Features

Boo Clues - Cable Creation

Render Plus Interview
Tadema Behind the Scenes
Thomthom Time
LumenRT
SmillaEnlarger
LumenRT Review
Soft Shadows Tehnique
GoPano
Catchup
EDI TI ON 3
SKETCHUCATION COMMUNITY NEWS
On the cover: Rhino Scan
courtesy of Tgi3D
Editor: Richard OBrien
Information is correct at press time.
Check www.sketchucation.com for
updates.
Boo Clues with Eric Lay
Soft Shadows
Render Plus Interview
Smilla Enlarger
Tgi3D SU Photoscan
Featured Member
Thomthom Interview
Mayor Mikes Gadgets
LumenRT Review
Construction Modeling#2
Foreword...
Hard to believe that we are already into the 3rd edition but the
response so far is incredible. None of this would be possible
without our very active and helpful community. So to each
and everyone of you we say Thank You.
We have some great features this edition from Tgi3D
PhotoScan to Soft Shadows with Dave Richards. Along with
our usual visits from Jean and Eric and of course Mike shows
us some neat gadgets and apps.
Some surprise appearances from Al Hart, Thomthom and
Csaba gets his hands on LumenRT for an indepth review.
We hope you enjoy this edition and dont forget to let us
know your opinion.
Rich

Management
Mike Lucey - Managing Director
Csaba Pozsarko - Training Director
Octavian Chis- Technical Director
Richard OBrien - Quality Director
Moderators
Pete Stoppel
Chris Fullmer
Dylan Morton
Dave Richards
Eric Lay
TIG
Thomas Thomassen
Jean Lemire
Jim Foltz
Eeva
Edson Mahfuz
Majid
Contributors
Eric Lay
Mike Lucey
Al Hart
Thomas Thomassen
Bjorn Kare Nilsson
Dave Richards
John Higgins
Thomas Thomassen
Csaba Pozsarko
Dennis Fukai
Connect with us
BOO CLUES
create a cabl e
Step 1

First start with a couple of
connection points. Here we
will join the two white circles
on the faces of these cubes
with a cable (pipe).
Step 2

Find the center points of
the white circle connection
points.
Step 3

Create a path with
many diferent lines and
intersections as guides. These
will be used as a guide path
for the F-Spline tool to follow.
Start the path perpendicular
to the circle or the connection
will not look right.
Step 4

This shows the F-Spline
following the guide path. This
example uses 100 segments
rather than the default 30.
Just type 100s and Enter in
the Value Control Box after
activating F-Spline. Or after
creating your path you can
type in 100s and hit Enter.
5
BOO CLUES
create a cabl e
Step 5

Creating the guide path and
placing the spline might have
to be re-done a couple times
to get desired result.
Step 6

Delete construction lines
leaving only the spline.
Step 7

Select the spline and run the
PipeAlongPath tool. Again,
take into account how far
your spline is of the ground
plane and size the diameter
of the pipe accordingly.
Step 8

Create some connectors at
the ends of the pipe to fnish
of the design.
by Eric Lay
What youll need...
Fredos BezierSpline v1.4
TIGs PipeAlongPipe v1.6
6
POST PRO
soft shadows
An Easy Way to Create Soft Shadows
Heres an easy method for creating soft shadows for your SketchUp image exports without
running your model through a rendering application. If you dont need the photorealistic images
rendering applications are so good at making, perhaps this method will do the trick for you.
In this example Im going to create the impression of two diferent light sources which isnt
available in image exports direct from SketchUp.
To start with, I made four scenes
as follows. They are all from the
same camera position. The only
diferences are in the styles.
The frst scene is with the Face
Style set to Shaded With Textures,
Edges turned of and Use Sun For
Shading selected in the Shadows
dialog box. While in the Shadows
dialog also set the time and date
for your frst set of shadows. You
might also want to play with the
light and dark sliders. Turning
shadows on while making these
adjustments is helpful but turn
them of before creating the
scene.
The second scene is made with
Face Styles set to Hidden Line.
In this example I also added
a sketchy line style but that is
optional. Actually, exporting the
lines separately is optional. You
could export the faces with Edges
turned on. I like to export them
separately so I can manipulate the
textured image without afecting
the lines.
Faces Style 'Hidden Line'
Faces Style 'Shaded with Textures' and 'Edges' of
7
POST PRO
soft shadows
For Scene 3 turn on shadows and turn of edges.
Edge visibility is controlled in the Styles dialog box
under Edit>Edge. You simply untick the Edges tick
box.
And, if you are adding another set of shadows,
Scene 4 is made after changing the time and/or
date.
It is important to note that when you create each
new scene, you should be seeing a dialog box
prompting you to create a new style or modify the
existing one. You want to create a new style each
time. If you arent getting that dialog box go to
Preferences>General and make sure the tick box
for Warn of Style Changes When Creating Scenes
is ticked.
