Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
operating system later than Leopard (MacOS X 10.5.x), although it is
possible - with a bit of tinkering - to run Tiger (MacOS X 10.4.x) in a
Parallels or VMWare virtual machine.
Why Choose SketchUp?
SketchUp was chosen for its speed and its fluid modeling ability. It was also
chosen because previous attempts to build this with two traditional modeling
heavyweights-LightWaveandform•Z-hadtobeabandonedindesperation.
The idea was that SketchUp's simpler approach might not get in the way -
something that proved, indeed, to be the case.
Cheetah3D - a full-featured 3D modeling, rendering, and animation applica-
tion - was chosen for postprocessing because of its unequaled render man-
agement and its blazingly fast, multitasking, multi-processor, hyperthreading
rendering engine. It was also chosen because of the speed with which it can
produce QTVR panoramas. After long days (and nights) of modeling, I did not
want to have to wait a couple of days more for the results of a camera anima-
tion. Rendering a QuickTime panorama can be done in minutes with Cheetah.
Also, it exchanges data with SketchUp very easily thanks to its FBX format sup-
port and Smart Folders feature. Oh, and did I mention that it costs only $149?
Techniques Used
As previously stated, only SketchUp's basic modeling tools were used in
this project. However, probably more important than SketchUp's tools were
observation, reflection, and a lot of head-scratching. A two-monitor setup also
helped, with a second monitor dedicated to displaying the drawings and pho-
tographs that needed to be consulted constantly. The second monitor usually
holds all of SketchUp's palettes, so a shortcut was assigned to the Hide Dialogs
command (from the Menu Bar, choose Windows > Hide Dialogs), enabling all of
SketchUp's floating palettes to be hidden or displayed with a single key press.
Great use was made of the Outliner palette for organizing this model (I have
a motto: Group early, group often). For a model as complex as this one, clear
organization is of the utmost importance. I
never
use Layers: they just confuse me.
Tip
The only plug-in utilized was Bomb.rb. This free plug-in (available at
http://www.smustard.com) explodes every group in a model so that only
“raw geometry” - edges and faces - are left. It is then simply a matter of
right-clicking on any particular surface, and choosing Select > All with
Same Material from the contextual menu. Once all surfaces with the same
material are selected, they can be easily grouped. Grouping makes setting
up and managing materials in Cheetah3D much easier.
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