GussNemo said:

@bigh: Ha, both Sketchup Pro and Vue are out of my price range. Even with the sale going on right now for Vue. And because I don't make a living at this work, I can't justify the expense.

@mermaid: I do thank you very much for the detail help. Had you not noted the difference between the two formats, I more than likely would still be banging my head against the wall. And if I would have taken my time reading through the format options, I would have read down to the Sketchup Files (.dae) option. I will put up another model, but this one will be from Wings following one of David's uv mapping tutorials. Hopefully.

I agree - any way here's that 128m file rendered in Bryce

@bigh: Ha, both Sketchup Pro and Vue are out of my price range. Even with the sale going on right now for Vue. And because I don't make a living at this work, I can't justify the expense.

@mermaid: I do thank you very much for the detail help. Had you not noted the difference between the two formats, I more than likely would still be banging my head against the wall. And if I would have taken my time reading through the format options, I would have read down to the Sketchup Files (.dae) option. I will put up another model, but this one will be from Wings following one of David's uv mapping tutorials. Hopefully.

ShazMX6 said:

Thanks for the replies, will have to read through more of this when I get a chance to, experiment some more and see if I can get it to work right.

Bit late replying back, been busy with work, and not going to slow down much in the next week or so, so figured I'd at least quick reply back, so it doesn't look like I fell of the face of the planet.

In mean time I did download some open source CAD apps, load them up and see if I remembered any of my AutoCAD stuff from High school... nope, LOL, staring at the apps and interfaces, just gazing at things, and not having a clue what to do next.

I remember, Googles Sketchup was pretty easy to use for really basic crude modeling, but haven't used that in a long time. But figured Carrara and/or Hexagon would be more accurate. Not to mention adding better texture, lighting, etc, to get a better feel of how it would look.

You may want to try out MOI, I believe they still have a 30 day trial. It's relative inexpensive and easy to use. Here's a blurb on it.

MoI ($295)- MoI (Moment of Inspiration) is a 3D CAD program that was designed to be usable on tablet or pen computers. Because of this, the user interface is simple and doesn’t require a lot of typing. It was written by a single guy, who was one of the original developers of Rhino, so it’s powerful without being bloated. It is equally well-suited to organic or mechanical shapes. Without a doubt, this is one to try.

http://moi3d.com/

Thanks for the replies, will have to read through more of this when I get a chance to, experiment some more and see if I can get it to work right.

Bit late replying back, been busy with work, and not going to slow down much in the next week or so, so figured I'd at least quick reply back, so it doesn't look like I fell of the face of the planet.

In mean time I did download some open source CAD apps, load them up and see if I remembered any of my AutoCAD stuff from High school... nope, LOL, staring at the apps and interfaces, just gazing at things, and not having a clue what to do next.

I remember, Googles Sketchup was pretty easy to use for really basic crude modeling, but haven't used that in a long time. But figured Carrara and/or Hexagon would be more accurate. Not to mention adding better texture, lighting, etc, to get a better feel of how it would look.

Guss I'm happy to have been able to help. Actually I just passed on Dave's help to me. It's wonderful that we can help each other this way.
Looking forward to seeing some of your Sketchup models.

Bigh- that model is looking very nice.

@mermaid: You have solved my problem!! When a Sketchup model is exported, you have two choices for file format, KMZ and Collada (.dae); only with the free version of Sketchup. So it would stand to reason when you import you'd use the same format, right? Not with Bryce. I didn't even see the Sketchup .dae in the Import format list. But when I chose that format, I no longer had any problems importing my models or the ones I downloaded. I sure wish I'd seen that at first it would have kept what's left of my hair in place. Mermaid, you have helped the blind to see. Thanks.

@Trish: Here's an image showing the format choices in the Import window. I've noted in red which .dae not to use, and in green the one for use with Sketchup files. Hopes this helps.

GussNemo said:

@mermaid: Since you haven't had problems importing .dae files from Sketchup, would you mind opening one of those files in Sketchup and set it up to export? Only don't export it, just click on the Options button in the bottom right hand corner of the Export screen and make a note of the settings. I want to use the setting you have and set up another export with those settings. And, could you give me a link to that file so I can download it and see if I can export it from Sketchup and imported into Bryce? Thanks.

Okay Guss I will try and come back to you.

Edited:

Guss, here’s the example for you.

https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model.html?id=483997358355209cbe016a575c656ce

When you are importing check if you are importing the Sketchup files (.dae) and not the Collada. (.dae)

Another point worth mentioning is that the object imports as a small dot, group it first if it is not grouped and then scale it, increasing the size.

Hope this helps.

Give me the link of one of the files you are having problems with and I will check if it works on my system.

@mermaid: Since you haven't had problems importing .dae files from Sketchup, would you mind opening one of those files in Sketchup and set it up to export? Only don't export it, just click on the Options button in the bottom right hand corner of the Export screen and make a note of the settings. I want to use the setting you have and set up another export with those settings. And, could you give me a link to that file so I can download it and see if I can export it from Sketchup and imported into Bryce? Thanks.

