SketchUp Designers

[HookerHeels 309]

Some of us dont mix well with the BAT or 3dsMax, so we design with Sketchup. I have made this thread to talk about designing in Sketchup and just simple tips/techniques.

Designing in Sketchup is much easier because the tools are more user friendly. You can simply drag and drop the height of a box on a single side, use a ruler to get the exact length of a line and so on. In here I have posted a Sketchup model that should help designers get the scale right. Just download it and plop it in your document. Remember to save as once your modeling, but in case you mess up, you can always download it again

(template and instructions below pictures)

Here are a few things from Sketchup.

B24 Plane by lightningrabbit010k

I'm a Sketchup Designer and I'm proud of it

There are many SketchUp Designers on Simtropolis, and this is supposed to be a mini community just like a BAT team, so here are all the SUD(SketchUp Designers) BATing threads.

Archeans Thread

Send me a PM if You'd like me to add your thread here

Download SketchUp 7.1 here, remember not to update. Also, if you already have SU 8, when saving your model, choose to save it as a SU 7 file type.

Installing the template.

First download it.

Now open the file in Sketchup

Do as the pictures say, other wise it won't work.

1. Open the model(soon to be template) in Google Earth METERS. Its important that you open it in meters, not inches and feet[the text in the picture is wrong, I had scrolled over it])

Then save as a template

2. Hit File. 3.Find 'Save As Template' and click it

4.Then enter this as the template's name and description.

And model away!. Remember, each tile is one tile in SC4.

P.S. Remove the tiles before you export. As they are unneeded of course

Converting and getting ingame

<br type="_moz">

Converting and getting in game is as easy as is as easy as 1-2-3!...if you have 3dsMax.

To get it from SU to the Plugin Manager, all you need to do is import and export a lot.

1. Save your model in SU

2. Open 3dsMax, and hit the green square at the top left, hit import, and look for where you saved your SU model.

3. Save the model in Max, then hit the green square again. Hit export, and save it as a .3ds.

4.Open gmax(the BAT) and then hit file>import. Then look in the mydocs/3dsmax/export folder, and find the exported model.

5. Save it in gmax(the BAT) then export it.

6. Open Plugin Manager and do jsut as you would any thing made in the BAT.

For more info on exporting to the Plugin Manager, watch this video tutorial (cut to 0:10)

Other methods of getting it from SU to the game if you don't have 3dsMax.<br type="_moz">

Towerdude as figured a way of getting them from SU to the game, Click here to view it

  Edited March 9, 2011 by RedScope53  

[hotChocolate 95]

I've made some SketchUp work too, mainly for entertaining purposes. I don't make details nor texture buildings - I just make models for the fun of it. I enjoy creating my layouts for towns and customizing them.

Some of my latest work:

Isometric view. The town is bigger, this is just a part of it.

Overhead view. The town's name is Jwinougi (it is set up on a fictional planet, Shyntep) and is a small riverside town.

If anyone is further interested in this project, I may post some more. BTW; click images for full size!

[TowerDude 2,187]

Everything you can see was made in sketchup!!!!

One Of the projects I have been working on is the Ocean Shores in HK. Hopfelly in a few weeks I will get 3dmax from school . In the mantime here are some pics of the Oceanshores in HK

I know the basement needs some work 

 

Lu Gong Tower

https://www.simtropolis.com/stex/details.cfm?id=24943

Ocean Shores

Phase 1

The buildings are spaced, but I can esely puthem together like in the pic

[HookerHeels 309]

Here is a 88MM flak cannon for my WW2 BAT Team, As you can see, designing in sketchup isnt bad, and can have some pretty good stuff.

[Dannibee 138]

Just something that I've done in Sketchup, I have no idea how to get it into Gmax or the game. But I would like it to be ingame.

[HookerHeels 309]

Great work TD, Danni, the house looks pretty neat, send it to me and I'l render it for you.

[Dannibee 138]

Yeah I still need to scale it for in-game and such, you mean you could convert it to GMAX for me? I don't have 3ds.

[Follarch 326]

Just thought I'd pitch my own models.

Sunken Entrance

And a Gas Station.

Fully textured .skp files, ready for exporting. Note these were rendered in kerkythea to make them look nicer.

[k50 427]

I could see that sunken entrance be one killer subway station! 

[x493x 446]

This is just what we need! Sketchup is so great (especially for those that don't understand BAT or 3ds).

This is great, I love this program!

I should post some of my stuff here.

[Hiandby4 1]

I have sketchup 8, normal version, and when I try to import the sketchup file into 3ds max 2011 it says, 'File version: 8.x Sketchup Files only up to Version 7 are supported,' so it doesn't work. Is there any way around this other than downloading sketchup 7.

[Follarch 326]

I also heard that the exporting/converting method works best with only Sketchup 7 or earlier. I as well have Sketchup 8, and I've successfully exported and converted my model into gmax, however I've lost all it's textures along the way.

[HookerHeels 309]

I have 8, I have recently tried exporting a model into 3dsmax, and it came out very messed up. It might have been the model, so I'm going to see I'f i can find V7 and try the same model. I'll get back to you all soon with answers.

