[Sheik]

I made a new tutorial on how to render trees directly from SketchUp.
http://think.maxwellrender.com/tree_tutorial_132.html
It is more of a tip on how to swap low-res 2d trees for high-ploy 3d trees just before export. Using this method you should be able to keep the SU file size reasonable, and the view will still update so fast that it is nice to work with the scene. The tutorial also explains how you should try to setup your trees for maximum instancing.
There is also a nice render-ready tree as 2d and 3d in the tutorial skp file. Thanks to Kvistenbiebel for that tree.
Covering every aspect of the workflow in detail would have made the tutorial too confusing, so I will try to answer questions regarding that on this tread.
Sheik

[jo]

Thank you Sheik!!!!!!!!

Ciao, Gio

[Richard]

Thanks Sheik, nice little tut!!!

The tree beibel supplied is actually one he created using the "TREE FACTORY" that I developed some years ago as a way to quickly develop 3d tree models and seems for SU use they will likely endure or if i get around to improving the file one day grow in use in SU. If care is taken the trees can weigh in rather lightly in SU.

I've promised to send you an onyx tree but to date I'm really having trouble getting them in to SU without it just stalling due to the high poly count of the tree where every item of the tree is independant geometry!

I got a bit lost in your tut I must say! i haven't been able to play with instancing due to the 1.6.1 and the latest pluging not working for me!

From the tut I'm assuming the process your suggesting is to replace all billboards with the 3d models prior to export??? Is this correct??

Secondly you I believe suggest the exploding of all 3d trees down to their minimum component level ie, leaves, branches and trunk??? This I believe will cause major problems in SU if the model ever needs to be edited later?? Major drag on SU!!!

the original TREE FACTORY file had included a dummy tree component surround this was on the DUMMY TREE layet and the 3d tree on the TREE layer this enabled you to position, rotate and scale the tree with the DUMMY TREE layer on TREE layer off for fast population of the scene! It is a shame the exporter does recognise this hiracy as the indigo exporter does replacing the DUMMY TREE with the TREE upon export in fact it only counts on the TREE being "IN MODEL" it doesn't even have to be replicated in the scene!!!!!

If you are counting on 10 different high poly elements (plants) all replicated numerous times in any scene the current workflow through the plugin doesn't look to be much of a saving particularly if all need to be exploded to lowest elements to be of worth in memory saving!

A question there too is the memory saving you are talking about actually in SU or during rendering??

Sorry for so many questions!

[Sheik]

The tree beibel supplied is actually one he created using the "TREE FACTORY" that I developed some years ago as a way to quickly develop 3d tree models and seems for SU use they will likely endure or if i get around to improving the file one day grow in use in SU. If care is taken the trees can weigh in rather lightly in SU.

I wasn´t sure it was the same Richard. These trees work nicely, so please do improve the tree factory so we can make all kinds of trees.

…the latest pluging not working for me!

Really, what’s wrong?

From the tut I'm assuming the process your suggesting is to replace all billboards with the 3d models prior to export??? Is this correct??

You can replace the trees just before export, when you don´t need to move the camera anymore, or edit the scene.
You don’t have to replace all trees, just the ones in the front. You will not be able to tell if the background trees are 3D or billboards (there is an clipmap mxm fot the billboards, and I adjusted it so it renders just like to 3D one). This also makes the rendering much faster.

Secondly you I believe suggest the exploding of all 3d trees down to their minimum component level ie, leaves, branches and trunk??? This I believe will cause major problems in SU if the model ever needs to be edited later?? Major drag on SU!!!

Yes, one thing I didn’t mention in the tut is that you should save the file before exploding the trees, and you can the revert back to the saved version after export. If you continue working with the file you can again swap the 3d trees for billboards.
If you only export a few 3D trees you are fine without exploding them.

A question there too is the memory saving you are talking about actually in SU or during rendering??

I was referring to the Maxwell rendering memory consumption.

[macitect]

Sheik,

Fantastic tutorial! Thanks so much for that. I just found it now looking for info on clipmaps...

cheers,
macitect