Get that Perfect 3D Shape

Google SketchUp 7 lets you create stunningly real 3D models such as buildings, landscapes, etc. Here we show how to make a small coffee table in a few steps

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

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This 3D modeling software is very easy to learn and can be used to create practically anything you want on Earth and beyond. What's more, you can upload finished 3D models to Google Earth. Also, share your 3D models and designs with others by posting them to the Google 3D Warehouse.

You can directly import a lot of innovative images from the 3D Warehouse to SketchUp for making a 3D model. Another killer feature of this software is the 'Scale' tool for changing the size of an image. The program automatically adds or removes the intermediate steps without any stretching or distortion of the image.

You can design your objects using rectangles, circles, ovals, arcs, lines and freehand drawings tools and change these to 2D objects with the help of the 'Push/Pull' tool.

Go to '>Window >Preferences' and select a template. In Camera' menu choose 'Parallel Projection'. Click on 'Front' and 'Iso' icons and select 'Zoom Extents' and Shader tool.	Select the 'Rectangle' tool and draw a rectangle. Click the 'Push/Pull' tool to press and drag the rectangle to make a box or leg. Clicking the 'X-Ray' tool shows the complete box area.

Choose the 'Select' tool to select the top of the box. You can see blue dots on the top, when you select that area. Clicking on the 'Scale' tool shows eight cubes on the selected area.	These eight cubes are for gripping and pulling. Hovering the mouse cursor over a cube turns it red. You can also see a connecting line through these cubes.

Drag the red cube on top downwards to get a crossed leg. Drag the top portion of the leg upwards, using the Push/Pull tool. Click on 'Zoom Extends' tool to get the exact picture.	Open the 'Window' menu and select 'Layers', 'Entity Info' and 'Components.' In Layers, press '+' to create Layer1 and select it in 'Entity Info.' Right click on a leg to make a component.

Draw a rectangle on the floor and go to 'Components'. You see a new component, #1, when you click the house icon. Drag the component to the floor, next to the first leg.	Repeat the same procedure to create two more legs. To delete the square at the base, select it and use the 'Del' key from the keyboard for deletion.

Rotate the screen using 'Orbit' tool to make the legs straight and draw a rectangle on top of the legs. Select the new rectangle and push it up a little using the 'Push/Pull' tool.	Click on the 'PaintBucket' tool to choose an attractive paint for the table. You can paint the table head and legs separately with different colors and apply different textures.

Select 'Snow02' from the 'Library' materials group and drag it into the 'Area 1 (full)' scene. In Properties, select 'Snow02' and change the 'Placing Conditions' values shown.	Click on 'Cumulonimbus' cloud and drag it to within the 'Crater'. Select 'Cloud Shape' property and change the values as shown. Set 'Height above Surface' as 40.

Click on 'Cumulonimbus' cloud again and place it on top of the first cloud. Select the new cloud and change values as shown. Set 'Height above Surface' as 80.	Repeat the previous step a few more times. Select each cloud and set the values bigger each time. Also place the new cloud on top of the previous cloud. Click on the Render icon.

For fine tuning, select 'Cloud Shape' and change each cloud's Voxel Number, Random Seed and Spheres Number. Do some variations with the 'Cloud Profile' as well.	Real volcanoes contain gases, steam, mud and ash when they erupt. Change cloud color to R180, G180, B180 and Ambient color to R255, G235, B170 for all clouds. Start rendering now.

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