Since many firms, and many of us, are using (or being forced to use ) Google sketchup in various capacities, and since a number of members have recently expressed frustration with the program, I'm starting this thread as a resource for all things related to it. I'm going to post useful tips, scripts, and attempt to answer questions regarding basic to intermediate level usage.
[disclaimer] while I've gotten to a level of reasonable sophistication with modeling practices in sketchup, I don't claim to be an end-all expert. if you have advanced level questions, I'd highly recommend posting to either google groups or sketchucation. I find that generally, sketchucation is the best resource. Most of the time if you have a question, a search of these resources is all that's needed - somebody else has probably already asked it and has been answered.
there's also a wiki, but parts of it seem pretty out of date.
The video tutorials are generally dry as the desert, but they are concise and a good place to start. Following the sketchup blog is also a good way to learn new stuff and stay abreast of what's new in the sketchup sphere.
my own tips that beginners generally find helpful:
1) Learn the shortcut keys, and don't be afraid to set your own. window > preferences > shortcuts will allow you to add and view assigned shortcuts. The default set is pretty basic, and somewhat nonsensical. Why do you need a shortcut for orbit (O) when you can just press and hold the middle mouse button? there are better uses for the O key. I have ming set up mostly along the lines of the quick reference card found in this google groups post (which is a good start for new users). the less time you spend moving the mouse to hit a button, or find a command buried in a menu, the more time you spend actually doing stuff - getting comfortable with a shortcut set that matches your work style is by far the fastest way to get proficient. just do it, even if it slows you down at first.
2) If you come into sketchup knowing another 3d program, don't try to apply the logic of that program to sketchup. It's different.
2) to see more stuff on you screen, increase your field of view. there is a shortcut for this using the shortcut profile mentioned above, or you can go camera > field of view. default is 35, I find a value around 60 works well in most situations. the higher the value, the more distorted the perspective. changing the field of view is also a good way to get just the right perspective / shot of your model.
3) if you get stuck under a ground plane, or in a wall while scroll wheel zooming, use camera > previous. map this to a shortcut key, and you have what amounts to an "undo" key for viewport changes.
4) if your model is slow to navigate, check your openGL settings. window > preferences > openGL. What settings will work best will depend on your hardware, but most people should have "use hardware acceleration" and "use fast feedback" checked. "capabilities" settings with lower anti-alias values will improve performance. If you have a fast graphics card and don't work with monster sized models too often, higher anti-alias values will result in less-jaggy looking lines, and therefore generally make models easier to read.
5) work with shadows turned off. it'll slow you down.
6) to keep your model neatly organized and properly layer managed, you should have no geometry that is not part (or very soon to be part) of a group or a component (see help file for difference between the two). This makes edits easier as model complexity grows. I tend to draw all new geometry on layer 0, then turn it into a component or group, and then move the component or group to the appropriate layer. This avoids the common problem where you have a component on layer X and that component's edges and faces are on layer Y, so turning off layer Y makes your component disappear even though it's layer (X) is still on.
7) Be careful when snapping. make sure you get the endpoint (or midpoint or perpendicularpoint or whatever) and not a point on an edge that's just close to it. This is usually the cause when you have a shape that should produce a closed, planar face and it doesn't.
8) Continuing the above, use the arrow keys to lock inferencing while drawing. up arrow = blue axis, left = green, right = red.
more to come, questions/comments/improvements welcome.
Amen!...I be a follower>>>it is a little like the book "dos for dummy's" as my friend went thru the check out line the checker said,
"Oh does for Dummys, that shoud be good reading"
I will faithfully contribute to this site, that is if I learn any thing unknown to all the computer kids...I might be able to add scale,
detail and well complicated roofs....just kidding...
My next post will be way more serious...
You know we might even be able to tap the Sketch-up Guys to join us
as I personally know they want to kick Micro-softs ass...least that is what i thought it said in the last Sunday New York Times.
we do all our modelling in sketch up and then render and light with the help of a 3D studio / viz monkey. Quick easy and communicateable - is that a word? Well it is now!
Manamana some of us architects actually want to use it - software that takes too long to use is pointless for the design process which ultimately sk'up is for.
