Thanks Rich, I am aware of the post by Gus R (Thanks Gus) And had a look at the link. I think that is all new brickwork and I am intersested in some more heritage buildings

This tool has been out for about a year or so. Very cool should be an SU native tool

@rich o brien said:

That's a great result. Especially the lighting. That's a tough space to get lighting resolved.

This is TM path tracing?

Actually the more I look the more detail you pick up on. The original house façade detail is great.

I pity the window cleaner. That's alot of glass!

Cheers Rich, the lighting was very tough an I spent more than 11 hours to get that resolved. The glass has a hydrophilic coating, so self cleaning. But even if it was normal glass I am sure the owners could get it cleaned weekly as they have Van goughs "stary night" a Turner and Picasso on the walls As for the period building yes I spent many hours on the geometry of those details I did not care how long it took to generate as long as it worked and kooked authentic.

@rv1974 Could not agree more

Hi, I have attached an image of a window within an arch. I would like to know if there are any brickwork editors. I think I saw a post on this forum and from memory it seemed like it covered this issue. Does anybody know of such an app?

Quixei mixer is free if you use Twinmotion which is also free. Quixel mixer is very good and I hear close to ThruPaint in function, I hear

@mill3rluke said:

@l i am said:

This is the result from my prior work. I have spent more time on it. Lots of fine tuning

[attachment=0:748qnzo7]<!-- ia0 -->Image10 ps Reduced.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:748qnzo7]

Great stuff, was this an actual project put into construction?

Thanks Mill3rLuke, not a real project, I am just working on my folio. The design and model was mine. The renovated terrace house came from studying many period terrace houses and kind of smashing them together using the best atributes of all of them.
The new building is my design based opon a stone structural monolith feature also being an elevator shaft. The rest of that building was minimal clean lines not to detract from that feature

@TIG I think that the poster may have a wish to monetise the idea and may not want to let the cat out of the bag. Catch 22 situation

@Mike-Amos said in Texture Production (question):

Having a quick look, Materialize seems to be free, open source. Worthy of a look at least.

https://boundingboxsoftware.com/materialize/tutorials.php

Thanks Mike

The rod is tapered like a fishing rod, in fact I am sure it is a fishing rod blank

This is the result from my prior work. I have spent more time on it. Lots of fine tuning

This is a beta version for creating terrain and more. Works with SketchUp https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq2Hj27CChk

@Rich-O-Brien said in Ain't Sketchup to rhyme with the trends?:

It is easy get frustrated because it lacks certain features. But a bloated app can also lead to frustration when trying to find features hidden behind nested menu or panels.

It is no secret that SU was designed not to intimidate a new user from its inception by having a very simple UI. I do not understand why SU does not change the UI very much at all but have advanced features hidden until you "awaken" them when your modelling skills get more advanced.

That is awesome Rich thanks you

@gus r said:

Looks great, L i am. I seem to be doing a lot of free renderings as well lately. Mostly for practice. Sometimes I show it to the architect I do drafting for and doesn't go further than that. I guess after outsourcing we're all just waiting for AI to take over the universe. IMO most of the AI "art" I've seen looks like an illustration for the cover of a supermarket romance novel.

Thanks Gus Bryan and Mark I just found out the potential client is an Australian/London Lawyer and the Architect has told me that if the renders sell the house (Long story) I will get paid for my work. As far as AI goes, I think it works, to whatever degree for ideation and 3D "art" but for Arcvis is is mot a contender ATM.

I asked AI
"What are your thoughts on how images produced by AI will effect the works of people who have studied art and 3 d modeling and rendering with no AI"

ChatGPT said:
That’s an excellent and timely question—and it cuts to the heart of a deep shift happening in art and design fields.

AI-generated imagery is already reshaping the landscape for artists and 3D modelers in both positive and negative ways, depending on how it's used, and how institutions and audiences value original human-created work versus fast, synthetic production. Here’s a breakdown of the major effects:

Challenges for Traditional Artists & 3D Modelers
Commoditization of Visuals
AI can create highly polished images in seconds, which devalues time-intensive work by trained professionals. For clients who only care about speed or surface-level visuals, this can undercut prices and shift expectations.

Job Competition in Concept and Previz Work
Roles like concept artist, illustrator, and moodboard designer are particularly affected. AI can churn out near-final concepts, cutting out early design phases that were once paid opportunities for junior or freelance artists.

Skill Devaluation in Entry-Level Roles
Beginners or juniors who previously cut their teeth on low-to-mid-level render tasks may now find those jobs disappearing. Studios or firms might rely on AI for base renderings or compositions, reserving human artists for final polish only—if at all.

Flooding of Visual Space
The sheer volume of AI-generated content dilutes the visibility of genuine, hand-built work. This can make it harder to stand out unless your portfolio is exceptionally unique or you’ve carved a recognizable niche.
Opportunities for Skilled Artists Who Adapt
AI as a Speed Tool, Not a Replacement
Artists who learn to use AI as a sketching or idea-generation tool can work faster, test ideas more quickly, and still apply their trained eye to elevate results. Think of it as a new brush or camera—not a competitor.

Higher Standards for ‘Human’ Work
As AI floods the market with generic content, authentic, deeply skilled work (especially with storytelling, intentional composition, and technical accuracy) will stand out even more. Especially in high-end architecture, game design, film, or VR where realism, detail, or spatial logic is critical.

New Job Roles: Prompt Engineering, AI Art Direction
People with strong design knowledge are becoming invaluable as AI art directors—knowing how to guide the AI, curate outputs, and blend synthetic images with real 3D or photo assets.

Cultural & Ethical Value of Human-Made Art
There’s a growing movement toward “human-authored” or “AI-free” work, especially in galleries, publications, or academic spaces. Like analog photography in a digital age, handcrafted work might become more respected and sought after—if framed and marketed that way.

Final Thought
AI won’t erase the need for trained artists—but it will redefine the value proposition. The artists who thrive will likely be the ones who:

Lean into design thinking, storytelling, and emotional impact—things AI still struggles with.

Use AI as a collaborator, not a competitor.

Make their work stand for something—cultural relevance, craft, message, or uniqueness.

Would you like me to help compare an AI-generated architectural rendering with a hand-built one to explore the difference in depth, nuance, or emotion?

@Mike-Amos said in Ain't Sketchup to rhyme with the trends?:

Energy consumption which we should be reducing, is going up

By Oct 27, 2028 (three years from today) global electricity use for AI-heavy computing (data centres + AI training/inference) is plausibly 30%–200% higher than it is today

The whole world looks scary to me I feel sorry for our kids

I worked out how to do it, should have been obvious really. Instead of deleting I thought I would post the solution should anybody else encounters this issue. I simply scaled the swatch to humongous picked the texture and applied it to the tile and moved the texture to the desired effect. It works fine would still appreciate it if there is another way.

I got some architects drawings of a house about to be built by the Ocean in the south coast of Western Australia. It has a very particular landscape and flora. Was very hard to reproduce modelled in SU and rendered in TM.

Thanks for the link I checked it out for giggles and got AI to put it together on my Computer and it works