Yes i you want move Points individualy or by selection)! Free QuadFace tools by Thom is also very complementary! You have also a very basic subD tool (but free) : SketchUp Loop Subdivision by Guitar-List

Try this topic, too: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=50233

@thomthom said: Here's a little plugin to configure components from the context menu: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=35667 Looks good

Yes, that practically automates that "stretching" function. I have also used this rounding method - although learnt from my experiences and if I use it again, will only use at the very end next time. Here are some images: https://picasaweb.google.com/116030646877186188585/Bazilika I even made custom materials for the pillars so that after rounding the pillars and wrapping the material around the pillars, the two ends of the material matched seamlessly. Now imagine when you need to modify something in such a model. I really hated my colleague sometimes.

Most render plugins adopt this approach. Grouped geometry with smooth edges appear smooth when rendered. I don't have Maxwell (can't get it to work) but I guessed this was the issue. BTW in grouped spheres make nice disco balls

Sorry for the bump. took a break and when I came back I realized one material was on the face level while the other was on a group level, applied the material to both faces directly and they aligned. maybe this will help someone else. thanks

SketchUp will not benefit from an extra card. As for rendering: you need to find out with each rendering application whether they support GPU based rendering AND if they also support multiple cards. This is becoming sort of the way things go nowadays so hopefully more and more apps will have some sort of support in this area.

Good to know. I use the SU7 import typically, hadn't tried the dxf importer. I guess I will stick to that for now too.

@unknownuser said: If you're rendering at 1080 directly from SU you'd have to try really hard to get to 8gb. Even then you'd probably have to be running other software in the background to get that high. If I wanted to save a few bucks and was in that situation I might even start with 6gb with the option of buying a little more later if the need arose. -Brodie Thanks Brodie. I think I will go for 8GB then.

For future reference on the Twilight Render website there is a "Tutorials" link. There you will find the video tutorials for Twilight Render SketchUp plugin. They are made in such a way that people that do not understand spoken English so well can still learn how to use the plugin. (Videos are also available in Spanish and Japanese) The next place to go for beginners would naturally be the FAQ section of the user forum. In this case, it is not a list of some odd made-up words that no one actually ever asks about. No, it's actually a list of the most frequently asked 'beginner' questions. Warming up the sky: There are many controls for physical sky, and color of sun, sun radius (how soft the sun shadows are) in the Light Editor dialog for Twilight. Check these tips for beginners wanting to warm up the sun and sky, and speed up renderings and general working in SketchUp: Default Sky Setting for Twilight... and speed up SU (includes an excellent default sun and sky .skp template file) First thing to do to warm up the Sun and Sky In addition of course you can use any spherical sky image in .hdr or .jpg format. If somehow the User Manual (comprehensive, fully hyper-linked, well organized, and searchable) does not have an answer to your question, you can check out the Best Of Tips and Tricks - The Master List Lastly the Twilight Render community forum is very friendly, helpful, and welcoming to all. It is very similar to the lovely folks here at the SketchUcation forum. Finally, users of the free trial still get free support from our user forum. People who purchase a Twilight Render license get access to the Red Carpet Section of the user forum, a lot of free advanced video tutorials, user content, scenes, etc.

Hi zoom123, Your sketchup problemo will not be solved by upgrading pc. Large models with a lot of plants etc will always be a problem for sketchup. Your best option is exporting to another 3d application like cinema4d, 3dmax, or blender (free), and do the planting in there. Greetz Pugz

@unknownuser said: Vray is almost $800 and Max, well, if you think that paying the price of a used car for software is worth it, then go right ahead. Right now for a starter that's too much for my blood. A quick Google search and I found Vray for SU for $720 at Novedge. I bought me a home license before the summer at a campaign price from somewhere for about $650 so its not THAT much more expensive. But if time is no restrain for you go with Maxwell...great images but takes forever to render. Don't forget there are some great free renderers like Kerkythea thats most likely a whole deal better than IDX. I can say I have tried them all and to me the important aspects are: Image quality, speed, workflow and ability to handle complex scenes without choking. My advice is to go with a free renderer if your new to rendering. Then as you find it too limited for your needs go for a better one. No renderer is better than its user. And to me as a professional user speed is one of the mayor factors to be able to deliver on time. Or for citing Electric Image renderers old slogan: Render fast, retire young. @unknownuser said: By the way Pixero, that's a nice rendering... You did this in Max? How long did it take you to model it? Nice flower and outdoor space. Thats Vray and Sketchup. I'll try to post a lowres version of the animation once its done. @unknownuser said: Yeah, I think when I finish putting together my new machine I will eventually look at VRay for my personal higher end renderer. Is it easy to use? That one I have not tried yet. I cant really comment on if its easy or not. That depend on your prior knowledge. I find it quite easy, but then again others don't.