Not sure if I really need sketchup pro... I do like the ability to create and add attributes to components.. but was wondering if there is another plugin or program that I can do this with that will cost less?

Also, I might want to bring in dwg or dxf files of my floorplans from Autocad to trace over in sketchup (the snap feature is nice) but I can pretty much accomplish similar results just using a jpg of my cad floorplans and scaling...

I also noticed that the solid tools only work with pro... (is there another plugin that does something similar to the solid tools?)

I like the layout feature but I can just add the images to a another layout program like adobe In design for free...

I am pretty sure the styles that are installed in sketchup and that come with my various rendering programs are more than adequate for me so I dont know how much of a benefit the style builder will be for me?

What other benifit might I be missing by not going with pro?

Ok i re installed sketchup, (this time I added sketchup pro trial version), then I re installed I render. I did not do anything with Podium, Still no shadows or sun in Irender but the shadows are now showing up in Podium both in Podium and sketchup environments....

@rich o brien said:

Can you draw a rectangle under the block and person and see if it picks up the shadows.

Look like there's nothing there to cast shadows on.

No even when i add a ground surface under them I still do not get any shadows or sun.

Hey can anyone help me? I have a couple of render programs installed, Podium and Irender, No matter what I do, the sun does not appear to be rendering in either one.. no shadows and no light coming in through the windows like it was doing previously. I assumed it was a setting in IRender that I had changed but after trying a bunch of settings and even re installing Irender and Sketchup... it still was not showing up. I tried to render in Podium with podiums environment and with sketchups environment with similar results... a flat render no shadows no (see images). I dont see any sky in the bacakground either it is just grey or blue.

I have shadows turned on in sketchup, I am using windows 8.

Oops spoke to soon. Having the same issue again.. the problem is that I am trying to use the edit in place function... so if i open it in read only and re save it as another name it wont automatically update in my main model : / anyone have this issue?

good stuff, i am trying out "edit in place" by Podium (really cool plugin), but I was getting the error that the file was locked by another user when I tried to open one of my components in "edit in place" I tired the purging unused in model info and that seemed to work! Thanks

I have been using this renderer for the past couple of years... I have not really spent a lot of time learning all the ins and outs though. After trying vray and a couple of other renderers it seems like it is pretty good... Does anyone have any input or thoughts on this as a renderer? I own it but in order to get the latest version I will have to pay an upgrade fee of around 250 so I just wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts or input before I invest in the upgrade...I have been considering vray as well but it is pretty pricey.. I like some of the other renderers like Podium as well and can see how I might want to use more than one renderer depending on the project etc...

@emerald15 said:

Don't miss out Curviloft - a definite favorite! (or did I miss that mention?) I think it took me about a year of discovering, learning & eventually honing down an extended list of plugins to about 20 regularly used ones. And as everyone here will tell you - there's always something new to discover - I still check through the newest posts almost every day.

Thanks for this, as an interior designer which Renderer do you use? I was just looking over Podium and it looks like it has a lot built in materials, plants, furniture, accessories etc.. (but that costs extra). Looks like the materials like the granite, stone, leather, carpet are pretty good and it would be nice not to have to start from scratch when creating each material... also they have a bunch of prebuilt and pre lit light fixtures... I have downloaded the trial version of podium but now it looks like if i want to be able to try the paid content I will have to buy it first... : ( here is a link to the page that talks about paid content... just curious if you have used this or have something similar that you use?

(www.suplugins.com)

Thanks!

@driven said:

@shannakae said:

Ok, so I turned off v ray... . We will see if that is the issue?

hi,
I don't use it , but Vray was on that Window list generated by Applescript, and seeing it's size
and position, I believe it is the culprit, but why?

Here is a 'stab in the dark',

You also have an 'Untitled-Window' at the same time, if it has been saved you should re-name it, because it is one of the ways of identifying an 'un-saved model' (from code) so...

1. Vray may be trying to be helpful by letting you know that you need to save it before it will work...
2. It's actually a 'WebDialog' that's 'Vray' is using, and if opened by an 'un-saved' model could cause issues...
3. there are known problems with some 'WebDialogs' on macs, where they don't always show the content unless you 'click' or 'right-click' or 'right-click » reload'.
4. there's a 'possiblity' that 'Vray' is not handling the way mac's can have 2 models open in the same session.(it's different then on a Windows PC)

So...
if it is any of these, you could make sure all drawing have unique names and are saved, then close all but the one your rendering before turning 'Vray' on. If it still comes up 'blank' try 'right-click » reload'.

If it still plays up, run the Applescript on a 'healthy' version and PM me the results and I'll write a script that only turns itoff, to avoid needing 'force quit'.

good luck
john

WE HAVE A WINNER!

