How To - BAT'ing with Google Sketchup Models

[Bipin 3,403]

Intro_______________________________________________________________________                                                                                                                        

 

As of recently I've been asked a great number of times via private messages how one can import their Google Sketchup models into 3dsMax with the end result of creating a BAT. Private messages aren't the most effective way of communicating this message, so without further adieu I present this little guide:

 

Importing Google Sketchup Models                                                                                                                                                                                                        

 

Before we begin, make sure you have Google Sketchup, 3dsMax and subsequently the BAT4MAX plugin installed. All programs are essential for creating BATs in this manner.

 

 

Texturing Your Imported Model                                                                                                                                                                                                              

 

I'll be frank; the textures you get from Google Sketchup are pretty horrible. Even by using your own bitmaps, your textures will be flat and uninteresting when imported into 3dsMax from Sketchup. As a starting point, try replacing the facing material with one of Autodesk's textures that suits your needs. You may also set the opacity to zero for the back material. This would be useful when applying a transparent/translucent material on one side of the texture. Furthermore, the back material can be replaced with the same texture, so long as it does not include displacement maps. Dispalcement maps on both sides of the material will usually cause rendering issues. Additionally, you can try the Arch + Design materials out, which generally give more photorealistic results. However, be aware that Arch + Design materials do not always display correctly on imported Sketchup models; it is pretty hit and miss. 

 

One other noteworthy piece of information is that if you import a Sketchup model without any texture or with a simple colour sans any bitmap (e.g. just painting the face blue), any texture found in 3dsMax that is applied to the model will display at a seemingly infinitely small size. To alleviate this, apply a bitmap to your Sketchup model and scale it up to a reasonable size for the texture inside 3dsmax that you intend to replace it with. In doing so, this "placeholder texture" you applied and scaled in Sketchup will make sure anything it is replaced with will also be correctly scaled.

 

On that note, I'd encourage you to read through many of the other excellent guides around. At this point, you are outside the realm of Sketchup and into BAT'ing with 3dsMax. In other words, this is the point at which (for the most part) you couldn't tell if a model was made in 3dsMax or Sketchup. Thus, it is also during this point at which you can apply all the common knowledge associated with 3dsMax and BAT4MAX to your model.

[edwardjeria 503]

jujuy

I liked this

I'd love to recreate buildings that way

great idea my friend

[KonstantinII 1,106]

I exported my model from 3ds max but it is invisible in Lot Editor!
 

[T Wrecks 10,210]

What do you mean "invisible in the LE"?

 

Is it...

1) contained in the list of selectable models, but when you select it and place it on the lot, it's not visible?

or

2) not to be found in the list of models that you could place on the lot?

 

If the answer is 1), Im afraid I won't be able to help you.

If the answer is 2), then you'll have to make sure that (A) the lot corresponds to your building (e.g. a landmark lot for a landmark building, a park lot for a park building, a CO§§ growable lot for a growable CO§§ building, and so forth), and that (B) the lot is big enough to hold your building. If your building is just a millimeter wider or deeper than the lot, the LE won't let you place it. Try to enlarge the lot temporarily.

[MandelSoft 2,775]

I think his problem has to do that he has to assign a descriptor to the model first with the Plugin Manager.

[Bipin 3,403]

Thanks for the responses everyone. It's this kind of help that I envision for this thread.

 

P.S. Mods, is there any chance we could get this stickied? I plan to add more tutorials as time goes on.

[Jasoncw 11,949]

No, because otherwise the entire first page or so of this forum would be stickied tutorials. 

 

It can be added to the list of tutorials in the BAT Mega FAQ though.  I'm going to bed now, but I'll add it in tomorrow, unless another moderator would like to add it in in the meantime.

[KonstantinII 1,106]

I have this problem on the final exporting step

[Bipin 3,403]

 

I have this problem on the final exporting step

 

 

This error may be due to a lack of cameras and/or a lighting rig. You may of forgot to press the "Sky" and "Day" buttons under the Let There Be Light tab. If this happens again, and you are sure you pressed these buttons, open a new Scene Explorer window and search for TB2_CameraLightRig. If that exists, then you did press the correct buttons, and it is another issue.

 

No, because otherwise the entire first page or so of this forum would be stickied tutorials. 

 

It can be added to the list of tutorials in the BAT Mega FAQ though.  I'm going to bed now, but I'll add it in tomorrow, unless another moderator would like to add it in in the meantime.

 

That'd be just as good.

[KonstantinII 1,106]

That worked!

[KonstantinII 1,106]

It exported successfully but now I have another problem! It looks like this in Lot Editor!

[KonstantinII 1,106]

never mind

[Bipin 3,403]

never mind

 

You figured it out?

[Droric 101]

I plan to add more tutorials as time goes on.

Yes please! Materials and lighting would be my request.

[KonstantinII 1,106]

 

never mind

 

You figured it out?

 

Yes I did, but now I have a scaling problem. I set the size of the banner so that the person is only 1/3 tall as the banner.

 

But when I rendered it in 3ds max and opened in Lot Editor it became smaller. The person is as tall as the banner! I wanted the banner to be at least 3 times bigger. How could this have happened?