Shadows 'On'
POST PRO
soft shadows
Now that the scenes are created,
export the images to a folder.
In this case I exported all of the
images at 3000 pixels wide.
The next steps involve editing the
shadow images and combining
the images. For the example I
ran the textured image through
FotoSketcher to get this image.
Then I opened that fle along with
both shadow images and the lines
image in Paint.NET, a freeware
image editor.
Here you can see the results of
applying a Gaussian blur to the
frst shadow image. There are
other blur types available and you
might fnd a diferent one more to
your liking. You can also adjust the
amount of blurring you get.
And heres the second image. You
can vary the amount of blur if you
wish.
Fotosketcher
Gaussian Blur applied in Paint.NET
9
After editing the two shadow images, go to the textured image. Create
additional layers for the other images and in the Layer Properties
dialog, set the blending mode to Multiply for each of the layers.
Although it probably doesn't matter so much, I arranged the layers
such that the Lines image would be on top, the textured image would
be the second layer and the shadows would be on layers 3 and 4.
Copy and paste the lines image and the shadow images each to their
own layer. Pasting each image to a separate layer will allow you to edit
that image independently of the others so you could change the color
balance in the shadows or make them lighter or darker as desired.
Once you've fnished combining the images, crop as needed and save
your work.
by Dave Richards
Final compiled image
Lots of people are familiar
with Render Plus but what
have you been up to of late?
Rich, Jake and I are constantly
making improvements to, and
creating new versions of, our
SketchUp Plugins and creating
some new ones too when we
get a chance.
Weve seen the
announcements of some of
your new releases. What are
the new products?
One is RpImageFilters this is a
simple, free add-on which lets
the SketchUp user apply some
basic flters such as brightness,
contrast or sharpening to
SketchUp images. Most of these
flters are available in imaging
software but it is much easier
to do it directly from SketchUp.
Also, the sequence of flters
for instance applying both
contrast and sharpening to
the same image can be
automatically reapplied after
changing the SketchUp view
or model making it easy to
get the efect you want.
Do you have any other new
products that members
would be interested in?
We put out our new
reporting product this year
SpaceDesign. SpaceDesign
lets you count components
and groups, and report on
attributes - calculating totals,
and creating custom reports.
SpaceDesign is very easy
to use for a simple report
of component names or
descriptions, and counts. You
can defne your own attributes,
or use Dynamic Component
attributes.
Its easily modifed to do
complex calculations and
reports. After we attended
Base Camp in September,
we rushed home to use the
new Volume Calculations
in SketchUp 8 to do reports
and calculations based on
volumes. By combining counts
with linear lengths, areas, and
volumes many users are able
to do cost estimating, or Bills-
of-Materials directly from their
SketchUp models.
How about a peek into the
crystal ball about what is
coming next?
Rich is working on a nice feature
to create PDF fle containing a
rendered image of a SketchUp
model, and an interactive
version of the model itself, so
a SketchUp user can send a
PDF document to a client with
a very nice rendered image,
and then the client can click
a button and use the mouse
to orbit and navigate in the
model itself.
We will be adding this same
feature as upgrades to three
of our products IRender nXt,
RPS 3D PDF and ProjectSketch
so lots of our users will be
able to use this new capability.
Thanks for chatting with
us. Ill be interested to see a
sample when it is ready?
Thanks for giving me the
opportunity to let your readers
know about some of our
products.
by Mike Lucey
RENDER PLUS
i n t e r v i e w
RENDER PLUS
i n t e r v i e w
Exhibition Centre for Royal Norfolk Show Ground by Henry James-Allison of DFAL
Inspired by the art of Lebbeus Woods by Nico Stegemann
"create a PDF
cont ai ni ng
a rendered
image of a
S k e t c h U p
model and an
i nt eract i ve
version of the
model itself"
SMILLA ENLARGER
u s e f u l a p p l i c a t i o n s
This editions Useful App is called SmillaEnlarger
by developer Mischa Lusteck.There are Windows,
Linux and OSX versions available.
It used to be called ImageEnlarger and I wish they
stuck with the old name as its easier to remember.
However the name change is the only niggle I
have with this super little application.
Mischas description of the app states,
SmillaEnlarger is a small graphical tool (based on
Qt) to resize, especially magnify bitmaps in high
quality. (The used algorithm is an invention of my
own)
It may be a small graphical tool but its now one
that is tucked away in my toolbox and used
regularly to blow up sections of images that
simply would be far too blurry to use otherwise.
The open-source and portable application was
designed to help the user intensively massage
an image enlargement to keep it from looking
jagged and flled with artifacts. Its possible to
select the level of zoom using the zoom slider and
the location of the zoom via the selection box.
Once the selection has been made the user
can begin tinkering with sharpness, fatness,
dithering, noise levels and more. The preview
function is speedy, encouraging previews of the
process being selected thus ensuring a good end
result.
