8,827
edits
Textures & Texture Maps in SketchUp: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
styling, needs a little more though ;)
(styling, needs a little more though ;)) |
|||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[ | Once you get into modelling for [[FlightGear]], you want to use textures. They give the certain touch of reality to every model. This tutorial shows you how to embed your own textures into a [[SketchUp]] (Skp) model on Mac and Windows. | ||
=== Copyright issues === | |||
Any textures found in the Skp paint-box are subject to Google copyright. As Flightgear operates under the terms of the [[GNU General Public License]], model makers must not use any item, be it texture, photograph, or code etc., unless it has been released under the terms of GPL. | |||
== Copyright | |||
Any textures found in the Skp paint-box are subject to Google copyright. As Flightgear operates under the terms of the General Public | |||
You can see all the details for GPL at: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html | You can see all the details for GPL at: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html | ||
| Line 14: | Line 8: | ||
The only things you can safely use in the Skp paint-box are the named colours. I recommend you open the ‘Colours’ or the ‘Colours-Named’ menu, and do everything from there, ignoring the rest of the main paint-box menus. That way you cannot accidentally use something you shouldn’t. | The only things you can safely use in the Skp paint-box are the named colours. I recommend you open the ‘Colours’ or the ‘Colours-Named’ menu, and do everything from there, ignoring the rest of the main paint-box menus. That way you cannot accidentally use something you shouldn’t. | ||
== Making your own | === Making your own textures === | ||
You can apply either a color or an overlay image (texture) to your model. Colors are easy, simply pick one of the predefined SketchUp colors. But it gets really nice and realistic once you use images. Let's assume you want to overlay ribbed concrete: | You can apply either a color or an overlay image (texture) to your model. Colors are easy, simply pick one of the predefined SketchUp colors. But it gets really nice and realistic once you use images. Let's assume you want to overlay ribbed concrete: | ||
# Take a photo of some ribbed concrete with a digital camera, preferably with some marks to show 1 square metre. | |||
# Upload that photo to your computer, then, in your photo processor (iPhoto on Mac; [[GIMP]], [http://www.irfanview.com/ IrfanView] or any other on windows), ‘Crop’ it to show just the square metre, and export it with a good ‘highest detail’/’lowest file size’ compromise (‘export to web’ in iPhoto). | |||
# During that export procedure, select a pixels size which is compatible with FlightGear - that means it must measure combinations of 2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256,512,1024, and so on. If you don't do this, FlightGear can show the image, but only after a resizing procedure, which eats up processor capacity. So you want to do that for FlightGear before applying the image to your model. You can rescale distorted images in SketchUp later again.<br>If this is to be the only texture for this model, try to keep the pixels as small as you can without losing too much detail. If it is to be part of a texture map (see below), you can keep the high pixel count at this stage to preserve detail, though it still needs to be set to the 2,4,8 etc.sizes.<br>[[Image:EXPORT.png|x356px]]<br>If your photo processor does not allow you to set the pixels, use another like Preview (Mac) or Gimp to pixel size the exported photo. | |||
# Save that photo to your desktop. | |||
====Semi-transparent textures==== | |||
[[Image:Textures_transparent.png|thumb|Semi-transparent textures]] Semi-transparent textures are a powerful tool. Especially when you want to model mesh, banisters, scaffolding etc., you can use semi-transparent textures to minimize the complexity of the model. Like in the model to the right. | |||
It's the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/modeledit.php?id=220 gasometer] by Jon Stockill. To simulate the framework, he uses a minimal image that is transparent except for the metal parts: [[Image:Textures_tranparent2.png]]. | |||
Another good example is the roof structure of the [http://scenemodels.flightgear.org/modeledit.php?id=795 A380 hangar] in Frankfurt (EDDF) by Christian Schmitt. | |||
==Loading your | ===Loading your texture into SketchUp=== | ||
Now you need to read that texture into SketchUp. | Now you need to read that texture into SketchUp. | ||
Mac: Select ‘New Texture’ from the ‘Colour’ menu inside the ‘Colours- Named’ section of the Skp paint-box.<br> | First you open the new texture dialog: | ||
Windows: Click the paint bucket (or select Window --> Materials), then click the 'Create Material...' button. | * Mac: Select ‘New Texture’ from the ‘Colour’ menu inside the ‘Colours- Named’ section of the Skp paint-box.<br> | ||
* Windows: Click the paint bucket (or select Window --> Materials), then click the 'Create Material...' button. | |||
[[Image:NewTexture.png]] [[Image:Textures1_win.png| | <div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:NewTexture.png|x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:Textures1_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" /> | ||
Select that, and you should be presented with the means to select the path to your photo (in this example we have put it on our desktop). | Select that, and you should be presented with the means to select the path to your photo (in this example we have put it on our desktop). | ||
Select your photo, and click ‘Open’. This will take it into the paint-box with whatever name you saved it with. | |||
[[Image:SelectPicture.png ]] [[Image:Textures2_win.png]] | <div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:SelectPicture.png |x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:Textures2_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" /> | ||
