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?

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?:

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?

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?

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.

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.

Start here:

http://www.MartinRinehart.com/models/tutorial/tutorial_11.html

You'll need chapter 15, too, which I'm working on at the moment. 11 through 14 cover a lot of ground.

Good luck. Pick a simpler project for your starting go.

I wouldnt worry too much about exporting and importing the .obj in sketchup, it is all handled by the script so it is simply a case of a couple of menu clicks.

I honestly don't know. This is the only app that I know can somehow and somewhat "bake" textures (with bumps and lighting) in SU.