Trimble....WTF? [sic] Will Trimble Fail?
Last month we were under
SketchUcation’s
Commander
Using Photomatch to make
the umbrella of Google. Then
in Chief, Mike Lucey, takes
chairs, wielding CurviLoft like a
out of the blue comes Trimble.
a look at the acquistion and
true ninja and twisted columns
SketchUp
offers some insight into where
without using plugins.
users
from
all
disciplines were shocked to see their favourite 3D software change hands. What will this mean for Sketchup?
this journey will take us.
Enjoy the read!
But it’s still business as usual for CatchUp and all the regulars return with top tips and tricks.
photomatch tip
get twisted
curviloft tips
04 Create a Presidential Chair using Photomatch. Adriana Granados’ step by step tutorial in Photomatch modeling.
11 Twisted columns in minutes. Eric Lay returns with another quality tutorial using only native tools.
16 Organic modeling in SketchUp. Aidan Chopra’s takes a look a Fredo’s CurviLoft and explains
trimble study
Gallery
thrupaint
24 Mike Lucey . UV Mapping plugin gets chewed and reviewed. Is this a game changer for SketchUp?
38 Are you featured? Our members submissions to the Gallery for April.
29 Looking into the new mapping plugin by Fredo.
Presidential Chair in photomatch by adriana granados
ornate designs are more intricate but make a big difference Match Photo has been widely used as a tool for applying photos to a building. However, this tool can also be used to create furniture, kitchens, lighting or any object used in interior design. In many instances you will see an object in a magazine that you would like to include in your design. Creating objects or furniture sometimes can be very time consuming. Match Photo is a
SketchUp’s camera to match the position and focal length of the digital camera used to take the picture.
perfect alternative to model complex geometry in
For today I have selected this presidential chair
a short time.
which I will use to explain the process to be
SketchUp allows you to model your designs using the actual, real-world scale 1:1. However, digital pictures are not to scale. Therefore, to create a 3D model that matches a photo, you must calibrate
followed for modeling with Match Photo.
To be successful; with matching depends on the way your picture is taken. These are the common aspects to take into account: •
Take photos at a roughly 45 degree angle to each corner of the model.
•
Do not crop photos; the point at which you aimed the camera should be in the center of the image.
•
Do not warp photos.
•
Do not use wide-angle lens cameras. All cameras have a little bit of barrel distortion and it is typically worse around the edges of the image.
•
Avoid stitched images and foreground elements.
To start your Match Photo process select Camera > Match New Photo. The photo will appear in the drawing area on its own scene in SketchUp. You are also placed in a matching mode where you will calibrate SketchUp’s camera to duplicate the position and focal length of the camera used to take the actual photo. The words ‘Match Photo’ appear in the upper-left of the drawing area.
Right-click /Done or click on the Done button in the Match Photo window. You are placed in a sketching mode. This mode, unlike normal SketchUp drawing mode, is a 2D drawing mode. The words ‘Match Photo’ appear in the upperleft of the drawing area. The Pencil tool is active. Trace a face following the red and blue directions to get a flat face over the edges of the leftmost side of the chair in the photo. Add the other edges being sure that you are always On Face when you are tracing. Erase the bottom, upper and back lines once you have completed the left face.
Push/Pull tool has been used to create the arm volume. I continued tracing to complete half of the chair. At some point I needed to orbit to reach edges that are not visible from the Match Photo view. Above you can see each part I modeled using only native SketchUp tools. Once happy with the general look I added some extra details to give the chair more substance. A single component was used for the rivets and it was set to ‘Glue to any’ meaning placing around arms and sides was quick and easy. You could also use PhotoMatch’s ‘Project Photo’ feature to texture the geometry using the photo itself. This would mean adjusting the texture in areas where there are none.
For the legs, I started with a pentagon placing it close to the location shown in the picture even though in a later step I moved it to match the middle point of the seat. I repeated the same process, guessing the back part that was not visible in the picture. I created a component that I copied, rotating it around the pentagon. I grouped the half seat and the legs into two separate groups to prevent the geometry sticking.
Once I finished with the legs I copied and flipped the constructed half of the seat to complete the chair.
If you wanted a more lo-poly version that uses only the Photomatch textures you can use the same technique above but limit the level of detail in each piece. The trick here is to leverage the photo to create an illusion of detail but keeping the actual geometry to a bare minimum.
rope twist by eric lay
First start with a spiral making method by Kanal von KitoRaupp that can be found on Youtube here. Basically you push/pull a 24 segment circle any desired distance, erase the upper circle then rotate the bottom circle to skew the leftover lines by 15 degrees. You then copy those lines vertically 23 times which creates 24 spirals that travel 360 degrees each. Erase all but one spiral and scale it down about the center of the spiral. Now you can copy that full spiral up a desired amount of times for your column. Make that spiral a component before you continue.
Line up your spiral with a reference image, this one provided by Antoine (Marvin’s Dad) on the SketchUcation Forums. Note that I added an extra twist segment as we will cut the bottom and top flush and need some extra for that purpose. Also note that the spiral is located where the center of the circle will follow it. However don’t worry if it does not line up perfectly as you can tweak the final result.
Note that this example has two spirals in the twist of the column, kind of like two ropes twisting around each other. So the next step is to copy your spiral and rotate it 90 degrees.
Draw a line vertically between two points on the spiral, divide it in half and use that as the radius for a new circle. I used 12 segments for this example.
Move the circle to the end of one of the spirals then rotate it perpendicular to the first segment on the spiral.
Cut and paste the circle into the component. Select the spiral then use the follow me command and click on the circle. This will create the body of your rope column.
Move the spirals over your reference image again. If it is not exactly aligned use the scale tool to tweak out the alignment.
Finally add a base and cap to your column, intersecting the top and bottom of the spirals and removing the unwanted geometry.
SKetchUp TIP: organic modeling made simple by aidan chopra
The process of extruding one 2D profile such that it ends in another, different 2D profile is often called lofting. There’s no easy way to do this in plain ol’ SketchUp, but there are plenty of plugins that make it possible. The one I’ve been obsessed with lately is called Curviloft; it’s by the venerable Fredo6. If you need to learn about plugins in general, including how to install them, visit the plugins page on our website. Curviloft lets you do three basic operations; which one you use depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. For the sake of brevity (and simplicity), I’m going to focus on only the first operation in this post: Loft By Spline.
The Basics Let’s say you have two profiles that you want to connect together. The example below is super-simple: It’s a circle directly above a
square.
Here,
I
want to connect the two with a shape that goes directly between them. Curviloft’s Loft By Spline tool was made for just this kind of thing. I start with two flat profiles (shapes) positioned one above the other.
With nothing selected, I activate Loft By Spline and click once on each shape. Because there are only two, it doesn’t matter which shape I click first. If there were more than two, I’d click in the order that I want to connect them, starting at either end. When both profiles are numbered, I click the green checkmark in the Curviloft toolbar (see below). This brings me into Preview mode, where I can see what I’m about to end up with.
The Curviloft toolbar is complicated; there’s no getting around it. The good news is that you don’t have to understand what all the controls do in order to use the tool. In Preview mode, you can just click things to see what happens. There’s no shame in experimentation.
I like to fiddle with the Spline Method settings first (see below). This is where you control the shape of the vertical lines (splines) that connect the two profiles—in this case, the circle and the square. The three options that I find give the most interesting results are “Junction by connected lines”, “Bezier curves – Respect tangency (Method 2)” and “Junction by Orthogonal Bezier Curves”. By all means, try the other buttons, too; there’s gold in them thar hills.
Playing with the Vertex Matching controls also yields some useful options (see below). Here, you’re telling Curviloft how to decide which points on the perimeter of each profile should connect to one another. In this case, the circle has 24 endpoints and the circle only has four. The tool does its best to figure out the intermediate geometry, but the Vertex Matching settings let you provide guidance. For me, the most interesting button is the one on the far right; often, deselecting “Orientate contours to their best-fit box” seems to produce better results. Click it a few times to see what happens.
When you’re satisfied, hit Enter on your keyboard (or click the green checkmark on the toolbar) to finish generating the result.
Cool variation #1: Twisting While you’re still in Preview mode, clicking on black part of your preview object opens yet another set of controls. The Properties of the Edited Junction window shows you more information about the connections in the operation you’re doing. My favorite widgets here have to do with twisting; they let you rotate either of your profiles (in this case, the circle and the square) by 15 or 90 degree increments. The result is an insanely cool twisting effect. Click the little right and left arrows and you’ll see what I mean. Addictive, no?
Cool variation #2: Offset profiles Loft by Spline works great on profiles that aren’t lined up perfectly, too. Below, I’ve moved and rotated the circle.
Again, trying different Spline Method settings produces pretty wildly different results.
I dare you not to waste an afternoon playing with Curviloft. The other two tools in the set let you loft along a path and “skin” connected profile edges, but Loft by Spline is pretty powerful on its own. Remember that Curviloft is donationware, meaning that if you like it, you can contribute to its author; you’ll find an option to do so in the Curviloft menu after you install it. Here are some quick examples of shapes I whipped up while I was working on this post:
by Mike Lucey At 7:18am on Thursday the 26th
would appear to fully recognize
April last, it was announced on
that SketchUp is no ordinary 3D
The Official Google SketchUp
application. It is far more than that
Blog, that the SketchUp team and
to many long time users here at
technology will be leaving Google
SketchUcation. Words like ‘love’
to join Trimble. The SketchUp
have often been used by members
Product Manager, John Bacus
to describe how highly they regard
advised,
SketchUp and the Community that
‘We’ll be better able to focus on our core communities: modelers who have been with us from
has grown up around the product. I know of no other application that is in this position.
the beginning, as well as future
John
SketchUppers who have yet to
SketchUp users that SketchUp will
discover our products. Designers,
be in good hands. I welcome this
builders and makers of things
reassurance as there will always
have always been the heart and
be doubts about a product’s
soul of SketchUp. With Trimble’s
future when ownership changes.
commitment to invest in our
This was the case when Google
growth, we’ll be able to innovate
purchased SketchUp from @Last
and develop new features better
and it is the same now that Trimble
than ever before.’
is becoming the new owner.