[HookerHeels 309]

Well Towerdude has fixed his method. Now I've come to see that you have you have SU7 for importing with 3dsMax. I have a copy I'll upload later for every one to download.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

I remember when I used to use sketchup for my BATs, but I still have sketchup. I have sketchup7 still. I didn't know they recently came out with 8...is it any better?

These are some nice sketchup models guys, good job!

[x493x 446]

I have Sketchup 8 but always use 7 still. Just keep using what I'm use to.

Are there any great things in 8 that 7 doesn't have or are there just minor improvements?

[Hiandby4 1]

I haven't used version 7 yet because I'm downloading it now so I don't know the difference between 7 and 8 but I did find this on wikipedia, 'On September 1, 2010, SketchUp 8 was released. Improvements include model geo-location with Google Maps, color imagery and more accurate terrain, match photo improvements,Building Maker integration, and scene thumbnails. Support for Mac OS X Tiger was dropped in this version.' Most of that Isn't too important because I wouldn't notice those improvements but there could still be improvements that aren't mentioned here.

[TowerDude 2,187]

Yes use Sketchup 7, I use it aswell but if 8 has the XML exporter it should be OK

And here it is a Sketchup building in SC4! the first one

I'm gonna redo a tutorial for those wanting to do ion my thread soon enough, but whatever you do Darken the textures ]

[x493x 446]

TowerDude,

Do you colour and texture you're models in Sketchup or do you do it with a different program? If you colour and texture them in Sketchup do you find that you need to use a different colour in Sketchup to get your desired colour in SC4? Also do you make things on a really large scale or a "real-life" scale in Sketchup to get them the right size in SC4? These are the only issues holding me back from uploading more stuff to the STEX. Great job on your stuff up above by the way.

[Follarch 326]

I use 8, and no, it looks and acts exactly like 7 when it comes down to just plain modeling and texturing.

However everytime I've done Towerdude's method of exporting/converting and opening in SC4BAT, the model is 5 times smaller and without textures. So I guess the method works better if you're using Version 7, which I don't know where to find now that 8 is out.

[Sgt Pepper 864]

So ya'll are using Blender(or something else?) to get your sketchup models into BAT? Blender from my experience with it didn't work out to well.

I just had the Pro Trial Version(still do) with my previous BATs around '08-09. I just had 2 different computers, 1 for modeling(non-trial free version) and used this other laptop I have had for awhile to use for the exporting. Since all I had to do was export, I wouldn't waste time of the trial. I still have it to this day(though it's been a while since I used both Sketchup and Gmax, I'm trying mainly Gmax now).

[HookerHeels 309]

Sorry for the delay, here is the link for SketchUp 7. http://simshooter.freeforums.org/google-sketchup-7-t30.html

[+Guest]

Ladies and Gents, I have a SLIGHTLY better way. I'm new to this, so bare with me. If you have the much older version 3 of SketchUp, you can export directly to .3ds and .dxf formats. Version 3 is a good 5-6 years old. Anyways, I tried exporting to .3ds, but I lost all the colors and textures. I tried .dxf and I got the colors, but lost the textures. I'm new to the BAT, but can you add textures in BAT? If so, you have an easy way to go from SketchUp to SC4 BAT to SC4

[TowerDude 2,187]

If you look in my thread it tells you how without loosing textures

[+Guest]

Tried your thread, still lost the textures.

[Jasoncw 11,841]

Hey guys, this isn't related to the specific conversation going on, but I'd like to remind everyone who's trying to convert files, that they need to have the rights to whatever it is they're converting.

Of course, this isn't a problem if you're making the buildings yourself.

[+Guest]

Of course. If you didn't BAT it, or LOT it yourself, you have no business callling it your own. Jocking other people's stuff is wrong as *heck*

Anyways, here is the building I'm trying to render. It's the now demolished power plant from Detroit Arsenal, in suburban Detroit. I used to look out my back window and see this beast everyday. I added a "Reece Edison" twist to it. I even got it down to the southern stack being taller than the northern one (which existed on the real one).

Now, who wants to render these for me? I want to see if you're having the same problems I am. If and when I do release this on the STEX, and/or LEX, I'll give you props.

EDIT 11/18/2010:

I've found a much better, and easier way to go from SketchUp to SC4BAT. All you need is SketchUp 5 Professional. You should be able to find a download link along with "a license file" online. SketchUp 5 allows you to export your model as a .3ds file. When you do, it also exports the textures. All you have to do is import the .3ds file in SC4BAT, add nightlighting, and render it. It's so easy, even a caveman can do it! lol Check out the Detroit Arsenal Power Plant I did today:

Back of the power plant, the rotary car dumping area

Closeup of the power plant

[Follarch 326]

You serious? If you have the professional version of that it exports directly? My god that is so easy. I'll try looking for it, since i have the latest Sketchup free version. And might I add the plant looks great!

Here's a modern home I modeled. Very good sized home for a family of four at least.

[TowerDude 2,187]

Indeed SU pro can do that, but SU pro isn't free, at least for the newer one. The main ambition here, mostly for my part is to do it with the free version

[Lot Creator 304]

Great Skcetch ups! I too have Sketchup 8 I don't know if it the transmit to the Bat can be done with GMAX. if possible I will put more work on sketchup than Gmax. Might reduce time and energy on this change.