Uv Mapping Sketchup Plugin

[Ronna Bordelon]

TrueChris gives a Extension Warehouse search link above that will list UV mapping tools and plugins.

They may be limited as the APIs may not expose the same UV mapping abilities that you may be used to in other applications.

I'm trying to transition from Sketchup/Vray to 3ds/Vray but running into lots of questions - most of which I've found answers for by searching these great forums. At the moment however, I'm a bit stuck...

I have a model that was imported from Sketchup into 3ds Max 2013. The siding of the building is composed of thousands of wood slats, which imported into Max as unique objects. My goal was to use Multi Texture Map from CG-Source.com to scatter a wood diffuse material over each of the slat objects in the model. It seems to have worked, but the scale of the maps appear to be out of proportion with the model and the Multi Texture Map plugin does not have a Coordinates roll out to adjust the mapping.

I originally tried to add a UVW Map modifier to all of the objects at once (there are thousands of them), which worked but gave me a pop up that said "One or more of the objects in your selection references another. To edit the modifier you've applied, select the objects individually".

I ended up grabbing a script called UVW Multi mapper which allowed me to set all of the objects to Box mapping in one go. Turning off the Real-World Map Size in Max's preferences also was key. Everything looks to be mapping correctly now.

Adding local context to your sites is an important part of the urban design process as it helps understand how your design fits into the existing environment. But creating buildings manually can be one of the most time-consuming and burdensome tasks. Using resources like OpenStreetMap can expedite the task tremendously as it can perform a few hours job with a click of a button. Below we will discuss what OpenStreetMaps (OSM) has to offer and the different methods available to import its data to SketchUp.

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a collaborative online mapping project that is supported and created by users across the globe. Similar to Wikipedia, users can contribute additional information on the maps such as photos or survey data collected by a GPS device.

Due to the enormous wealth of freely available data on OSM, and its open-source licensing, it makes it the perfect companion for SketchUp. OSM data can be imported into your SketchUp project to add context and impact. For example, OSM data that models the existing urban tissue can be added to your 3D models of urban development.

Today we are going to discuss four different methods that you can use to add urban context to your SketchUp model by using OpenStreetMap plugins and data. Each option varies in price, implementation, data available, the time needed, and accuracy.

Cadmapper is a website that gives free access to DXF CAD files of 200+ major cities around the world. Exporting of areas up to 1km2 is free, while larger files are available for purchase. Axonometric, terrain, and 2D previews are available before download.

PlaceMaker is a plugin that allows the import of 3D data, aerial images, unique geographical features, and most importantly, OpenStreetMaps data into SketchUp. Instantly import terrain, roads, buildings, and more with a click. The plugin is available as a subscription or pay-as-you-go.

ModelurOSM is the latest OpenStreetMap data importer from the company that created Modelur. This standalone plugin gives full functionality of importing OSM data into your projects. With the click of a button, you can instantly generate a context for your urban design models. No more exporting and importing for each project.

We might be biased, but the proof is evident. ModelurOSM plugin for SketchUp is the best all-around tool available on the market. It is affordable without sacrificing quality and efficiency. It is no wonder why architects and urban planners around the world are adding Modelur to their SketchUp toolkit.

Need more functionality than just importing OSM data? Check out the full Modelur plugin, a parametric urban design plugin for SketchUp that helps you design confidently with real-time feedback and data.

When material is applied on the top level group the UV mapping is rendered differently in Enscape than in Sketchup. This is annoying since I often apply material to top level group for example for wall pictures where I want to retain the frame materials, and only change the picture itself.

I guess that is DC, I use SU2020 and when I scale it with scale tool it breaks badly so I can not test it as DC, and scaling that DC could create texture problems, but I am not proficient in DC so I cant give any advice on that.

Unfortunately the Sketchup API gives us false/incorrect UV coordinates unless you have a textured material applied to the surface directly. If you do not change the UVs manually (or with other plugins), then these incorrect coordinates happen to be correct, but if the you change the UV coordinates somehow with only a texture applied on the group/component level, we can't read the correct UVs via the API.

SketchUp has a built-in tool for importing terrain, which used to be based on Google Earth's terrain data. Now it's based on a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) maintained by Trimble. The level of detail is adequate for providing context, but often we want to work with higher-quality terrain. Here we look at three different tools for importing high-detail terrain in SketchUp. Each provides higher detail terrain, but there are drawbacks in terms of setup time, availability of data, and resulting complexity in the model. We chose Portland's Goose Hollow and the US-26 tunnel (seen above and below) for a sample area because it's one of the least flat areas in Portland.

The highest level of detail we looked at is based on aerial Lidar scans (a mapping technique using GPS and laser rangefinding) provided by City of Portland through PortlandMaps. The result is an incredibly detailed map with 1 foot contour lines. We downloaded and processed these using QGIS, then imported into SketchUp and meshed using Fredo6's TopoShaper plugin. The contour lines and resulting mesh are shown below:

Another detailed Lidar-based map is available for much of Oregon through the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). Similar to the City of Portland's Lidar data, we used QGIS to download and process this data, and meshed the resulting contour map using TopoShaper. The result is a map with a 10 foot contour interval, shown below with a terrain mesh calculated with TopoShaper.

The terrain data is provided by CesiumIon - who use a mix of open and commercially available terrain data and some proprietary processing to provide variable quality, easily-streamed data for a variety of web apps and software. In this case, the resulting terrain is lower detail than the two Lidar sources, but better than SketchUp's built in terrain.

(This example is the west portal of the US-26 tunnel under Vista Ridge in Portland. It's there if you know what you're looking for, but neither data set is detailed enough to make it obvious. See the reference image below to get oriented)

The answer is, it depends. We rarely need to work with terrain at the level of detail available through PortlandMaps, and the extra complexity slows down our model. But it's useful to have a few options available so we can choose an appropriate level of detail for a particular model.

SketchUp allows its users to map their own keyboard shortcuts. The mapping of shortcut to command is based on the menu or toolbar button text. For menu items, the hierarchy of parent menu items also plays a role.

As a plugin developer it is important to note that shortcuts are associated with the commands in this manner. If you add a menu item for your plugin under one menu, but later decide it better fits under another menu you will break any shortcuts your existing users has made to that menu item.

Ditto goes in case you need to change the wording or correct a typo. So take some time and consider and check your menu hierarchy and text before deploying your plugin.

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