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google Sketchup

Started by agamemnus, April 04, 2009, 06:38:03 AM

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agamemnus

Has anyone here used Google Sketchup to model a simutrans building? I have begun modelling Rojo's power plant I made a post for earlier. (attached)

Google Sketchup ("regular" version) is a free 3D modeling program best suited for architectural modeling. You can create isometric 2:1 perspective renders of your models in a few easy steps:

1. Create a square/rectangular tile base for your model and move your model onto it.
2. Prepare your view for 2:1 isometric mode by creating a square, bisecting it (SW to NE), and then creating a 60/30/90 triangle. The 90 angle should be facing you, and the 60 should be facing against you. Use the push/pull tool on the triangle to create a face. Orient your view to the the top face of the triangle by right clicking the face and clicking "Align View".

In the attached model, I've hidden a prop ("group" of polygons) in the "scence helper" layer to help you orient your camera to one of 4 iso 2:1 angles. In my attached model, you can also switch your scene to those same viewing angles by clicking on them. (top left corner of the viewing window) Finally, you can use the built-in iso mode in Camera>Standard Views, but the isometric viewing angle is not your typical 2:1.

3. Go to Camera and set your view to parallel projection.

4. Turn on all the rendering effects you are interested in -- textures, shadows, fog... maybe styles, too. Do Zoom extents, then zoom in/out some arbitrary times, print screen, paste in your favorite picture editing software, and cut out the background.


If anyone would like to learn more, has a Sketchup model to share that they used in Simutrans, has a Sketchup question (I've been doing this a few weeks), or KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT ROJO'S POWER PLANT*, post here!


*: I can't make heads or tails of some of the details of the Rojo power plant:
What are those 5 (4 with gangplank?) metal rectangles next to the stacks? How about those three thingies on the top roof and the left side? Any ideas?

VS

There was one person, Joker, who used Sketchup routinely for big buildings. Somewhere on the old forum should be a thread with famous skyscrapers. Unfortunately he left at least half year ago and wasn't heard of since.

No idea about these things. I can only assume he modelled them after something, or made up to make it look more "technical".

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

fuzion_051

I'm a frequent user of Google Sketchup and I've used it to create passenger planes of different liveries (for pak64) for my savegame "The World". See "The World in pak64 (updated)" thread. Anyways, I was also the one who created in sketchup those 3D planes which I used.

I'd just note though that you can export 2D graphics from sketchup and produce a .png image file. Just look up under FILE tab, then Export options. That would yield better results that the  "print screen" option, as you have said here.

velohr

Hey!

I'm new in making objects in Simutrans. Could anyone give me simple instructions how to make my SketchUp model into a playable .pak file? Or if not so, could I send someone some of my models, so he/her can do this for me? Thank you!

sojo

Hi velohr,

you have to make from your sketchup model a picture like this http://graphics.simutrans.com/displayimage.php?album=7&pos=1 (64x64, f.e. pak64 or pak.german) or this http://graphics.simutrans.com/albums/userpics/10003/train-align-template.png (128x128, f.e. pak128).

Than you need a dat File (is a text-file), see here http://en.wiki.simutrans.com/index.php/Creating_addons#Dat_files

And than you can make with makeobj a .pak file: http://sourceforge.net/projects/simutrans/files/
"English is a easy language. But not for me." ;) sojo

follow simutrans_de on Twitter
- A home for Simutrans (in german)

velohr

Thank you very much, really!
I tried to do everything like you said, but I still cannot make anything...am I stupid or wath?  ;D
Anyway, like I asked, is there anyone who could make the first .pak file for me? I have some great models which I made in Google SketchUp, and it would look great in Simutrans pak128...

PlayTrans2009

Quote from: VS on April 04, 2009, 12:41:57 PM
There was one person, Joker, who used Sketchup routinely for big buildings. Somewhere on the old forum should be a thread with famous skyscrapers. Unfortunately he left at least half year ago and wasn't heard of since.

Joker. I miss him. He made a amazing job!

I'm using pak96.comic and pak128.Britain. Mostly pak96.comic.
"More money means lesser friendship." Reason: Selfish.

Silver

could create a video tutorial on ¿how to put the isometric view correct? I have tried everything to before, but dont see correctly.

ӔO

I have made this, which is a template you can navigate in sketchup.
shadows must be turned on.

http://files.[ simutrans [dot] us (site down, do not visit) ]/files/get/F-YiH2k0ng/simutrans-template.skp

This:

will look like this:
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

VS

Would you mind if I uploaded this to graphics archive as a template?

My projects... Tools for messing with Simutrans graphics. Graphic archive - templates and some other stuff for painters. Development logs for most recent information on what is going on. And of course pak128!

ӔO

My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

vilvoh


Escala Real...a blog about Simutrans in Spanish...

dennosius

Sorry if that's a stupid question, but I've never worked with anything like 3D software earler: I used the template to align the view, which worked great. But how do I get the other views? And, as it's a way (precisely, a wall) probably even the views for going up or down?

ӔO

you have to rotate your creation manually with the object rotate tool.

It's easier of you create a component of it and rotate that against the floor.
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

dennosius

Quote from: ӔO on February 09, 2013, 02:47:14 PM
you have to rotate your creation manually with the object rotate tool.

In 45° steps? I still have wrong shadows then.

Raiser

It exists another option to work without AEO's template using "camera controls" plugin to get exact isometric perspective for simutrans. In sketchup there is a 5degree difference to 30'.

Look at this link, there you will find a short description:

http://www.simutrans-forum.de/forum/thread.php?threadid=6860 (German Forum)

ӔO

you might have to tweak the shadow settings a bit, to get the shadow direction correct.

I set mine to:
UTC-7
1:30pm
Nov/8
Light: 80
Dark: 45

That should give a shadow that casts to the right of the screen.

Then you can tweak the month and time slightly to get the shadow to point in the direction you want.
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart:

dennosius

Thanks a lot for your help, I think I've learned how to do it :)

Raiser

Another questions of substance:

I tried out some free renderer like "maxwell renderer" or "indigo renderer" You can receive better results with them against exporting as png-graphic with sketchup. But the problem is to export your work suitable to 128x128 or 256x256 size and so on...

- What are your Render-Experiences?
- How do you set your sketchup-models in fitting 128X128 pixel size?

dennosius

Are those questions addressing me? I have no rendering experience whatsoever and also no experience at all in 3D-modeling (like for architecture or engineering). So Sketchup works quite good for me. It's probably not that powerful, but it's easy.

I'm just taking screenshots from Sketchup and the rest I do with Adobe Fireworks. I know it's a lame graphics programme, but I'm used to it for ages. I have GIMP installed and always think I should take the step to learn to use it, but I'm just too lazy, as long as I can do what I need to do with Fireworks.

ӔO

This is one part where sketchup is terrible.

You have to take a few guesses to get your isometric square lined up into a near perfect zoom. Ideally, you should get 256x256 pixels, but 254 to 257 pixels will still work. As long as you get that perfect zoom, you can take a screen shot and copy and paste those into either gimp or photoshop, then shrink them by 50%
My Sketchup open project sources
various projects rolled up: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17111233/Roll_up.rar

Colour safe chart: