@pilou said: @ Liam I don't use the path tracing...in fact even not to try it because i don't need it...all is yet existing before is largely enough for me! ie7 gtx 950 8 Gig ... Ah, understood, I missread you prior reply, my bad. In that case I am in agreement that TM coud be a good option for a new to rendering person because of the easy to learn UI and zero cost

@mill3rluke said: iv have now learned to keep the models small so i have no problem with using the model myself. That's good. @mill3rluke said: When im on teams the other end say the model just freezes and then catches up its just very slow. but its not slow my end? I think that's going to be your connection or Teams, not SketchUp. Are you initiating the meeting? I used to run into sluggishness with GoToMeeting if I initiate the meeting but make someone else the presenter so they can share their screen. @mill3rluke said: Very annoying as i can bring alot of people together over teams and the models help all with my projects with decision making etc. Understood. You might look at some other option for screensharing.

Thats a good idea. Never really thought of a portfolio. ALthough the work I do at work I probably couldnt use as its for an employer. I suppose it gives me a good excuse to do some design stuff for myself to get some models.

See the first post in this thread from more than a year ago. https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=74668

@mill3rluke said: Hi All, I use SU extensively for work, usually I model the project in SU and then detail using Autocad. I have layout although it does have its uses for some bits but i just preferer Autocad. I would like to start rendering some of my projects but im on a super budget. I would be interested to hear anyone's suggestions cheap rendering packages or any workarounds to make a more presentation during the final design to send to the client for approval. see link below for some examples + pictures of the scheme in construction. https://ln5.sync.com/dl/1e47f1540/npanmzn3-2748qapy-ec3hna8r-adckwv95 thanks I would suggest to give a try to D5 render, which is pretty good and easy to use, works very well with Sketchup and is quite cheap being that is actually free. The only drawback is that it requires a GPU suitable for raytracing, so make sure you've got one if you want try it.

It may be that the a vailidity check is deleting tiny faces. I haven't used that extension before. Is there an option to set the number of sides? If so, what are you using for that? what is the radius of the pipe? How many segments in the arcs of the path? What is their radius?

I could see an advantage to this for typical details, or details that can be modified for the current projects. Engineers that I work with seem to have a numbering system, almost every detail in the drawing has a number below the title. I think it would be useful if the number included the year it was created or modified, or an abbreviation for the job it was used in, for custom designs. I don't consider it useful in my work, the way that details and drawings are usually one-off. I can find work by saving in the computer under the project name.

Sketchup will export whatever is in the model, expecting a future update to somehow ignore random geometry is somewhat optimistic.

@dave r said: This is what I stress to my students. Although it might seem like it is taking extra time, keep things clean as you go. That means correcting reversed faces, eliminating stray geometry, purging unused stuff from files, reducing geometry, etc. If you are importing components from other programs, use the same work flow as is recommended for working with components from the 3D Warehouse. Import them into a separate SketchUp file so you can inspect and clean them to make them suitable for using in your model. Then copy and paste into your project file.

Dave, I find it very impressive that you would take the time to provide such comprehensive and detailed suggestions and tips to help out a fellow forum member looking for help. Kudos to you! Steve