IT was Vray for sure... I turned it off for a while and it stopped happening. Then I turned it back on and it happened again... I figured out how to make it go away without having to shut down sketch up... All I have to do is click on the R button in V ray tool bar to start a new render then I can close it.. not sure why it happens but at least it is something I can live with and I dont have to shut down sketch up now every time it happens... I thought yall would want to know what it was so that if you hear of it again you can help someone else... ! Thanks everyone for helping. : )

These are all great responses... I will look into all of the suggestions... I just came up for air after finishing up a project that was due today... now, I plan to spend some more time honing my skills so that the next project goes more smoothly. I also found Vertex tools that seems to be great for editing and seems like when combined with artisan and vray makes sketchup competitive with Maya and the other 3d modeling programs...Actually, Sketchup has way more to offer with all the other easy to use plugins like round corners etc... Im so looking forward to taking my sketchup work to the next level and am glad to have a commuity of folks to collaborate with who are also using it!

@unknownuser said:

@shannakae said:

Sorry, I am new to this post and I did not realize that there were additional pages I was only looking at the first page of pots which is why I thought my posts were not beeing posted and why I was not responding to your additional suggestions and questions...

nah.. the last 10+ posts have been off topic so you didn't miss a whole lot..

re: the vray window looking similar in size/locale.
sure..
turn it off for a while and see if the problem persists..

i believe vray is an extension that you can turn off in sketchup preferences..

(sketchup-> preferences-> extensions)

find vray in the list and untick the box. then relaunch sketchup

Ok, so I turned off v ray... . We will see if that is the issue? If it is (which I am feeling like it probably is the issue) what do yall suggest? Does anyone else have a renderer they like better than vary? I have a project that I have been working on and I need renderings by Monday morning, I am worried that with these technical issues I might not be able to meet my deadline and that would be bad. If V ray keeps causing me to have to restart then I might need to try another renderer. I can, i guess reach out to V ray but I am guessing that will take a few days to get worked out... maybe a different renderer will work better for me anyway or at least I can download a trial verson of one that yall suggest. I do Interior design so lighting and materials are mucho important.

Thanks.

This is what i got when i ran the apple script editor after I just now got the error again... I am thinking that it might be the auto save as suggested by, Jeff... I am going to go and turn it off now as it happened approx 5 minutes after I opened sketchup again... in the meantime if you can make sense of the stuff below I am impressed : ) it looks like chines to me.

@driven said:

if you turn off 'Instructor' does it go away?

scroll area 1 of window "Instructor"

I closed it and it did not go away, is there a specific way to turn it of besides closing it?

@driven said:

in your second image the menu bar says it's Safari?
long shot but, does the box go away if you close Safari?
john

Good thought... didnt work though : (

@driven said:

Ok,

If you 'Review Changes' then 'Save' or 'Discard' on both, does SU then close itself?

In either case often times the save or discard window is hidden behind the white box so I can't get to it to say save or discard... a couple of times I was able to grab a corder of it out then choose save... but usually I have to got to sketchup and choose quit...

Sorry, I am new to this post and I did not realize that there were additional pages I was only looking at the first page of pots which is why I thought my posts were not beeing posted and why I was not responding to your additional suggestions and questions... I am going to read through them all and get back with my findings... the last thing I did was trun off the splash screen that comes up when I start sketch up... will see if that works but I was quickly reading through pages 2 and 3 of this thread and saw some other good suggestions and questions... will return with my findings and answers soon.

Does anyone else see the similarity of the render screen size/location to the big whit box that randomly pops up shown in my earlier post? Just saying it is kind of weird how much the match up as far as size and local... any thoughts suggestions?

Blasted! I thought that the turning off auto save had worked.... but alas he darn white monster is back looming over my sketch up...

So far I have tired, the two suggestions that Jeff had, reset sketchup by removing the plst files... and turning off autosave. I though that both of them had worked but eventually the darn whit thing came back.

I have run the GUI scripting that "driven:" gave me (not sure if they were able to make out anything from what I sent), also not sure they got what I sent as it seems that half of the posts the I am posting here aren't showing up?? (maybe because I am new or because i did not do something correct when submitting).

I am now going to look into Rich's suggesting regarding the splash screen on startup.

Thanks everyone for trying to help me. i am at a loss... It does seem to happen sometime after I render with vray...maybe vray is the problem? I am using the trial version of gray

Ok I had to work all day and am just now returning... before I left I turned off auto save and I have not seen the white monster since I got home. It has been about an hour so far... fingers crossed that turning off auto save was the solution... Thanks everyone for your help!!! Hopefully this will be the end of this post : /

ok will do that, in the meantime here is another screenshot of what I get when I go to close sketch up....I picked discard changes and it closed down sketchup.