When the enlargement meets your requirements
just hit the Calculate button to render the image.
This again is a quick process. I found SmillaEnlarger
to be on a par with PhotoZoom which says a lot.
If you fnd this application useful, and I am sure
you will, please make a donation to the developer
in order that he will be encouraged to further
develop this little gem of an application.
by Mike Lucey
13
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
Before we get started its
probably benefcial if youve
read last editions Amorph
review. As Tgi3D Photoscan is
closely tied to this extremely
useful plugin.
So what is Photscan bringing
to the table? First of you get
Tgi3D SU Amorph bundled in
with Tgi3D Photoscan with a
few bells and whistles added
in for good measure. But
Photoscan itself is not to be
considered a plugin. Its a
standalone application that
exports to SketchUp and
utilizes Amorph abilities.
For those unfamiliar with
stereophotogrammetry, which
is essentially what Photoscan
does, its a means of building
a 3D view from a series of
images. This works by using
your cameras focal distance
(viewpoint) and the image
itself to determine a X/Y/Z
value from chosen points.
Having used Laser Scanning
equipment I was interested to
see how Photoscan measured
up and if it could take the pain
away of tedious setup.
First up is the Photoscan UI
which is fairly self explanatory.
You can create/open projects
or add images to projects plus
standard undo/redo functions
and zooming options.
But the 2 most important
funtions are your 'Draw
Calibration Points...' and 'Build
3D Model...' buttons. These
are the backbone of Tgi3D
Photoscan and are super simple
to use. It's all point'n'click using
Photoscan to determine your
accuracy.
What I'd like to point out is that
Photoscan is wholly reliant
on you to supply it with good
content. There's no point trying
to use this tool with images
from the web or ones edited
in some software. To get good
results you need good images
that are taken from diferent
angles with overlaps between
images.
That's not to say you can't use
those images but to make life
easier I recommend using your
own images.
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
Once your images are loaded
they appear on tabs across
the top of the workspace.
You simply use the 'Draw
Calibration Point...' tool to place
matching points between
images. To help place these
points you can quickly toggle
a magnifed window using the
SHIFT key.
A typical workfow would be
to pick a point on an image
and locate that same point on
as many images as possible.
When fnshed you right click
and choose 'Match Points'.
Repeat this until you've 8 points
matched on at least 2 images
then comes the calibration
part.
Basically, you run the 'Camera
Calibration...' option and sit
back while it crunches the
numbers. It doesn't take long
and it's results will either
leave you quite pleased or
dumbfounded!
You see, Photoscan is all about
input. Whether images or
points it's still reliant on the
user to make to most of the
tool and the data.
In the image above you can
see a typical result after
running 'Camera Calibration...'
with each point error easily
identifed.
What this is telling the user is
that slight adjustments are
needed to get the optimum
result. Now 6 pixels may seem
insignifcant but when you're
using images that a pixel may
represent a foot or a few inches
then you can see that this type
of data is vital.Simply clicking
these point errors will jump to
that point on the image so it's a
fairly forgiving workfow.
Now it's time to make
something from these points!
'Build 3D Model..' doesn't
actually build a 3D model like
you would in SketchUp. It turns
these points into visible point
cloud that you can rotate and
zoom around. While the point
data and images are enough to
know you heading in the right
direction 'Build 3D Model...'
allows you to see this cloud in
a 3D environment.
So to give this point cloud scale
you must assign a dimension
between points. Simple right
click 2 points in the cloud and
enter a known dimension. It
couldn't be simpler.
So what's next? Nothing really!
You're done with Photoscan so
now you export your project to
to either .obj, .vrml or .skp fle
format.
I would like to point out that
Photoscan has alot more
tools that make calibration
that much easier from point
highlighting to camera info.
But this is covered in their
extensive manual so I'd
recommend keeping it close
for reference.
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
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TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
Since I started testing this
software Tgi3D released an
update to Photoscan which
made the whole modeling
side of things alot easier.
Previously after opening
your Photoscan model in
Sketchup you slowly went
about creating geometry
manually. By using Amorph's
'View Lock' feature it was
pretty easy to do but time
consuming nonetheless.
Now with the latest update
they've implemented some
killer features into Photoscan/
Amorph plugin. As well as
squashing a few bugs and
some new icons.
So now you're ready to launch
your model into SketchUp.
At frst you're simply looking
at what appears to be a
photomatch scene. Images
watermarked into SketchUp's
workspace.
You'll immediately notice that
the world axis is pointing in
some strange directions. Not
really conducive to modeling
accurately. I found that
placing a point in Photoscan,
that could be seen in multiple
images, and assigning
0,0,0 xyz coordinates to it
remedied this.
Now comes the fun part -
modeling. Because you've
all the features in Amorph,
plus some extra functions,
you can create accurate
shapes quickly. The most
noteworthy feature that's in
the new release is the 'Image
Based Surface-Modeler.
