Hi all. I recently downloaded the free version of google sketchup. I was wondering if it is compatible with starcraft so I could make custom units and stuff. I would not be able to help with animations, but I could provide the unit itself as best I could. I'm brand new to making 3d things and I still feel a bit baffled by the whole idea. My first project will probably be a simple air unit or something for a third person fighter game I was hoping to make.
I am using sketchup files already with some success. First of all 3ds max 2011 can import them nicely up to sketchup 8 which he can not. Secondly most of the models I imported were very high on vertex count so m3 exporter took like 30+ min to export just one (if it did at all cos it froze countless times). Moreover - some imported models have this black texture in 3ds which from my understanding is no texture at all and even when set to sc2 bitmap it fails to render leaving transparent parts on the models. Maybe someone advanced at modeling could fix that because I'm no modeler.
If anyone wants to try it - it's quite easy to texture and export to m3 format models that weigh up to 10k vertecies. With the hardware I have it takes like 3-10 minutes if I recall correctly. On personal note, I gave up with exporting sketchup files myself because it requires lots of knowledge about modeling, which I don't have and which learning would take months itself to be efficient.
It's the link for those who want to look at or download the models. As google stated in their terms of use, they take no responsibility nor have copyrights to the models in their warehouse. They are mostly free to use with some exceptions where the author requires credit for his work.
Well that's only cause sketch up sucks for everything other than making quick architectural visualizations. (which in the field are actually useless too)
The reason you got this "black texture" thing is most likely cause sketch up likes to extrude things backwards for some reason. If you notice the faces by default usually pick two colors, white and a light shade of purple looking gray. These purple looking faces are "reversed" or "backwards" if you want so. In order to fix that you select it (on sketch up) right click and in the context sub menu choose reverse or invert faces. On 3ds max to fix this you'd have to apply a normal modifier and "flip" faces.
The reason you see them as black is because 3ds max reads them as backwards so they have no light. It'd be like making a cube and setting your view INSIDE the cube. You'd see no light traspassing it unless you made it transparent.
You can get a free copy of max if you're studying and use it only for educational noncommercial purposes, which this would count as. Go to http://students.autodesk.com and register to get a copy.
And if you want to use free software that's also powerful you should be using blender; it's the only free 3d modeling program that's up with the big boys (max, maya, Softimage xsi, c4d, and houdini). There is truespace but the free versions are a bit outdated as I understand it.
Blender ehh? Well I'll look at it when i get my computer back. I'm on my 3-4 year old Dell laptop at the moment so I can't really do anything right now. I think I have heard of it somewhere before too. Can you animate your creations using it too?
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Hi all. I recently downloaded the free version of google sketchup. I was wondering if it is compatible with starcraft so I could make custom units and stuff. I would not be able to help with animations, but I could provide the unit itself as best I could. I'm brand new to making 3d things and I still feel a bit baffled by the whole idea. My first project will probably be a simple air unit or something for a third person fighter game I was hoping to make.
You might be able to move it to 3ds max, but I don't think sketchup can make M3 files.
well there is noo way in hell I am going to pay $2,000 to do this...
Large buisnesses would. It's really made for Buisnesses that wish to design new and more innovative things, $495 is $0.05c to them.
I am using sketchup files already with some success. First of all 3ds max 2011 can import them nicely up to sketchup 8 which he can not. Secondly most of the models I imported were very high on vertex count so m3 exporter took like 30+ min to export just one (if it did at all cos it froze countless times). Moreover - some imported models have this black texture in 3ds which from my understanding is no texture at all and even when set to sc2 bitmap it fails to render leaving transparent parts on the models. Maybe someone advanced at modeling could fix that because I'm no modeler.
If anyone wants to try it - it's quite easy to texture and export to m3 format models that weigh up to 10k vertecies. With the hardware I have it takes like 3-10 minutes if I recall correctly. On personal note, I gave up with exporting sketchup files myself because it requires lots of knowledge about modeling, which I don't have and which learning would take months itself to be efficient.
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/
It's the link for those who want to look at or download the models. As google stated in their terms of use, they take no responsibility nor have copyrights to the models in their warehouse. They are mostly free to use with some exceptions where the author requires credit for his work.
@sigmapl: Go
Well that's only cause sketch up sucks for everything other than making quick architectural visualizations. (which in the field are actually useless too)
The reason you got this "black texture" thing is most likely cause sketch up likes to extrude things backwards for some reason. If you notice the faces by default usually pick two colors, white and a light shade of purple looking gray. These purple looking faces are "reversed" or "backwards" if you want so. In order to fix that you select it (on sketch up) right click and in the context sub menu choose reverse or invert faces. On 3ds max to fix this you'd have to apply a normal modifier and "flip" faces.
The reason you see them as black is because 3ds max reads them as backwards so they have no light. It'd be like making a cube and setting your view INSIDE the cube. You'd see no light traspassing it unless you made it transparent.
You can get a free copy of max if you're studying and use it only for educational noncommercial purposes, which this would count as. Go to http://students.autodesk.com and register to get a copy.
And if you want to use free software that's also powerful you should be using blender; it's the only free 3d modeling program that's up with the big boys (max, maya, Softimage xsi, c4d, and houdini). There is truespace but the free versions are a bit outdated as I understand it.
Blender ehh? Well I'll look at it when i get my computer back. I'm on my 3-4 year old Dell laptop at the moment so I can't really do anything right now. I think I have heard of it somewhere before too. Can you animate your creations using it too?