"Creating Own SketchUp Material Libraries”

SketchUp Material Libraries contain a huge number of textures and materials; this Libraries can be created by user following some easy steps.

3D printing or additive manufacturing is way of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital life. The creation or making of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes and in this process, an object is made by laying down successive layers of material till the object is created. Each of these layers can be visible as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object. So basically 3D printing is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting out a piece of metal or plastic with for specimen a milling machine.

There are more than 5000 materials in the nXt Material Library from where any user can select any material and place it on a SketchUp face to create a similar SketchUp material. In many cases the SketchUp material is like an estimate of the full fractal material which will be created when users render the model.

The way of downloading the nXt Libraries:

Here are the steps to download and install the latest libraries:

• Click on the Downloads Page.
• After that users have to enter their name and email address and proceed to the download page.
• Next they need to select IRender nXt Libraries from the right of the first row of downloads.

The download contains:

• New nXt Materials.
• Older AccuRender Materials converted to nXt format
• New nXt Plants and Trees
• Older AR4 Plant and Tree Library
• HDRi Skies for the second and additional tabs on the HDRi Setup dialog

The IRender nXt Libraries of plans and materials are only available for the clients who purchase IRender nXt. The Libraries have the things like:

• AR3 materials converted to nXT .ArMaterial file format.
• New .ArMaterial files created for nXt.
• AR3 Trees and Plants.
• New nXt Trees.
• Additional HDRi skies for use with IRender nXt.

Among many materials of nXt Libarries SketchUp Materials Palette is one which is used to create some different patterns and colors in SketchUp model. To open the SKetchUp Materials Palette here are the steps to follow

• Click the ‘Paint Bucket Tool’ in the toolbar or use Windows > Materials menu entry.
• This will launch the palette from the toolbar button.
• Now click the ‘Create Material’ icon which will open a separate window that will allow the users to input some color values or to add textures and set opacity levels for the material.
• If users want to load their own texture in the Palette simply click the ‘Browse’ icon in the texture section of the Create Material Palette which will launch the ‘Open File’ dialog and then can navigate to the location of the texture image in the hard drive.
• After getting the texture just click open to load it into SketchUp’s ‘Create Material Palette’. Then users can give a name and dimensions to the texture and click ‘OK’ to create the new material.
• To locate texture in SketchUp, users can pick ‘In Model’ option from the dropdown list; this option will display all the textures currently in the model.
• Then save this new created texture into a new library Right click it and choose ‘Save As’ from the context menu.
• .skm is the default file type in it; to save materials to already existing libraries click the ‘Display secondary selection pane’ button.

Source

www.sketchucation.com/resources/tutorials

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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SketchUp Inferences Position the 3D Model Accurately

SketchUp Inferences in SketchUp make you understand where you design your model. The color lines will appear as soon as you create a new file in SketchUp. These lines are the best to keep your model at the right place you want. It is always advisable to use the color lines while working on the SketchUp as they eliminate the need for typing commands for adjusting the position of the model. You need to work in the intended color direction, and you must align your object with the drawing axes of SketchUp.

Inferences: When you design 3D models in SketchUp, many features appear in the form of color squares, dotted lines, yellow tags, and other objects of this kind. These features are called together as SketchUp inference engine. To design a model accurately and quickly, you have to understand each feature elaborately and its usage.

Point Inferences: Point inferences tell you about different things of your design, they guide you how to add or change details of the models. If you move the cursor on the working window of the SketchUp, you will definitely be introduced with different colored shapes. If you stay on those shapes for a second, a yellow tag will appear explaining the definition of the color spot you put the cursor on. Here is the list of various point inferences and their meaning.

• Green – endpoint
• Cyan or light blue – midpoint
• Black – intersection
• Red – on edge
• A circle, green – centre
• Dark Blue – on face

In SketchUp, two basic elements that everyone should know about are – edges (lines) and faces (surfaces). To design efficiently on the SketchUp, you have a comprehensive idea about these two features first.

Linear Inference: Colors definitely play a very important role in your designing in the SketchUp. Linear inferences also help a designer draw a 3D model precisely and perfectly. These linear inferences are also called ‘help lines’ as they play a big role defining your object. Below are the descriptions of the work of linear inferences.