This takes the image and
camera parameters that were
calibrated in Photoscan and
magically, through either
voodoo or mathematics
(probably the latter), matches
a mesh to an underlying
image.
Prior to this you could
use Amorph's Line/Curve
matching tool to adjust
geometry to match an image.
But the Surface-Modeler has
sped up the process tenfold.
In the image opposite you
can see how i went from a fat
subdivided mesh to a very
accurate approximation of
the underlying image without
having to lift a fnger...sort of.
Launching the 'Image Based
Surface-Modeler' brings up
a secondary toolbar which
allows you to perform 5
functions -
Initial Estimate
Single-Segment Surface
Multi-Segment Surface
Refne Estimate
Upsample Mesh
18
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
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A typical workfow is to draw
a rectangle/square where you
want to image match. Subdivide
it using the 'Upsample Mesh'
then 'Lock Vertices'. Move to
another scene that allows you
to see the same area and use
'Initial Estimate'. Depending on
the level of subdivision this can
take seconds to minutes.
Once complete you're shown
a series of green '+' to red '-'
at each vertex that represent
the quality of matching to
the image. This can be further
improved through either
'Single-Segment Surface' or
'Multi-Segment Surface' passes.
These basically improve the
results depending on whether
the mesh can be unfolded or
not.
The fnal step is to 'Refne
Estimate' which further
improves the quality of the
match. Once complete you
move onto the next patch and
repeat.
It took twice as long to type
this as it did to perform it in
SketchUp! But the result is
pretty impressive and the fact
that you've still all the Amorph
features to use it really means
great results.
In the previous version you
could use the 'J' and 'K' keys to
match curves to images. Whilst
a good feature it was slow to
do on large models.
But new in this release is 'Smart
Surface' matching. It similar to
the 'Image Based' mode except
it's a lot more manual. You can
use the Tgi3D 'Move' tool to
align vertices to images and use
the 'N' key to match both the
current image and the 'Locked
Vertices' image. I was surprised
at the results as it allowed you
to really defne details that may
have been missed.
I think the main advantage with
the Tgi3D tools is the control
you have over your modeling.
Whether hi-poly or lo-poly you
still have the ability to produce
great results.
Now when you add all the
functions of Amorph into the
mix, like 'Smart Texturing', 'View
Lock', 'Upsample' to mention
a few, you really are given a
total solution to modeling
organically and accurately
in SketchUp without drastic
flesizes.
What I did fnd, with using
Photoscan, is that you do need
to invest time to understand
how to get the best output.
The user manual while
detailed does leave you with
some unanswered questions.
It lists each tool but doesn't
quite explain how to apply
it's features to best efect. The
team at Tgi3D are working hard
at producing some tutorials
that show it's capabilities and
just how easy it is to get to
grips with.
I don't think you could write
a review and not mention the
price. Photoscan is $999. Now,
that may seem pricey and not
what we're used to seeing
associated with SketchUp
plugins. But remember this
isn't a plugin. It's a standalone
application that has Amorph
bundled in.
So is it worth it? That's really
down to personal preference.
If you look at it's competitors
it's pricing is one of the lowest.
That it works within SketchUp
is another advantage coupled
with the fact the it is easy to use
and has tons of extra features
that other photogrammetry
applications don't have. If
you read the Amorph review
in the last edition of CatchUp
you'll know that Amorph is an
extremely powerful plugin.
But the added features in the
Photoscan/Amorph version
really do allow for remarkable
results.
"I no longer
have to sit
in a blacked
out room
adj us t i ng
numerous
pieces of
equipment"
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
20
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
bjorn kare
NILSSEN
Very active forum member Bjorn Kare Nilssen,
from Kristiansand in Norway, shares his thoughts
on Photoscan.
"As a long time photogrammetry user it was a sad day when
my preferred program, ImageModeler, was sold, and then
withdrawnintothe dark shadows of the Autodesk realm- now
onlyavailabletotheMax/Mayacrowd.
It was a revelation when I found that Tgi3D had a solution,
PhotoScan/Amorph, and that it was even working right inside
my favourite modeler SketchUp. It didn't take many hours into
the30-daytrial periodbeforeI was hooked.
This wasn't just a substitute for ImageModeler and
PhotoModeler, but much more powerful, allowing me to
recreate forms that I would never even have attempted with
the other programs. At the same time allowingcreationof new
objects right inside the photogrammetry scene, using both
the powerful Tgi3Dtools and all the other SketchUp tools and
plugins. Worksgreat alsofor alot morethanphotogrammetry!"
Bjorn, who kindly donated some images for
the review, is a custom software developer
and 3D freelance artist since 1992, working
with animations, archviz, photogrammetry, re-
engineering, design and also works with photo/
panoramas/VR tours.
