or is normal set to multiply and maps 1-3 (ambient occlusion, displacement, and specular) set to overlay?

      Do normal and ambient occlusion maps need to be desaturated first or does it matter that these are not greyscale?

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • Can a tweaked texture be made for SketchUp using PhotoShop?

      I'm wanting to tweak a texture by extracting maps out of a texture then merge the original texture with the maps in a photo editor and import the final texture in SketchUp. The books I found for PhotoShop or PS Essentials don't cover using it for this purpose. Are there any online guides that cover the steps and suggested settings after the maps and the original textures are first brought in the editor up to the point just before the layers are merged into a single layer?

      One program doesn't generates an ambient occlusion map but does generate normal, diffuse, specular, and normal maps. Is there a simple way to make a "fake" ambient occlusion map using PhotoShop or PS Essentials with the original texture and the maps, or to compensate for the lack of an ambient occlusion map?

      posted in Newbie Forum sketchup
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Plugin load errors, new installation

      After running a search on compatibility files I read one of the older threads, http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=17947&p=203864&hilit=Compatibility+files#p203864 that mentioned that the Smustard Organizer plugin caused errors similar to the ones I was having with LibFredo6 instead of the compatibility files system being the perpetrator. I tested this theory by changing the file extensions of Organizer.rb, SmustardOrganizerExcludeFolders.txt, and restarted SketchUp 3 times without an error message. It doesn't make sense that all the other plugins loaded without a problem. The last plugin I installed, LibFredo6 caused error messages, but first plugin installed, Organizer caused the problem.

      Another thing that doesn't make sense is the compatibility files system. When I deleted the organizerEdit.log from the virtualstore directory, the compatibility files button on the explorer window dissappered, but I didn't delete the defparms folder (contained no files) and the twilight folder (only contained the twilight license). Why would the compatbility files button dissapear even though not all of the content has been deleted?

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Plugin load errors, new installation

      Is there any workaround to get this plugin to load?

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Plugin load errors, new installation

      Capture3.JPG

      Nothing from LibFredo6 is in the directories listed above. I had SU v7.1 with LibFredo6 installed without getting the errors. The only difference is that I've just installed SU v8.0 then LibFredo6 in it's plugins folder and now experiencing the errors.

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Plugin load errors, new installation

      Plugin root directoryLibFredo6 directory

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Plugin load errors, new installation

      I uninstalled the directories and scripts for each plugin, restarted Sketchup with no errors, then extracted LibFredo6 3.4c to keep the file directory structure intact, then reinstalled. Starting Sketchup shows the following errors, is there a bug using SketchUp v8 with LibFredo6 3.4:

      Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Config.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Palette.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Plugin.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Protractor.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Selmode.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Startup.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Tool.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Web.rb
      uninitialized constant Traductor::T6

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • Plugin load errors, new installation

      I'm getting the following error messages when Sketchup first loads:

      Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/FREDOSCALE_Dir_20/FredoScale_Common.rb
      (eval):1: uninitialized constant FredoScale::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/FREDOSCALE_Dir_20/__loader.rb
      undefined method effective_load' for nil:NilClassError Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Config.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Palette.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Plugin.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Protractor.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Selmode.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Startup.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Tool.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/LIBFREDO6_Dir_34/Lib6Web.rb uninitialized constant Traductor::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/ROUNDCORNER_Dir_21/RoundCorner_Common.rb uninitialized constant RoundCorner::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/ROUNDCORNER_Dir_21/__loader.rb undefined method effective_load' for nil:NilClassError Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/EraserOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/FreehandOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/LibOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/LineOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/LoaderOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/OffsetAlgoOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/OffsetOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/PaletteOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/PolylineOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/ShapeOnSurface.rb
      uninitialized constant SUToolsOnSurface::T6Error Loading File C:/Program Files/Google/Google SketchUp
      8/Plugins/TOS_Dir_16/__loader.rb
      undefined method `effective_load' for nil:NilClass

      When I downloaded the plugins I unzipped each file, did a select all and moved the contents to the plugins folder.

