have fixed the lack of .skp import yet?

No

Are you using Sketchup 7? If so, make sure you export as Sketchup v6.

The problem is, I think, that the extension SKP is not among those that Vue can import. At least, it doesn't appear in the import list in Vue7.
One workaround would be to export from sketchup in obj format.

Thanks all for your input. It's frustrating because Vue 6 does import .skp files natively (although not very well) It seems like the routine with e-on is 'pay more-get less'. Yes, the new clouds are beautiful, yes it renders faster, but, the 'new' plant system is nothing special, the material set ups are not easier to use only more "convenient" with metanodes, and the overall value for money just doesn't seem to be there. The exclusion of a previously included, widely used 3D format seems par for the course.

Attached Link: Bug fixes

Following popular demand, we decided to lift 2 limitations in the Vue for 3D Artist line of products*:

•  
• With the RenderUp module, Vue can now access up to 8 CPUs.
• Multiple undo/redo is no longer limited to 3 operations when the DeepAccess module is installed.  

Additionally a new software update is available for the Vue 7 Esprit, Pro Studio and Complete pre-releases.

Read the full list of fixes and improvements, and download your update here!

** Windows 64 bit and Mac OSX operating systems only -
these limitations still apply to the Win32 versions of Vue, due to the 2 GB memory limit**.

So useless for probably 90% of users....

Particularly for the people who use the artist software and dont have money to spend on uber computers. Or am I missing the point?

Also when did win32 have a 2gb memory limit? isnt it 3 - 3.5?

Quote - "Also when did win32 have a 2gb memory limit? isnt it 3 - 3.5?"

3 to 3.5 is the limit for the operating system, but 2GB is the limit per application. So, even if you have 3GB in a 32 bit system, each app will not use more than 2GB.

One question: why do you say this is useless for 90% of the users? And what is, exactly?

Huh? How does a 3 undo operation limit have anything to do with a 2GB memory limit? Vue 6I on Win32 has no such limit ... doesn't make sense.

Don't understand that train of thought at all ...

Quote - Quote - "Also when did win32 have a 2gb memory limit? isnt it 3 - 3.5?"

3 to 3.5 is the limit for the operating system, but 2GB is the limit per application. So, even if you have 3GB in a 32 bit system, each app will not use more than 2GB.

One question: why do you say this is useless for 90% of the users? And what is, exactly?

Those two fixes that dont work on systems that aren't win 64 or mac osx (I guess mac osx is standard, didnt think of that) I would guess that most non infinite, xstream windows users are on 32, not 64, and so to them those fixes are useless.

for clarity, these two fixes.

Quote - - With the RenderUp module, Vue can now access up to 8 CPUs.

• Multiple undo/redo is no longer limited to 3 operations when the DeepAccess module is installed.

I didnt know that win 32 could only use 2gb per app. You learn something new everyday.

32 bit apps, when run in a Win32 environment, are limited to 2 GB, unless they are compiled with the /LARGEADDRESS option, in which case they can address 3GB. If you run a 32 bit app in the Win32 environment provided by a Win64 OS, you can access up to 4GB in the /LARGEADDRESS case.

Bye!!!

P.S. I recently got a new computer, not going to some prebuild trash, but picking each part. For 800 Euros (tax included) I got a 3GHz E8400, 8GB of ram, a nVidia 9500GT with 1GB of ram, 500 GB harddisk, an P5K ASUS motherboard, Vista64 Home Pro and the case. The moral is that nowadays, if you build your computer selecting parts and staying away from brand names, you can get a dastardly machine for just a handful of money. To put into perspective, in 1991 I got my second IBM compatible PC which has a gargantuan 230 MB (yes megabytes!) hard disk which costed, at that time, 1.6 million lire (which would be about 1500 Euros today...).

Quote - "I would guess that most non infinite, xstream windows users are on 32, not 64, and so to them those fixes are useless."

I see. But I wouldn't be so sure that the percentage of 64 bit users is as low as 10%. In the forums, it's notorious an increasingly big number of posters with 64 bit systems. In the market in general, the shift to 64 bit is tremendous. In the link below, you can see that already in June, 20% of all new Vista users had 64 bit systems. And that was more than 6 months ago, I'd bet now it's much more. Of course, there's still a big installed base of 32 bit systems but that is very rapidly decreasing.

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/07/30/windows-vista-64-bit-today.aspx

I installed the patch and Vue imports about 50% of Google Sketchup models.... I find myself using version 6.5 (Pro Studio) more then version 7 for most of my renders ..... Too bad 6.5 doesn't support Sketchup models though.....

But, sorry to ask again, what's the problem in exporting from Sketchup in OBJ format and importing into Vue in that format? What's the specific advantage of importing into Vue in SKP format?

The first and biggest problem of all... E-on is advertising their software has this function... A function which I paid for... This function is listed as working and available in e-on's description of Vue...

In order to export an obj you have to have the Pro version of Google Sketchup OR use the obj plugin on the free version of Sketchup. I've used the plugin but had problems with the export...

Bottom line I paid for a product which does not deliver as promised... I believe this is borderline misleading advertisement.... As far as I know misleading advertisement is against the law in most countries....

