Posts made by shura

Nice harlequin technique, can also do a good job in case you want to do one of Gaudi's rooftop sculptures...

Thanks for posting Pilou, this is great!
I knew it was coming but that does not take away from the experience. In the near future we can walk into almost every building from Google Earth. Good, because I have to make economies on my travel budgets...

that's a good one harnstein. by the way, your username is too, are you german?

Now OBJ import works, but it takes ages.... still running

Edit: after 2.5 hours no more progress at "processing line 205446 of 299348"

Are you trying to import OBJ? For me it didn't work, but with 3DS import it was hassle-free in SU 7.
(hm, now I am not shure if I checked import options for OBJ...)

Then use Frontface To Backface Thomthom's in UV-Toolkit to get the leaves texture on the backfaces.
I also smoothed trunk and branches and hid the edges of the leaves.

@pixero said:

If you want single aerial trees maybe some 3d trees from above?

I think this is a good idea as well if you need single trees.
Just downloaded the xFrog trees Gaieus recommended here.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=34516

Gave it a whirl with Podim V2 (recently upgraded, didn't test much) because it renders alpha transparency to PNG.
Only a test without sun or materials.

Could it be that what you are after Edson? Like this you could tweak view angle and sunlight as you need it.

---

---

---

It's alive!

For the PDF export control of ambient light and specular reflection is possible.
Thanks to Amer I can use it too (no clue about JavaScript myself).

http://simlabforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=423

Hello cublique and welcome,

Maybe you didn't get an answer yet because it is important to have more information on your level of experience and what exactly you are after. Without that it is hardly possible to get you the right support. There are really a lot of skilled guys here that are never too lazy to help and share - when you are posting the progress of your project and explain where you need help, you'll get it for sure.

From your question about Kerkythea I assume that you have not used it yet? Me neither, but I would say yes this type of render can be done in almost every render program. Of course it is a process with many steps, but this particular render does not employ techniques that are extremely difficult, I would say. It is just so exellently worked out! I think very important is to get a plan of good quality to start with...

good luck

This came out fantastic, congrats!

Thank you Charlie, good find.
I find it veery difficult with so many plugins to remember menue location, how it works, shortcut et cetera. Wouldn't it be great to have a large index print hanging on the wall in front of your desk?
I'd like to be looking at a collection of thumbnails, that would help a lot. For example TIG gave for every function of Iso/Axo plugin a small screengrab that explains all.

---

Gia sou Anastassis,

Your futon has something in common with the Yellow Diva sofa from Erics thread - maybe you get some inspiration there. I would recommend Subdivide and Smoothe to do the tufting.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=33367

If you are going for realistic draping it can get tricky, maybe use Sculpt Tools plugin to refine the results from SDS. In case you have a bit more time it would be a nice excursion to have a try with Sculptris, see this thread: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=34288
...or have a look at how Michalis is taking simple geometry from SU to an organic modeler:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=34574
...but this only makes sense when your futon is the headliner and thus good details make sense.

cheers
alex

Hi Rocky,

looking back on the very long first post I feel it is no wonder that it looks like too much effort.
But the basic process actually does not involve too many steps.
I wrote this to a member at Simlab's:

/quote
@ _fx: true, it looks a bit complicated - and surely is when dealing with large models. But the FBX-Importer plugin for SketchUp does a really good job (I am going to buy it for sure). With the file attached here it was taking only minutes, not hours.
All you have to do for the lightmap to PDF method is:

1. render in LightUp and save lighting to FBX
2. reimport with FBX-Importer plugin
3. export to PDF with lightControl.js to optimize brightness
4. again export to PDF with trimmed lightControl script for final result
   /quote end

As decribed you can also get free Autodesk FBX-Converter (or W3D), convert the LU output to 3DS there and reimport. I'd say that is three simple steps.