I've got Vray for SU. So far so good, beats the hell out of having to deal with an export/import to Viz or Max. There are still some issues they need to work out with linking Vray layers to SU layers but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I wish it had a good animation tool though, instead you have to piece together individual scenes, which I have had no luck actually getting to render correctly.
BOTS
when you say you render and light in 3D-studio, do you mean 3D Max? I am not too versed in these programs, so i wasnt sure if that is what you were refering to
are you able to import a sketchup model into 3D-max? and if so, in your experience, is it easy to do?
I have been looking for a way to do some work at home, and all i have is 3Dmax and autocad and sketchup
trying to find out if there is a good way to render from a sketchup model without having to pay a fortune for a new program
I just rewturned from the book store with my copy of "Google SketchUp for Dummies". I ask at the customer service desk if
they had it in stock and he told me they did a proceeded to walk
me across the store telling me he had sold another copy of it during
the last 30 days. So I commented I guess I'm not the only dummy
walking around.
I think it is going to be a good reference along with the CD, Google
SketchUp Level One which they sent to me for free.
I have developed one almost complete model using the program,
and Mrs. Snook she was impressed. I have a more difficult one in
the works which is why I purchased the book.
I find it interesting the guy who wrote it actually has a degree in Architecture which will hopefully make it a little easier to understand.
I just wonder if he owns an "Architecture Sucks" Tee shirt?
While I recognize that some people learn well from books, In my own experience I've found them to be a waste of money and not the best way to learn software. Most of the info in just about any software book is readily available on the net, and they're more or less outdated in a short period of time. I've found user forums far more valuable - always up to date, and you have numerous expert opinions to look to for advice and answers, rather than just one.
Also - and this is a big one - I've found that using books leads to students trying to learn new software by brute force - memorizing that this button does this, this button does that...etc, etc. That's necessary for most people at first, but when continued it leads to a brick wall - learn enough to scrape by, and then for the most part, stop learning.
Any commercially available software package is going to have an organizing logic that's been hashed out and refined continuously in the God-knows-how-many-years that the software has been in development. Knowing that logic, or at least having a feel for it, is far more valuable than knowing what button does what. If you don't know how to do something in the software but have a feel for the organizational structure of it, often you can figure it out, on your own, in the first or second try. When you get to that point you never stop learning, and you start finding faster or better ways to do things rather than just relying on a way to get it done.
Side note: this touches on the primary reason why folks who have significant experience on other 3d softwares really don't like sketchup - the logic you have to apply is drastically different.
Side note II: Given all I've written above, you can probably guess that I'm none too happy with the way that most firms approach hiring when it comes to software experience. 5 years of experience doesn't mean much if the guy just learned enough to scrape by and then stopped. If a firm needs sketchup help for the forseeable future, rather than asking, "do you know sketchup?" firms should be saying "Your resume says you know formZ, how did you come to learn it? Would you say you became comfortable with it quickly? What do you find most frustrating when using it?"
Sometime in the next few days I'm going to do a big post on handy sketchup scripts. Post 'em if ya got 'em.
Actually you have to pick up the book, the dude is toilet reader. It is really a non-linear writting of sorts. It doesn't have crap about memorizing things but what it does have is assistance when your fricking frustrated with trying to close something or put a roof on something and you just can't grasp it from the sketchy help section
of the software program, because it was written by a software programer.
Sketchup is actually pretty easy to learn, for a dummy like me.
I do think it will be a valuable tool but not the end all tool such is my brain.
I think you what ever works for someone is a valuable tool. I sucked
at math when I was in grade school which carried all the way thru college. However give me a compass and a straight edge and I can play all day with forms. I was never one for remembering Latin roots
and their meaning for scientific names, but I was a great surgeon in the biology labs and my renderings always managed to get me by.
I started hacking away on a 286 computer many years ago. I didn't
know doo doo, but my friend had worked on a big main frame computer designing highways, so he gave me some basic direction and here I am years later with two computers on my desk designing
up a storm.
Snooker - I think you and manamana might be saying the same thing. Further, manamana was addressing people who learn the program first, then the architecture.