A former Ceramic Artist/Sculptor who's thought
at the Oslo Academy of the Arts. He started
with 3D on Atari in 1986 as tool for architectural
ceramic projects, then 3DS and later trueSpace
on PC. SketchUp user/fan since 2003.
http://bknilssen.no
ulu
PAKBEN
Ulu Pakben, is an architect at Pakben
Architecture & Restoration Ltd, a long established
frm specializing in surveying, restoration and
reconstruction of historical buildings. He shares
his thoughts on how Photoscan has aided his
approach to projects.
"Early in 2011, we tested PhotoScan on a previously
completed restoration project of the historical stock
exchange building in Izmir, Turkey. The measurements
were taken by total station and laser meter in the original
project.
Even though the original photographs were not taken with
PhotoScan workfow in mind at the time, we were able to
use them for calibration and measurement to compare the
results with that of the measurements of the original project
with total station and laser meter. All the measurements
we had with total station and laser meter fell within the
confdence interval Tgi3D SU PhotoScan Calibration Tool
reported for its measurements.
Tgi3D SU PhotoScan is easy to use even if you are not
familiar with photogrammetry. Compared to other
photogrammetry tools, the fact that Tgi3D SU PhotoScan
does not require pre-calibration for cameras and/or fxed
focal length, makes the process simpler and streamlined. I
was pleasently surprised with the level of accuracy achieved
on measurements from photographs. I feel that, with a
powerful SLR camera and wide angle lens, PhotoScan
makes the whole process much easier, faster, and cost
efective with less time spent on the feld, compared to
using a total station. All these capabilities and its price in
comparison to its competitors makes Tgi3D SU PhotoScan
an attractive tool for individuals, like myself, who require
photogrammetry tools in their usual line of work."
He is also pursuing his M.Sc. degree in
Restoration at Architecture Department, Dokuz
Eylul University in Izmir, Turkey.
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
Part modeled from photographs so that the acquired specifcations
could be used for in-house repair purposes
The curvature of this propeller blade made it hard to take
measurements and model by hand
Having used 'Home' Laser
Scanners in the past I
can safely say this is as
accurate. Not to mention
that I no longer have to
sit in a blacked out room
adjusting numerous
pieces of equipment.
All you need is a digital
camera, a cloudy day
and an object to get you
started.
What is worth noting is
that Photoscan works on
shiny objects like plastics,
glass or metals where
other applications advise
you to steer clear of. That
may seem trivial but if
you've struggled with
this type situation before
then you'll know why this
is worth mentioning.
Overall my experience
with both Photoscan
and Amorph is very
positive. I do encourage
members to download
the 30 day trials to see
for yourselves. While the
initial learning curve is
steep it is worth investing
time with this. There are
no other applications that
work so streamlined with
SketchUp and give the
user such control.
by Rich O'Brien
TGI3D SU PHOTOSCAN
r e v i e w
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
Over the last few months members at SCF
have enjoyed John Higgin's (tadema) inspiring
posts in the Gallery. Whether quaint cottages
or derelict farmyards John's unique approach
to both modeling and rendering always draws
attention.
We were privileged to get a 'Behind the Scenes'
look at John's workfow. From scene setup to
material tweaking, I'm sure you'll agree that it's
a great insight into getting quality output from
Sketchup and Vray.
John, from Hartlepool in the United Kingdom,
is by trade a ceramic tiler who's love afair with
SketchUp began 3 years ago when he wanted
to create a Bird Shed in 3D. Since then both his
skills and style have fourished.
Here, John shows how he approaches a typical
scene. Read on.... 24
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
Id like to make a village street type scene, so frst a ground plane grouped, then block out
buildings each grouped. This way all the blocks can be moved to approximate positions.
Now two perspective lines to roughly represent the kerb line. I add colour so it shows up
in a quick render.
Next moving to the grouped blocks, working on each building at a time until Im happy.
Its important to set your scene as soon as your happy. Later on in the render you can
always replace an element that you not happy with. Using a proxy of other parts to cast
shadows ect, is a lot quicker than re-rendering the full scene from scratch.
26
Its a great deal easier to adjust your textures before you render them. Below is just two
textures worked in Photoshop, the stone texture to look white-washed. I usually alter most
textures. A plain gray texture with its edges burnt makes a simple paving slab.
As I place each texture a quick small render is made, if the texture needs altering now is the
time.
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
27
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
Working through the model, applying each texture and making frequent test renders until it
is complete. Below is the fnished model before a fnal better quality render. I placed PNG trees
behind the church to cast shadows on the road.
28
The fnal rendered image is ready, so in Photoshop I use separate layers to replace the sky,
add vegetation and dirt etc until Im reasonably happy with the fnal image.
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
FEATURED MEMBER
j o h n h i g g i n s
Free 30 day trial
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
t h o mt h o m
35
So good they named him
twice! We get to fnd out
about Cookies, plugins and
updates. Plus lots mores!....
