Bathroom

Morocco Mall

Pool House

V-Ray SketchUp Gallery 1

Expert Google SketchUp

Video Tutorials

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Expert SketchUp users will find these video tutorials very helpful. They explore advanced techniques for optimizing your models, improving your efficiency and working with complicated forms. If you are brand-new to 3D modeling, we recommend starting with our New User videos. Please note that these videos are narrated in English.

Click on the headings to expand each section and see the video tutorials within. Having trouble seeing our videos? You can download them to watch offline.

Google SketchUp and CAD: Imports and Presentations (8:56)

There are varied approaches to using SketchUp with CAD files. This video is the 1st of 3 videos that present one method we suggest as it is quick and creates a good clean SketchUp model. In this video we import a CAD plan, group and lock it, delete extra layers and create a unique layer for the floor plan and create scenes to toggle the floor plan visibility on and off.

Google SketchUp and CAD: Creating Walls (6:23)

This is video 2 in working with SketchUp and CAD and progresses from our previous video in using the CAD plan as a reference to create interior and exterior walls for our model.

Google SketchUp and CAD: Doors and Windows (4:56)

This is the 3rd video covering our recommended method for creating models from CAD files. Here we cover a technique to create your door and window openings.

Google SketchUp and Photoshop: Lens Blur (8:53)

You can create some great image effects when you combine SketchUp with other software. This video shows how to use the fog setting in SketchUp to create a depth map that you can use in Photoshop for some very interesting effects.

G. SketchUp Intermediate

Video Tutorials

« Back to Video Tutorials

The video tutorials on this page explore more of what you can do with Google SketchUp. If you are brand-new to 3D modeling, we recommend starting with our New User videos. Please note that these videos are narrated in English.

Click on the headings to expand each section and see the video tutorials within. Having trouble seeing our videos? You can download them to watch offline.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Copy and Arrays (4:11)

You can create quick and easy copies as well as repeated copies, or arrays. Video Outline: - Making one copy - Creating multiple copies or arrays - Changing the number of copies - External vs Internal arrays - Creating circular arrays

Google SketchUp Techniques: Mirror (3:17)

Although there isn't an actual mirror tool in SketchUp, it is easy to mirror anything with the scale tool. Video Outline: - Mirror objects using the scale tool - Use modifier keys - Mirror symmetrical components or shapes for efficiency

Google SketchUp Techniques: Layers (6:30)

Using layers in SketchUp is different than many other applications. This video covers how you should use layers, the layer dialog box as well as some layer tips.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Inferencing (3:59)

The way SketchUp infers to other geometry is one of the key features that makes working in SketchUp so fast and easy. It is a key concept that every SketchUp user should understand, and takes some practice to become proficient in, but you'll be so much better for doing so.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Accuracy (5:05)

This video covers multiple tools in showing how you can be accurate and precise in SketchUp.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Autofold (1:21)

Autofold is part of the move tool, activated by pressing the Alt key or Apple key on a Mac. Autofold let's you move a point, edge or surface in any direction automatically creating fold edges as needed to do so.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Intersect with Model (5:39)

Video Outline: - What is Intersect with Model? - Basic intersections - Intersecting options - Intersecting tips

Google SketchUp Technique Series: Inference Locking (7:16)

Inference locking is the ability to draw or move in only one locked direction in SketchUp. This video will teach you how to use this technique and show a few examples of inference locking in use.

Google SketchUp Techniques: Match Photo Part 1 (5:49)

Matching a photo allows you to import and align the SketchUp axes to match the photo perspective. With this done, you can create models using the photo as a direct reference. This video covers the basics of importing and aligning the axis to start modeling.

Google SketchUp Technique Series: Match Photo Part 2 (7:05)

The video continues to build on the information presented in Match Photo Part 1. Here we cover importing multiple images and modeling from those. Then we show how to start with a SketchUp model, and align a photo to it so you can see your model in it's real-world context.

Google SketchUp New Users

Part 1 - Concepts (3:08)

A great starter video for anyone trying Google SketchUp.