      The effected directories are: FREDOSCALE_Dir_20, LIBFREDO6_Dir_34, ROUNDCORNER_Dir_21,and TOS_Dir_16. I went through each error message, got the directory and file name. I checked each directory and all files are present. Is there any reason why I'm getting these error messages?

      posted in Plugins
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Texture map help

      I was hoping to avoid the overhead of another modeling program if there was a 3D materials editor available that does what max and blender's material editor do and can import/export the model.

      After spending a few hours on the renderer for the first time, now I understand why to use an existing photo for a texture first. For the 2D normal map software, I'm leaning toward pixplant; make a fake ambient occlusion map in a photo editor from the pixplant's normal map, and combine the 5 maps into 1 texture. I don't know if using the make normal map SU plugin for a 6th map would be overkill or not, considering that it uses the model's geometry instead of a texture to make a normal map.

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Texture map help

      Rather than swaping a texture, is there any way to link a section of a render to a texture and have that replace the texture?

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Texture map help

      I'm starting to do content for sims and just starting, so for now it would be product. The short version of what I'm trying to do is to get a model's textures to be as realistic as possible and include depth, shadowing, etc to look as if the materials contained multiple maps, like some of the higher-end packages, before exporting the model. I'm trying to do a workaround and combine the maps and texture to get a final texture since Sketchup only allows one texture per face.

      The textures in a render have more detail than the original textures so I'm trying to render the model in SketchUp and replace the original textures with the rendered ones. When I said I was looking for a way to automate, I meant something like either to track the camera and lights completely around all of the model or to have the model spin around in front of a static camera and lights, and either way to stop at preset positions until done, then swap the nonrendered textures with the rendered textures. At this point if a uv tool can be used, unwrap the model as one texture so I wouldn't have to save each texture individually, extract the maps with a 2D normal map tool and combine them in photoshop elements and rewrap back on the SketchUp model.

      I have Twilight for the renderer, but only plan to use it as a texture tool to make the textures photorealistic, rather than to make a render as the end product.

      The limitation I mentioned is only SketchUp's ability to pin a texture to a face compaired to the features most of the other modelers have for textures that can do almost everything else that SketchUp lacks.

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • Texture map help

      I spent the past couple of days trying to learn how to work around SketchUp's limitations with textures and realized that I'm needing to compensate it by making maps and applying them to the textures I used, then retexturing the mesh again. To do this, is the workflow to first render textures and replace the original textures, unwrap the textures like an UV, make the maps using a 2D normal map program, combine them in Photoshop, and rewrap it back on the mesh?

      Is there a way to automate doing all the initial renders, reapply them back on the mesh, and remove the original textures, instad of having to manually position the lights and camera each time, before unwraping it to make the maps?

      The posts I read and the LightUp website mentioned it does light and baked maps, but exports the model with a FBX format. The sites for the other 2D normal programs like Crazybump, Pixplant, and Make Normal Map don't get into specifics either. Any suggestions on which ones are less finicky on settings and generate a wider variety of maps? And any suggestions to minimize steps to do this?

      posted in Newbie Forum sketchup
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Training material

      The Go2School DVDs look good from the point that there's consistency from one video to the next, and compared to the free videos, they fill in the gaps the free ones have. I found one from Massive Black on vehicle modeling for games with SketchUp that I'll be ordering also.

      What I meant to ask in my first post was are there any DVD sets organized like a content cookbook, you play the chapter for the content you're interested in and it goes through an hour of showing how it's build in SketchUp, with an emphasis on building the model for a virtual or game environment (there's a difference with making content for a game environment compared to making content used elsewhere). Some of the older books on game design were organized like this, but were written to teach Maya or 3D Max, and I had to get a second set of bifocals made to deal with nearsightedness (age and the genetic pool were not kind) so DVDs are preferred - otherwise I have to continuously switch glasses.

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • Training material

      I'm looking for training videos or DVDs for SketchUp, and not limited to free content only. I can find DVDs for content design for 3D Max and Maya but nothing for SketchUp. What I found so far is organized by tools, and focuses on the tools then maybe an example of making content after 3-5 videos. I'm trying to locate something that is organized by content and introduces the tools used in the section, similar to the way the Quick Start chapter is done in K. Murdock's SketchUp Bible (for v. 7). If B. Roskes' Cookbook, and D. Tal's Site Design were in video form, they would be close to what I'm looking for.