You've an unlimited budget
and time what plugin or
feature would you make?
There are two large projects:
Plugin Manager - Install/
Update/Uninstall plugins.
Integrated with plugin
repositories. It's been a project
I've wanted to do for a very
long time, but as I've sketched
down everything that needs
to be done for this I've found it
to become very extensive and
time consuming. Especially
as it also needs repository
integration, which would
mean developing such a
system. And with limited
time, other plugins has gotten
priority.
The other plugin would be
UV mapping tools. There is
so many tools and features
in this area which SketchUp
needs. The trouble is that the
SketchUp API can be limiting
in some areas - which makes it
and extra challenge. Also, my
knowledge of the math and
techniques required up to par.
oh... and a UI manager to
customize menus and toolbars.
What's the cookie business
about?
It's my version of sharing
freebies. There are many other
schemes, freeware, cardware
etc - but I fgured I'd try out
cookieware. Though it hasn't
worked so well. So far I've
not received a single physical
cookie. :(
What tips would you give to
people considering delving
into scripting?
Look at some simple
introduction tutorials that
describe the general concepts
of programming. This is the
biggest barrier to break when
starting to program or script.
Once one has gotten a grasp of
the general concepts it's easy
to learn various languages.
Start with small simple tasks
to keep thing from growing
out of hand too quickly. When
you run into a problem that
seem impossible to solve, try
to break it down into a few
very simple steps and observe
where things break.
And keep looking for articles
and blogs about best practices
as you'll learn a lot of what not
to do from others.
Vertex Tools is one of your
most popular plugins, is
there anything we can
expect for it in the future?
Yes, I have in fact an update
brewing. There are some
minor bug fxes and a few new
features such as a manipulator
gizmo to quickly move/
rotate/scale selected vertices.
In additions there are new
commands to merge selected
vertices, merge vertices within
a given proximity of each
other. The latter I've found
very useful when cleaning up
imported geometry where
there are vertices only a
couple of millimetres away
from each other that makes
the geometry hard to handle.
There will also be non-uniform
scaling which is sorely needed.
The full feature list of 1.1 is still
a work in progress.
Any other commercial plugin
in the 'todo' pile?
BezierSurface, a project that
has grown a lot since I frst
began experimenting with it.
It's a toolset that lets the user
modify geometry using bezier
patches to build surfaces.
The big beneft is that it's all
parametric so you can go
between low poly to high poly
in an instant. I'm very excited
about this project and I hope
to be able to release new work
in progress information and
videos soon.
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
t h o mt h o m
"...mostly I'm snooping
around plugins..."
36
37
Who's scripts do you dig
around in most?
It's not so much who's plugins,
but what type of plugins.
When I began I poked about in
just about every plugin to see
how people made them.
These days I'm mostly
snooping around plugins that
has some clever algorithms -
like the fur and ivy plugins.
Are there any plugins that
GSU should integrate?
I don't really think they should.
I like to be able to pick and
choose my own set of tools for
SketchUp. I want it to remain
basic. Let me choose how to
bloat it. What would really be
needed is a plugin manager,
that let people install, update
and remove plugins with ease.
And preferably linked up to a
repository for easy discovery
of plugins - something that
would increase the visibility of
SketchUp's extremely useful
plugin system. As it is now it's
too hidden away from most
users. Higher visibility of the
plugins, more users will fnd
it - so will developers that will
make more tools.
What do you do away from
SCF?
I work as a modelmaker
and visualization artist at an
architectural ofce. Trained in
physical modelmaking, but
my recent work-life has been
pretty much all digital.
Which plugin made you say
'Damn, I wish I thought of
that?'
Fredo's plugins when he
introduced GUI that was
drawn directly in the viewport.
I like how it was used to display
tools to the user only when
they where needed. Plus they
allowed for more complex UI
than menus and toolbars.
Star Wars or Star Trek?
Trek Wars - cut and paste
bastardisation of the both,
producing epic battles
between Q and Yoda. Maybe
throw in a few scenes of Chuck
Norris for the grand fnale.
by Rich O'Brien
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
t h o mt h o m
38
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
t h o mt h o m
Again I am writing about
another gadget for my iPhone!
As I have said in the past, I now
use the iPhone for most of my
photos and videos because
its always to hand and the
lens quality is now quite good
also the iPhone 4 has a fash.
Nothing quite like a good
fash!
While there are some excellent
apps available for panorama
making with the iPhone, they
only take still photos and ofer
no video capture option. I have
been following development
of the GoPano micro for
some time. I came across it on
KickStarter and signed up for a
GoPano. The original funding
target was $20,000, however
they reached $169,209 from
2,685 Backers within the
timeframe. I was not alone in
my quest from a 360 camera
for the iPhone.
The GoPano Micro is now at
the manufacturing stage and I
am looking forward to getting
my hands on it and making
some cool 360 interactive
movies. Maybe some Google
Street style videos!
