Just thought I'd ask the question, as I haven't seen anything on it in the forum.
I am always asked to produce 3d walkthroughs, and enevitably do them in 3DMAX, however they can be expensive due to the time constraints, so has anyone produced them via SketchUp and suitable rendering package?

I do them in Modo 301. Fast and easy (compared to Max). Depending on the materials I can do a 15-30 seconds or more of a 900x500 movie in about 8 hours of render time at 24 FPS. The results are pretty close to photorealistic.

The problem with doing them in SketchUp is the ole' stupid shadow bug. If you go back to version 5 you can get away with it.

About to do one for a client : Using the walk through feature in Revit

I don't do these very often so its a learning curve each time

Photo realistic is not on my agenda

I do them in Modo 301. Fast and easy (compared to Max). Depending on the materials I can do a 15-30 seconds or more of a 900x500 movie in about 8 hours of render time at 24 FPS. The results are pretty close to photorealistic.

The problem with doing them in SketchUp is the ole' stupid shadow bug. If you go back to version 5 you can get away with it.

I've had buggy shadow issues with v5 in animations...so you may need to go to v4! :eek:

Thanks for the heads up on Modo. I haven't had a chance to check that one out.

And the solution to use a "Space navigator" and record your own walk with something like Camtasia?

is archicad any good for walkthroughs?

I do them in Modo 301. Fast and easy (compared to Max).

Hi Jack,

I just had a look at the modo website.
http://www.luxology.com/whatismodo/

It looks like a nice software package. Are you just using it for your render and animation purposes or are you modeling in it as we?
Is it as easy as sketchup?

Because the animation issue with SU is really annoying.
(unless you do have the time and the hard disk space to export single images and compile them later on.)

Jake not Jack:P

I just use it for rendering. I am trying to learn some hardcore modeling, but SketchUp is just too quick. I don't think I would ever be as quick in Modo.

I really just started with the animation, but it works very well so far. It's also pretty quick for rendering. They have a sketchUp plugin in beta now. This a sample render i did last week.

:craqueur:

amazing work, jake...

Sorry Jake,

thanks for the additional information.
(your render looks pretty good. Even though I am not a big friend of photorealism)
I have to find a solution for exporting animations in the near future. Maybe modo will do the trick...

Don't really have the time for it at the moment as the wind is starting to kick in...
So it's either spending the evening at home fiddling around with modelers or being on the board on the ocean...
:)

Even though I am not a big friend of photorealism
:)

I'm getting to that point too. The d@mn architects (not offense :P) will ask, "Why is that beige colored mullion a different color on the sun side of the building than it is in the shaded side?" WTF, or "Why does it look like a different color behind a tinted sheet of glass?". I hear the dumbest questions. I usually say, "Go out in the sun and look at that top of your hand, then the bottom. Are they they same color?" Usually a blank expression follows. Welcome to the "real" world!

Anyway, Modo may still work. You don't have to be photorealistic. I'd bet it would render like a scalded dog with global illumination off.

I'll try a small test tonight after dinner and see if i can post it somewhere for you to see. Could be interesting to se how fast it renders with simple colors and textures.

Artlantis might be a good software for what you need. Richard was a beta tester for the newest version that include animation. Maybe he'll read this.

I'll try to post something later.

Thanks tRogers.

Here is a quick chipboard movie of the Villa. Took 2 minutes to set up and 5 minutes render on my quad desktop pro. I'm sure it will handle NPR work nicely, but it's around 900 bucks. There's probably something cheaper available. I would check out Artlantis.

Low rez: http://www.designorg.com/modo/villa.mov

Hi rez: http://www.designorg.com/modo/villa2.mov

Good looking render. It's nice to know Luxology's SU plugin is in beta. They've gone suspiciously quiet on that one. I'm hoping it'll be released soon, as I'm not all that keen on modelling in modo. I bought Dan Ablans courseware dvd's, and there's a movie on those in which Ablan builds a simple room in modo. Takes forever, and it lacks the precision a similar model would have in SU.

As a rendering solution however, modo looks very promising.

is archicad any good for walkthroughs?

You can do a walkthrough with archicad but it is very time consuming to reach a good level and render the entire walkthrough. I take my archicad models into artlantis and work there to do a walkthrough....much better, easier and quicker.

Cheers Guys n Girls, yet again you come up trumps.
I have had a look at modo, and I agree as soon as they release the SketchUp plugin, it's gotta be the best solution for walkthroughs, quality renderer.
Just fed up of doing it in Max due to the time constraints, especially when the client always wants it yesterday.

Here is a sample of a Modo animation with textures reflections etc. I haven't done any site work, but the building is textured. I had to reformat and recompress the original to make it smaller, so the quality isn't as nice as the original.

Anyway. This will give you an idea of quality when realistic materials and lighting is applied. This is a LEED project we are working on at the National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan. Sedum roof, recycled brick, etc etc.

http://www.designorg.com/modo/portPavilion.mov

great animation jake, :craqueur:, i have modo demo, but don't really know hoy to use it:mad:, what's the learning curve for this one?

whos jake?
when transfering to MODO, do we have to put in all the materials again? or are they transfered with the model. if using archicad, what is the best way to create a half decent walkthrough. photo realistic isnt the issue, but as long as it smooth and doesnt look like a cartoon. hehehe

Thanks Alfonso. Not too hard to learn. Probably a better better that most.

missnikki,

All materials come in from SketchUp just fine, although lately I've had a few problems with the UV's. I don't know why. I use objs.

If you have too many nested groups or components then things textures can get scrambled. Just make a copy of the model so you can explode the problems areas, then export. Everything will work fine then.

I don't know anything about Archicad, but Modo is smooth and works really well for animation.

Jake
Thanks for the examples, you do amazing stuff. I have a couple of question.
Do you only import from sketchup, or do you use other software?
How long have you been using Modo?
You seem to have a lot of knowledge about rendering/ modeling software, is Modo your modeler of choice?