I'm currently rendering a sketchup model (exporting a fly-around using the free Xvid MP4 codec), as I write this in VMware's virtual linux machine running firefox inside Window$. This afternoon, I was rendering another sketchup project, while also rendering a Poser animation, while also doing other tasks on this computer. I'm using a quad-core Q6600 with 4GB ram with an nVidia 7600GT GPU. My motherboard is an ASUS P5B. Incidentally, I recently made a system identical to this for a friend except for skipping the 7600GT in favor of a P5 motherboard that includes a GPU, and the cost came to little more than $500, using a case with a very good power supply (not a good idea to buy a cheap PS if you want a stable system). The Q6600 overclocks nicely to 3.05 gHz.

I found this thread after searching for "graphics card," as I was hoping that by upgrading my 7600GT to a 9600GT or 8800GT I could get faster rendering times. Too bad it doesn't work that way - I'm only loading the CPU about 30% at the present time. Renders take soooo long; let's hope the next release of SU will incorporate multi-core rendering. Incidentally, rendering with the Divx codec, which claims to be optimized for 4 cores, does not accelerate rendering times or CPU utilization.

thanks so much for the quick response. I'd read Google's T&C, and it seemed likely to me that downloading & using might be legal; but it wasn't clear to me that it was ETHICAL to use others' creations. I gather that members who upload their work to the 3D Warehouse have the understanding that these are the accepted rules of the game.

Thanks again, Larry Reavis

I started playing with SU about a year ago and downloaded some models from 3D warehouse. Now I've decided to use SU to create images for an autobiographical video that I'm producing. I'll be putting the finished video on YouTube and other video-sharing sites (no commercial ties of any sort will be involved unless the sites add their own advertising without my consent). I'd like to use some of the models that I previously downloaded that have been incorporated into my own SU creations, but I am unaware of how to contact the creator of those models so that I can ask permission to use their work. Is it legal AND ETHICAL to use downloads from 3D warehouse without getting specific permission from the person who uploaded the models?