Sketchup Free

http://sketchup.google.com/

Previously cost $500, now free courtesy of Google. About as intuitive as 3D modelling gets....

wow third thread about this today, lol

This may be a good app, but they say it requires Win2000 or Xp and therefor I say - it stinks :(

And furthermore they say it requires a "Windows compatible pointing device" ... I'm surprised they don't ask for a "blue ray storage device" ^^

Your loss.

Yeah, bit of an odd thing to complain about. Since when is requiring the latest version of Windows a terrible thing?

How is this a bad thing for a development tool?

The problem is that the free version only exports the model to Google Earth format and 2D.
I will probably buy the commercial app some day since I think Sketchup is the nr 1 modeller for architectural modelling.
I heard somewhere that the scenery in Ghost Recon 3 was modelled with Sketchup.

You need SketchUp Pro (not free) if you want to:

Makes sense. Sort of like gmax vs. 3D Studio Max.

Only gmax can be tricked into exporting .x file and it's not available anymore. ;-)

Yes, but exporting .x from gmax is just as illigal as pirating 3dmax

I am sure all of the useful functions of the app would run on windows 98se well too, probably with the limit of 4 Gigabyte filesize when exporting your uber mesh.

The reason why they make apps "todays OS only" is usually because the want to sell you things not only one time, but again and again.

It's an other issue if microsoft makes their OS in a way that forces people to buy new versions of tools. A trusty company releases downward compatible software, as long as the hardware and required capabilities do allow it.

No, the reason why they don't release it for Win98 is because it's unsupported by Microsoft and, as such, they won't get any support from Microsoft for development on Win98.

and cause win98 is veeeeeeery old. we now have 2006!!! come on jfk, time for an upgrade ;)

Ehmm...

nop.

Is legal.

You can output whatever you want to the listener. Provided you don't hack the software for it. Ie: if you go copy pasting the chunks from the listener and put the paragraphs together (not needed for low pol) , then all perfect.

The use for this output in a comercial way, has been said several time in old Gmax oficial forums -previous to Turbosquid times- to be correct, not against the EULA if read carefully.

You just cannot reverse engineer the tool. Uisng certain available tools to grab the content of a text window, is quite in the limit of it all, but there's even a way to grab the text with just certain mouse handling. Pretty few people know this, so I am not going to tell. Wether is a permanent bug of gmax through versions (i doubt it) or an intentional thing, go guess.

But the copy pasting from listener and using th eoutput for selling a model, for example, is correct. Said by the guys themselves. And actually, many models sold as even *.gmax format at Turbosquid, which had solid relations with Discreet, it seems.(it's been the distributor of gmax lately)

You can actually export as OBJ, there's a maxscript doing it, and I have been able to export, as an experiment a really huge level, in polycount. As well as importing md2 perfectly and exporting good md3 (there's a better than Id's Tempest, which does allow comercial use (funnily, the oficial md3 exporter was disallowing this, not for the format, but for the tool, as usual. ))

So, yep, you can use it.

Dunno about sketchup, but the tool looks interesting. heck, as allways, I keep using my wings...Whenever some of these tools become really free I test them. You never know what can be the next extra/helper tool...

But no 3d export is not much use...other than use for 2d works...An dunno if that be legal for comercial projects..

Fiar enough :) But I will stick with my XSI ;)

fiar?

oh, fair, I guess.

;)


Yup, my xsi also rules! ;)

And so does Blender, in his style, too. ;)

And at work, who can dare to say Max is not the king of all living creatures...I'd stop breathing due the automatic moral defense system....
No, seriously, I like it for animation.

t3k - I had to work with XP for a year or two and I could list zillions of sucking "new features" here. If XP is the best they can do, then it is indeed time for me for an other OS, although I'd rather emigrate to linux.

Thanks to ruby I can export meshes to B3d now.
Works with pro, and free edition.
Adding material support now.

*smiles*

@Wayne : Are you going to share (sell or give away ) ?

Wayne - I'm a SketchUp user - pretty please can I have that ruby script?

XP is more stable and ive yet to have a big problem with it and ive been using it since its release. all updates have thinks that hack people off but thats life.

i like xp and although id love to get away from microsoft, linux isnt yet an option yet with its hundred different distros, programs writen for programs not normal fokes and lack of drivers for my hardware.

i cant beleave people are still holding on to 98se it was good but xp is alot better now, move on it cant be worse than 98ME now can it!

Pete

I have no stability problems with win98. The only reason for me to use xp is video editing. But that's off topic.

SketchUp is fantastic!
Yes, I want the pro version for the sandbox.

I've created a ruby script that exports mesh data as actual b3d code. The code is then pasted into a small B3d app that displays the model and optionally saves it as b3d. I'm working on material support now, and once that is complete I'll make a decision to roll it all up as one large ruby script.

I'm very happy to see the meshes in Blitz, and will save the dimes my wife doesn't see for the pro version.
8)


What next ?

Sharing would be good idea, and would speed up development. You guys help me I help you. In general I'd consider marketing exporter if there was enough interest. Probobly give away mesh exporter but charge something for material support. There is a gold mine of stuff that can be exported.

How can I help you guys ?

Wayne,
I too have been working on importing Sketchup models, but had been paersing the data from the .KMZ file.

This is easy to do but the main prob is that it saves the data as longlong 's and blitz only handles longs. It also saves the data as referance to longitude latitude and height so I need to use a dll to calculate the information and then round off the number and return it as a long which is time consuming so maybe Ruby is the best way to go.

Good luck with your exporter.

Look forward to seeing the results

I decided to use Ruby after looking and the KMZ file.
The KMZ is really a KML (Keyhole markup language) file thats zipped.

Ruby advantages:
64bit floats can be formatted to B3d single precision.
I set Model design units to meters, and initialize transforms for a nice B3d fit.
Polygon faces can be triangulated including support for holes.
Access to additional information like material properties, uv support, cast shadows, backfaces..

# Variable Float precision, b3dlong=rubyfloat.prec(7)
class Float
  def prec(x)
    sprintf("%.0" + x.to_i.to_s + "f", self).to_f
  end
end

What advantages would there be having a B3d file over say 3ds export offered in pro version ?

I finally made progress after discovering SU documentation was wrong.

Awesome Wayne, care to give us a status :)

Allan

I've got mesh, texture, color, and now UV's exporting.
The export supports polygons with holes.

Testing and refining the code.
Looking at transparent textures, backfaces, etc..

I'll be preparing a package for testers soon.

As far as SU documentation goes much of it is really well done, but some of the API stuff is wrong, and inconsistent.
I still love it thou, what a fantastic product!

Thanks Wayne.
Us SketchUp users are rooting for you.

Wow, this sounds very sweet indeed Wayne!