eyecad VR - Virtual Reality Architecture Software – The newest sketchup extension

eyecad VR - Virtual Reality Architecture Software is the newest sketchup extension available in extension warehouse that supports SketchUp 2016, SketchUp 2017, SketchUp 2018. It will only work in windows platform.

With this extension the users can transform their sketchup materials realistic with the help of real time rendering. The extension will produce interactive objects and point lights.

Download and set up the trial version of eyecad VR software prior to install this extension.

Through Sketchup plug-in, it is possible to go to VR in just a click and generate stunning rendering in few seconds.

Eyecad VR is an ideal eco-system software for Virtual Reality and Realtime Rendering.

Editor: Eyecad VR Softwares facilitate the users to generate amazing and Interactive VR scene for the clients. Apply Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or delve into monitor and keyboards/pad. The users will be able to distribute their VR interactive project with the clients through eyecad VR App that is accessible on PlayStore and later on AppStore.

Given below, some exclusive features of the app:

- Import your 3d models
- Produce realistic materials and build them interactive (select your combination)
- Arrange the environment and examine how does sunlight impacts your project (day/night)
- Make all things Interactive and movable
- Go to VR on HTC VIVE, OCULUS RIFT, Monitor or CARDBOARD via the eyecad VR app
- Rea ltime Walk-through

For demonstration, watch the following video.

Download a 14-days free trial version, by clicking on the following link: eyecadvr.com

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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com
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PNG Trees in 3D Warehouse

SketchUp is one of the most used software for 3D modeling and design tools across the world and SketchUp team works with a motto that is “SketchUp for everyone”. From their beginning they are continuously working to give their users better, smarter and successful experience to work with SketchUp and they have published so many tools that will be useful for designing and modeling. As a result of their constant improvement now-a-days it has been using by hundreds of thousands of architects, engineers, contractors, woodworkers, artists and other people from different various fields. They are working on SketchUp Pro, LayOut, Extension Warehouse and the 3D Warehouse for designing each and every little object from motion centers to treehouses and many more.

About SketchUp 3D Warehouse: The SketchUp 3D Warehouse is a wonderful part of SketchUp and popular among the SketchUp users where anyone can find various 3D models. It is generally an open source library where SKetchUp users can work on models, upload it there and also download various uploaded models for sharing with clients, teammates etc. The models can be easily downloaded into any program without saving in the computer, the file sizes of the models should be up to 50 MB and these models can also make, change and upload in the 3D Warehouse without any charge.

The models with the help of 3D Warehouse look lively and users can get various pre made objects here that can be easily applicable in any model like plants, trees, people, sun, moon, building etc. Here the modeling of PNG Trees is described with a scene of a beautiful cottage.

Verkley Design and Modeling has created a wonderful model of a lovely small cottage in the woods with full of trees and uploaded it in the 3D Warehouse. Users can download this model by clicking on the logo of the 3D warehouse or can use it in any other model having the same features. In the model, the trees can easily grab anyone’s attention as they are so well designed and furnished. The structures are made with simple group and components, except that they use photo painting than just modeling the individual leaf. These trees are more efficient and helpful to design any model rather than the original and large 3D trees.

To see the painted faces navigate around the model on the slower machines and using Monochrome view individual painted faces will appear that can help to understand the original technique of modeling the trees. For the big trees with the texture of lot of leaves they used the Shaded tool with Texture view and used a lot of painted faces at every angle with a transparent background.

Besides this model, there are lots of different tree models are also available at the 3D Warehouse library that can apply in the models. In case anyone want to use little trees, plants or shrubs to reduce the file size they can try some Face-Camera trees from the 3D Warehouse. In the place of PNG trees there are some other model trees can be a replacement of it that will give the model same look; such as Alpha Tree or Transparent Tree which are single, flat and printed faces.

Face-Camera Component: In the above part we have seen that the tree models can be made in Face-Camera tool rather than downloading the created models. The Verkley Design and Modeling team has worked with the tool in another model to make some trees; at first they take a model tree with a transparent background. Users can find the tree background from Google Images go there and search for “alpha transparent tree”.

Now choose one from the list of the trees; just right click on the required tree and choose one of the saving options and save it in the PNG format. After choosing team go back to SketchUp again and chose the File/Import option and imported as an image from the PNG files. Then they just clicked on the two corners for bringing the image as per size and worked from the front view and then orbit the image for furnished ending.

It is not the end, there were some fixes that need to done correctly, the tree has to make with groups and components. Users can do it easily by click the right button of the mouse to explode it and then it will become a component by selecting the image and edges. Next the axes box has to check to complete the component and it is very important for face-camera to work as the red axis menu has to go with the image and the blue one has to go up.

Also check the Face Camera box to complete the process and click on the Create menu to finish the works.

Article Source: danieltal.com



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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com
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The Material Dialog Box in SketchUp

SketchUp has tools and plugins that add a touch of reality to the design. The presentation of SketchUp distinguishes the application from others as it successfully brings the reality of 3D design to you. The material box, as the name defines, gives color effects to the design. Material dialog box appears differently in the windows and Mac versions.

To open the material dialog box: Windows > materials

Generally, two types of materials (colors and textures) are available in the SketchUp dialog box and you can apply either one as per your need.