I’m extremely glad that Trimble
goes
on
John Bacus to
reassure
designers, builders and makers have always been the heart and soul of SketchUp
As many early SketchUp adopters know, the app was designed with building professionals in mind, even though it has been leveraged by many other disciplines, too many to mention.
remain! ‘If you’re one of the many, many people who use SketchUp for something else—from education to woodworking, geo-modeling to movie-making—rest
Reading John’s comments in relation to what he feels
assured that there will be a SketchUp for you, too. Our
Trimble will bring to SketchUp for building professionals
mission has always been to make 3D modeling tools
is very interesting and well worth noting...
that anyone can use. The free version of SketchUp is
‘For those of you in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, the knowledge and
an important part of our world as well, and that isn’t changing in the least.’
experience Trimble will add to the SketchUp effort are
Word from Trimble is thinner on the ground but I
obvious. Together with our new colleagues at Trimble,
noticed this statement from Steven Berglund, Trimble
we plan to continue making our tools for the building
CEO. He briefly addressed the proposed SketchUp
professions as innovative, intuitive and (dare I say)
acquisition, saying that SketchUp is an,
fun to use as we always have.’
“effective tool for millions of architectural, engineering
I hope this will be the case and from what I have
and construction users. We see SketchUp as a central
read about Trimble, they certainly have the required
platform for providing the glue that will couple field
resources, both capital and software / hardware, to
operations with other enterprise activities. SketchUp,
bring SketchUp to a new level.
together with Tekla and a number of other recent
While SketchUp has grown in popularity under Google’s ownership I feel the product itself did not receive the attention it deserved. Let’s hope that it will receive this needed attention under Trimble.
acquisitions and internal developments, gives us the tools to provide these more complete solutions. Our initial focus will be on providing solutions for the cadastral, heavy civil and building construction markets.”
I also read into John’s and other statements, correct or not, that there could well be a number of SketchUp flavors. Currently we have the free and Pro versions with little difference between them with the exception of some features that only professionals would possibly require including LayOut. It now looks that there could be a number of new flavors coming on the market also the free version will
SketchUp and Tekla give us the tools for more complete solutions
This again is good to hear from the ‘other side’ so to speak. However I imagine a question that is on everyone’s mind is what did Trimble pay for SketchUp, not that it makes any difference to ordinary users, more a case of possibly liking to think that the price was higher than Google paid when purchasing from @Last. In these days of very uncertain economic times, values can hit rock bottom overnight. However in the case of SketchUp it looks that it possibly has at least doubled in value over the last 6 year period. This is good to know in my opinion, as something that is acquirement cheaply is not often fully appreciated and utilized In a recent Net assessment about the SketchUp acquisition, Steven Berglund, is reported as saying, ….he is “comfortable with our ability to manage anticipated post SketchUp levels of debt.” The company’s guidance includes a $100 million to $150 million increase in debt levels; one analyst on the call asked it that was due to SketchUp. Mr. Berglund declined to be specific but did say that “We have not disclosed the SketchUp number, by mutual agreement with Google. But, every quarter we do 2 to 3 acquisitions. If you look at Q1, that’s what we did. So it’s all up, it is captured in that number.”
Steven Berglund
The final ground I would like to cover in this article is
I really don’t know, time will tell. All I can do is connect
the result of a question that was asked of me shortly
the dots, look at the picture and hope for the best. I
after the various announcements, this was ‘Who
just trust and hope that SketchUp under Trimble will be
the hell is Trimble?’. When asked I had very little
fully appreciated and give the ‘loving’ and dedicated
idea except vague recollections of hearing the name
care that the SketchUp Community has been giving
mentioned to me occasionally by surveyors that I do
it since August 2000 also fully resource and allow
business with. However I have looked up as much
the dedicated SketchUp Team to bring it to the new
as I can on the Net and now feel that Trimble Inc
heights that are being sought here on SketchUcation,
could be good for SketchUp. Companies are after all
the ‘Friendly Place For All Your SketchUp Needs’.
just made up of people. I reached my very broad and hopefully correct assessment after learning about one of Trimble’s original co-founders, a Charles R. Trimble, who now appears to be possibly retired from the company and involved in the Small Business Innovation Research Program (Policy and
Global
Affairs) The
under National
Academies.
