This tutorial was originally written for the Podium forum. The intent is to use Photoshop to combine a rendered image with Sketchup's linework for an illustrative semi-realistic quality (as opposed to pure photorealism). Podium (http://www.suplugins.com) is a simple to use rendering plugin which runs directly in Sketchup, but any render software can be substituted.

This is the final image appearance:

http://www.sketchucation.com/scf/download.php?id=1393

poster-zem

Hi, there! I am going to show you how to create a background from your image! In this case, here is the image you want for your background, for example:

Okay, open SketchUp and Go to Window > Styles. Next, click on the icon with the "ok" on it, which is the Watermark Settings icon. Then, click on the + sign. Find that image you want, then click "Open". Then choose from either "Background" or "Overlay". Both the same tutorial steps, you can change the transparency of the image with the model. Next choose "Stretched", "Tiled", or "Positioned". Click "Finish" when you're done. PRESTO! Example:

Or with "Overlay".

If you want to share your model with your background image, please upload it here! Have fun!

poster-Invader ZIM

Al,

I'm just rotating this stitch components into place using your new tool.
It is fun to use, but is 0.06 degrees the smallest setting? It might not be enough for a fussy person.

Have a nice day,

Eric

ezk

Olá, rapaziada.
Fiz uns testes com o renderizador SU Podium, e gostei do resultado. Tô usando só ele agora... Mas o Mahfuz me sugeriu outro que vou testar tb.

Quem quiser comentar... À vontade.
No próximo post mostro um projeto lá da universidade.

Lá vai.

[figueiredo]

Ei, Padão, onde estão essas imagens q vc falou? queria dar uma olhada, mas não achei... é muita coisas nesse fórum...

abs

[figueiredo]

Eu aprendi esse ano a usar o Sketchup, e já projeto tudo nele. No CAD só faço a planta e as pranchas, pois o 3D é no SU. Ainda mais agora com o SU Podium...

Sou novo por aqui, e logo postarei o que produzir e o que já foi produzido no SU.

Abraços!

[figueiredo]

Anyone have any layout examples?

My previous thread, go deleted.

Online

@gaieus said:

Yes but you only have to do it once in a model and use that scene all the way during modelling!

Well, not if the building has multiple angles. That is the reason I'd like to have a dedicated axis tool/window/switcher/thingy, I have to switch axis quite often during modeling, while I am doing stuff, like adding window components around the whole model, etc.

(crojack)

@gaieus said:

Crojack,

If you uncheck everything (including camera location) except for axes location (see attatched file), you'll be able to switch between the scenes without the view needing to change (orbit there).

Note that you can set these things separately and individually for each scene so you can still have other scenes where you can set this and that for your comfort.

Good point, I will start doing that,

but still, you have to admit, that's a lot of steps to just setting a different axis.

(crojack)

If you read my first post, you'll see that I already addressed this issue. It is a very wonky work-around because whenever you click the scene, the whole model has to rotate to the point where you created the scene, and if you aren't careful to turn everything off, than shadows and any other stuff that is on in the scene will come on, and if you have a large model it can be time consuming and really disrupts the workflow. I would bet @last never intended scenes to be used this way.

I want to be able to be working is a certain area, go to a toolbar, click a drop down, and change the axis to one that I have set, without the scene changing.

(crojack)

@krisidious said:

mmmm tasty...

but I think you can do this by rotating a component... it has an interior axis I believe.

but I know where you're going and I like it.

Yes, I mean the "world" axis, not individual components.

(crojack)

I, and most of the people here I think, understand that there are work-arounds, different ways of doing things, etc.
But, if the option is there, than it should work.

I don't think that it is a RAM issue. I have 3gigs of RAM and run into the problem. As a test, I took the same model that wouldn't work on my machine, tried a fellow workers machine which is less powerful and has less RAM, and it exported fine (took awhile which is ok with me). If it is a bug than Google needs to address it, and it seems that they are. Also, if it is a ram issue, than why does it fail with a simple cube model?