Colors:

Solid colors are available in the dialog box and you cannot use the gradients. You can make the color of your choice.

Textures:

Texture in SketchUp is a small image that is applied to the face of your design until the face gets completely covered by the image. For example, if you want to design a brick face, you need to click the brick icon image several times to fill up the surface. There are many textures available in SketchUp, and they indeed add an interesting touch to the design. If the already existed list seems not enough, you can download more from Google SketchUp website. You can also download paid textures and can make your own format.

More about SketchUp materials:

• You can make the materials translucent by adjusting the opacity slider. This adds a clear visibility to your model in the Windows.
• Textures have transparent areas also that allow you to see through the faces you are texturing on. The black spaces on the texture may look inappropriate, but they come up with a wide range of benefits.
• You can also edit a material as per your choice. This is basically the work of the advanced designers and they know how to handle the materials properly to make a perfect 3D model.

• Photo texturing is another thing that will help you get the model as per your expectation. You can apply photos instead of colors and textures to cover the surfaces of your design. This feature brings in a new change in the work flow and pushes the limits. Those building models for Google earth will take benefits from this feature.

These are the few things about dialog box that make your designer easier and simpler. This feature gives your 3D design a complete sense.

Read more

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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E-on Software Announces the Availability of Release 4 of VUE 2016 and PlantFactory 2016 Software

Adds Stereo Rendering, VR180 Support, Multi-Polygonal and Crossed-Planes Leaves and Numerous User Experience Improvements

E-on software, a leading global developer of software for the creation, animation, rendering, and integration of natural 3D environments in the computer graphics, VFX, architecture, and gaming industries, today announced the immediate availability of Release 4 (R4) of its VUE and PlantFactory 2016 software.

The free versions of its VUE 2016 and PlantFactory 2016 R4 software (Personal Learning Editions and Trial versions) are also immediately available.

Key New Features in VUE 2016 R4

• Stereoscopic Rendering:

a. Available for both panoramic (360° and 180°) and non-panoramic renders
b. For Stills and Animations
c. User defined Interpupillary Distance and final image layout (top/bottom or left/right)
d. 3 convergence modes for handling parallax: Parallel, Converged and Off-axis
e. Automatically recognized by Stereo-compliant platforms (such as Youtube) and can be played on stereo compliant devices such as Occulus Rift, HTC

Vive, Nvidia 3DVision, Sony PSVR, Google DayDream, Google Carboard etc.

• 180 Degree VR Panoramas (VR180)

a. Render a 180° vertical and horizontal FOV
b. Automatically recognized by VR180-compliant platforms (such as Facebook and Youtube)

• Multi-pass Rendering Improvements

a. Optimized handling of semi-transparent materials to prevent background color to bleed within object mask color data
b. Embed alpha channel for each mask pass (when the output format supports it)

• Path Tracer renderer improvements:

a. Adds support for normal mapping
b. Selection of OpenCL devices: All Available Devices, GPU Devices Only, or CPU Devices Only

• UX/UI improvements

a. Added support for CPUs with more than 64 cores on Windows
b. Improved 4K/HiDPI display compatibility
c. Better responsiveness and faster computation of Procedural Terrain within the Terrain Editor
d. Alembic compatibility updated to version 1.7.3

• xStream Integration:

a. Adds support for Maya 2018 (MentalRay and VRay - incl. viewport 2.0)
b. Adds support for Cinema 4D R19.

Key New Features in PlantFactory 2016 R4

• Multi-Polygonal Single-Plane Leaves

a. Perfect for both offline rendering and light enough for real-time
b. Grid based mesh to add more realism in the vegetation finer details
c. Leaves can be bent, curved, folded and react to wind
d. Compatible with auto and user-defined LODs
e. Compatible with color shift, multi materials, two-sided materials etc…

• Crossed-Plane Leaves

a. Particularly suited for real-time engines, or low level LODs
b. Ideal for representing complex plant geometry parts such as flower groups or dense foliage
c. Very effective in terms of polygon count and memory footprint
d. Select either 2 or 3 crossed planes (2 vertical + 1 horizontal)
e. Fully customizable texturing
f. 4 Normal computation parameters for perfect integration

• Multi-pass Rendering Improvements

a. Optimized handling of semi-transparent materials to prevent background color to bleed within object mask color data
b. Embed alpha channel for each mask pass (when the output format supports it)

• UI/UX improvements:

a. Improved export
b. Improved sap inheritance
c. Added support for CPUs with more than 64 cores on Windows
d. Added wireframe display for billboards
e. Improved display of billboards back face
f. Enhanced image browsing
g. Improved hooking points placement for warpboards

Availability: Release 4 (R4) is available as a free software update for all registered users of VUE and PlantFactory 2016.

The 2016 R4 Personal Learning Editions (PLE) and Trial versions are also immediately available. Users can download the 2016 R4 Personal Learning Editions at no charge from www.e-onsoftware.com/try.

All VUE and PlantFactory 2016 software titles are available in English, French and German and perform under all versions of Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 (64 bit only), and Mac Intel (64 bit) for MacOSX 10.7+.

More information on VUE 2016 and PlantFactory 2016 is available at: e-onsoftware.com/vueand plantfactory-tech.com.

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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com
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