Posts made by twharvey

Hi Dawn,

I think that's great for your first model!! You've grasped the basic parts of SU very well.

What's your nect project?

Tom

Verrou,

The question is: Do you want to have a high or low poly model. If it's high, you cna't do better than the reference Mateo gives. If you want low poly, you have to do a bit of work on the details of the texture you use. Have a look at the roof textures on this site http://www.cgtextures.com/.

I think that roof realism in lower poly models comes not just from the detail at the eves but on ridges, hips and valleys and around chimneys etc. In you photo editor you can put together textures that show these details and fit the model you're building. Also look for roof textures that tile well for big areas.

good luck,
Tom

@ross macintosh said:

Also note that sometimes it can be easy to edit a component first to add a few temporary guide (construction) lines with the tape measure tool. The intersection of those lines can then be used as a grab point when moving the component. After the move just delete the temporary lines.
Regards, Ross

I've found that it works well the other way around as well: put a short temporary line from the target point on one of the 3 axes. Then move your component close and it should easily snap to the end point of the temp line. After this, zoom in close, erase the temp line and you can work directly with the component and the target. This is useful when, in large scale, you can't get the component in the right place in 3 dimentions.

Tom

First, I'd have a look at some of the tutorials for learning the SU basics, like the Follow Me tool.

Then check out this thread for twisted surfaces:
http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=9457
This should give you a start on the fan blade idea. For a blade some of the edges would need to be curved instead of straight.

You might also do a search in 3DW or the Forums for a spiral staircase (I'm sure I've seen some.) This could be the basis for an auger.

Good luck
Tom

@andyc said:

Tom: Caracus was one of the places I looked at when collecting reference material for this - must have been quite an experience.

Andy,

Yeah, living in Caracas was a real experience. I worked there on and off from 1976 to 2000 and lived there for five years from '78 thru '82.

Are the two towers in you scene (left side, background) the ones from Caracas?

Tom

@andyc said:

Big fan of the post-apocalyptic stuff too This is part of a series I'm working on. The idea is a near-future scenario where rich and poor are forced into ever-closer proximity, shiny super-skyscrapers being built in the middle of, even on top of slums... A city of shocking contrasts.

Andy

Andy,

I like that image a lot!! It reminds me of some Latin American cities where the tall buildings are, really, built nearly on top of the slums. When I worked in Caracas, I used to keep blinds closed my modern office because the view was so depressing.

Tom

@hfm said:

**While I'm at it, is it possible for multiple models to be in one screen?

Hugo,

Yes. If you go back to the site and click on the Bar W tab on the left, there are five seperate models in this scene. They are all downloaded from 3DW and placed in the GE context. I'm working on a town scene that will have a large number of models in it. I can send you all the code if you need it.

Tom

Hi Jacob,

What I've done is to put my portfolio into a web site. It can then be viewed using a browser either on the net or from your memory stick. You still need to have an internet connection if you want dynamic views of the models. I use the new Google Earth Plug-in for geo-located buildings and Windows player for non-buildings. The Plug-in is still in Beta mode, so it's a little buggy. You get used to it.

Have a look at the result on:

http://www.twharvey.talktalk.net/index.htm

Good luck,
Tom

On another, related, note, it would be cool if Google (or somebody) could put the SU Viewer into a Plug-in like GE. The viewer could then manipulate the model to see detail, etc. as they liked.

Thanks Mike. That makes me feel a lot better.

Whoooo....

When I was a kid, I thought I was good with my YOYO. Well, time and talent move on!!!

Thanks, Remus.
Tom

Tom

@gaieus said:

(or send the WIP to your client).

What's a WIP?
Tom

Hi Gaieus,

The problem is that not everybody has SU or SU Viewer on their computers. So, I sometimes use 3DW as a staging place for others to see the model in GE, which is the most important thing for tourist attractions like this one.

Oh, by the way, The GE Plug-in works OK in Firefox. This provides a different way for people to view models. Unfortunately, they can only see ones that are already in 3DW. You can't show models from your server or local disk for security reasons.

If you're interested, a bunch of my models (including the finished version of the one above) are on display at:

http://www.twharvey.talktalk.net/index.htm

Then click on Bar W Ranch

Tom

The other day I joined in a rant about 3D Warehouse that was hidden inside a thread about components libraries (http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4869&st=0&sk=t&sd=a#p25970). One of the things I said was, "I've had a model clearly marked "Work in progress" that was included in Best of 3D Warehouse." This Work in Progress model had several faces missing while I waited for some more photos from the client. When I got the photos, I made the textures and finished the model. I uploaded the final version to 3DW and waited to see if the model checkers at Google would find the revised version and replace the unfinished one.

This weekend I had the answer: The revised model was rejected on the grounds that a better model already existed. So, I did a search for other models of the same subject. Of course, there aren't any that I could find. (It's not a famous landmark or anything, just the ranch house on a dude ranch in Montana.) Here's what I think happened: The unfinished version already with a Blue Ribbon was the "better model" that already existed.

Now the one with the blank faces is available in GE and the finished one isn't!

Is this cool or what?

Tom

I'd like to echo/underline much of what Pete and Richard have said. I've often thought that 3DW is a lot weaker than it should be. One thing I think would help would be a system of clasification for models, e.g. geo-located buildings, other buildings, vehicles, guns, etc. etc. I'm not particularly interested in guns, so I could skip it.

I'm also bambuzeled by the Popular Models section. It's a complete mystery what Popular means. Then you can sort any collection by Popularity. I don't know what this is either.

Then there is my on-going frustration with Google's review program. I've had a model clearly marked "Work in progress" that was included in Best of 3D Warehouse. Other models are left for months in Waiting for Review" with no indication of whether they have been rejected or even looked at. If they have been rejected for inclusion in GE, Witing should change to "Rejected". It would be helpful to know why as well, but maybe that would take too much manpower on Google's part.

Tom

Thanx, John,

I wonder how big a computer you need for that... and what kind of budget!!

Tom

Cool!

Gaieus,

Your twisted strip inspired me to try a moebius strip using similar techniques.

Tom

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TwistedFace[2].skp

Maverick,

Without seeing the actual model, it's hard to say why you model is so big. But looking at the pictures I'd guess that you're not using components as much as you could. It looks like there are mostly repetitive features in the model. You should bundle these up into a small number of Components and repeat them.

The second thing is your use of textures. It appears that these textures are highly detailed in the pictures. For optomized SU models textures like these should probably be less than 10 KB. I'd use your photo editor to fix you textures for good tiling, i.e. set a big horizontal overlap and maybe tinker with the image to improve tiling. then import them into SU once and let them tile in the model.

The third idea (and again I can't tell from the pictures) are all the framing/support structures built as elements in SU? A way to cut down on the size of the model; is to set these up in your photo editor as a picture with a transparent background. Then save as a PNG file. In SU just make a face where the structure would be and import the PNG image.

good luck,
Tom

@emmomac said:

I also spotted the GE option in another post. Never even thought of that as an option

Emmett,

Is this what you're looking for?

http://www.twharvey.talktalk.net/index.htm

On this page click the Fly to button and the scene changes to the intended models. In this sample, there are five seperatem SU models that make up the whole package.

Let me know if you need more info.

Tom