here's a trick i use to avoid problems like that:
in photoshop copy the image into a new layer
apply gaussian blur to bottom layer, the amount is a judgment call, but enough to get rid of the moire
apply a mask the top layer, and erase with a brush that has a low opacity to it, this will partially reveal the blurred image below combining the general texture with the detail of the top layer
great start - good attention to detail, like the reflection in the mirror. One tip that will let you break out of the box a little is to export the same view from sketchup multiple times... for example, export just the linework into an image and export just the colors and shadows into an image. Layer them in photoshop and you will be able to use the filters selectively. only other comment is that your edges seem to bleed out in a paintbrush pattern not a pencil pattern
hi all - thanks for comments
pretty detailed discussion of technique here thanks to majid:
also thanks to tom for his tips on the advancement of the digital process found throughout his posts- he has an uncanny ability to precisely make things look imprecise 
certainly not replaceable by a button....
if anyone is interested it would be nice to take this discussion up again to refine the technique, give it a shot based on the previous posts and see what you can come up with- maybe we can work on it together
another try at the "one-click" watercolor solution- except for the vignette effect everything is taken care of by photoshop actions. Base images are SU and podium overlay. any advice or thoughts on how to make this more natural greatly appreciated!
I second the need to control the scale of the displayed model. I also noticed that the software had trouble recognizing the marker at very shallow angles- is there any way to overcome this problem by using two markers on planes that are perpendicular to each other? (a "floor" plane and a "wall" plane)? otherwise I noticed that the plug-in worked as advertised, thanks!
i would love to hear more about the compositing... are you throwing in raw sketchup exports? photoshop plants? some of the trees look 2d, which is a shame since vue is so good at vegetation
I would be very interested to see your progress here and the way you are getting around the graphical limitations for broadcasting. I have tried exporting animations from sketchup for TV but run into horrible line flickering due to the interlacing. I think that if sketchup could handle anisotropic filtering it would be easy just to beef up the lines a little, but as it is you end up with problems whenever you are zoomed out and there are a lot of little lines close together. Please report on any workaround you come up with!
I think the pencil tool is your friend here.. I would draw several equally spaced sections through the object, then connect the verticies along the sections. Since the pattern is highly repeating, you would only have to draw the smallest unique section then tile it
good work managing the curves and circle sections needed to model that - it can get inaccurate very quickly with those
nice work, those came out really crisp- what settings did you use on the export?
holgster- that seems to fix the problem. "texture anti-aliasing" was unchecked for the "final" settings
thanks!
not sure if this is a vue setting or an image map translation problem, but I am getting some extreme moire when exporting images of SU models in vue - check out the waves in the far side elevation and sunflower patterns in the end elevation. Any pointers?
in your styles palette, make sure "transparency quality" is set to "nicer" rather than "faster" might clear up your situation
the spread control still results in a trunk that smoothly tapers from the base, which is fairly unrealistic for trees like pines which begin to taper farther up from the ground.
I am also experiencing some double grouping with the created components where they have a group inside the component- not sure if this is desirable behavior
Also thought I should mention here, this plugin works hand in hand with "component spray" ruby to create fast environments: rendered in podium
I might be missing something here, but is there a slider to adjust the taper for the actual trunk object? I am thinking of the giant redwoods or ponderosas out in California- they are hundreds of feet tall and don't have the cute "flare" at the base of the trunk that I can't seem to get rid of.
glad this got brought up again. very nice room designs! You did a good job on the materials- some of them are extremely convincing
bub-
I have the same video card and recently updated the drivers like you. I ended up with all sorts of strange flickering and other effects when i used any of the style settings etc. I ended up rolling back the driver just so I could use SU. annoying
solo has inspired me to take a crack at vue with his awesome scenes- i imported an old SU model and used radiosity with a stock atmosphere for this render. I think it came out with a kind of surreal cartoon look but it didn't take much time at all. I think i have to play with some settings to bring it back down to earth - maybe the glass is too reflective