Your phrase "trying to close something or put a roof on something" is key; you're trying to construct the building in Sketch-Up, rather than assemble a set of lines to make it look like a building.
How-to books aren't a bad thing, especially when used for reference, but they shouldn't be used as the sole basis for learning a program.
So I have heard, but when I went looking for help, no one seemed to be out there. It is easy to use but to master it that is another animal. I will let you know when I become a Sketchup Ninja Master.
Yes, it's easy to use, but it's also very easy to use badly. One of my eventual posts in this thing is going cover ways of fixing screwed up models and common errors.
For just about any given small task in just about any program, there will be at least 5-10 different ways of getting it done. One way will be the fastest, another (possibly the same) will require the least effort, and another (again possibly the same) will give the cleanest, most easily editable result.
if you know how to get it done but only by the slowest, sloppiest way, that's not very useful. agreed?
Oh ya, taking the wife to the dentist this morning so my Sketchup book for Dummies is going with me. Seems like one has to wait for ever and all they seem to have in the office is girlie magazines. I'm
sure the front staff are in front of subscription renewal. So hopefully
I will not have all down time while I await the Mrs.
the biggest tricks with SU, and this is where it is wholly different than any other program, is the "stickiness" of the objects, and the fact that SU treats each face differently, by face i mean the front and back face of a plane...
what i usually wind up doing is create "parts" or components or grouping elements. doing this provides the flexibility i need. the other thing that helps is to download as many of the add-ons you can get and spend some time getting the plug-ins from the google groups.
i still say that bryan from http://www.form-ula.net/ had the most amazing SU models i have seen thus far, although he seems to have moved on to better tools, the drawings he did have proved beyond any doubt, that it's the person and not the tool.
i have seen shit as lead drawings and remarkable lead drawings, but i don't dismiss lead holders for the shit drawings...
i GUESS I BE DANCING WITH COMPONENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. beta I have a pencil sharpner in the basement but no longer own a lead holder.....I always liked the feel of wood in my hand....or charcoal. I have worked in two offices where all of my work was displayed in the lobbies prior to computers....so I guess I be playing catch up now.
Given Sketchup's limited modeling functionality, you may often find yourself saying "there's got to be an easier way to do this." Chances are, someone else has already had that thought and wrote a ruby script to add that functionality. Most of the time they're available for free, but occasionally one will cost $2-30. Note that some scripts require other scripts to run.
Here is google's page on scripts that describes how to install them and has some samples. ones I find useful from this page:
Rotated rectangle: a nice way to avoid building unnecessary construction geometry, or to use as construction geometry when you need to ensure that everything you draw is in the same plane. Also very useful for fixing messed up models where someone drew a bunch of stuff that should be in the same plane but isn't.
Window maker: one of two window generating scripts I use. This one is fairly limited, but useful for double hung windows in single family housing projects.
bezier curves good if you need to draw funky curves. I saw a post somewhere where someone had expanded and improved this, but can't find it at the moment.
Smustard also has alot of great tools. recently his prices have gone up a bit on premium scripts, but there's also a great deal of good free ones. I use:
Windowizer the other window generator. great for storefront systems, commercial projects. also good for door glass lights, picture frames, inset panels...anything where you need a frame.
Presentation bundle to help set up smooth animations. several very useful scripts.
Weld to join loose edges. nice if you need to get the "follow me" tool to go around corners and such when it wont.
Concrete stair tool draws basic concrete staircases with railings. There are a number of stair scripts, and I've been meaning to check out some of the others as this one is pretty basic.
if you're going to stick to images, I'd shoot for 100 DPI and see if that works and if it's high enough resolution. at 24x36 you would need an image file of 3600px wide and 2400px tall. If that's too pixelated for the distance you'd like to view at you can try to bump it up to 125 DPI. If you're only going to be looking at this from far away, you can drop down to 72DPI to save time/space.
Notes: the size of the image file you can produce seems to be limited by available RAM. Depending on the sketchup model complexity and your computer you may start erroring out about ~3000-3500px wide. Older computers may be more limited. Newer computers running 4GB ram with 64 bit OSes seem to do a bit better, but I haven't really tested it yet.