• On Axis – If the edge you draw is parallel to one of the three drawing axes of SketchUp, the edge takes the color of that particular drawing axe.
• From Point – When you are moving a cursor in the SketchUp, a colored, dotted line appear that tells you are lined up with the end point of the dotted line. The color of the From Point will automatically change as per the color of the axes it corresponds with.
• Perpendicular – the edge you are drawing must be perpendicular to another edge of the design. Your drawn edge will be colored in magenta.
• Parallel – If the edge you are sketching becomes parallel to another edge of your model, the drawn edge turns into magenta.
• Tangent at Vertex – this idea comes into the application when you are drawing an arc that starts at the end point of another arc. When your drawn arc is the tangent of another arc, it turns into cyan.

SketchUp inferences engine defines the basics of the 3D designing, without which your object does not take the expected form. The use of these applications is more than the usual.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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Maxwell Rendering 4.1 for Smoother 3D Rendering

Now, 3D rendering is faster, easier and simpler with the Maxwell Rendering 4.1 version. With so many user-friendly options, it allows you to freely input your creativity and make your rendering the best one. The features offered by this new version are way ahead of the time. Whatever problems you have faced with the earlier version are completely eliminated on this platform. This high-end rendering tool does more than magic for the visualization software, and it definitely takes the artists and designer to a ride eight times smoother than they generally expect. Till now, the primary issue associated with the rendering tool is excessive rendering time. The new version promises to offer you an application where you can really enjoy your freedom having a complete control on designs. Let’s discuss in brief how the application helps designers.

Denoiser: Denoiser is a great tool that fades the noises of your designs and makes them crystal clear. The process reduces the time taken for erasing the noises. Denoiser is a powerful feature that understands your design and keeps the length and geometry details the same. Previously, you needed to render the image to a high sampling level. Now, it spins completely. Denoiser gives you the high-resolution images by keeping them low in size. This amazing feature is truly a revolutionary one.

GPU – Optimized handling memory: GPU helps in memory handling faster with a modern technique. If rendering process is cancelled because of having no sufficient memory, then Maxwell tiles the render and initiates the rendering process. This new version will allow you to render bigger images and scenes on the same GPU memory.

Maxwell Multilight 2 App:

A single render seems enough to your innumerable lighting variations and images added to the designs. It counts benefits more than you expect. The benefits are given below:

• Add light variations from your MXI files.
• Tone mapping and camera response features are also available.
• Setup lighting scenes as per your wish.
• A smart editing option is available that allows you to edit light before and after render.
• Prepare a lighting catalogue for your reference and clients’ needs

New Materials - Materials are available in huge quantity to guide you in designing process. These are selected attentively to help designers give the best result. The features are given below:

• Merl database material: 100 lab measured materials containing reflectance functions are collected in the segment. They are stored as the BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Functions).

• X-RiteAxF Materials: Appearance Exchange Format (AxF) files enhance the work on the visualization software. These materials have been used to store, transfer and digital materials of TAC Ecosystem.

Light panels: As the name says, it adds a dramatic touch to the design with offering an intense play of lights. You can modify and add lights as per your style.

Maxwell 4.1 version comes up with different features and functions that are way ahead of its other contemporaries. It offers an ultimate rendering option where difficult tasks become easier.

Source: www.maxwellrender.com

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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Curic SectionPlane Tool for SketchUp

Curic has developed Curic SectionPlane Tool. This sketchup extension is compatible with SketchUp 2016, SketchUp 2017.

This sketchup extension can be used for various industries like Architecture, Construction, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, Urban Planning, Woodworking etc.

The plugin offers the following functionalities:-

Generate faces out of the section plane
Produce faces out of object
Form boundary inside
Form boundary outside
The plugin is accessible from extension warehouse.

Watch the following video for online demonstration.

Download the this sketchup extension from extension warehouse extensions.sketchup.com

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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com

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Best SketchUp Practices for Exceptional Designs

SketchUp application has become a household name in the 3D designing. Everyone with an imaginative spree loves this application for its simple approach and easy-to-use functions. There are a few practices that SketchUp users must follow to get the best out of many. These practices involve simple things that you need to maintain while designing. Nothing stringent in rules, these practices are based on the designing habit of an expert designer. The content discusses further the practices and rules that tell you how to create flawless designs simply.

• Make your own template and adjust the program setting: Making your own template and adjusting program settings as per your use help you design in a comfort environment – a home like feeling where everything is in order. So keeps you satisfied as well as relax you while solving a complex puzzle of designing.

