How to simulate artificial lights without using a rendering plug-in

When it comes to professionals dedicated to an activity such as interior design is likely to refer to people that not only have the latest generation computers but also do not have time to explore other programs to show their ideas. The goal is just to convey their ideas to potential customers, not to become software gurus. What they really need are fast, efficient and time-saving tools as Sketchup. However, my theory is that if I have to spend twice as long to produce a drawing or a rendering that I am able to do by hand it is not worth the use of a computer.

Rendering processes take too much time and not always can be afforded. I've tried several plug-ins for photo-realistic renderings, but unfortunately they require a huge amount of resources from my two-year old laptop. When I have to discuss my ideas with some clients, especially in the early stages I take the 3D model with me. I prepare some scenes with shadows to start my presentation. I also prepare some scenes without shadows to allow me to move around without my computer becoming too slow. This strategy has been very successful to me because my clients become protagonists of my projects and I can engage their emotions in my proposals.

It is a fact that in the interior design field artificial lighting is vital and in Sketchup sun ​​is the only source of illumination. Recreate therefore shining light sources is impossible when using only Sketchup. However, lately I've resorted to these tricks to achieve it.

1. Once shaped my project which I always group it I select the ceiling and I check off “Cast Shadows” Entity Information dialogue box. Doing this allows the sunlight to come inside my room.
2. Unless I need to do a shadow study I rarely provide any geographical information to my model. That's why I change the UTC time and day to make the illumination of the sun as vertical as possible to provide more contrasts and expression to my scenes.

To recreate the artificial lighting I do the following:

 1. I create a cone and apply a white, blue or yellow material with translucent properties below 50% in each of the faces. This percentage is very important because higher values ​​cast shadows. I usually set the opacity around 20. I create a component.

 2. I create a second component which is usually an arc. I apply another less translucent material with more intense color properties to simulate the light bulb. I place a vertical line to have an endpoint to grip the component into position when inserted. I place the bulb over the cone.

 3. I make a new component grouping the previous two.

 4. I double-click to enter to the edit mode and select the cone. Using Window> Soften Edges I expose only the faces. I enter to the bulb edit mode but this time I use the Erase + Shift function to hide the arc and lines.

 5. I save my component for further use in my library.

 6. I insert the cone of light in the light fixtures and uncheck the Profiles option from View> Edge Style. If I want to change the tone of the light simply I edit the material and change the base color.

 7. I create my scenes.

Note: The shapes of the light cones are governed by the type of lamps and shades I am using; this is why I keep in my library options for each case.

How to print in Sketchup with sharp lines and in scale.

“I can not seem to print or export my drawings and get crisp clear lines. I tried changing the line weights (only profiles) but it was not helpful. The lines look blue.”

This is just one of the comments I get from readers and students. Perhaps we as instructors are not paying attention to this topic which seems obvious but it is not so. SketchUp has some simple tricks to print images with sharp and clear lines. The problem is that given the simplicity of SketchUp often print tips are given by other people that not necessary have the best knowledge of the different alternatives that the program offers to print. Many times they end up exporting an image and then printing in any photo editing program.

There are many printing options offered in Sketchup. The first thing you should decide is the output quality. By default, the quality of the Print dialog box is set to Draft. Besides the output quality you may decide to make the printing based on vectors or as a raster image.

Alternative 1

To print directly from SketchUp and get defined lines check the option "Use High Accuracy HLR" in the Print dialog box. Using this feature will send the information to the printer to print as vectors instead of pixels. If you use this option please note that it is possible that the start of the printing takes several minutes depending on the complexity of your model. Do not use imported images “as images” because they will not be recognized, use only objects with textures. The option HLR also will not recognize shadows.

Alternative 2

Print your model as a raster image but in order to get sharp lines select "High Definition" in the drop down menu of the Print Quality.

Alternative 3

If your intention is to print or use an image of your model in any photo editor you will need to export an image selecting the adequate resolution for your printing purpose. In this case choose File > Export > 2D Graphic > Options. Remember that a good resolution fro printing is 300 dpi meaning that for every inch that you want to print you have to multiply it by 300. For example, a 8” wide image will have a resolution of 2400 pixels

Alternative 4

If you have the Pro version you can use Layout to insert your drawing. In the SketchUp model tab choose instead of Vector the option Hybrid. In that way you can have the advantages of printing as well as raster and vector. The lines will be crispy while you will be able to print shadows and images.

Alternative 5

A second option in Layout would be to export your file in PDF with an output in High Quality. This alternative allows you to print anywhere or share your file with somebody else.