The GoPano device is attached
to the iPhone then one records
using the free 360 video app.
The GoPano Micro will record
everything all at one time.
After the video has been
recorded its possible to review
the video from any perspective
with a simple swipe of the
screen. Its also possible to pan
and zoom!
The app will allow for
uploading of the video on a
web platform (in the making)
and share the videos as well.
Others will also be able to
view uploaded videos via the
Web also.
For the tekkies reading
this, I understand the
GoPano micro lens uses an
equiangular mirror composed
of aluminium substrate to
complete a panorama image
simultaneously. I won't
elaborate any further -:^
The GoPano project is headed
up by Michael Rondinelli of
EyeSee360. This company has
been making panoramic tools
for more the past 10 years
and has a lot of expertise in
this area. It was started at the
Cargegie Mellon University
Robotics Institute.
Many experts are saying that
360 interactive video is the
missing link in broadcasting
video as sound was to the
silent movies and colour to the
black and white TV. Yes, there
was a time when TV had no
colour!
Pricing is advised to be in the
$80 region plus shipping, not
to bad at all compared to the
other options on the market in
the region of $700+.
by Mike Lucey
MAYOR MIKE'S GADGET
g o p a n o mi c r o
39
LUMENRT
r e v i e w
Nowadays SketchUp users
overwhelmed with diferent
rendering applications
capable of high quality output
both in still images and
animation. While 'Real Time'
walkthrough applications are
not that numerous there are
more and more afordable
solutions and the good news
is that many of them run on an
average computer.
One of the newest products
in this line is LumenRT by
e-on software. Available in
both 32 & 64 bit for Windows
XP, Vista and 7 as well as
Intel Mac OS X platforms.
Though a 64 bit system is
highly recommended for
authoring LiveCubes as 32 bit
systems are fne for playback.
LumenRT is either CPU or GPU
intensive depending on the
task being performed. The
pre-processing phase is CPU
intensive while the navigation
and viewing process is GPU
intensive.
The computer I tested it on
has an Intel Core2 Duo E8400
processor at 3 GHz and an
NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT at
1GB with Windows Home 32
bit OS i.e. nothing special!
The basic concept of LumenRT
is to render an interactive
live cube that you can share
with anyone and launch
on any capable computer
(512MB video card memory is
required). This allows architects
to share high-quality, real
time environments with high
fdelity visualization and
accurate lighting, shadows
and refections but without
sharing the source model fles
with clients.
LumenRTs output is fully
interactive and will run on
any computer without special
viewing software making it
easy to share designs and
collaborate with anyone.
The output can be navigated
interactively in a self guided
fashion using either the game-
like, walkthrough mode, or
explored using a 3D style orbit
mode similar to how programs
like SketchUp operate.
In addition, LumenRT
LiveCubes can employ
animation paths which allow
you to direct and present
the viewing experience in
a predictable, predefned
manner. The animation mode
is also useful for self-running,
kiosk style presentations.
Some of LumenRT's key
features are:
High fdelity, photo-realistic
3D viewing
Accurate lighting, shadows
and refections
Fast interactive 3D viewing
performance
Runs on any machine no
special viewing software
required
Incredibly simple, push-
button operation
Automated rendering
output from both SketchUp
Pro and Free
Display greater details
with accurate lighting and
shadows
Share models with anyone
efortlessly
Explore and interact with
models in real-time
Gain deeper insights
on model features and
aesthetics
Create interactive 3D
walk-through's and
presentations that will
impress your clients
LUMENRT
r e v i e w
The rendering process
is fully automated
and requires no user
intervention. Models are
exported directly from
inside SketchUp to the
LumenRT application
which runs as a background
process. LumenRT uses
the SketchUp geometries
and materials along with
the lighting, viewing and
animation parameters
directly from the model
fle.
LumenRT certainly has
limitations however. With
the current, generally
available computing
power (both CPU while
generating the live cube
and GPU when navigating
in the rendered live cube),
models that contain
more than 500,000 faces
(e.g. cities, models with
lots of 3D entourage) are
not recommended for
LumenRT processing.
"easy to
s h a r e
designs and
collaborate
w i t h
anyone
42
LUMENRT
r e v i e w
Also, the LumenRT pre-
processing time depends
strongly on the total surface
area of the model. A warning
will appear whenever you
try to process models with a
total surface area over 4,000
square meters (roughly 40,000
sq/ft). The time required to
process such models may
become prohibitive (well, the
message pops up but, unless
the scene is really extremely
large or complex, LumenRT
would eventually export
it successfully on my puny
machine detailed above).
LumenRT will try to
guesstimate certain material
properties by itself. Anything
that has transparency assigned
to in the SketchUp material
editor will be regarded as
transparent glass with realistic
refections or any material
with the word Water in it will
be transformed to water and
LumenRT will automatically
add gentle ripple and caustic
efects.