@mermaid: Yeah, I downloaded a couple models from 3D warehouse, opened them in Sketchup, exported them as 3D and tried to import them into Bryce. All I got for that effort was the generic failure message. No export options were changed in Sketchup.

So I went another route, and went to a model site looking for .dae models. I found a cardboard storage box and downloaded that one. Tried to import it into Bryce and again received the generic failure message.

I found another .dae model, more an abstract model really. Didn't give much hope it would import but tried it anyway. The image below is how it looks with material I applied in Bryce. Strange how this image imported without any problems, but all the others I tried wouldn't.

Keep in mind folks, this problem isn't keeping me from importing .dae models because Mesh Lab can export them as .obj files. It's just puzzling why I can't import .dae directly into Bryce when Dave and mermaid can. I was beginning to think it was operator error, but now I'm wondering if it isn't some type of setting problem.

I haven't had any problems after Dave helped me, except with big files that causes Bryce to crash.

I have downloaded a lot of Sketchup files Sketchup the .skp ones from Sketchup warehouse, open the file in Sketchup and export as a 3D model and then import it into Bryce. I don’t do anything in Sketchup except open and export.
It seems you tried that and still have a problem.

Hopefully Dave or someone will be able to help you soon

I've been exploring a problem I'm seem to be having with importing Sketchup .dae files into Bryce. As mermaid stated in her October 2013 thread, all I get in a generic failure error message. So, what have I done to try and remedy this problem? A lot.

* I downloaded the latest free version of Sketchup, Sketchup 2014.
* I followed Dave's suggestion, in mermaid's October thread, to make sure .dae was selected in the Import drop down menu.
* I made sure objects were either all components or all groups before exporting in Sketchup.
* I've PM a few here for suggestions and followed their advice. Nada...
* I Googled the problem but found nothing useful. I even left a post on Sketchucation, but so far only found I'm an experienced Sketchup user. My model has a few construction problems.
* I download two Warehouse models, one in .skp format and the other in .kmz format. The .skp model was opened in Sketchup then exported as a .dae file. The .kmz file was renamed to change it from a .kmz to .zip file. Want to guess the results when importing was attempted? Nada.

A work around to this mess is in using Mesh Lab to import the .dae files and exporting them in .obj format. Those thusly converted import into Bryce without any problems--the clock in the Spring Time challenge is the evidence. Another work around, at least for the individual parts of that clock, it to make everything either a component or group and export each piece as a .dae file. Then I can import them into Blender and export them as an .obj file. Only that presents another problem because some of those parts give Blender indigestion.

I've got a work around, as I said above, but I'd like to figure out what the heck is going on with those Sketchup .dae files and Bryce. Any and all comments are welcomed.

@Trish: I agree with Horo about that going to be a nice scene when completed.

I finally put something together that's keeping with the title of this challenge. This image was the first thought that went through my impish mind when I saw the title of this challenge. And I just took a bit longer getting it down on paper. It's rendered in 64 RPP, 6 MRD, soft shadows,Japanese Blossoms HDRI, default Bryce sky and sun, and all Bryce material. The clock was created using Sketchup and the spring using Hexagon. Table base is an additional primitive, the table sits on a disk I made for my temple scene, and the top is just a pushed around cube. And as to the title? Well, what else but "Spring Time."

@Trish: Sketchup is a nice program once you learn how it works. Plus, there's a free version, which my wallet loves. Getting models into Bryce isn't hard because Bryce imports .dae files. I did have some troubles importing my recent model because Sketchup does some funny things if operations aren't carried out properly. I found a work around by importing everything into Mesh Lab then exporting them as .obj files. I had thought of using Wings to reassemble everything, but found out when they imported into Bryce they were no longer separate objects. Also, while in Wings I found out several of my objects were not one piece but two pieces. So I combined those while there. And if you happen to wood work, Sketchup is great for drawing up detailed plans.

@Sandy: Your latest scene is really looking better.

@Horo: Congrats on the new products.

@Dave: Always love the posters you create. Guess those three are the original skin heads. ;-)

Dana: I am liking the look of your waterfall....
Guss: Using Sketchup is a neat idea...one I would not have though of....I haven't played with that program for awhile...how are you going to get the models into Bryce??
Hansmar: both of those are nice ...I just like the brighter colors in the first one better...
Mermaid: you are having a lot of fun with the abstract pictures ...The blue one is great...

Thanks Trish and Guss. Abstracts are so cool too do.

Dana- well done on the water-wall. The animation is awesome.

Fran – thanks for the explanation on UV mapping

Guss-the render is very nice. I like what you did with the leather material. I tried Sketchup but gave up after a while, I only use it now to convert the Sketchup freebies to .obj.

Hansmar- I prefer the 1st one, the colors are more alive.

Here’s another abstract, still having fun with them.

@dana: Now that looks like falling water. Great improvement. If you could get that on the terrain you're talking about it would look great.