If the file is turning into a memory hog, and you're sure you want to dump any unused components etc., the AutoCAD equivalent of purge and audit is:
Window-Model Info-Statistics-Purge Unused
Window-Model Info-Statistics-Fix Problems
If you're doing sun shadow studies, make sure your model is set to the correct location on the globe, because I'm sure not all models are going to get built in Boulder Colorado (the default location).
Windo-Model Info-Location
manamana - you won't run into memory problems if you turn off anti-aliasing - although, in order to compensate, you should export the images at a really high resolution (as big as you can) and then scale them down in photoshop if you are worried about file size.
Let's say someone wanted to email a SU file made with the free version to a student who is doing a rendering for the someone...how would someone do that? Or do I have to save it to a flash drive?
LB - There has been an ability to use Google Earth as a platform to see your 3D model. Personally, I partner this with a "space navigator" to explore the 3D model. It doesn't need to be a Sketchup model though...
Is there a way to eliminate the pauses created by the arrival at each scene when animating in sketch up? I notice Mana listed a script for "smooth animations" does sketch up not have this ability by default?
Smooth animations:
View > Animation > Settings.
At the bottom of the window is a setting for Scene Delay. Set that to 0 seconds.
If it doesn't work the first time, try it again. If it doesn't work the second time, try changing all the numbers in the window, then resetting them. If it doesn't work the third time, try dropping the computer onto the floor. (Just pulling your leg; though I've heard that works for the Next computer.)
Thanks. I had tried that setting before, but the playback in skp just showed it jumping from scene to scene. After I exported it as an avi then I realized that was the setting I was looking for.
I came across this site in my attempts to answer my own question. Seems ok.
use groups, components and levels.... it will make constructing and changing the model so much easier... anything that you might think you would like to change separately from any other thing near it needs to be made into a group so you don't stick... also be aware of what level you are putting it on so that you can turn things on and off if there are different options and you don't have to worry about hiding and unhiding things...
i think this is one of the fundamental problems people have with sketch up when they first get started...
Any suggestions on how to get a ground plane material to extend to the horizon? Or do I just draw a really, really, really big plane? That's the only way i've made it work.
The Sketchup Reference thread
Since many firms, and many of us, are using (or being forced to use) Google sketchup in various capacities, and since a number of members have recently expressed frustration with the program, I'm starting this thread as a resource for all things related to it. I'm going to post useful tips, scripts, and attempt to answer questions regarding basic to intermediate level usage.
[disclaimer] while I've gotten to a level of reasonable sophistication with modeling practices in sketchup, I don't claim to be an end-all expert. if you have advanced level questions, I'd highly recommend posting to either google groups or sketchucation. I find that generally, sketchucation is the best resource. Most of the time if you have a question, a search of these resources is all that's needed - somebody else has probably already asked it and has been answered.
good introductory resources:
http://sketchup.google.com/vtutorials.html
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=36e1fa0d054a15eecc725c514c21d975&prevstart=0
there's also a wiki, but parts of it seem pretty out of date.
The video tutorials are generally dry as the desert, but they are concise and a good place to start. Following the sketchup blog is also a good way to learn new stuff and stay abreast of what's new in the sketchup sphere.
my own tips that beginners generally find helpful:
1) Learn the shortcut keys, and don't be afraid to set your own. window > preferences > shortcuts will allow you to add and view assigned shortcuts. The default set is pretty basic, and somewhat nonsensical. Why do you need a shortcut for orbit (O) when you can just press and hold the middle mouse button? there are better uses for the O key. I have ming set up mostly along the lines of the quick reference card found in this google groups post (which is a good start for new users). the less time you spend moving the mouse to hit a button, or find a command buried in a menu, the more time you spend actually doing stuff - getting comfortable with a shortcut set that matches your work style is by far the fastest way to get proficient. just do it, even if it slows you down at first.
2) If you come into sketchup knowing another 3d program, don't try to apply the logic of that program to sketchup. It's different.