[Bipin 3,403]

You should model based upon the objective dimensions of your Google Sketchup scene, rather than a subjective humanoid shape. This discrepancy in size is simply due to the sim in Lot Editor being larger than the person in Sketchup. Remember, it also helps to scale your model up prior to your final render by 133% to account for it being squished in orthographic view.

[KonstantinII 1,106]

Export Failed

 

Code=6

[KonstantinII 1,106]

 

never mind

 

You figured it out?

 

 

I made it bigger and put spotlight to make it shine during the night.

This is the only view and rotation which appears normally.

 

For others angles it looks like this

[jack1172 0]

I have a small problem........or 2.

I can make the model in sketchup....

I can render it in the bat......

haven't figured out 3ds yet I cant tell what is being clicked on so quality will have to wait till I get it everything else worked out.

I can make the description file in the plug-in manager in the PIM the plug-in name field is empty not sure if that matters I don't know how to put a name in that field its not editable.

after that I open the LE and can not find my prop I have took everything out of my plug-in folder to have less to sort and still no luck.

in PIM how do I get a name in the plug-in name field and how do I do the full naming like in the LE so maybe I can find my models?

im a complete $%&^! so I need step by step.

 

thanks for any help you can give

[Bipin 3,403]

You may not be able to find the prop, simply because the lot you opened it in is too small. if your prop is larger than the lot size, even by the tiniest amount, it will not work. Also, when you exported the LODs from GMAX, then used those LODs to render in 3dsMax, your prop will have whatever name was applied tot he GMAX LODs.

[jack1172 0]

I figured all that out the only real problem I have now is the size of everything ingame 1 tile is 16m x 16m right? I made a house that was 16m x 16m and I had to use a 10 x 10 lot to fit it what scale do I  use to make the size work like it should I wanted my house to be on a lot 1 x 1. once this problem is figured out ill not ask anything else .........till I have another question   

[Bipin 3,403]

One tile is indeed 16x16 meters. Your best bet is to rescale the model in Sketchup. Just make a 16x16 meter square, center it on all the axes, then palce your house atop it and manipulate the house until you get the desired scale. Upon importing the .skp file to 3dsMax, do not change any of the checkboxes you are prompted with; leave them alone. Your model should be imported (and thus your subsequent render) at the correct scale.

[jdreece 54]

Question Bipin?

 

Have you found a convenient way to set up your SketchUp File so that when you export/import surfaces from SketchUp are independent meshes? Is it best to group items or build components that are the same material OR just model everything as an independent surface? I have been finding that sometimes BAT4MAX crashes when i try to import a model from SketchUP - I believe it has to do with how groups or components are set up but have not finalized the theory yet. I model everything as groups and components to help with layering when I build models - kind of a habit for modeling efficiency. Maybe just explode everything before I export?

 

Would love a tutorial on materials. I see you go to 3DMax for materials but what about using just GMAX with the BAT4MAX tool? just curious. Maybe I just need to buckle down and download the 3DMAX student version......

 

 

Thanks!

[wallasey 8]

I'm getting the impression that Google have re-branded the sketch-up line of products recently. Would anyone be able to confirm which version is best for exporting to Sim City? I'm having a playaround with Sketchup Make (the free one).

 

Cheers,

[Lazarou Monkey Terror 1,838]

I am running Gmax with BAT and using Sketchup 2016 to import ready made buildings into SC4. My question is about night-lighting.

Is it easier to seperate the meshes for windows and doors in Sketchup and then export them to 3ds to add the materials is GMAX? I have exported some lovely models but when it comes to night they are all dark.

It's early days for me on using BAT but I am already very excited at the possibilities for creating content!

[Toothless Stitch 2,901]

By "made buildings" and "models" I hope you mean you made them yourself? Or do you mean Google warehouse stuff? In case you do, please, PLEASE, don't try to use them and upload them to STEX ...

[JP Schriefer 5,591]

It is possible, but you can be sure it will look awful because you will be lighting a plane model - almost everything in the Warehouse is just a box with textures. Sketchup is not hard to learn, if you want to you can do models by yourself and the lights will be better.

[Bipin 3,403]

On 2/5/2014 at 5:30 PM, jdreece said:

Question Bipin?

 

Have you found a convenient way to set up your SketchUp File so that when you export/import surfaces from SketchUp are independent meshes? Is it best to group items or build components that are the same material OR just model everything as an independent surface? I have been finding that sometimes BAT4MAX crashes when i try to import a model from SketchUP - I believe it has to do with how groups or components are set up but have not finalized the theory yet. I model everything as groups and components to help with layering when I build models - kind of a habit for modeling efficiency. Maybe just explode everything before I export?

 

Would love a tutorial on materials. I see you go to 3DMax for materials but what about using just GMAX with the BAT4MAX tool? just curious. Maybe I just need to buckle down and download the 3DMAX student version......

 

 

Thanks!

Well, this is an old question, but I feel it needs answered. Sorry for the three year wait, but I didn't see your message...

In any case, make sure your sketchup items are NOT nested components, groups, or components/groups at all. You must import only ONE item to 3dsmax. If you happen to import two by accident (e.g. the model along with some extraneous lines) go into "New Scene Explorer" and delete all items except the model you want. Only then can you reliably export the model and expect good results. Hope that helps!