SketchUp B3d Exporter released!

SketchUp to B3D
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New Trial and Retail Version now available!

Get the newest version of the exporter (SU_B3d_1.06) here:
http://www.box.net/shared/2evljy9ti9

SketchUp is a fantastic modeler!
Getting your SketchUp models into TED, Blitz, or any modeler that accepts .b3d will rock your world!

Google SketchUp comes in two flavors, free and professional.
Online video tutorials, lots of documentation, and a joy to use.

Get Google SketchUp here:
http://sketchup.google.com/

Once your model is in SketchUp you can export it to .b3d for use in T.ED

SketchUp to B3D Exporter
Trail version limits material exports to two.

Simple installation, just copy the exporter and files to the SketchUp Plugin folder and begin exporting!

All feedback on this early release is appreciated. Please email:
wayneg[at]spro.net

The exporter works with both the professional and free version of SketchUp.

Get the exporter (SU_B3d_1.06) here:
www.box.net/shared/q4jjbh89b3

any chance you could write a nice exporter for 3dmax, maya or xsi?

Nice. So, DBPro won't be the only system getting the SketchUp exporter.

Barney

I'm considering .x and .3ds. There's always a chance I may add other formats.

Version 1.02 now available for testing, please email if you'd like to try the exporter. Sketchup=> .B3d

Link to latest version posted above.

Version 1.03 adds material names to .b3d and more.

Is this exporter free I hope?

The current demo of this exporter has expired!
The NEW DEMO will be available Saturday May 2nd.

I'm preparing two versions of the exporter for retail.
Standard Edition - available June 8th.
Enhanced Edition - June/July

Standard edition - Mesh and Textures exported to B3d format. Features include support for alpha, masked, and spherical textures. Includes z sorting of alphas. Supports BMP, JPG, and PNG.

Enhanced edition - Includes integrated light mapper. Support for multiple colored lights, special effects like colored shadows for stained glass windows, support for LARGE complex models, and more.

By offering these unique products for low cost I can continue to add features and provide support. I'm addicted to Sketchup and truly excited I can provide the pipeline into B3d.

Soon to be available at
http://www.d-grafix.com/

Price Estimates:
Standard - 19.95
Enhanced - 24.95

I'll be giving away complimentary copies from time to time, please email me if you have questions or have special request.

I'll have one complimentary copy please Wayne, and could you throw in a copy of D-Mapper when you finish it.

I enjoy working with Dan over at d-grafix, and since the Exporter compliments his products he's agreed to help me market it.

D-Mapper is one of Dans fine products, please post feedback on the d-grafix forums.

When I finish it.. haha (made me laugh hard).

Su2B3d Exporter ver 1.04, New June trial edition now available.

See top of thread for download details.

Feedback appreciated. If you'd like to be notified when this goes on sale please email: cmdrwayne(at)gmail.com

enjoy

New Update
Should now work with version 5 of sketchup.
Improved performance.

Finally, new trial and retail version available !

Progress continues as new features are being added.
See top of post for additional information, or download here:
http://www.box.net/shared/13x6iu0c4n

enjoy!

Works great! Registration was easy. Thank you!

New version. enjoy

Sorry for the maybe obvious question, has the Google-SketchUp V.6 - which seems to be free - the save or export feature enabled ?

I mean, what are the limitations between SketchUp 6 Free and SketchUp 6 Pro ?

Sergio.

From my perspective Pro has more export formats, and some nice terrain features.

Here is a paragraph from Cadalyst:
Full article here: http://aec.cadalyst.com/aec/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=339307

Free vs. Pro; Personal vs. Commercial
A senior architectural technician who prefers to be identified by his screen name, Jumbo, came to the free SketchUp forum to find out how he could use SketchUp to modify a floor plan imported from AutoCAD. He said his multidisciplinary office is made up of architects, architectural technicians, mechanical and electrical engineers, quantity surveyors, and more. They used primarily AutoCAD LT and Architectural Desktop, supplemented with Revit. He had been using the free version as a learning tool. "More time to learn at home than in the office," he said. At press time, he said his office was evaluating SketchUp Pro for possible purchase.

Schell, now Google's product management director for SketchUp, said he couldn't reveal statistics of users converting from the free version to the Pro version because of company policies. However, he said, "We're very happy with what we've been seeing." He's not overly concerned with people using the free version to do commercial design work for profit. He's banking on two important factors to discourage such practices: the affordable pricing of the Pro version and the slew of advanced features available only for Pro users. For instance, only Pro users have access to printing and exporting raster images in high resolution; support for DWG, DXF, 3DS, OBJ, XSI, VRML and FBX formats; exporting animations and walkthroughs; organic modeling functions; tools for film and stage work; and more.

Quick opinion:

I've been using SketchUp Pro for a couple of years.
There's a nasty learning curve, particulary with Groups and Layers, and (I insist) texturing is still not fully debugged, but for creating buildings nothing can touch this program for ease of use and quick development time, so I'm sticking with it.

Wayne has also done a great job on the SU > B3D exporter.

Many thanks for the answers.

The good thing is - as far as I understand - that the Waynes SketchUp->B3D plug-in exporter works also with the free version of SketchUp. Am I right ?

The bad thing is, just my opinion, that SketchUp Pro costs too much !

Would also be nice the ability to load a .B3D file into Maplet, but this is a different story...

Sergio.

Yes, Works with both versions free and pro.

SketchUp Tips:
Selecting textures, and dragging the fixed texture pins, picking up the pins and placing them to drag again is sweet! Pushing and pulling on faces. Shift ctrl W to draw a window for close up work. Center mouse button to orbit. So many fantastic features.

Watching the many SketchUp video tutorials on line makes it so easy to use and understand.

Exporter Tips:
Paint the front faces in SketchUp.
If your not sure if it's front face, tools, highlight backfaces ( they will show pink), highlight the face, or select all same material and Tools, flips backface.

Make walls with a thickness. Transparent things like glass doesn't need a thickness.

enjoy