gutted ah well maybe somebody knows something i found this site http://sketchygraphics.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/plugin-sketchup-custom-toolbars/ but so far it looks like your right and it a windows only thing

I downloaded it and placed the toolbars plugin.rb in my plugins folder but its not showing up?!!?!?!?! so looks like you are right

I dont know why im only asking these noob questions now ive been using SU since @last software owned it lol, anyway my second question this week is about the SU toolbar.
I like to have all my options in the toolbar and all of my plugins. Ive just upgraded my OS from 10.4.11 to 10.6 so haven't got round to installing all the plugins yet. Anyway the point is ive seen screenshots of others peoples SU interfaces and they have two or three rows of icons and sometimes along the top and left hand side. Ive looked and looked and im only able to but one row of icons along the top and all my options dont fit on even still.
Anyway here is a screen grab of my setup so far. Ive assumed this multi icon interface maybe windows only as im running it on mac, if so thats disappointing but if not I would be glad if somebody could give me the heads up.

I didnt mean it reminded me in looks I know the style is completely off I just meant the dark colors and imposing monolithic shape on the landscape, grey dull you get the idea. I know concrete can be great but obv the stereotype is tower block stuff.

For a quick knock up its pretty damn good. You have some very stylish renders, it is definitely overbearing and imposing. It reminds me of the towers in the old soviet block very imposing but with its ow depressive style. The type of building thats horrible to look at but every time you pass it you cant help but stare. I went on that big wheel in manchester for a laug and that big slab of concrete isnt half depressing especially as its the only thing you can see and its raining your picture reminded me of it lol you should ass some cracked plaster in very faintly.

Ahh thanks ill go check it out, I am a member of those forums but forgot all about them! I think Sepo will be able to help if im still stuck after looking at the podium help thread.

Thanks dolphus,
anyway getting rid of all the windows and having a big one at the front under the airlock. Added a little bryce man for a scale comparison. It will have metal shutters that go over it but I havent modelled them yet trying to work out a mechanism that will work, maybe a camera like iris on the inside or some metal blades on the outside?!?
Getting snow leopard OS tomorrow a big strp up from tiger so ill be able to install windows xp or 7 on bootcamp and finally get 3dsmax2010 up and running for some sweet texturing and renders! Watch this space (...)

Note: green bryce should actually be upside down as the cylinder spins the roof is actually the floor (in space anyway) but thought andbody looking at the image would think it was confusing, hes only for scale anyway!

Hi Ive got a texture and made a bump map but no idea how to incorporate them into the model. Im using SU6 & Podium to render. Here is the model I want the texture for and a screenshot of it in SU. Its the texture for the solar panels and the radiators. Please anybody who can help let me know and talk me through it as if im a complete idiot lol.

the last two are great are you using podium for the raw renders?

Seem to have fixed my Memory issues so decided to try it on this beast, there was a lot of movement between SU and max for this so the geometry is tripled to what the SU file was. Anyway if I manage to render this then all should be well and I can carry on with the model. As for this shipyards model its been on the backburner for quite a while maybe ill get round to finishing it one day.

Ahh you intersect 3D text thats clever I odnt know why I didnt think of that!!!!

2050 speed cop! made me laugh its amazing looks like something from 2000AD!

So let me get this straight?
There is a new ruby that takes a SU model in SU format (.skp) into another app, this app allows you to unwrap it make maps in photoshop for example apply them and then send the model back into SU? I have a few questions also!

This seems to good to be true, this app that you are referring to ar there more than one? could you use 3dsmax for example or blender?
Also does the SU file stay the same throughout or does it become 3ds for example. If that is the case things arnt looking so good anymore!
And lastly can somebody post a link to this ruby I looked but couldnt find it?

Apart form this great news yeah on this 'model this'. As it is more inclined towards modeling than towards rendering do you even need to spent lots of time setting up a render? Its not my best part you see?

Oh dont worry I will, these are only quick half renders to show the model, the ship isn't even textured yet for proper rendering.

Having trouble rendering the whole ship so did it in different parts so its easier to see. Also created a low poly truss for long shot renders.

I think your double Decker passenger trains are great, not sure about the textures on the first one out of the three, the third is my favorite!

Thanks for the comments everybody! It feels strange sometimes to post this type of work here as most of the stuff is architectural but its SU after all and everybody is great over here and gives lots of good advice and help!

