How to render?

[Bosseye]

Definitely a +1 for dummy components.

Here are some examples using a high poly tree, even one of these trees in a Sketchup scene destroys performance to the point where I can't even work. Using dummies I can still rotate and pan etc happily with multiple copies and let my Derricks have a lovely bit of shade

I use dummies for high poly cars and trees. You can make them larger of smaller and rotate etc just by rotating and scaling the dummy component. I make my dummies see through so I can still place trees etc and see whats behind and under.

You still get the shadows of the tree component too.

[maeglin1]

It would be good if someone could post a list of CG terms cos I don't understand what people are talking about alot of the time

What are dummies?
How do you make them? Or do you download them?

[Bosseye]

Heh - watch the video Bubs just posted, it will make it all clear.

Essentially a dummy is just a fake version of a component you have in a scene. So for example that hi poly tree I have is called 'Mapletree'. If I make a new component, say a simple box a similar size to the tree and call it 'Mapletree_dummy' then it will render with the properties of the 'Mapletree' but the scene doesn't need the actual 'Mapletree' component, so it can be deleted (leave it in the components list though, don't purge it completely) resulting in allowing me to scatter loads of 'Mapletree' dummies around without actually having them in my scene destroying my PC. Dead easy.

To make a component select whatever you want to be a component, press 'G' in sketchup and give it a name - voila, component created.

So in steps:
1) Find your fancy item, tree, car whatever. Import it from an .obj file or .3ds file, download from the warehouse - whatever you like.
2) Plonk it in your scene in sketchup.
3) Make a note of the component name. If its not already a component, make it one (Select and then press G as above) and give it a name. Lets call ours 'TREE'
3) Make a box or whatever you like to act as a dummy.
4) Select your dummy and make it a component, and give it the name 'TREE_dummy'
5) Delete the high poly tree component.
6) Job done. Render. The dummy will render as if you had the actual hi poly tree there.

[maeglin1]

Wow. That's amazing
I remember watching the video that Bubs sent last week.... the indigo tutorial.... but I must have glazed over watching it cos it was'nt relevant to my workflow at the time.

Every day I do some work on the model and do some research as a break. And I have learnt so much. Yet, I feel I have only scratched the surface of what's possible and the industry is only in it's infancy.

I like the idea of scattering dummies around.... where the shadows are needed but I still think I might mask over them with high quality PNG trees.... which I have been hording like crazy. I am not 100% convinced with the poly trees.... they look to artifical and simulated. I will have to experiment abit.

[maeglin1]

I found an OBJ importer (plugin) for Sketchup that's FREE.

http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=obj_importer