• Save often and early: This is another best practice that ensures you design stays unharmed. You can save the file even before you start designing. This allows SketchUp to activate the autosave functions that save your file and make necessary backups.

• Group faces after they become a logical object: In SketchUp, separating objects from each other is not possible. If the object face touches another, then they will remain sticky and hard to move them separately. This is why group faces are there that allows you to make a group component after completing the design.

• Use component for repeating objects: If you need an object that has various uses in your designing, use component program rather than groups. It allows you to work smoothly on SketchUp.

• Precise Models designing: The SketchUp precision modeling tool ensures that a model is designed accurately and flawlessly. This tool eliminates the ‘crooked geometry’ or gaps in your design. Texturing and other modeling tasks become harder if models are not developed in a proper way. Use this application for a pleasurable workflow without any hurdles.

• Polygon count should be low: Since SketchUp is a Polygon based modeler, every curve (triangles and rectangles) you design contains a certain amount of polygon shapes. The faster work of the graphic card relies on the low polygon shape. Display card works extensively if you use many polygon shapes in your design. The best way to avoid this problem is that use the modeling circle or arcs with minimum edges. You can also use component for displaying curve objects to reduce the problem.

• Application of proxy component: If your design needs a high-polygon object like a tree, then you must use component to keep the polygon count low. Make sure that the components you are choosing are at the same location and it must coordinate with the axes.

SketchUp applications brought a big change in the designing. The practices mentioned above tells you the basic rules to use SketchUp to get a proper designing spree.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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Molecule Importer – The newest extension for sketchup users

Aerilius has developed molecule importer.

This sketchup extension is compatible with SketchUp 6, SketchUp 7, SketchUp 8, SketchUp 2013, SketchUp 2014, SketchUp 2015, SketchUp 2016, SketchUp 2017.

The users can utilize this sketchup extension, to transmit molecule models into sketchup in .mol and z-matrix formats. These molecule models can be improved with the drawing tools of sketchup.

These molecular models can be generated in chemical drawing programs like ACD ChemSketch. This extension also arranges an "examples" folder to start functioning.

The scale of the imported models is not a physical scale, but it relies on the drawing scale that is described in the .mol file.

Application
Choose File → Import then opt for the MDL Molfile format.

Download the this sketchup extension from extension warehouse extensions.sketchup.com

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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PlaceMaker on Sketchup Recreates a 3D City Model Just by a Few Clicks

Sketchup application is a phenomenon in the world of 3D designs with which you can give dimensions to your imagination. It is a thrilling experience to witness how your sketches turn into reality with using certain tools and features. Sketchup is a well-known platform for artists to transform designs into 3D sketches easily. There is good news for all Sketchup users as it extends its features that let designers draw things quickly and flawlessly. PlaceMaker is such a breakthrough extension that helps you create 3D models of any city across the world just by a few clicks.

Making easier the way 3D images of cities are designed, PlaceMaker has already got a huge interest with its wide areas of applications. For a comprehensive understanding of this tool, you have to have the idea about how it works. The steps are so simpler that even a novice can use the tool like an expert.

PlaceMaker imports maps of cities from OpenStreetMap and DigitalGlobe and brings them on the Sketchup platform. Everything is in a ready-to-use manner that requires only your preferences to complete the models of cities. With high resolutions images of aerials and roads, this tool is more than just a function to design 3D models.

Let’s take an inside look at the steps that take you into the virtual 3D land of your known cities:

• Go to the ‘Extension’ tab and select PlaceMaker dialog box.
• Click ‘Select a place’ tab and search your preferred location.
• Import that Location into Sketchup platform.
• Click ‘imagery’ to import high resolutions images. It costs you few bucks to download the images.
• There are options like ‘Building’, ‘Roads’, ‘Paths’, ‘water’, and ‘Trees’, clocking on which turns your sketch a complete map. These options come up with a drop-down menu that includes your criteria to be selected.

• Click ‘Make Place’ option that allows Sketchup to import everything you created on the platform, except imagery. These are a few steps that are behind a complete 3D model of places and areas across the world. In the world of the digital age, we all are more or less concerned about the importance of 3D maps of cities. Starting from navigation system to emergency management, 3D city models prove to be very helpful to locate an area in a more prominent way. 3D city models find its applications in some important domains like:
• Urban Planning and Architecture: 3D models work as a communicator between designers and urban planning development authorities to set up a concrete plan for the development of environment.