Well finished the rotating section at last! The outer modules provide a comfortable 1G at 1RPM. The inner modules I havent measured yet byt they are the exact same diameter as the other 4 large modules ive already created so should give the same gravity. As they are spinning at the same rate as the outer modules however ill have to do a load of working out, too late to think of maths now!
Ill post some better pics but when I try to render it keeps on crashing ill have to assign more RAM to windows tomorrow.
Anyway here is the rotating section, it also marks the midway point of the ship so halfway there, then go back to add the details and panels and radiators! So far the real worldy approach is making it look so much cooler than things I would usually just make up!

@sepo said:

Yes of course. have a look here. http://www.suplugins.com/index.php?p=page&page_id=materials

sorry missed that you had wrote back, thanks for the link when ive got it running again ill give it a go, having some RAM trouble at the moment so just exporting the images you see here as jpegs straight from SU.

Nice!
Thanks for that link, its got some pretty good designs and in bryce too, I though bryce was pants, I was obviously wrong!
I find lots of help at scifi meshes forums, there are always people willing to help as I posted previously somebody helped me work out how to achieve gravity that will be comfortable, the amount of fuel it will need for the range it has, how much consumables how the air recycling works etc etc.

Im pretty pleased so far and in keeping the design as real as possible its actually looking better then the more far off scifi designs I have done before!

As for 'Check out this site for some in depth technical info for developing realistic spaceships.' the guy whose site it is, is a member of scifi meshes and is giving me advice, actually he was the one who worked out the gravity for me!

And I look forward to seeing your models dolphus when you have finished your trains! After this model is complete I might make a pack of ship parts, each module etc etc. Then can put them together in different arrangements sort of like spaceship lego lol!\

There will be updates later today I just wanted to do a lot more work before I posted an image again!

EDIT: New pic

@simon b said:

Liam, these are excellent models.

I like the solar explorers especially. I am working on similar stuff for a game idea.

Check out this site for some in depth technical info for developing realistic spaceships.

I think the maximum speed for generating 1G artifical gravity by centrifuge is 2 revolutions per minute (any faster and your crew would start puking due to awareness of spin: the coriolis effect). This rotation speed for 1G requires a minimum diameter of nearly 500 metres - half a klik! A slower spin would need a larger diameter to maintain 1G - if you see what I mean.

You could have spins at equivalent martian or lunar gravities though.

I'm a fan, keep it up.

If you want to have ground-gripping joe-smoe man-on-the-street untrained people in absolutely no danger of spin nausea (i.e. 1 RPM), you'll have a microscopic 0.02g

If you don't mind if the ground-grippers might initially have some nausea but get over it, you can go up to 3 RPM and have 0.2 g (about Lunar gravity)

But if you have trained astronauts who have undergone spin acclimation, you can crank it up to a full 6.5 RPM and have 1.0 g.

(5 RPM will give you 0.5 g)

These calculation are correct but it all depends on your diameter form the center rotators. As I am only 70ft from the center in the modules I have made so far these calculations are relevant to me!
Basically you can work out the spin ratio for any size module using this equation, Its straight from NASA and has been researched:

Ca = 0.011 * Cr2 * Cl

Cl = Ca / (0.011 * Cr2)

Cr = sqrt( Ca / (0.011 * Cl))
where
Ca = centrifugal artificial gravity acceleration at point X (m/s2)
Cl = distance from point X to the center of rotation (m)
Cr = rotation rate at point X (rotations per minute)
Remember that 1.0 g is 9.81 m/s
Notice that as point X is moved further from the center of rotation the artificial gravity increases.

To have a comfortable 1G you would need a rotating section of at least 300ft. that is it would be acceptable to any normal person without prior training.

@sepo said:

These look very good Liam.

thanks everyone!
Hey by the way sepo is there a way to do bump maps in podium? Ive got a really good texture for the solar panel cells and ive made a bump map but have no idea how to make it work!

update

hahahaha didnt even clock on to that I didnt put a little articulated arm there for that same reason lol. Ahh well once the bulldog rails and lights are on it might look less like a penis!

EDIT: ahh yeah I checked out the video of the elevator it looked good especially when it goes through the clouds. You tube tho at the moment is a nightmare. I know my internet is fast but you tube takes years to buffer even the smallest videos, i can stream HD form the BBC download a game form steam in minutes but youtube is sooooooo slow. I know its not just me ive been reading all over the internet about people with similar problems.