In the Skp paint-box you can give your new texture a unique name. Try to make this name relevant to the model you are making. This could be useful in reuniting them if ever the model and it’s texture get separated. For use in FlightGear there should not be any gaps in the texture name. | |||
[[Image:Name&Size.png]] | [[Image:Name&Size.png]] | ||
You need to set the size of your new concrete texture to 1M x 1M. This | |||
means: If the area you are using the texture in is bigger than 1 metre square, the texture will be repeated every metre in every direction, until the | means: If the area you are using the texture in is bigger than 1 metre square, the texture will be repeated every metre in every direction, until the | ||
whole target area is textured. | whole target area is textured. | ||
Applying the texture is the same as painting an area. | |||
# Select the texture. | |||
# Place the paint-pot tool over the target area, and click. | |||
If your texture is a specific item, e.g. a window, the picture of the window will be presented again and again. It will be necessary to position the texture to place the required section in the target area. I describe how to do this later. | If your texture is a specific item, e.g. a window, the picture of the window will be presented again and again. It will be necessary to position the texture to place the required section in the target area. I describe how to do this later. | ||
| Line 62: | Line 55: | ||
'' | '' | ||
[[Image:SizeinName.png]] [[Image:Textures3_win.png]] | |||
<div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:SizeinName.png|x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[Image:Textures3_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" /> | |||
'''TIP:''' ''When you first start modelling, there is a lot of satisfaction to be had from making very detailed models. The downside of that is the large file size produced. This affects loading times in FlightGear'' | '''TIP:''' ''When you first start modelling, there is a lot of satisfaction to be had from making very detailed models. The downside of that is the large file size produced. This affects loading times in FlightGear'' | ||
| Line 73: | Line 67: | ||
'' | '' | ||
== | === Making a texture map === | ||
If you only have one texture in a model there is no need to make a texture map, but if there are to be several textures used in the model, or, as in the Caribbean scenery project, the same textures used in many models - rather than have to forward/use multiple texture files, it is better to make a Texture Map. | If you only have one texture in a model there is no need to make a texture map, but if there are to be several textures used in the model, or, as in the Caribbean scenery project, the same textures used in many models - rather than have to forward/use multiple texture files, it is better to make a Texture Map. | ||
[[Image:Picture_2.png ]] | [[Image:Picture_2.png ]] | ||
| Line 100: | Line 85: | ||
the top left of my desktop whilst modelling.'' | the top left of my desktop whilst modelling.'' | ||
[[Image:Stickie.png ]] | [[Image:Stickie.png]] | ||
Next you need to mark the area where each texture is going to be placed on your model with the outline (usually a rectangle) of the texture. I call these 'targets'. | Next you need to mark the area where each texture is going to be placed on your model with the outline (usually a rectangle) of the texture. I call these 'targets'. | ||
| Line 106: | Line 91: | ||
Next, place a duplicate of each of the model's targets into as near a square as you can - flat on the ground using the 'Top' view under the 'Camera' menu. | Next, place a duplicate of each of the model's targets into as near a square as you can - flat on the ground using the 'Top' view under the 'Camera' menu. | ||
[[Image:TopView.png ]] | [[Image:TopView.png|x356px]] | ||
Use the ‘Orbit’ tool to make sure they are all level. | Use the ‘Orbit’ tool to make sure they are all level. | ||
[[Image:OrbitView.png ]] | [[Image:OrbitView.png]] | ||
Then go back to the ‘Top” view. | Then go back to the ‘Top” view. | ||
| Line 118: | Line 103: | ||
Next, texture each of the targets in your square (not the ones on your model). | Next, texture each of the targets in your square (not the ones on your model). | ||
[[Image:Textured.jpg ]] | [[Image:Textured.jpg|x356px]] | ||
It doesn't matter if they are not all the same way up because you can rotate them when you place them on your model. | It doesn't matter if they are not all the same way up because you can rotate them when you place them on your model. | ||
| Line 160: | Line 145: | ||
When you have clicked the paint pot onto your target area, right-click: this should give you the option to position the texture. | When you have clicked the paint pot onto your target area, right-click: this should give you the option to position the texture. | ||
Another right-click at this stage will give you the option to rotate the texture if necessary. | Another right-click at this stage will give you the option to rotate the texture if necessary. Do not forget to click 'Done' (right-click menu, or ctrl+click menu for Macs) when you have got the correct part of the texture map | ||
in your target area. | in your target area. | ||
| Line 172: | Line 157: | ||
extra texture file with that model. (It’s a pride thing I guess).'' | extra texture file with that model. (It’s a pride thing I guess).'' | ||
That is it. | |||
I hope this tutorial is helpful to you. | I hope this tutorial is helpful to you. | ||
| Line 180: | Line 165: | ||
(Special thanks to Alex Park, who showed me how to make texture maps.) | (Special thanks to Alex Park, who showed me how to make texture maps.) | ||
(And David (D-79) for the PC details to match my Mac instructions) | (And David (D-79) for the PC details to match my Mac instructions) | ||
[[Category:Howto]] | [[Category:Howto]] | ||
[[Category:Scenery enhancement]] | |||