2) to see more stuff on you screen, increase your field of view. there is a shortcut for this using the shortcut profile mentioned above, or you can go camera > field of view. default is 35, I find a value around 60 works well in most situations. the higher the value, the more distorted the perspective. changing the field of view is also a good way to get just the right perspective / shot of your model.
3) if you get stuck under a ground plane, or in a wall while scroll wheel zooming, use camera > previous. map this to a shortcut key, and you have what amounts to an "undo" key for viewport changes.
4) if your model is slow to navigate, check your openGL settings. window > preferences > openGL. What settings will work best will depend on your hardware, but most people should have "use hardware acceleration" and "use fast feedback" checked. "capabilities" settings with lower anti-alias values will improve performance. If you have a fast graphics card and don't work with monster sized models too often, higher anti-alias values will result in less-jaggy looking lines, and therefore generally make models easier to read.
5) work with shadows turned off. it'll slow you down.
6) to keep your model neatly organized and properly layer managed, you should have no geometry that is not part (or very soon to be part) of a group or a component (see help file for difference between the two). This makes edits easier as model complexity grows. I tend to draw all new geometry on layer 0, then turn it into a component or group, and then move the component or group to the appropriate layer. This avoids the common problem where you have a component on layer X and that component's edges and faces are on layer Y, so turning off layer Y makes your component disappear even though it's layer (X) is still on.
7) Be careful when snapping. make sure you get the endpoint (or midpoint or perpendicularpoint or whatever) and not a point on an edge that's just close to it. This is usually the cause when you have a shape that should produce a closed, planar face and it doesn't.
8) Continuing the above, use the arrow keys to lock inferencing while drawing. up arrow = blue axis, left = green, right = red.
more to come, questions/comments/improvements welcome.
Amen!...I be a follower>>>it is a little like the book "dos for dummy's" as my friend went thru the check out line the checker said,
"Oh does for Dummys, that shoud be good reading"
I will faithfully contribute to this site, that is if I learn any thing unknown to all the computer kids...I might be able to add scale,
detail and well complicated roofs....just kidding...
My next post will be way more serious...
You know we might even be able to tap the Sketch-up Guys to join us
as I personally know they want to kick Micro-softs ass...least that is what i thought it said in the last Sunday New York Times.
Well it's 2 AM and I'm trying to figure out how to put some text on my building. <sigh> a long night learning new stuff.
we do all our modelling in sketch up and then render and light with the help of a 3D studio / viz monkey. Quick easy and communicateable - is that a word? Well it is now!
How to make 3d text in sketchup using Adobe Illustrator:
Type text in Adobe Illustrator (any font you wish)
Go to color selection box, and flip from solid fill to outline fill.
Go to type menu and create outline.
Export as DXF.
Import into Sketchup.
Go into component of text.
Fill in a letter (create plane) by draw a line inside letter from one edge to another (or outside edge). OR, use "create face" under tools-utilities.
Extrude the letter.
If you like it smooth, select the whole 3D letter and smooth (check both boxes)
Sketchup 6 also hase a 3D text tool.
tools > 3d text.
for versions before sketchup 6, there is this script:
http://www.smustard.com/script/3DTextTool
try this book Google SketchUp for Dummies - it actually helps cause its a decent reference.
Manamana some of us architects actually want to use it - software that takes too long to use is pointless for the design process which ultimately sk'up is for.
anyone have much experience with vray?
I've got Vray for SU. So far so good, beats the hell out of having to deal with an export/import to Viz or Max. There are still some issues they need to work out with linking Vray layers to SU layers but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I wish it had a good animation tool though, instead you have to piece together individual scenes, which I have had no luck actually getting to render correctly.
cvankle, where do you get your vismats from?
BOTS
when you say you render and light in 3D-studio, do you mean 3D Max? I am not too versed in these programs, so i wasnt sure if that is what you were refering to
are you able to import a sketchup model into 3D-max? and if so, in your experience, is it easy to do?
