Lumion Support Center

Support for unlicensed users => Post here if you can't find your License Key => Topic started by: Member1171 on May 13, 2011, 01:37:43 pm

Title: Tip for texturing in SketchUp
Post by: Member1171 on May 13, 2011, 01:37:43 pm
I am not sure if this would not be better in the "Importing" section - if so, please, a mod feel free to move the topic.

Anyway... SketchUp collada export is basically "optimised" for Google Earth (as we know). Although in a SketchUp file, you may only find a single instance for a certain material, when exported, a material may be doubled/tripled/quadrupled in case you also use it on groups/components.

Although the general rule of thumb is to apply materials on faces (this is also the only way to add correct UV mapping / texture positioning to them), when in a rush, people may tend to paint whole groups/components in order to save time.

Now this is where you lose time in Lumion (or any other rendering app where you use collada files) as SU will not only rename all your materials (I cannot get this - we have been complaining about this for ages but again, GE optimization...) but will create a new material for your group/component materials as well. Often you do not even get what you are trying to tweak in Lumion (i.e. what is highlighted and what not).

In case someone has already screwed his model, there is a plugin that removes group/component materials (http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=102323#p102323) (with the option to apply them straight onto the faces).
_______

Sorry but this plugin does not seem to be hosted in the Ruby Library Depot (http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rld/plugins_list_az.php) so non SCF members will need to register to download.
_______

Some materials (twisted, sheared etc) are also duplicated / "multiplicated" - I will try to fin the best solution for those, too (mostly pre-triangulation helps but not always)
Title: Re: Tip for texturing in SketchUp
Post by: Artur Brzegowy on May 17, 2011, 09:43:06 am
Could you send me simple example file to test?
We will try to take care of this kind of materials on Lumion side.
Title: Re: Tip for texturing in SketchUp
Post by: Member1171 on May 17, 2011, 10:01:30 am
Here is a very simple example. A cube


Now when you export it to dae, the SU exporter will export the texture twice - texture0 and texture1.

I am not sure there can be anything done on your end (but then I am not sure about programming at all so disregard my uncertainty). This is a "feature" of the SU-DAE exporter and if someone does not take extra care of his workflow in SU, will end up with a sloppy model anyway.

Since another (rather annoying) feature of the SU-DAE exporter is that it renames texture files, you will never really know which texture is actually which (unless you look into the dae file but who would?).
_______

Edit: Lumion still "seems to" see only one of these textures so when I want to apply a Lumion texture instead of my texture, it is not an issue. However if I want to keep my texture and tweak it (reloading with a bigger size for instance), I will end up seeing all sorts of textures that are apparently the same but have different names in the export folder.