SketchUp Forum

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

I am trying to develop a 'non-linear' work flow from SketchUp to Max. I have searched the forums several times, and have seen a few references to the forums at SketchUp having very useful information on this subject. However... all of the links to the forum are invalid, and the forum doesn't seem to exist anymore. I visited the SketchUp home page in hopes of finding a link to the forum from there, but I did not find one.

 

...anyone know if it still exists?

[AJLynn]

'Non-linear'? Whatever that is I'd like to hear about it.

[TheAllusionisst]

You might try sites that focus on SketchUp such as:

 

http://www.sketchucation.com/

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

'Non-linear'? Whatever that is I'd like to hear about it.

 

Not sure if you said that tongue in cheek, or really want an answer, but what the hay, I will bite…

 

Non-linear workflow is a term I adopted from the movie industry. It is probably not as exciting as what it sounds, more technical than anything.

 

It is not uncommon to model in one piece of software, light and render in another, and composit or edit in something else. The more traditional way to work is to model, then export the model, and import into your rendering or lighting software, etc..

 

This is fine, but problems arise when there are changes to the model after you have it imported. It often involves re-texturing, re-mapping, and more than anything, the potential for problems to arise. When Max introduced FileLink, it opened up the possibility for a new workflow that allowed you to model in one app, and texture in another. Then as the model updated, you could update it in Max without the need to go through the retexturing and mapping. It basically saves several steps, and streamlines the workflow. Changes to the design can happen very late in the process, often just before you hit render, and it would not create any problem, even the modeling and rendering were happening in different apps.

 

Well I have had this process streamlined in the past with other modeling software, and it worked like a champ, but all modeling software is a little different in the way it saves DWG’s, so I am basically researching the best way to save DWG’s from SketchUp to re-create this workflow I have used in the path.

 

The non-linear comes in because I no longer have to model, then texture, then light as in the past when using different pieces of software. No I can do it all at the same time. Hence I don’t have to do it linearly.

 

Non-Linear in the movie industry involves plots like Pulp Fiction, where everything does not happen along a standard timeline. Time is shuffled around.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

You might try sites that focus on SketchUp such as:

 

http://www.sketchucation.com/

 

thanks for the link. unfortunately it didn't cover anything on peoples experience of getting sketchup into 3ds max, but i will keep it on hand for future reference.

[gfa2]

I continue to fight this Sketchup to max issue. Andrew has given some pointers in the past, but I think the real problem I'm having is that I get junk models from the people that I work with and they want me to make them beautiful. I get reversed faces all over the place...and it's just a nightmare. I don't personally use Sketchup....I don't really like the program.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

Yes, it will almost never work if you don't have a controlled standards over how the original model was created. You have to adhere to a strict set of layering standards and quality control. The model layering, flipped faces, glass given a thickness and such are all best done while constructing the model. If they are done after it is brought into Max, then your work flow pipeline is not seamless, and is easily disrupted. When you receive a model from a client, you lack the control over structure and quality that you need. You have to make the software play together nicely.

[AJLynn]

Oh, you're trying to do that. Usually if it's not too much hasle I just export an object per material then re-export any changes so I don't get bogged down with multi-sub objects. Sometimes it can get pretty funky with the DWG files but if you find a particular way to do it that works well I'd like to hear about it. I actually got pretty frustrated last time I did a Sketchup-to-Max project by the constant changes, I don't know if I'd do another one that way unless I was really sure the changes would be under control.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

i agree after hacving just gone through a sketchup to max. the people i was working with kept wanting to export it as 3ds, which ceated a lot of extra work for me because i had to keep re-mapping the model every time there was an update. i have done a lot of work with FormZ and Max to where i would export a dwg from FormZ, and hit update in Max and everything stayed mapped.

 

a lot of the people i am working with now have the ability to model in sketchup, so i want to take advantage of that to minimize the amount of work i do, and the amount of things i have to re-create. when working with FormZ i would make sure that the model is always organized by each material being on a layer. then i would export using a layer structure, and link it in to max, and assign the materials by layer. as long as everything always stayed structured correctly, the update system was fully automated. i can not spend time re-texturing these models every time there is an update.

[Ernest Burden III]

a lot of the people i am working with now have the ability to model in sketchup...

 

I'm sure your firm has a layering standard for ACAD work (assuming they work in ACAD, I don't recall), so it makes sense to set up standards in SU as well.

 

Now that Cinema4D can open a DWG and use its layers and blocks, and also has added XREF'ing, I wonder if its possible to work in a more 'non-linear' way like you describe. There is no file-link, so it wouldn't be as good as your dwg>Max workflow.

[Crazy Homeless Guy]

I'm sure your firm has a layering standard for ACAD work (assuming they work in ACAD, I don't recall), so it makes sense to set up standards in SU as well.

 

Now that Cinema4D can open a DWG and use its layers and blocks, and also has added XREF'ing, I wonder if its possible to work in a more 'non-linear' way like you describe. There is no file-link, so it wouldn't be as good as your dwg>Max work flow.

 

everything is moving towards Revit, several projects are still in ADT, but as with most firms, the ADT is dumbed down to an AutoCad level. I have thought about trying to follow AutoCad layering guidelines before because i seems like it would reduce learning curves and confusion. It may be a way to go in the future, but I think I am going to stick with layering by material since I know I can work that out without creating additional probelms. ...then I can look more at working within AIA guidelines on layering. It is important to me to smooth things out as much as possible as quickly as possible.

[bjornkn]

I don't use Max, but LW, so things may work a bit different in Max.

I typically export selections from SU as 3ds and open in LW/Modeler. Then I do all the texture work, merging of ponts etc if needed. Then I put different parts of the scene in their own layers, which make them handle like a single object, but share the materials with the rest of the lwo file.

Whenever I need to update something I just load it into a new layer, and it inherits all the materials from the prvious version. Then I usually move the old version into a new layer (for backup/reference) and move the new version into the present layer of the original.

Works very well here, but may not be as easily implemented in Max?

[JezmundToo]

I know this was from a loooong time ago, but I figured I'd give my $.02 anyway.

 

As I'm building the model in SketchUp, I create the model without any materials at all. I create layers according to what material they will be receiving in Max. I have no reversed faces whatsoever, and try to keep really thin "glass" panes as well.

 

I then import into 3ds Max and apply materials by layer.

 

I then proceed to add lights, whatever, then render.

 

Not sure how "non-linear" that is....

 

Anyhow, I use SketchUp->Vray->Photoshop these days.

[nbrodie]

Yes, it will almost never work if you don't have a controlled standards over how the original model was created. You have to adhere to a strict set of layering standards and quality control. The model layering, flipped faces, glass given a thickness and such are all best done while constructing the model. If they are done after it is brought into Max, then your work flow pipeline is not seamless, and is easily disrupted. When you receive a model from a client, you lack the control over structure and quality that you need. You have to make the software play together nicely.

 

I am new to max and still fairly new to Sketchup and I am trying to master this process as best I can. Could you give me some poiters in regards to "layering standards and quality control." How do i best "make the software play together nicely."

 

Thanks so much.