Also, stone and brick type
materials are given a 5%
bump efect by default.
You can change this setting
however by adding a string
b=20% for instance to increase
bumpiness to 20%. This value
of course can be negative too.
LumenRT uses the pixel
lightness data of the image
texture and in case the mortar
is white between darker bricks,
you would wish to reverse
the bump map. Similarly,
specular and shininess values
can be assigned by adding
a s=20% or z=20% string
to the material name. So a
material named 'Red Brick' in
the SketchUp material editor
could be assigned bump and
specular properties by simply
editing the name to 'Red
Brickb=20%s=15%'.
Some users may think these
tools are a bit primitive but
in fact, they are rather easy
to use and quick methods
to produce fast and stunning
results. If you fnd it too slow
to see what change a certain
efect makes in the look of a
material it is best is to have
a small test scene and try
diferent combinations. If you
save the material with the
modifed names, you do not
have to worry about setting
up them again (these names
do not make any diference in
SketchUp or other, third party
software).
Once you are satisfed with
your settings, it is a one
button click to launch the
exporter. You have a range
of options here: background
(neutral white, bad weather,
nice weather and blue sky),
pedestal (none, asphalt, grass,
sandy and white) and render
quality (draft, review, superior
and extreme).
When the export process ends,
the live cube automatically
launches. If you have
animation (scenes) in your
model, it will automatically
start playing it exactly in the
way it would do in SketchUp.
You can click any time however
to start exploring the model
by walking around.
All refections (window,
rippling water) will be
displayed real time. By
pressing F1, you get a help
screen with the descriptions of
the basic navigation controls
(start SketchUp scene based
animation in presentation or
kiosk mode, take a snapshot,
walk-through and orbit) but
on the right, there are further
buttons, too and this is where
you can save the animation
into a movie fle and publish
the live cube into a fle that
can be launched and viewed
on any computer.
LUMENRT
r e v i e w
As an overall evaluation of the
software: it certainly has it pros
and cons.
extremely easy and quick to set up,
the live cube experience can be
very exciting yet by sharing it does
not mean that you share the source
fle as well.
material control is fairly adequate
for the purpose; bumpiness,
refections and water rippling are
realistic.
collaboration, sharing, presentation
is quick and easy
presentation mode makes it easy
to concentrate on giving the
presentation itself while allowing
the freedom to interrupt it at any
time and interactively zoom in to
something, look around or walk in
the model
not for landscape architects and
with more complex (or extensive)
models, render time can increase
considerably. To make life easier,
always test your materials in some
very basic scenes.
currently LumenRT has only one
date and time so animation or
scenes with diferent time of the
day / date of the year is not possible
yet.
LumenRT is defnitely worth
its price ($195) and if you can
overcome the limitations and
concentrate on the advantages
it will certainly make both
designer and client happy with
the beautiful results. You can see
some stunning examples here
(stills, animations and even the
live cubes to download).
by Csaba Pozsrk
SELECT THE EDGE
S
E
L
E
C
T
T
H
E
E
D
G
E
On Red Axis
Origin
On Green Axis
10-0
Right-click
the scaled
drawing and
Explode
Then make
it a Group
while its still
selected*
Double-click
to edit, then
use the Move
tool to crop
Push Pull the
drawing to
extrude the
modelbase*
Layout guide-
lines for the
foundation
footprint
Drag compo-
nents in from
a component
library**
Use Tape
Measure
to drag out
guidelines
Components
add a visual
scale to the
jobsite
Refer to
the notes and
dimensions on
the drawing
Plumb
lines extend
up from the
corners of
the footprint
Select the
drawing and
Move the
benchmark to
the Origin
Extrude the scaled drawing into a modelbase deep
enough to excavate and start the construction.
CONSTRUCTION MODELING - Step 2
FOOTNOTES
*When you ex-
plode and group
the drawing it
becomes an object
that you can edit.
**A component
library is impor-
tant to quick and
simple construc-
tion modeling
*The modelbase
must be deeper
than the depth
of the excava-
tion and utilities
UniformScale about Center
Pieces are
staged to
simulate the
process
Rotate
to operate
the construc-
tion equip-
ment
Edit group,
then use the
Rectangle tool
to cut the
drawing sur-
face
The string-
lines are 3D
rigs to hang
components
Select the
edges and
Scale from
the center*
Use Push Pull
to excavate
the model-
base
Key-in the
depth of the
excavation
as you push
down
The ? icon
brings a Help
pop-up for
the active
tool
Well look at
the Outliner
and piece-
based model
organization
in Step 3
Intersection
Plumb lines
locate string-
lines for
foundation
walls
DOWNLOADS
The Step 2 model with the components
used to stage these screenshots.
U-TUBE
Some videos tutorials from our books.
Cropping Drawings
Component Folders
Operating Equipment
Center Scale
*Hold down the Ctrl key to scale from
the center and form the angle of repose