Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year 2014, Everyone, from SketchUp Island blog! In the image above we see New Year preparations underway in the style of Vietnam-- although Vietnamese New Year won't fall until the end of January this year. This image was created with Shaderlight rendering on top of a SketchUp model.

About the image: Bánh tét, a traditional Vietnamese food made of glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves, is being boiled overnight in a large pot by a villager. Already-cooked Bánh tét hangs to cool from bamboo poles, while additional ingredients are prepared on the porch by relatives. Fruits and flowers have been placed in front of homes to welcome the new year.

Kitchen Design Plugin Test Drive

I tried out the free version of +SketchThis.NET's Kitchen Design Plugin (KDP) and here's what I came up with!

In brief, I placed cabinetry and appliances into my SketchUp kitchen, using the KDP library. The dynamic components allowed me to easily resize the cabinets. I swapped out the doors using the door menu and chose a cherry wood finish. I wasn't sure where to find counter tops, so I made one.

Lighting was easy because Shaderlight-ready IES profile lights are included in KDP, as are small appliances and furniture. For whatever else I needed I borrowed some great knick-knacks found in the 3D Warehouse component browser in SketchUp. Final render in Shaderlight. Ta-da!

The verdict: A pretty cool result, and it was fun to use. Anxious to see how this develops!

Happy New Year!

This is a SketchUp 3D model rendered with Shaderlight, depicting a Currier & Ives inspired scene.

To Trimble SketchUp 3D modelers around the globe, have a happy and safe New Year!

Shaderlight Winners Announced!

Shortlisted image by R.Thurlow, from Shaderlight blog

Check out the amazing top three winners, plus some shortlisted ones, in the Shaderlight rendering contest from July. The results have just been announced and you can view the official blog post here.

Shaderlight Contest Entry

This is my rendering that I will enter into the current Shaderlight sponsored contest. The image must be a SketchUp model rendered in Shaderlight, which this is. It was created especially for the competition (all items were modeled for this image). There are over 1 million geometric edges in the 3D SketchUp file, and the final jpeg took three and a half days to render!

Depicted is New Year's Eve in a Vietnamese village. Everything is based on real life but the place is fictional and a combination of memories and research.

EDIT: see some current entries to the contest here.
EDIT #2: As of August 25, 3012, the Shaderlight people have received and are currently reviewing / judging entries.
EDIT #3: For your convenience, a link to the article about winning entries!

Shaderlight Contest Results

I won the Shaderlight "Winter Wonderland" contest I blogged about here! To be precise I won third place with the image seen above-- created in SketchUp and rendered in the easy-to-use Shaderlight program, available as a free trial download.

My prize was the full version of Shaderlight Pro and a 2GB wristband flash drive. Woo-hoo!! I'm going to have some fun with Shaderlight for sure.

Here are the other winners:

Shaderlight Winter Wonderland Contest

How did I miss this? Enter the Shaderlight Winter Wonderland contest (deadline extended to January 31) and possibly win an Amazon.com gift voucher, SketchUp Pro, and Shaderlight Pro!

P.S. I am almost tempted to delete this post. I want to win. Seriously, I do. And by posting this for all of you, I decrease my chances. Hopefully my public statement does not affect my odds of winning adversely.