Part 2 - Drawing Shapes (6:09)

This video covers some of the best practices for drawing shapes in Google SketchUp.

Part 3 - Modify Tools (4:43)

Covers some of the abilities of the push/ pull tool.

Part 4 - Create a Chair (8:43)

This video will show you how to create a simple chair in Google SketchUp two different ways, and then show a 3rd more advanced method to introduce some new tools.

"Sunrise in venise"

Making of "Sunrise in venise" Carlos Serrano has written us the 'making of' about his wonderfully atmospheric image creation 'Sunrise in Venise'. Read on to discover more about the creation process beind this great image ... Related links ... www.xente.mundo-r.com/3dcarlos The online portfolio of ::: Carlos Serrano ::: email : web3dpiks@hotmail.com

Composition. When I began to make this image, I first of all needed to check some Venice reference images, to see what type of buildings & colors exist in Venice. I wanted something that gives a good feeling, a good ambient. So I thought that a morning ambient scene would be perfect, with a little fog and warm sun. I played around alot with the shadows, I wanted to make them an important part of the composition. There's no casual shadows, I placed the elements accordingly to play with light and shadows. I preferred to give soft colours to everything, mainly green and orange. I used blue ONLY for the sky. The ambient light would be very important. The water has a green colour, to give it dirty appearance, and also it was one of the main colours I had chosen to use. Click for full image !

I began with some boxes to place the buildings. Without details, just the main elements. Then I placed the camera, until I found the perspective I was looking for.

Architectural Elements. The windows were done using booleans. I did the window parts and walls with charmfer boxes. The cornices below windows were extruded splines. The column cylinders and balconies are renderable splines. The street lights were modeled using splines to give the shape, and then extruding them with a small amount of bevel deformation.

Details. The wall where the plants are is a spline extruded vertically. I simply used a patch grid, to make the water. The chain links were made one by one, and then put together to form a whole. Each link is a loft with an ellipse for the path and a circle as the lofted shape. The plants are patches that are deformed to give a leaf appearance. The railings are cylinders, and the rounded upper parts were created using a profile lathed 360º. Here's the finished model of the scene.

Lighting. The purpose was to give a morning look, with warm tones, and no areasof darkness. I used one direct light to simulate the sun and put it in a low position. The skylight was tinted blue, slightly dark and intense, to be present all over the image. There's another light in the scene to create soft caustics over the wall with the plants. It gives a touch of detail that I like. The main light uses a vrayshadow plane, with a fairly big size to make the object shadows a bit softer against the walls.

Light settings To set up the lighting, I used a vraymat grey material for all the elements (before applying textures & colours). This way I could test different light settings, with fast rendering and it shows up the dark or clear areas better. To avoid surprises in texturing process with light. In some cases, like for the water, I changed the vray properties of the object to make it generate more GI. you can see the settings for the main light opposite.

Texturing. I made the textures in Photoshop 7. The mapping of elements was done using unwrapp UVW and then painting in PS over the capture. In other cases I used a screen shot of the element, and afterwards painting it in PS. The materials are all vraymats. I always began with a difuse map, to give the aspect to texture, and to give the diffusion level by changing the luminosity of the bitmap. If a material reflects a little, I turn down the luminosity a little too. Most objects have only diffuse and bump maps. I used the 'phong' shader except for metals or similar, which are 'ward'.

&nbspWater settings &nbspDiffuse map &nbspMask Materials. The water is a vraymat, with fresnel reflections and a diffuse map made by myself using a mask. The bump is a mix of 2 noise maps, one bigger than the other, using a smoke map as a mask. The The railings have slight glossy reflections.

Rendering. I rendered with vray at 1800x 2400, using the catmull-rom antialiasing filter. Then I added some fog in PS postproduction. below are the vray settings. See the final render at 1024x 768 resolution opposite.

I hope this little and simple document is useful. Any questions you have, you can send me a mail at web3dpiks@hotmail.com and I will be glad to try & help you. Carlos Serrano Related links ... www.xente.mundo-r.com/3dcarlos The online portfolio of ::: Carlos Serrano :::