@unknownuser said:
Forgive me but...workflow for what?....and can you show us the result?
I must just be dumb cause I still have no clue what the workflow is for.
I see the cool image but it's resolve is very poor.
"workflow"? sure you didn't just mean "playflow"
Thanks box I did update the plugins although I see a fredo 6.7 now and I have 6.6b. I am finding that both round corner and the extrusion tools handle much less geometry. I'm having to change my methods. I haven't had time to figure out why this is the case yet. SU 2015 also performs slower in many cases. The save times on files over 50mb are very long.
The model itself has many repeating elements, the materials are simple, there is no landscaping. You could get away with two days billing but it looks like a one day job to me.
I can't help you with the daily rate. What ever is competitive in your area. 
@unknownuser said:
To suggest 3 days is going to get you satisfactory results is not realistic.
I guess that was a pretty accurate statement. I don't expect you had much luck with this. I certainly wouldn't expect you to. I think it is a testimony to how difficult it is to find off the shelf animation that can do anything reasonable with water. It's doesn't seem to be available.
@unknownuser said:
I was about not to mention about it
I'm sure glad you did!! I haven't been using SUSOLID. It was RoundCorner. but I was using it rather aggressively. It hung on a very simple straight line and I think I killed it a little to hastily. I have noticed that tools on surface gives me different results in 15 than it did in 8. It seemed to handle a lot more geometry in 8. It hangs often in 15.
Wow.... 
Thanks so much Ely!!
31.skb was the one with the freshest date and it is the correct file just as you said.
That's so cool!! That makes my day. I think I'll go have a brew...cheers to you!!
I recently upgraded to 2015. For what it is worth it makes me cringe often.
And why?.... 
I just lost about 8 hours to a crash. The folder I was saving to has been written over with a bunch of .skb files with auto generated names. I can see the one that I want...it has the correct properties but it is a .skb. There is no matching .skp anywhere on my box.
Can I retrieve the old file?.....a can't believe a days work flushed. 
(it was a ruby that hung my box)
@unknownuser said:
Now it is a proven workable workflow with manageble and predictable results.
Forgive me but...workflow for what?....and can you show us the result?
When you spend your entire modeling career fighting with heavy terrain and someone comes along with a drone that is part of the solution...seems like too much fun to me.
Fantastic models...I think the stake holders in this business are out of their minds....
@unknownuser said:
$300,000 to produce
The business seems badly over-invested and dragging under the burden of shareholder liability. Seems to be so many useful applications but no one really can afford the entry fee except to build trinkets.
@unknownuser said:
probably most other computers don't break either)
That sums it up. Break downs are rare. The pc I just retired went 12 years with out a hick-up. It is still in use.
Careful...you could get "dragged and drop-kicked" in here if you don't look out.
@unknownuser said:
If you 'drag-and-drop' the image file into the SketchUp window what happens ?
You asked this question and then disappeared?
I have updates often but I rolled them back and it didn't make a difference. I still have the copy running and intact and it still will not import properly. I am convinced it is some ones ruby code. The only code I have added was the Sketchucation plugin front-end. It did seem to take a lot of time to fire up Sketchup. I suspected it was calling out on start-up shaking hands with something somewhere else.
The only other change I made was to install free GE. I have removed it as well but that didn't change anything either.
I take it that no one knows why file/import/ has stopped working for us?
@unknownuser said:
Did you try drag and drop from explorer into SU?
Rich actually tipped me off as well (thanks rich)...so there is some experience with this behavior...(dumb user behavior)
Yes I can drag and drop. I saved the SU8 installation so I could test. I have installed SU15 on another drive.
I have for years gone file/import/as texture to map something.
I did the drag and drop and it works immediately. You can as well map it and change it's aspect ratio with the shift key....so... 
it is actually about the same....well know, drag and drop is better (thanks).
I am still curious to know what is going on with the other import method although I think you have quelled my hysteria re bad code and so on.
Can you explain?
@unknownuser said:
Build-a-PC: if you went this route chances are you're doing it yourself, and can easily find the culprit, get a faulty part swopped out / replaced rather quickly, and off you go - no waiting on shipping times and wait in line until technician can look at it.
For those that can, hands down, building is the answer. I regret not learning how to repair my car from the beginning considering I was going to drive one all my life.
Yes...I have the exact same problem. Just out of the blue images will not import without this long lag....and it is about 30 seconds or so and it doesn't matter what file size.
I guessed without looking that you are using SU8...so was I. Rather than waste all day trying to find the culprit. I have just upgraded to 15. Wouldn't you know it 15 works perfectly. I am happy to take advantage of the 64 bits but disturbed greatly that my SU 8 was corrupted by something. I pride myself in trapping most malicious code...and yes I think there is something fishy going on.
I recently loaded the (so-called) free version of Google Earth. That would seem to me to be the only recent opportunity that there was to corrupt my SU8. Other than that I would guess ruby code could be the problem but this whole thing is a bit strange and now coincidentally you have the exact same problem....hmmmm.
I am ok now thanks Elisei. I have 15pro running...my rendering engines are taking the export ok. All my SU8 files are opening intact. I am able to map textures again. My save times are back to normal. I have moved all my plugins and they are working fine.
Just not the most graceful way to get to SU15.