• Emergency management: to avert any kind environmental risks and disasters, 3D City models prove to be a great help to disaster management authorities.
• Gaming: to design the base of 3D locations for online and video games, this application provides you with the desired result.
• Real estate and property management – the 3D models play an important role management properties spread across many places in the world. PlaceMaker will definitely lift burdens from your shoulder while you are designing 3D maps for your cities. With a simple and easy condition to use, anyone can try hands in designing 3D sketches of their known places. Effective and trustworthy, this tool is acclaimed by designers all over the world.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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PlusSpec Draws Easy and Effortless Rules for 3D Designs in SketchUp

Simple yet stunning is what PlusSpec is for 3D designers and artists. This offers an easy and effective platform where designing seems as effortless as dreaming. This new update in the 3D world has started gaining responses from across the globe with all its right reasons including offering an effective 3D platform, making designs clean and comprehensive, and allowing everyone to sketch 3D and 2D designs creatively.

With a promise to make you efficient and professional, the software ventured out a new journey in the 3D paints. By definition, it is a combination of most popular designing software like 3D CAD, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Design & Construction (VCD), Real Production Integration and Integration Project Delivery.

This new software focuses on three major elements – designing, drafting and drawing, and communicating through designs. For any budding designer, this software proves to be a great help with its easy-to-use features and functions covering every need of today’s designers.

Designing with PlusSpec: SketchUp got a huge popularity because it saves time and cost of designing in 3D. This new addition follows the path of the former and brings in new tools that are magnificent and surprising for designers. PlusSpec is considered to be the only BIM software, with which you can design too. While the contemporaries of PlusSpec work as virtual drafting tools, it distinguishes from them for being a designing tool. It is no doubt to say that the software even suppresses the popularity of two renowned 3D Tools – 3D CAD and BIM. The maker revealed that it is the first VDC and designs customizable structure with adding sharp and sheer details.

Drafting or Constructing 2D Drawings: Professional drawing is no longer a work of an expert, thanks to the PlusSpec and SketchUp Pro. You can transform your dream models in 3D as quickly and prominently as an expert does. Maintaining the desired accuracy, the software lets you construct professional drawings for clients and Construction Documentation (CD). PlusSpec exclusively produces a 2D drawing set bringing plans, selections, elevations and details. Your 2D drawing also changes with the models. It eventually enhances your focus more on designing rather than modeling and drafting.

Communicate well with your designing intent: Communication through designs has become cleaner and more understandable for everyone. The tool is designed in such a way that you can eliminate the conventional designing error quickly and presents a design that communicates well with your clients. With 3D models of your construction, you will definitely stay ahead of others in expressing your designing spree.

Cost effectiveness: Architecture can understand the budget behind designing 3D models. Added to this, the design is subject to change many times; thus, it enhances the cost also. Whatever you design in PlusSpec has maintained a strong accuracy and is qualified automatically. Offering a true value of 3D, PlusSpec is more than just a 3D designing tool. With an easy-to-learn ability, it welcomes everyone associated with the designing world to transform dreams into the sketches and lines of dimensions. Simple to understand and with a better communication approach, this tool foresees the future of 3D designing and gives a glimpse of the coming days.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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Ruby Code Editor – The newest sketchup plugin

Alex Schreyer, Senior Lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, has developed Ruby Code Editor. This is an exclusive sketchup plugin that can be used to write and rectify Ruby scripts directly inside SketchUp with user-friendly and visually fascinating.

The plugin is compatible with SketchUp 8, SketchUp 2013, SketchUp 2014, SketchUp 2015, SketchUp 2016, SketchUp 2017.

These scripts can then be utilized to generate geometry, include functionality as well as data inside the SketchUp 3D modeling environment. A huge set of functions in the SketchUp Ruby API can automate SketchUp in various ways or generate scripted, computational geometry.

To edit and run SketchUp Ruby code within sketchup, most of the time an external editor is utilized. But this internal editor facilitates for both scripting and modeling simultaneously on the basis of your requirements.

