Google sketch up

[Austcoop]

Hi all,

I'm brand new to the world of 3d modelling. I downloaded Google sketch up earlier today and have spent the afternoon fiddling around with it. I want to create some buildings and other scenic assets for my WIP route, 'Through limestone hills'. I'm finding Sketch up surprisingly user friendly, but need a couple of queries answering. Firstly, is sketch up compatibly with RW? Ie, if I create something with it, will I then be able to load it into the assets file of my RW route? Secondly, is sketch up a 'complete program'? Ie, could I create an item and texture it to a standard suitable for RW, or would I need another programme to do that?

This is the result of an afternoon's fiddling. The signature fan window at Buxton station.



And the real thing by comparison


Comments and advice welcome.

Cheers, James

[Trainguy76]

Sketch-Up can't go directly to .IGS, it has to go through another program like 3DCanvas to be textured and then exported to the game.

[Austcoop]

Hi, thanks for the prompt reply. So, would I be able to add all the stone work detail using Sketch up, then export to 3dcanvas for the texturing? And where do I download or buy 3Dcanvas? Sorry to ask stupid questions, but I've never heard of the program!

Regards, James

[Trainguy76]

Hi, thanks for the prompt reply. So, would I be able to add all the stone work detail using Sketch up, then export to 3dcanvas for the texturing? And where do I download or buy 3Dcanvas? Sorry to ask stupid questions, but I've never heard of the program!

Regards, James

Stonework detail is best left for texturing. You can buy 3DCanvas here for 70 USD, http://www.amabilis.com/.

If you don't want to pay for anything, you can download these two programs, Blender and GIMP. They are both good programs to use.

[pauls]

Hi,

You can texture in Sketchup...............

See this signal box that I textured in Sketchup for example...........

http://www.atomic-album.co.uk/showPic.php/17148/x21.jpg

However a couple of top tips for you...........

1)You can enlarge or reduce the size of a texture , you can move it around as you wish but do not stretch the texture

2) Do not make the model as one object otherwise the mesh will be too complex for RW. Make each part a Component, then start making the next part and so on otherwise Sketchup will split the mesh where new parts touch each other.

Get Vivaty Studio and use this to export your Sketchup files to 3DS format for import into 3DCanvas or Blender or 3D Studio Max. The UV mapping for your textures will be preserved and you will only have to add the texture in the mentiond programs. You could of course do all or part of your texturing in these programs

Do a search of these forums - there are some excellent tutorials on getting your Sketchup models into RW although the tutorials use another method than Vivaty Studio.

You've made an excellent start - your model looks really good .

I hope this helps.

Cheers
Paul

[pauls]

BTW - I forgot to mention that the blue polygons are facing the wrong way - they should be white on the outside. Constructing the polgon clockwise or counter-clockwise will affect this - however you can just flip the polygon to make it display properly.

Cheers
Paul

[pauls]

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic. ... l#p1204630

[mundo]

Hello

Looking great

So sad to see something like this without a roof to support

I can't add anything to the posts above, except to agree about using separate objects, as this will help to create LOD groups later on.
The old RS documents have a nice picture of an exploded house illustrating this
You also have a good eye for the amount of detail in your mesh

Cheers

Mundo