Textures & Texture Maps in SketchUp: Difference between revisions

* '''Mac:''' Select ‘New Texture’ from the ‘Colour’ menu inside the ‘Colours- Named’ section of the SketchUp paint-box.<br />

<div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:NewTexture.png|x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:Textures1_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" />

Select your photo, and click "Open". This will take it into the paint-box with whatever name you saved it with.

<div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:SelectPicture.png |x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:Textures2_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" />

{{itip|When making a texture of an item like a door, or window, it is a good idea to include it’s measurements in the individual texture name. The name of each item in the paint- box appears when you hold your mouse pointer over it. This helps when marking up your model with its target areas.}}

<div style="float:left; clear:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:SizeinName.png|x356px]]</div><div style="float:left; margin:1em 5px 0px 0px; background-color:white; padding:3px; border:1px solid silver;">[[File:Textures3_win.png|x356px]]</div><br clear="left" />

{{itip|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.}}

{{itip|You could save a lot of file space by snapping the whole side of your model and making a texture of it to keep in all your hard earned detail, but with only one face on the texture to be counted.}}

Later, when your model is done and you [[SketchUp to AC3D exporter|export it to AC format]], the textures will be defined in that AC file. There, the RGB settings should be <tt>rgb 1 1 1</tt> for a correct display of the texture colors ([[AC files: Basic changes to textures and colors]]). To insure that this will be done automatically, you should set the color of the texture to <tt>rgb 1 1 1</tt> already in SketchUp. The texture will appear whitish in SketchUp, but correctly after export. You do that during the definition of the texture. In SketchUp, <tt>rgb 255 255 255</tt> is the same as <tt>rgb 1 1 1</tt> in the AC file:

'''NOTE:''' A texture map only works for textures which are used only once in each place. Textures that are used as tiles, i.e. appear many times next to each other to form a pattern (as in the gasometer example above), must stand alone. Otherwise the whole texture map would have to be the tile - which you probably do not want.

'''TIP:''' ''I do it all in SketchUp to ensure the measurements are correct and match my SketchUp model.''

You will not be able to use the repeats, as described in the previous section, so the size of each texture ‘Target’ area needs to be noted.  

'''TIP:''' ''I use a ‘stickie’ with these details permanently at the top left of my desktop whilst modelling.''

{| class="prettytable"

!Object

!Width (m)

!Height (m)

|Single door with shutters

|2.55

|2.25

|Double door with shutters

|4.11

|2.25

|Window with shutters

|2.54

|1.25

|Square

|4.7

|4.7

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, 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.  

Use the ‘Orbit’ tool to make sure they are all level.  

Then go back to the ‘Top’ view.

'''TIP:''' ''You can see an unwanted guide line in the above picture (Bottom right, above the word ‘Square’). If you make the individual targets into a group after you have textured them, you can easily move your square beyond the guide lines or make the guide lines and axes invisible during this exercise.''

{| class="prettytable"

!Object

!Width (m)

!Height (m)

|Single door with shutters

|2.55

|2.25

|Double door with shutters

|4.11

|2.25

|Window with shutters

|2.54

|1.25

|Square

|4.7

|4.7

Use the inside corner of each of those corner squares as the limits of your screen-shot (Photo). In this example the photo will be equal to 4.7m x 4.7m when you take it back into the SketchUp paint-box as a new texture. Use a photo processing application (like Gimp, Photoshop, (for Macs Preview or iPhoto will do as well)) to make the pixels a square of two. Keep the squared pixel size to the smallest one that keeps the necessary detail in the textures. Bear in mind most models are viewed as a 'flypast', which means at a distance. Try a couple of sizes to decide which will do the job effectively.

# Another right-click at this stage will give you the option to rotate the texture if necessary. Do not forget to click {{button|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.  

When you [[SketchUp to AC3D exporter|export your SketchUp file to .ac format]], there will only be one texture file.  

{{itip|Leave deleting the square until you have placed all of it’s constituent parts on your model. This makes it easier to add in any textured parts of your model which you had missed out. If you erased the square before this stage, you would have to start completely again from scratch, or have an extra texture file with that model. (It is a pride thing I guess).}}

''This tutorial was written by VicMar, with special thanks to Alex Park, who showed how to make texture maps, and D-79 for the PC details to match the Mac instructions)