I have been looking for a way to do some work at home, and all i have is 3Dmax and autocad and sketchup
trying to find out if there is a good way to render from a sketchup model without having to pay a fortune for a new program
the pod cast vidoes on the www.go-2-school.com site are great.
thanks xacto
I just rewturned from the book store with my copy of "Google SketchUp for Dummies". I ask at the customer service desk if
they had it in stock and he told me they did a proceeded to walk
me across the store telling me he had sold another copy of it during
the last 30 days. So I commented I guess I'm not the only dummy
walking around.
I think it is going to be a good reference along with the CD, Google
SketchUp Level One which they sent to me for free.
I have developed one almost complete model using the program,
and Mrs. Snook she was impressed. I have a more difficult one in
the works which is why I purchased the book.
I find it interesting the guy who wrote it actually has a degree in Architecture which will hopefully make it a little easier to understand.
I just wonder if he owns an "Architecture Sucks" Tee shirt?
While I recognize that some people learn well from books, In my own experience I've found them to be a waste of money and not the best way to learn software. Most of the info in just about any software book is readily available on the net, and they're more or less outdated in a short period of time. I've found user forums far more valuable - always up to date, and you have numerous expert opinions to look to for advice and answers, rather than just one.
Also - and this is a big one - I've found that using books leads to students trying to learn new software by brute force - memorizing that this button does this, this button does that...etc, etc. That's necessary for most people at first, but when continued it leads to a brick wall - learn enough to scrape by, and then for the most part, stop learning.
Any commercially available software package is going to have an organizing logic that's been hashed out and refined continuously in the God-knows-how-many-years that the software has been in development. Knowing that logic, or at least having a feel for it, is far more valuable than knowing what button does what. If you don't know how to do something in the software but have a feel for the organizational structure of it, often you can figure it out, on your own, in the first or second try. When you get to that point you never stop learning, and you start finding faster or better ways to do things rather than just relying on a way to get it done.
Side note: this touches on the primary reason why folks who have significant experience on other 3d softwares really don't like sketchup - the logic you have to apply is drastically different.
Side note II: Given all I've written above, you can probably guess that I'm none too happy with the way that most firms approach hiring when it comes to software experience. 5 years of experience doesn't mean much if the guy just learned enough to scrape by and then stopped. If a firm needs sketchup help for the forseeable future, rather than asking, "do you know sketchup?" firms should be saying "Your resume says you know formZ, how did you come to learn it? Would you say you became comfortable with it quickly? What do you find most frustrating when using it?"
Sometime in the next few days I'm going to do a big post on handy sketchup scripts. Post 'em if ya got 'em.
man,
Actually you have to pick up the book, the dude is toilet reader. It is really a non-linear writting of sorts. It doesn't have crap about memorizing things but what it does have is assistance when your fricking frustrated with trying to close something or put a roof on something and you just can't grasp it from the sketchy help section
of the software program, because it was written by a software programer.
Sketchup is actually pretty easy to learn, for a dummy like me.
I do think it will be a valuable tool but not the end all tool such is my brain.
I think you what ever works for someone is a valuable tool. I sucked
at math when I was in grade school which carried all the way thru college. However give me a compass and a straight edge and I can play all day with forms. I was never one for remembering Latin roots
and their meaning for scientific names, but I was a great surgeon in the biology labs and my renderings always managed to get me by.
I started hacking away on a 286 computer many years ago. I didn't
know doo doo, but my friend had worked on a big main frame computer designing highways, so he gave me some basic direction and here I am years later with two computers on my desk designing
up a storm.
Snooker - I think you and manamana might be saying the same thing. Further, manamana was addressing people who learn the program first, then the architecture.
Your phrase "trying to close something or put a roof on something" is key; you're trying to construct the building in Sketch-Up, rather than assemble a set of lines to make it look like a building.
How-to books aren't a bad thing, especially when used for reference, but they shouldn't be used as the sole basis for learning a program.
are you guys serious??
sketchup is the friggin easiest program ever - i mean - we're all used to 3dsmax, viz, maya, and (totally not recommended) autocad for 3d building.
if you've used any of those and understand how vertices and planes work, you've pretty much mastered 85% of what sketchup is.
and i'm totally not boasting - i've seen the dimmest light bulbs learn that program right in front of me.
several things do take practice and trian n error, but for the most part - its a common-sense based construction method.
kyll,
So I have heard, but when I went looking for help, no one seemed to be out there. It is easy to use but to master it that is another animal. I will let you know when I become a Sketchup Ninja Master.
