SittingDuck's Masterpiece

Check it out:

SittingDuck has this to say about this model:

It's a small chapel in Brussels.  More than a year ago I modeled it in the traditional way.  Now a few weeks ago I remade it in Building Maker.  Now I decided to take the best of both worlds.  It took me about 8 hours in total, but I manually combined the photos I took with the Building Maker textures, and very painstakingly corrected all the geometry flaws in the model.  You can see that the colors and shading are still unified, but the textures have increased many times in sharpness/detail.

Cool stuff.

Refining Building Maker Models In SketchUp

A Googler pointed me to a handy "how to" page HERE. Specifically it deals with the issue of Building Maker models that, once refined in SketchUp, sink into the terrain. You can see the step that explains how to fix that as well as how to do SketchUp edits at the link.

Above is an example model. Although the version I uploaded initially from SketchUp looked OK to me and I could export a KMZ file at the correct elevation on my computer, the KMZ generated online (at the "View in Google Earth" link on the model preview page) produced a sunken model.

A short edit later... and I think it's all good.

"Hang In There, Baby" With Milo Minderbinder

Today's "Hang In There, Baby" column focuses on the work of MILO Minderbinder, whose main area of interest is Art Deco architecture in Miami, Florida (USA).

The purpose of this column is to give some encouragement (hang in there, baby!)-- particularly when you feel your first version of a model is not so great. Today MILO shares with us a model he made called "Colony Hotel" and a before and after illustration of the work he did on it.

MILO writes:

"Hang In There, Baby" With Nick Oberg Part 3

And now for the final look at Nick Oberg's three-part "before and after" model series (unless Nick wants to share more), where Nick shows us the evolution of some of his best models on Google Earth.

Nick (aka SittingDuck) is one of the best geo-modelers for Google Earth in my opinion. He, along with fellow SketchUp artist Chris (KR=), photographs his SketchUp building textures in such a way that captures a consistent lighting pattern representing a single moment in time. Most SketchUp users have a more eclectic approach, photographing building facades at varying times of day, in different kinds of weather, the result being good models that nevertheless lack the kind of sunshine "punch" offered up in some of Nick's work. One approach isn't necessarily better than another; but it is easy to appreciate the realistic results seen here in Nick's example.

In the image below you can see how Nick began with a more varied set of photo textures, then unified them over time. The final result has the look and feel of a real building the way you would see it in real life.

Click on the image for an enlarged version.

You can use the search bar in the side column to see Parts 1 and 2 of Nick's behind the scenes look at his work. Or, click the tag below called "Keep Trying"!

Thanks Nick for sharing. Look for a future "Hang In There" column featuring the work of MILO Minderbinder.

Try Out SketchUp?

Just a very quick post inviting anyone who hasn't tried SketchUp to try it out, or "try it again for the first time." Alternately you can pass this along to anyone you've been encouraging to try out SketchUp.

Here is a guide to getting started quickly: Get Started

Here is a page from the guide specifically about getting started on basic SketchUp drawing techniques: Draw in SketchUp

And last but not least.... here is a page for downloading the actual SketchUp program (free...not a trial, just free): Download SketchUp Free

Oh, and Google Earth if you want that too for putting your building models on Google Earth: Download Google Earth

It's fast to learn and pretty fun once you've got the hang of it.

"Hang In There, Baby" With Nick Oberg Part 2

New to SketchUp? Looking to start your second or third model? Are you a Pro looking for some inspiration? Then look no further. Nick Oberg, geo-modeler extraordinaire and fellow SketchUp Islander is back from his Belgian coconut hunt. Here he offers us a second glimpse into the work process of a SketchUp genius. Nick has taken models that he was presumably proud of at one point, found faults himself, and improved them. Nick writes:

Hello, on the 3D Warehouse I am known as 'SittingDuck', but elsewhere I am known as "Nick". I make models in Antwerp, Belgium and when I started modeling I really sucked at it. Thanks to a lot of practice and some very helpful tips from friends and other modelers, I like to imagine that my ability has improved over the last 2 years. Here [is an example] of my models that demonstrate improvement:

Major improvements in each case were as follows:

• Correcting height of the model using information from internet.
• Fixed lighting by taking photos on sunny days at correct time.
• Removed all 'paintbucket' textures.
• Used Google Earth imagery for roof textures.
• Added finer and more accurate detail.
• Took more photos of model to make sure no face was missed out.
• Moved model onto model footprint.

Notice in this model how geometric proportions have been re-examined and adjusted? Also textures have been cleaned up and unified. Higher contrast creates more visual interest and a believable "light source" in the details as well.

Thanks again, Nick. Get out your scopes and scan the horizon for the next boat. And if none are coming, at least we'll have part three of "Hang In There, Baby" with Nick Oberg to look forward to.

"Hang In There, Baby" With John Wilkes

Welcome back to "Hang In There, Baby" with Nick Oberg-- a column about SketchUp modeling perseverance. Nick Oberg is out hunting Belgian coconuts for the day. Therefore today's column will be by John Wilkes of Dursley, England. John writes:

"The Evolution of a Model"

An early model was my local church in Dursley. I made the model first in an untextured version; then coloured it with 'paintbucket' textures. As more of my, fully photo-textured, models were accepted by Google, the church model looked out of place and in fact was removed from Google Earth. I then spent a day taking more photos and applying them to the church model. I think each of the three versions has a merit of its own.

Thank you, John Wilkes. If you would like to see more blog posts about John, please try the search feature located in the side column.

EDIT: John's university has featured an article about him. To read it while remaining on SketchUp Island, right click and open in a new tab here. Or just click it and leave me behind :(

"Hang In There, Baby" With Nick Oberg Part 1

Blog viewer and Super Modeler Nick Oberg shares with us a 3-part look at the evolution of some of his models. He calls the series "Hang In There Baby" why? Because it can be frustrating when you've only done your first model (third, tenth, etc.) and other people's models look so great, and it all seems beyond your own capabilities. So, "hang in there" and keep in mind everyone starts somewhere before they attain greatness. Now I'll hand it off to Nick:

Hello, on the 3D Warehouse I am known as 'SittingDuck', but elsewhere I am known as "Nick". I make models in Antwerp, Belgium and when I started modeling I really sucked at it. Thanks to a lot of practice and some very helpful tips from friends and other modelers, I like to imagine that my ability has improved over the last 2 years. Here [is an example] of my models that demonstrate improvement:

Major improvements in each case were as follows:

• Correcting height of the model using information from internet.
• Fixed lighting by taking photos on sunny days at correct time.
• Removed all 'paintbucket' textures.
• Used Google Earth imagery for roof textures.
• Added finer and more accurate detail.
• Took more photos of model to make sure no face was missed out.
• Moved model onto model footprint.

Thanks, Nick. Viewers stay tuned for more "before and after" looks at Nick's models in the future.