I've neglected Bryce for a while because I've been trying to make something for Bryce using Sketchup, which has become a re-learning adventure. But I did follow David's Wings tutorial creating the Mobius from a rod, before starting my Sketchup adventures. Actually, the image below is from two tutorials, the Mobius loop and the leatherette tutorials. For this image I increased the bump setting a bit more and played around with the color a tiny bit. Also added an HDRI just for reflections and rendered it using premium settings for the soft shadows only.

Hi Steve K

Excuse, please, that my brain is half-dead at the moment! But I'll try to give a useful answer. When I spoke about using Carrara for final work I wasn't talking about a flow between the programs. I really meant that iclone would be another string to your bow, as it were. You could use it for pre-viz.

With iclone you can quickly add effects to a scene such as a downpour with raindrops bouncing on the ground and trees blowing or mist or fire, etc. All this is low-poly. With 3dXchange 4 you can import OBJ and sketchup files. So you could build lots of nice sets for free with sketchup buildings or objects exported from Carrara just to see your ideas being realized. You could create trial runs of your ideas and try out camera views and tracks quite rapidly. It would be a step above storyboarding if you would intend to use Carrara for your best work. And it's a fun program to use.

A lot of stuff created in iclone 4 is like output I've seen from the Sims. (mine is). But where there is an absorbing story being told, the visual quality becomes less significant - to me anyway. I only played a few games in my time but I got into 3d because of cut-scenes in the early Tomb-Raider games! And I first bought iclone to build worlds like that! There are users of iclone who create wonderful visuals and the early figures aren't at all bad once animated life has been put into them.

I bought iclone4 just prior to the launch of version five and used version five mostly. I can't remember whether Poser and V4 M4 characters can be imported to iclone 4. But if the program can be obtained for free it is nice to get hold of and see some of the things it does well. If you bought CloneCloth for the early characters you could design a range of costumes to make characters from any time-period. You get a template of the clothes like a UV map which you paint on and make regions invisible etc. Again, possibly useful for pre-viz or to create characters with a charm of their own.

To convert BVH files for export from iclone needs the Pipeline version of 3dXchange5 (and iclone 5?). Pipeline is too expensive for me and many third party assets can only be exported if a licence has been paid for. So, for me, iclone is an animation kit which I can put things into but that's where they stay.

Plus there is another problem with using sketchup models in DS, you will get what looks like webs across some of the openings in the model. This is caused by having polygons/vertices that have more than 4 sides. The .obj file exporter in sketchup does not convert these n-gons into quads or triangles. DAZ does not like n-gons.

Ah, yes, that is a problem I've noticed as well, but I didn't mention it because I didn't know how to articulate it. The flaws found in Sketchup models are actually pretty similar to those found in 3DChaya's models-- the diagonal line and webbing. at least.

Edit: Oh, cool, there's a way to fix that? Cool, that should fix 3DChaya's models, as well.

Patience55: The ones I linked to are all pretty good aside from the diagonal triangle thing (also, most of those medical models haven't been assigned any mat zones)
Some of the medical models in particular are very nice, esp. since there aren't very many freebies of such items (hell, there aren't even very many PAID versions of those items outside of say-- Turbosquid and CGTrader). Some of the medical models by Bond (the one with the no-mat-zone medical models, I believe) have punch-hole missing polygons in them, and some have the appearance shown in two of my screenshots-- however, some of them only have the latter on the back side of the model, which isn't too bad. The MRI model has it on some small on the side near the bottom-- it's not likely to be very noticeable except on extreme closeups (I can't think of a single reason for such a render other than horror/zombie scenes where someone is lying on the floor beside the MRI...)

There are other models that aren't of great quality, but look okay and aren't any worse than plenty of the free lo-poly models available at ShareCG and other places. (the Cucina Giapponese items come to mind-- besides, if you don't like the super-low poly bowl, you could probably make that matzone invisible and then put the soup in a better bowl. I actually like the design concept of the soups + texture in those models, I think it's an interesting technique and effect as an alternative to bump and displacement maps.)

Here is another way to get sketchup models into DAZ Studio.
http://3dreferences.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-use-skpkmz-or-dae-models-in.html
There is also a plugin to load .skp files into blender.

Plus there is another problem with using sketchup models in DS, you will get what looks like webs across some of the openings in the model. This is caused by having polygons/vertices that have more than 4 sides. The .obj file exporter in sketchup does not convert these n-gons into quads or triangles. DAZ does not like n-gons.

The way to fix this is to run the model thru PoseRay to convert it into 3 side vertices.
Load the model, then on the groups tab, click the weld & calculate normals boxes, click update, then save as object.
On the materials tab you can select the textures, bump & transparency maps. This will all be put in the .mtl materials file when you save the model.

In the pictures below is the same sketchup model before & after being cleaned up by PoseRay.

I heard the free Shade for Unity can load a sketchup file and export an .obj. It's at mirye.net. I'm awaiting my download link...