(crojack)

Most likely this is RAM problem.
If you open Explorer with Details option ON (to be able to see file size) - you can see it. Also Task Manager > Performance window shows this well.
Just export your Su model to any bitmap format - let's say jpeg - and watch Explorer and Task Manager windows. You'll see (for a few seconds) temporary jpeg file wich size will be about 10 times larger than final one (i.e. it will go up to 300 MB if final one will be about 1-3 MB!!!). Also RAM consumption will jump by 50% or more.

I think this is caused by the way SU processes vector data to raster formats.

As possible solution I export in two or three steps.
First one - with edges OFF, texture and shadows ON, AA also ON. Resolution - maximum supported or the one I need.

Second export one - Edges ON, the rest is OFF, AA also OFF. Resolution is usually twice of First export.

Optional third export - I render only shadows (no textures, no edges and First export without shadows). Resolution is same as First export.

The rest is done in Photoshop - resizing, layers composing etc.

By using this method I achieve two goals - higher resolution output from SU and more control over texture/edges/shadows interaction.

PS. AA - anti-aliasing. Photoshop is much better in this then SU.
And the Save Failed feature "works" for me since SU 4

(teapot_ae)

Before the threads disappeared I started one up about this. The verdict was that it was not the machine. I, and a number of other people that posted with similar problems, have sufficient machines. Basically never really heard anything about it from Google. On the official Google pro forum, one of the Google guys posted that he thought it was a resource issue, and that I should try using layout instead kind of defeats the purpose. But, I never did get a good answer from anyone (which seems to be common) (which is why I started checking out these forums)

The only work around I could get, and it doesn't work every time, is to close every program on my machine, except Sketchup, and export. Still, the max I could get was 6000.

Also, it never had anything to do with the size of the model as I tried a simple box, no textures, never use AA; and it still wouldn't go above 4000.

(crojack)

Hi!!
I'm a new user of Podium and needless to say I'm bowled over by its ease and convenience of use. It worked at a reasonably good speed when i rendered simple objects, but recently i tried to render my first major scene and it was terribly and unusually slow. I left it to render and after a whole 6 hours it had just reached 12%. and to top it all my scene isn't all that complex either (correct me if i'm wrong!). I've attached the model too so if anyone could please take a look at it and lemme know how its possible to achieve a faster render that would be great.

I use the trial version and set Podium to render at 640x480 and with a lil more than medium speed with maximum smoothness. I use a laptop with 1.8Ghz, 1GB Ram and a 256mb graphics card. I just included all this info cuz i figure the problem might lie somewhere there too.

Thanx in advance fer all the help!! God bless u guys!!

(iamjerine)

fORM.skp

It would be great to be able to set a few different axis in a model and be able to switch between them with a key click, or drop down menu. Similar to the UCS command in ACAD, but I think it could be done much simpler.

I know you can set scenes with different axis, but then you have to click on the scene button and sketchup has to move the whole model to that scene location. This can take awhile if you have a large model.

It would be great to have a simple switch for the axis!

(crojack)

Not much use in external renderers, but I've had good luck using the watermark feature to place backgrounds, skies, etc inside the model and than export the whole scene. Take the extra step out of doing it in photoshop, and you also get nicer edges, transparencies, shadows than having to cut out the background in photoshop to put in a background or sky.

Depending on the background though, it can somewhat limit the scene shots.

(crojack)

Oh, I know about the Scenes dialog window, it would be nice to double-click it to rename it. It is less efficient to always be going to separate windows to do stuff, but maybe I should slow down some.

Thanks for the link to the script, that is nice!

(crojack)

Wouldn't it be great to be able to double click a scene tab and rename it, or at least rename be an option in the drop down menu?

I'd also love to be able to drag scene tabs to re-arrange them, instead of having to right click and choose "move right/left" over and over. Although if I had to choose one or the other, I'd take the double click re-naming thing.

(crojack)

Sorry for my english . I desire to be able to assign a color to an edge particularly. Not actually default global color edges change.

(palyndrok)