Yes, it's easy to use, but it's also very easy to use badly. One of my eventual posts in this thing is going cover ways of fixing screwed up models and common errors.
For just about any given small task in just about any program, there will be at least 5-10 different ways of getting it done. One way will be the fastest, another (possibly the same) will require the least effort, and another (again possibly the same) will give the cleanest, most easily editable result.
if you know how to get it done but only by the slowest, sloppiest way, that's not very useful. agreed?
man,,,,agreed. Clean um up but make um look good.
Oh ya, taking the wife to the dentist this morning so my Sketchup book for Dummies is going with me. Seems like one has to wait for ever and all they seem to have in the office is girlie magazines. I'm
sure the front staff are in front of subscription renewal. So hopefully
I will not have all down time while I await the Mrs.
the biggest tricks with SU, and this is where it is wholly different than any other program, is the "stickiness" of the objects, and the fact that SU treats each face differently, by face i mean the front and back face of a plane...
..and that, beta, is the part I completely don't understand. Every time I want something to stick, it doesn't, and vice versa.
what i usually wind up doing is create "parts" or components or grouping elements. doing this provides the flexibility i need. the other thing that helps is to download as many of the add-ons you can get and spend some time getting the plug-ins from the google groups.
Beta has it...see point 6 in the original post for slightly more detail.
Handy: paste-in-place. have some geometry in one group or component but need it in another?
1) go into group that has the geometry
2) cut or copy needed geometry
3) open other group (double clicking is a quick way in)
4) paste in place.
sorry mana, you're on top of it.
i still say that bryan from http://www.form-ula.net/ had the most amazing SU models i have seen thus far, although he seems to have moved on to better tools, the drawings he did have proved beyond any doubt, that it's the person and not the tool.
i have seen shit as lead drawings and remarkable lead drawings, but i don't dismiss lead holders for the shit drawings...
i GUESS I BE DANCING WITH COMPONENTS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. beta I have a pencil sharpner in the basement but no longer own a lead holder.....I always liked the feel of wood in my hand....or charcoal. I have worked in two offices where all of my work was displayed in the lobbies prior to computers....so I guess I be playing catch up now.
any tutorials on vray for sketchup?
bump.....bump...
I feel like a little kid with coloring crayons.....
oooookay....
Time to talk Scripts.
Given Sketchup's limited modeling functionality, you may often find yourself saying "there's got to be an easier way to do this." Chances are, someone else has already had that thought and wrote a ruby script to add that functionality. Most of the time they're available for free, but occasionally one will cost $2-30. Note that some scripts require other scripts to run.
Here is google's page on scripts that describes how to install them and has some samples. ones I find useful from this page:
Rotated rectangle: a nice way to avoid building unnecessary construction geometry, or to use as construction geometry when you need to ensure that everything you draw is in the same plane. Also very useful for fixing messed up models where someone drew a bunch of stuff that should be in the same plane but isn't.
Window maker: one of two window generating scripts I use. This one is fairly limited, but useful for double hung windows in single family housing projects.
bezier curves good if you need to draw funky curves. I saw a post somewhere where someone had expanded and improved this, but can't find it at the moment.
Smustard also has alot of great tools. recently his prices have gone up a bit on premium scripts, but there's also a great deal of good free ones. I use:
Windowizer the other window generator. great for storefront systems, commercial projects. also good for door glass lights, picture frames, inset panels...anything where you need a frame.
Presentation bundle to help set up smooth animations. several very useful scripts.
Weld to join loose edges. nice if you need to get the "follow me" tool to go around corners and such when it wont.
Selection memory to recall selections
instances to select component instances
explode/implode I don't really use this at work, but it's nice when designing furniture in sketchup.
Others: (note tha since sketchucation forums are down at the moment, I'm linking to Google caches in some cases)
Xref manager a little quirky, but useful for splitting up workloads if you can get your damn coworkers to actually use it.