To get access Ruby coding environment and function more like a real code editor, a bit of jQuery (and jQuery UI) magic is included with the plugin. Besides, there is CodeMirror syntax highlighting engine to offer multi-language code highlighting, exact TAB control, find/replace, bracket matching, code folding etc.

To run this plugin, select Window > Ruby Code Editor or open from the Ruby Code Editor toolbar.

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Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com

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How to perform exterior rendering in Vray sketchup

This is a useful video for beginner and advanced vray sketchup users. Learn how to render an exterior scene with vray for sketchup.

Lighting is very important to render any scene in a better manner. Light sources are categorized as direct and indirect lighting. In direct lighting, the light command is applied to generate Rectangular Light and Omni Light to be applied directly on the object. Indirect lighting stands for any lighting that is generated through bouncing light, or an environment.

While rendering any scene, one has to give emphasis on render settings. There exist various rendering situations like interior shots, dusk shots, and daytime shots for which various setups are needed.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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How to design a realistic kitchen with vray sketchup

This sketchup vray tutorial sheds light on designing realistic kitchen set with vray sketchup. Hendi Suhendar is the contributor of this tutorial.

The model of kitchen is created with sketchup pro and rendering & lighting is done with vray. The model contains walls, doors, windows, cabinets and other fixtures. Lots of components are downloaded from 3D warehouse.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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How to apply render and lighting effects to a interior scene with vray sketchup

This is an exclusive vray sketchup tutorial specifically designed for beginner and advance sketchup users. By going through this tutorial one can learn how to render a interior scene with vray sketchup.

Vray is very popular among designers as it can create photo-realistic outputs with IES, Spotlight, Rectangular and Emissive lighting.

Another useful guidance from Chaos Group for rendering an interior scene docs.chaosgroup.com

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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How to create an easy mirror with V-ray Sketchup

Edit Geek Studios come up with an exclusive sketchup tutorial that briefly shows how to create mirror for a material in Vray sketchup.

In order to create the material, go to V-ray material panel and right click for developing material standard and rename it. A reflection layer is also included to create the material.

It is suggested to set reflection in white and refraction to black as well as fresnal reflections are off.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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How to design and develop a coffee Table with Sketchup

Chris Salomone comes with this useful sketchup tutorial video that shows the detailed processes for designing and creating a Modern Coffee Table. The video explains various iterations of the table as well as adjusting the design.

V-Ray for SketchUp 's Material Editor contains three sections:

Chris Introduced the part 2 of this sketchup tutorial where he offers a more detailed sketchup build of the coffee table.

Part 1

Part 2

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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V-Ray for MODO QuickStart - Materials

This is an exclusive presentation from Chaos Group that covers v-ray materials and how these offer huge benefits over modo materials. This is the part 1 series that is based on the V-Ray Material with the GGX BRDF Type, V-Ray’s Blend Material, and V-Ray’s Fast SSS2 material.

The video highlights the headphone scene that is the part of previous tutorial. The tutorial is finished with prototyping 3 different materials.

In order to watch the tutorials, V-ray for Nuke plugin should be already installed in your system.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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Learn to grid materials with v-ray for Sketchup

This nice sketchup v-ray tutorial is presented by W design corp. This v-ray tutorial will provide step-by-step guidance on how to grid materials in v-ray for sketchup.

This sketchup tutorial is specifically designed for advanced sketchup users who have good knowledge in modeling and sketchup materials.

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup-ur-space.com

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Learn V-ray online and obtain a 5SRW certification for V-ray

CGworld Pte Ltd is offering an exclusive online course for v-ray users. The course is known as 5-Step Render Workflow. By undergoing this v-ray course one will be able to use v-ray as a real DSLR camera.

One can learn to use photographic perception to V-ray. With 5-step render workflow, one can learn realistic composition, professional lighting through v-ray, material formation in v-ray, final setting and render elements with v-ray, post production methods with photoshop.

All the lessons in this v-ray course are provided with v-ray for 3ds max which consist of videos, concepts and exercises to allow to be a 5SRW certified professional for v-ray. This course is available in 7 different languages. The course contains 50 advanced prerecorded lessons. Besides, some renowned v-ray official instructors will provide their support directly through email.

If you are not 3ds max user, there will be series of downlodable files scenes for 3ds Max, Rhino, SketchUp, Maya or C4D.

In order to get more information on this course and course fee, visit http://www.learnvray.com/

Image Courtesy: www.learnvray.com

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Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

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