Of course to try it you have to get the trial version of LU, and if you want to go to 3D PDF afterwards that trial version too.
Btw: the trial for SL FBX-Importer has full functionality for 15 operations.

thanks for your feedback
'ta luego

Thank you Dave I really enjoyed these, really felt like time travelling

When member qpik showed up with his Simple Rays plugin I was amazed and used it to texture my models because sometimes it is faster and also fun to do everything inside SU. I tried to bring that into 3D-PDF as well, but by that time I did not have the lightControl script.

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=21077

When I saw that Micha at Simlab forum showed what he did with baking maps in Rhino, I went like "can I have this too, mommy?"

http://simlabforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=198

So I tried to replicate his Greeblebox with lightmaps and that lead to the idea to use LightUp output as described in the first post.
The shadows and the ambient occlusion rendering from LightUp gives a lot of depth and realism.
For explanation please compare these two PDF files. The first one is an export straight from SU without lightmap.

GreebleboxStraigtfromSU_day.pdf

GreebleBox_with_lightmap.pdf

If you want to try something for yourself on the Greeblebox or just see the textured SketchUp model, here you go:

GreebleBox_SUmodel.skp

GreebleBox_mappedSUmodel.zip

Ahoy everyone,

Here is the description of a somehow unusual workflow I want to share with you.
I've been testing and working on the details since three weeks, on and off.
hopefully it is useful to some of you as I find it a valuable tool.

Why get lightmaps exported from LightUp back into SketchUp? <<<

Because by that I can make my 3D-PDF presentations look a 1000 times better!

I find PDF a very convenient way to show a customer "interactive" 3D content.
Many do not want or simply can not install a player for various reasons, but
most likely every company has Adobe Reader version 8 or 9 installed on their computers.

I bought the PDF exporter plugin for SketchUp from Simlab, but my problem was that in my eyes the rendering inside Acrobat Reader looks cheap and lifeless.
Working on projects in event design and show lighting I could not produce convincing results in 3D-PDF.

Around Christmas I got inspired by a thread in the Simlab forum (which I will mention in a later post) and can now come up with a case study of a visualisation project that is typical for my service.
Although having figured out the method I think I did not close every gap and for sure the workflow is kind of time-consuming. So of course your crits, comments and ideas are very welcome!

First of all just a few words about the shown project itself:
My intention is to use this as an example to test and promote the use of 3D-PDF for concept presentation.

The set I have completely made up myself to have a representative case of a music business related event.
I thought of a press conference with record release party of a famous band, but that does not matter so much.
(the architecture doesn't either, so please be gentle all you architects as I had to make it up too )
Important was to have the whole set on several floors with the entire building in one model.
Looking at the funtionality of the PDF navigation I wanted it more to be explored than to be seen it one overview.

There are two main limitations to my method, first in terms of model complexity, and second that only lighting can be made visible, no materials or textures at all - still for my purpose it is the way to go.
Also there are possibly some other interesting utilisations that I want to cover in later posts.

Ok, enough foreplay - here is the recipe in short:
(you will find all downloadlinks provided)

software you will need:

• Google SketchUp Pro
  http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/

• LightUp for SketchUp
  http://www.light-up.co.uk/index.php

• Autodesk FBX-Converter or Wings3D or Simlab FBX Importer for SketchUp
  http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=10775855
  http://wings3d.com/downloads.php
  http://www.simlabcomposer.de/simlab-3d-plugins/3d-plugins/index.php#2834759df10cb2020

• Simlab 3D-PDF Exporter for SketchUp
  http://www.simlabcomposer.de/simlab-3d-plugins/3d-plugins/index.php#2834759df10c65d16

• Amer's lightControl.js Script
  http://www.simlabforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=309&start=10

prepare the following:

• for best results explode all your geometry and make it one group.