Soap skin & bubble if you need tensile structures or blobs.
Concrete stair tool draws basic concrete staircases with railings. There are a number of stair scripts, and I've been meaning to check out some of the others as this one is pretty basic.
quick selection
put on layer sometimes it works, sometimes not. useful when it does.
grow kind of an array / distribute tool on steroids. also fun when you're bored at work and want to look busy.
more:
http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_arc_page.htm
and
http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_fil_page.htm
and
http://archsymb.com/ruby/index.php?dir=&sort=filename&sort_mode=d
man thanks for the post.....like I said....I'm getting to the point where I can crawl....but not Ninja Master Yet.
Can you give in tips on how to take a sketchup drawing and send it
to a plotter which handles 24x 26. HP 500 series?
The plots look pretty at 8.5 X 11 but I want the real gusto!
File > export > 2d graphic
if you're going to stick to images, I'd shoot for 100 DPI and see if that works and if it's high enough resolution. at 24x36 you would need an image file of 3600px wide and 2400px tall. If that's too pixelated for the distance you'd like to view at you can try to bump it up to 125 DPI. If you're only going to be looking at this from far away, you can drop down to 72DPI to save time/space.
Notes: the size of the image file you can produce seems to be limited by available RAM. Depending on the sketchup model complexity and your computer you may start erroring out about ~3000-3500px wide. Older computers may be more limited. Newer computers running 4GB ram with 64 bit OSes seem to do a bit better, but I haven't really tested it yet.
Here's a couple of general tips:
If the file is turning into a memory hog, and you're sure you want to dump any unused components etc., the AutoCAD equivalent of purge and audit is:
Window-Model Info-Statistics-Purge Unused
Window-Model Info-Statistics-Fix Problems
If you're doing sun shadow studies, make sure your model is set to the correct location on the globe, because I'm sure not all models are going to get built in Boulder Colorado (the default location).
Windo-Model Info-Location
O T thanks for the tips...im not in boulder colorado...now those shadows will make sense.
manamana - you won't run into memory problems if you turn off anti-aliasing - although, in order to compensate, you should export the images at a really high resolution (as big as you can) and then scale them down in photoshop if you are worried about file size.
Let's say someone wanted to email a SU file made with the free version to a student who is doing a rendering for the someone...how would someone do that? Or do I have to save it to a flash drive?
I mean, um, would someone have to save it to a flash drive?
lb the someone could upload it to google and the student could get it off of there to render it for you er i mean for someone.
Wat does "upload to google" mean? Where?
Damn I feel so idiotic!
LB - There has been an ability to use Google Earth as a platform to see your 3D model. Personally, I partner this with a "space navigator" to explore the 3D model. It doesn't need to be a Sketchup model though...
does anyone know how to do a batch render in VRay for SketchUp? or a decent tutorial on doing lighting for interior spaces?
Is there a way to eliminate the pauses created by the arrival at each scene when animating in sketch up? I notice Mana listed a script for "smooth animations" does sketch up not have this ability by default?
Smooth animations:
View > Animation > Settings.
At the bottom of the window is a setting for Scene Delay. Set that to 0 seconds.
If it doesn't work the first time, try it again. If it doesn't work the second time, try changing all the numbers in the window, then resetting them. If it doesn't work the third time, try dropping the computer onto the floor. (Just pulling your leg; though I've heard that works for the Next computer.)
Thanks. I had tried that setting before, but the playback in skp just showed it jumping from scene to scene. After I exported it as an avi then I realized that was the setting I was looking for.
I came across this site in my attempts to answer my own question. Seems ok.
sketch education
use groups, components and levels.... it will make constructing and changing the model so much easier... anything that you might think you would like to change separately from any other thing near it needs to be made into a group so you don't stick... also be aware of what level you are putting it on so that you can turn things on and off if there are different options and you don't have to worry about hiding and unhiding things...
i think this is one of the fundamental problems people have with sketch up when they first get started...
Any suggestions on how to get a ground plane material to extend to the horizon? Or do I just draw a really, really, really big plane? That's the only way i've made it work.
I usually set my background to one color and add the sky in photoshop.
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