Cheers

Ken

There is no reliable free OBJ exporter for SketchUp.

Spending 495$ just to get OBJ export is a theft (and before you start praising SketchUp, ask yourself if a modeler which chokes above 50.000 polygons per scene is worth 495$) .

E-On could not care less about us (being the only game in town).

B.T.W. I realized that the 6Pro to 7Inf upgrade offer is valid only up to Feb. 2 so we also have to hurry to get it...

Bye :cursing:

What offer? I was not aware of any?

I have a free OBJ exporter for the free version of SketchUp 6 that works great.

Oh...and where can it be downloaded?

Thanks kindly...

Ken

I'll find you the link when I'm back at the studio.

 Ken, it's probably the same plugin I referred to you over at the other forum.

Turns out Google just doesn't provide a skp translator api for 64-bit OS'es. So those using Vue 7 64-bit, won't have the skp option on import.

For more on the status of SU import check out:

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?thread_id=2760750&page=2#message_3373378

Yes, it's the obj_export_1.1.rb plugin for version 6.  Just copy it into your SketchUp 6 plugin folder and then click on the Plugin Menu when you want to save your object in OBJ format.

I did a test just now with Hexagon 1.21 which I use to clean up models sometimes.  But there was nothing to clean except for a negative union I did in SketchUp which Hexagon needed to do a boolean cut of to make it the same. 

 I just saw there's a new .obj plugin. I suspect it will work with SU7. You can check it out at:

http://jim.foltz.googlepages.com/ObjExporter.rb

The strange fact about SKP file format is that there is an application, Moi (http://moi3d.com/) which can EXPORT to SKP. This hints at Google disclosing the SKP file format to some selected developers...

...if only DAZ added some alignement tools (a-la SketchUp) to Hexagon :crying:... we would not need to mess with SketchUp.

Bye

P.S.: SketchUp is extremely intuitive, has a simple and confortable UI (something the Blender penguinistas should learn from) but is a complete dog with non trivial models.

If you don't believe this, just search on Google 3d warehouse for some multimegabytes model (e.g. search for castle), download and open the file with SketchUp.

Now, try to simply orbit around the model.

I have found that AC3D (a 60$ modeler) is more responsive with a 300.000 polygons model than SketchUp 6 (495$) with a 60.000 poly model. Now think about ZBrush or Modo, capable of handling multi million polygons models with a price tag less than 1000$...and at last do the poly-per-dollar math.

Quote - The strange fact about SKP file format is that there is an application, Moi (http://moi3d.com/) which can EXPORT to SKP. This hints at Google disclosing the SKP file format to some selected developers...

Google has an import/export api which can be licensed by any developer.
http://sketchupapi.blogspot.com/2009/01/sketchup-7-sdk-is-now-available.html

Quote - Now think about ZBrush or Modo, capable of handling multi million polygons models with a price tag less than 1000$.

Actually, modo 302 is terrible when it comes to million-poly models.  Carrara Pro 5.1 can easily handle that many though. modo 401 will handle stuff over a million polygons much better.

Quote - > Quote - The strange fact about SKP file format is that there is an application, Moi (http://moi3d.com/) which can EXPORT to SKP. This hints at Google disclosing the SKP file format to some selected developers...

Google has an import/export api which can be licensed by any developer.
http://sketchupapi.blogspot.com/2009/01/sketchup-7-sdk-is-now-available.html

The SketchUp OBJ exporter you pointed out is the best I have ever tried (slow as molasses, but this is Ruby fault :biggrin:).

Unfortunately, the SDK provides a complex environment to create exporters without documenting the SKP file format (you are provided just precompiled libraries) and, unless you are fluent with C++ programming, MFC and ATL, you can forget about it (I am fluent with the first two things, not with the third one, having in the last years gone the Qt/.NET way).

I have tried tried the plug in with complex SKPs (e.g. see http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a3012caa8ad4739a276cee7e775657f1, which internally is a 590.000 polygons scene!) but after an hour it had not ended so I just killed SketchUp.

B.T.W., even the KMZ version 4 export of the above mentioned model did not work when opening the Collada file with MeshLab, so I think that we should accept the fact that SketchUp is to be used a a sketching app for fixing ideas and, perhaps, as a tool to create basic shapes, to be then completed in real modelers (like Hex or bigger ones), not as a complete modeling app.

Again, thanks a lot for pointing out the OBJ exporter!

Bye!!!

I've downloaded a few free Sketchup models and the bounding box in some of the models is way bigger then the model itself. Is there a way to reduce the size of the bounding box or get rid of the bounding box altogether?

Thanks

When I see those things, that normally means that I have a "stray" component. One of the components of that object is way out of its normal place and because the bounding box covers everything, it seems to be covering just empty space. Many times, it happens that that component is a very small one and that makes it difficult to spot. What I normally do is isolate the object in a layer of its own and ungroup it. Then, with the mouse, I can try to capture that component.

Or it can be the ground. Some sketchup objects come with a big ground object that, when you load the object in Vue, gets under the Vue ground and you don't immediately see it.