• do not use materials or colors as they cannot be processed

• do not forget to purge (Purge all by TIG) http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=11758&hilit=[plugin]+purge

• light and render your model in LightUp

• export lighting with the checkbox lighting only checked

• make sure to use a separate folder for every time you export

then either

• open the .fbx file in Autodesk FBX-Converter (free) and convert to 3DS format

or

• open the .fbx file in Wings3D and export to 3DS format

after

• in SketchUp import 3DS file and rotate 90 degrees (axis are mixed up)

alternatively

• use Simlab's FBX importer and import directly into SU

finally

• use CleanUp plugin by ThomThom to minimize triangulation http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=22920&hilit=plugin+cleanup

• repaint light emitting faces because they will come in messy

• improve your model by adding entourage using the lightmap that comes with the import

• avoid manipulating the imported geometry as it will loose its texture coordinates

and

• use the Script lightControl.js provided at Simlab forum in the 3D-PDF Exporter's Advanced Settings

• export with Simlab's 3D-PDF Exporter

< ready!

Now have a look how you like the result.
You can switch off the music, zap the scenes and pause the animation with the toolbar/buttons.
For 3D navigation use the left mouse button for orbit, the right mouse button for zoom and both for pan.

The File has 5 MB, so you find it at DropBox:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19754765/Case_Study_3DPDF_AlexanderSkoluda.pdf

As you can see we do only handle the lighting from LightUp, unfortunately no materials or textures so far.
Sure this is not exactly what a professional would expect - he would at least want baked textures and reflections.
However, for some utilisations (like mine) lightmap import is a neat (yet very complex) trick.

The other thing is that although the .fbx format is a very capable exchange format made by Autodesk, their converter does not handle larger models.
I solved that by splitting the model in four parts, rendering, exporting and converting them separately to assemble them back together in SketchUp afterwards.
Wings3D has similar limitations, but Simlabs FBX-Importer plugin imports the whole model issue-free.
All three softwares give slightly different results regarding texturing and triangulation.
The PDF you see here is done with the splitting method and AD Converter,
but only because I already had done a lot of cleaning on it and was lazy.
People were added afterwards.

In any case it is nessecary to take care of the polycount not getting too high.
Originally I have started this case study with a far more complex model, but could not get it through the pipeline. Then I remodeled very lowpoly as you can see here:

That's it for now.
Phew, now I am not absolutely sure If what I have figured out is interesting for others, or if I am only a nutty professor having too much spare time. Could be even worse and someone did all this already and posted just an hour ago.
Well, it can't be too bad because I think I have learned quite a bit and there is a chance to
plant some inspiration for you my fellow SkechUppers. Please let me know your thumbs directions...

---

coming post: painterly texturing inside SU with lightmap method
coming post: ambient occlusion inside SU and the thread that inspired the lightmap method
coming post on request: more details about the lightmap method workflow i.e. texturing

---

statement: If in any way the impression arises that I am trying to promote one of the software products mentioned here, I can assure that this is not the case. I am just a passionate SketchUp user and maybe sometimes a nutty professor.

Have used the trial recently - Simlab FBX importer works well for me, can recommend it.

Thank you Simon. When SDS2 is out we might need a subforum for sculpting in SU - then you will be elected as the moderator.
After all it is your LIP thread, hope you don't mind it has turned into a collective workshop.

Ok Michalis, I finally got blender installed, obj > 3ds > SU works like a breeze. Of course high poly count, Polyreduce plugin didnt work (was impatient after 40 mins, maybe should let it calculate over night?)

Have to throw a glance at Blenders UV unwrapping tool, too. Maybe I can make use of it in the future...

btw: groboto is fun, tried it out long ago but found it difficult to produce something that is different from grobotos very unique style.

Looks like skulls are getting popular...

With 128.129 lines the Obj did crash SU when importing with importer ruby.

btw, get yourself some more shaders for Sculptris, they are really fun to play with. I have quite a few, but unfortunately forgot to bookmark the site. If anyone knows, please post here.

---

sculpting master strikes again... 5 minutes for a cyborg? impressive!