Printing in Scale

Finally, if you want to print in scale in Sketchup you have to set things properly. Perspectives views can not be printed to scale, so you will need to switch to Parallel Projection and choose any standard view. The scale field in the Print menu is used to scale your model for printing. The first measurement “In the printout” is the measurement of the exported geometry. The second measurement “In Sketchup”, is the actual measurement of the object in real scale. If you want to print in ¼”=1’ you have to enter 1 Inches in the printout field and 4 Feet into Sketchup box. Do not pay attention to the numbers that appear on the Page size option when you are printing in scale.

Printing a perspective

Before printing use Zoom Extents to center your drawing in your window and avoid that your drawing is coming out on several pages. In the Print Size section choose Fit to Page. This option will size the model to fit on a single sheet of paper. It will also tell Sketchup to make your printed page look like your modeling window. Check the Model Extents option to instruct the program to zoom in to make your model fit the printed page.

How to make a vaulted ceiling with Sketchup

I had a small project last week that I want to share with you since many of my students always ask me how to make a vaulted ceiling. The following example can help you to design any kind of non-flat ceilings.

In this study case the owner of a house wanted to show some possibilities for two unfinished spaces to a potential buyer. He asked me for a quick rendering where he could show a few ideas without spending too much money. I took some pictures of the space, and took some dimensions. I decided that Sketchup would be perfect for this project.

So I started by drawing a rectangle that included in the width the knee wall spaces on both sides

I used the Push/Pull tool to reach the ridge height. I knew that the slope of the roof was 12:12 and I could verify that on site. I activated the Protractor which I aligned with a vertical face placing it over one corner. I aligned it with the bottom line, and then I rotated. I typed 12:12 that in this particular case is the same as 45 degrees. I repeated the same steps on the opposite corner to get both guide lines.

The knee walls were at 4'-0" from the outside edge, so I drew 2 vertical lines as shown. Then, I completed the roof lines.

With the Pull/Push tool + Ctrl/Opt I pushed inside the shown face to copy it on the back wall. The X-ray mode figure shows what I got.

I copied the same face 3 times where I had the dormer walls helping me with additional guide lines.

I used Push tool to get rid of the outside area where I had no dormers, turned off the X-ray mode and this is what I got.

Since my perspective would be shown from the same place where I took my picture I erase the front wall face instead of using the Section tool to be able to see inside. On the right side I had a roof coming up from a knee wall that formed an L shape with the actual space, so I drew a box on that side. I completed the lines to match the ridge of the main space and the remaining walls.

I turned on the X-ray mode again to draw the missing lines of the dormers, and erase the unwanted ones.

I turned off the X-ray mode and then I used Position Camera tool to get the perspective view that I wanted, and save a scene. I placed windows and doors allowing letting the sunshine in to get a more dramatic scene. I placed furniture, moldings, textures and a few lighting fixtures to get my first rendering attempt using a pencil style.

To add more contrast and brightness I decided to make a fast photorealistic rendering. You can use any plugin on the market. I overlaid both images using Paint.Net and the final result was this one:

How to create a tufted seat using Sandbox > From Scratch, Smoove a Catmull-Clark Subdivision plugin.

1. Draw a rectangle of 3x3.
2. Select Draw > Sandbox > From Scratch. Type ½” for the Grid Spacing.
3. Pick the first, second and third corners of the rectangle. A mesh will be created. Explode the group.
4. Open tools> Sandbox> Tools> Smoove. Type 2” for Radius
5. Place the cursor en the center point. Click. Move the cursor up ¼”.
6. Select the Erase tool + Ctrl key (Opt in Mac) and smooth edges.
7. Create a component, copy it along Green and red axes.

Google Sketchup for Interior Design & Space Planning. 2nd Edition

The second edition of the book series has just been released. I have included as an upgrade to new version 8, information on plugins suitable for interior design, Intersect with Model exercises, how to create a Queen Ann leg, working with solids, how to use Photo Match to create a piece of furniture, and defining solar orientation with the free version among other small additions.  

Solar Orientation in Free Version

For those that work with Sketchup 8 Free version and want to set a new north orientation as it was enabled in previous versions you can install Jim's Model Location plugin. You can download it from http://sketchuptips.blogspot.com/2008/01/plugin-model-location.html. You need to install the two files in the Plugin folder.

Photorealistic Rendering in Sketchup

From time to time I take any project I have in hand and do tests with different photorealistic renderings engines. I compare prices, final result, hardware requirements, setup times and learning curve. I have found that Shaderlight has a good balance of all the features I always evaluate. I liked it! Also they offer an educational license and a 14-day trial that are more than enough to be convinced. Check some pictures here : http://www.artvps.com/index.php/gallery

This was the rendering that I used for testing.