Posts made by whiterabbit

Yep, thanks I hear you, but I've also done the post work too, but was trying to streamline the operation for speed within SU.
The nice aspect/bonus to being able to render it all within Sketchup is that the background image (matched photo) will also be reflected on objects within the model which won't happen as a comp in post without a bunch more work.

Is there a way to "unlock" the matched photo ( it has the red border around it )

Reason being, in trying to render images within Sketchup with V-Ray, Vray will only recognize a "texture" as opposed to an "image" ( which is the way I assume the matched photo is imported (as an image).

I've tried creating a billboard with the same image (as a texture) and lining it up with the matched photo, but this proves very difficult as the matched phot disappears when orbiting! I also have tried using the "camera" (from the film and TV plugin) which helps show the correct perspective in the scene, but it would be a whole lot easier if the originally imported image could be converted to a texture.

Some time back on the Sketchup Community forum, where there is also much talk of renderers and which is the better one, I had suggested that there be posted a "standard" skp model file, one which included a variety of materials including metal, wood, stone, and mirror, and which had a window and an interior light source to allow for a mix of daylight and artificial light, and a specific camera position so results are better compared. The idea behind this was that anyone could download the model and render it in their engine of choice and post the results. This would level the playing field so that we could more "objectively" compare the results of the various renderers. The problem when viewing renders in the galleries of the various render companies, and those that are posted elsewhere, is that the content is so varied and sometimes striking, that it is hard to make a fair assessment of the specific renderer's contribution as compared to what another renderer could do with the same subject.

I have tried Podium, artlantis, IDX renditioner, Light-up and Accurender Nxt.
So far Accurender has the most impressive results and has an additional feature that allows lines to be rendered, which is often useful in architectural renderings ( although one could achieve a similar result by outputting line work from Sketchup with depth cue on and mixing this with the photoreal render in photoshop)
Lightup has a cool feature that temporarily burns the shadowing into the model so that you can move around the model after the render is complete and still see the effects of the lighting (other than specular lighting effects).

All of these benefit from rendering within the Sketchup application, however, I have also had great results, with many additional benefits, by exporting the Sketchup files (as 3DS) and rendering in Carrara. The upside to this is the amount of lighting control and texture editing that this allows. The downside is that it requires the additional steps of an export and more strict discipline of grouping in Sketchup to allow for selections in Carrara. While there is a cost associated with Carrara (Vue is another option too) it does get you a fully functional 3D modelling program in addition to a renderer.

It is also important not to forget what and who your final renders are for and the size they need to be. It is so easy to get caught up in this area of technology, looking for the most perfect render, one that can take hours or days to complete, when oftentimes a 5 minute render can be just as effective.