      I'm also looking for additional training videos or DVDs for designing content for a virtual or game environment to avoid the "I made a model that looks great in my modeler, but after importing in the virtual environment all the time I spent was wasted” syndrome. Most just starting out need help in preplanning and rethinking how to build for a virtual environment instead of how to build something that looks great in the modeler. For example, adding details to the model. I don’t know when its time to do less physical detail and use textures instead. The few I found for game design just showed a model being built but didn’t go into why it was done that way.

      posted in Newbie Forum sketchup
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Avatar - A new Era of Cinema begins

      The production company that made Avatar could have easily added another half to one hour to the movie and made the beginning start by sending clothing or blankets when the tribe didn't want to relocate. It's a time tested American tradition. Send the spy in afterward and continue with the rest of the movie.

      Every 10-20 years seems like it's a new era, does anyone remember 2 movies called TRON and Wargames? About the only couple of things things left are to have a simulator-like seat for motion, holographic projection so you can see slightly around the edges if you move (I'm not talking about StarTrek-Holodeck) and smell. Someone is already working on adapting a seat for theaters and there was work in the past, BC (before computers) to use holograms with a film. I remembered reading that smell was used as a gimmick when they had 3D movies when they used cardboard frames and red-blue cellophane lenses for "glasses".

      As far as the Robin Hood parody, I think Springtime for Hitler was funnier.

      posted in Corner Bar
      J
      Joe52
    • Ruby beginner

      I'm needing some help with my first attempt at learning Ruby and making a Ruby script. I got Beginning Ruby by Peter Cooper; I'm still looking for something on file conversion and exporting, and for the SketchUp Ruby library similar to the Just Java guides Sun published for Java. The last time that I had programmed was about 10 years ago, so for all purposes I'm a beginner.

      The first five lines below are a description of what the script should do. The remainder below is POV-Ray code that does this with embedded coordinates for the model, a 2D Bézier spline rotated around an axis (part in the lathe { bezier_spline 24) procedure. For the script, I want to use a procedure to get the model's coordinates. How do I simulate the part for each ray from the center of the sphere to a grid point compute the intersection of the ray with the object for at least one ray?

      • draw a sphere around the object to be represented

      • draw a 64x64 grid on the sphere (like parallels and meridans on a world map)

      • for each ray from the center of the sphere to a grid point

      • compute the intersection of the ray with the object

      • Scale, normalize, etc to fit into 0-255 range.
        ` #declare t_sculpty = texture {
        pigment {
        average
        pigment_map {
        [1 gradient x color_map {[0 rgb 0][1 rgb <1,0,0>]}]
        [1 gradient y color_map {[0 rgb 0][1 rgb <0,0,1>]}]
        [1 gradient z color_map {[0 rgb 0][1 rgb <0,1,0>]}]
        }
        translate -0.5
        }
        finish { ambient 3 diffuse 0 }
        }

      lathe { bezier_spline 24,
      <0.000,0.005>, <0.000,0.005>, <0.102,0.005>, <0.102,0.005>,
      <0.102,0.005>, <0.102,0.102>, <0.060,0.154>, <0.214,0.212>,
      <0.214,0.212>, <0.370,0.270>, <0.450,0.307>, <0.450,0.410>,
      <0.450,0.410>, <0.450,0.511>, <0.450,0.957>, <0.450,0.974>,
      <0.450,0.974>, <0.450,0.990>, <0.371,0.997>, <0.352,0.990>,
      <0.352,0.990>, <0.332,0.985>, <0.175,0.975>, <0.000,0.975>
      sturm
      translate y*-0.5
      scale <1,-1,1>
      texture { t_sculpty }
      }

      sphere { 0, 1.001 inverse
      finish { ambient 0 diffuse 0 reflection 1 }
      }

      camera { spherical location 0 look_at z*-1 }`

      posted in Developers' Forum
      J
      Joe52
    • RE: Editing Textures

      UV tools version 0.2 documentation shows the model needs to be exported as an obj file before manipulating the texture. Is there anyway to apply the edited texture back to the SketchUp model to avoid having to reimport the obj file back?

      posted in Newbie Forum
      J
      Joe52
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