Chapter 33: Using 3-D Models

In This Chapter

• Choosing a rendering appearance

• Applying materials and shadows to objects

• Editing and creating new materials

• Walking through a model

• Exporting and printing models and images

• Creating a TourGuide slide show

• Integrating SketchUp models with Google Earth

• Exploring the 3D Warehouse

• Finding additional resources

In the previous chapter, you saw how Google SketchUp can be used to create 3-D models. You learned how to create an object in 3-D space, and how to modify it and view it.

This chapter picks up where the last one leaves off. Now that your model is drawn, it’s time to add some realism. SketchUp offers a number of ways to configure the appearance of the object and its material, which is called rendering.

The surfaces of objects aren’t flat gray as the default material in SketchUp implies. Choose from hundreds of available textures and color them as you want. If that’s not enough, you can edit existing materials or create your own. Once a material is added to an object, transform it further to fit the object’s configuration. As a final realistic touch, see how to use shadows and simulate the time of day and year.

Once the models are finished, explore different ways to view the model. Take a walk through the model, or create different page views to bring it together as a TourGuide slide show. If your model is intended for use at a particular location, work with both SketchUp and Google Earth to build a model designed for a particular location on the planet. If your models aren’t enough to keep you going, explore models in the 3D Warehouse that you can download for inspiration.