Tom IMHO I'd advise against Vista, just read the other posts about it. I think it is a white elephant for design purposes. I got it a few months ago. First off, my SU icon on the desktop wouldn't work, when I clicked on it, it crashed, so I've had to replace it with a file shortcut that just goes to a blank SU file. Some SU plugins won't work with vista either. This is all mentioned in "Win Vista and older ACAD versions" and some other older posts.

I have dual core though and SU seems to run very well.

RRR The Architects(weekly talk show hosted by architects)
http://www.rrr.org.au/onair.php?pid=78

Planetizen(planning and urban issues)
http://www.planetizen.com/podcast

GeekSpeak (Design software reviews, discussions)
http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podcasts/4207

Emylouie ("Sustainability to Feng Shui" apparently)
http://www.emylouie.com/show.php

Dwell (urbanism)
http://www.dwell.com/daily/podcasts

Arup (Arup Architects podcasts)
http://blogs.driversofchange.com/podcasts/arup_sustainability_talks_2006/

KCRW Design and Architecture (arch and design in general podcasts)
http://radiotime.com/program/p_52851/Design_and_Architecture.aspx

http://www.architecture-radio.org/podcast.xml

There are quite a few free and open source raster to vector apps out there. Haven't tried this but just found it after a quick google.

http://www.newfreedownloads.com/Screenshot-RasterVect.html

I use Corel Trace, it works quite well if you don't mind a bit of manual clean up.

I tend to just give client an avi, I have had problems with hypercosm on bigger models.

I'm really trying to understand what you mean, can you upload an image that demonstrates the issue?

Nice design and an interesting brief Mike.
It would be nice to see the model on Google earth.

I used Blender, I'm not sure of the best way to do it in SU.
I imported it as dwg into SU.
I used Didiers "Extrude lines" ruby. Select the helix, and use extrude lines. Or you could use the follow me tool to extrude a shape along it.

You can do this in SU, I don't know if there is a plugin to draw a 3d spiral/helix, somebody here will. You can plot one out yourself. There is a good spiral staircase tutorial somewhere that deals with this.

Or If you have access to 3DS Max you can automatically create a helix with a rectangular path to whatever dimensions you want. There are probably alot of apps that can do this, I'm not sure if Blender can but it's free so worth a try.

.

Everybody in the UK has heard of this place in Wales, but others might find this interesting.When I was about 10yrs old I tried to remember and learn how to say this place name, then I got interested in girls and tried to be less of a nerd.

(www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com)

Also I found this site about long words. I am actually still a nerd.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1534419

granted but the sealant has become rogue and sealed all your house doors shut so you can't get in.

I wish I could stop promising "drawings by Friday" to people when I mean "you'll be lucky"

Sounds like a good plan

Good find Edsun,

I'll make good use of this for Google Earth demonstrations.

I recently switched to Vista, (nearly switched to a Mac - might have been better). I have discovered that

Architectural desktop 2006
3DS Max 6 - 8
Pov-Ray
V-Ray
Truespace
PowerCAD
Revit (before latest release, only tried an older version)
TurboCAD (ditto)
AutoCad versions previous to 2008
Sketchy Physics and several other Su plugins
Loads of useful older software that i have

won't run or don't run properly on Vista. Maybe there are ways to get them to run but I don't have the time or the inclination to find out and at the moment can't afford the software upgrades. ProgeCAD and Cycas run fine on Vista so I can still do CAD.

In general though, as an OS for design software, Vista sucks in my opinion, but it does look nice and er, that's it. No other real advantages that I can see.

I heard Dell have dropped Vista completely for Ubuntu Linux. And SU will run on linux. See link.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=gKcepdfm5C8&feature=RecentlyWatched&page=1&t=t&f=b

We need to build this! I really like that, nice modelling and I like the bulbous walls. It would be interesting to see an alternative where the top of the wall just smoothly flows organically into the roof with a softer overhang, or you could remove the soffit altogether. I've tried to do an example, I haven't done your design justice though, but I did get carried away in Photoshop

The second vid blew my mind.

Have a look at this, this is at Hull University HIVE, (Hyper Immersive Virtual Environment). They research working in 3d in 3d I've been to the facility, it's amazing but the website doesn't do it justice, if you read the info though it is quite impressive what they can do.

http://www.hive.hull.ac.uk/index.htm

Bytor, I went to a similar Autodesk seminar for a Revit Architecture demonstration, the Autodesk sales rep, when asked about SU integration, replied "Sketchup is an amateur product, it is only a complimentary product to the Autodesk vertical product range". I thought that was rather smug considering Autodesk bought Revit from another company. And then he spent half an hour drawing a standing seam zinc roof that could have been drawn in SU much quicker.

Have to say though, I do like Revit. I hope one day SU includes that level of functionality or there is a BIM plugin.

Well, actually, I'm about to skive off for an hour on a driving lesson, I'll get us some biscuits while I'm out

Morning Jackson

@unknownuser said:

Most recently I was told by a production that they wanted someone who could also hand draft shop plans with a pencil and paper. I said I could do it but why? "Computer drafting just doesn't have that artistic feel" they said. (In my work, plans used by the shop, invariably end up on the floor, and finally in the garbage.) My response was that this was not illustration or rendering, it was just information for the builders. In fact, as these plans are for movie/TV sets, the whole thing is fake anyway. Only the look of the finished product is important, not the look of the construction info.

The more we talk about this, the more laughable the idea of "industry standard production" becomes. The worse firm I ever worked for had a "traditional skills only" attitude. They hand drew, marker rendered and air brushed everything. Total waste of time.

The firm did have one token Mac Designer who only used Illustrator. I think the most futile human endeavour I have seen that didn't involve life and death had to be watching token Mac guy trying to do a two point perspective in Illustrator of a store interior complete with hundreds of "rendered" products. It took him about a week to painstakingly apply and tweak gradients, then he gave up. I left shortly after, the firm went bust a year later.

@unknownuser said:

its not the tool you use, its how you use it!

Mirjman, IMHO I think you and I are on the same wave length about this, sorry, my previous post sounded a bit harsh, I misunderstood. What I can't understand though, if SU is just part of the process, why do some people have a problem with that? Maybe it is better to just not publicise your process? I am a proud SU user though

@unknownuser said:

The second firm didn't appear to use SketchUp but they did make an old-fashioned 3-D physical model.

I like physical models too as in IMO they are so easy to understand.