I
was gladdened to note on the Trimble Site, its Small Business P r o g r a m , possibly
a
legacy from Mr Trimble! I also have it form a very reliable source that Steven Berglund is a ‘beer and pretzel guy!’, just like the SketchUp Team and many of the SketchUp faithful! This has been very much in evidence at the past 3 SketchUp 3D Basecamps! So! What the bottom line?
connect the dots, look at the picture and hope for the best
ThruPAINT by rich o’brien
Last month we got an exclusive look at Dale Marten’s SketchUV plugin which brought a new level of texture mapping to SketchUp. But then Fredo goes and drops a paint bomb on us all with ThruPaint. Both SketchUV and ThruPaint are new mapping plugins for SketchUp but they have notable differences. If you want to see what SketchUV is capable of then you should read our review in the last edition of CatchUp. Here will we look at what ThruPaint can do. First off, ThruPaint resides within a suite of tools that Fredo calls FredoTools. This toolset is available for free on the SketchUcation forums and I encourage users to take time to make a donation to Fredo’s PayPal account as his contributions over the years have raised SketchUp to another level. You kind find Fredo’s donation link under Tools > FredoTools>Donation... Now to the meat and veg of ThruPaint. As I mentioned it resides with FredoTools and you can activate it through either a toolbar icon or via the tools menu itself. Once activated you will see the usual screen overlay that Fredo uses for most of his plugins. This is broken down in the images below.
Along with the ability to choose your UV painting type you can also dictate how you want your surface or face to be painted. Which gives you great control over how you want to texture your mesh. You can even dictate to paint only front faces, only back faces or both. This mixed with the surface selection modes really speeds up the painting process.
The final set of parameters concerns edges and you can really dial in the type of edges you want to have a material applied to. Whether Softened, Hardened, Smoothened, Hidden or a mixture it offer the flexibility to do this in a one click operation. Using the tool could not be simple as it is a very visual process. Once you have defined how you want to apply your texture you simply hover over any geometry and ThruPaint highlights areas dependant on your parameters.
One of ThruPaints strongest features is it’s ability to dig into groups/components and paint. Its progressive paint mode allows you to simply paint direct on the mesh without having to edit the group/component before hand. If you are familiar with SketchUp’s way of handling painted groups/components then you will know how useful this is. This, coupled with the face/edge selection setting, is a huge timesaver. But there one last surprise on ThruPaints arsenal that really makes your jaw drop......
It is called the Visual Editor and it is simply amazing. It will only be available when you are painting textures (not colours) as textures have dimensions since they are image based. Below you can see firstly the default SketchUp Paint tool result followed by the ThruPaint Natural UV showing the Visual Editor features. With the Visual Editor you can Move, Scale, and Rotate textures using a Gizmo, Arrow Keys or via the VCB box.
ThruPaint is another excellent addition to SketchUp’s ever growing plugin library. It tackles a weakness that users have identified for along time and delivers great results. It is worth noting that not all meshes can be mapped using the Quad or Natural UV method but you can selectively target areas and use the Projection method with good results. This method even comes with a dedicated UI that allows full control over how you can apply the projected texture. ThruPaint and SketchUV can draw similarities to a certain extent but they take wholly different approaches. Fredo’s tool is still reliant on SketchUp and the users abilitiy to generate good meshes. Whilst SketchUV offers more quick and dirty methods and it allows users to export the UVs externally and map them in another app. Both are equally powerful and used in tandem you have a complete mapping solution It is fair to say that Fredo has gone and done it again. He has addressed a longstanding issue and applied clever techniques to overcome it. This can be said for all his plugins - FredoScale, RoundCorner, ToolsonSurface each time we are left dazzled by their depth and ease of use. Get your version here.
IRender nXt
Photorealistic Rendering Plugin
IRender nXt is an easy to learn, yet powerful plugin for creating photorealistic renderings from right inside Google SketchUp. Create stunning images of your designs with this amazingly flexible, surprisingly affordable, plugin. If you can draw it in SketchUp, you can render it with iRender nXt.
plugin tip : grow by rich o’brien Moving, rotating and scaling in SketchUp can at times be a frustrating task. Especially when you want to accomplish all three at once. TIG’s Grow plugin takes the frustration out of such laborious work and creates wonders before your very eyes! Using the tool could not be simpler.Select either geometry, group or component and choose ‘Grow’ from the plugins menu. Your cursor will change and you are asked to pick the ‘Growth Point Origin’. Once you have located the grow point then you are faced with your first set of parameters. Simply input the number of copies you want along with any translations you would like the selected entity to go through. So linear arrays to fancy rotational arrays are all possible here.
Choosing to use scaling brings up a second dialog box that offers a multitude of scaling parameters. These parameters are also associated to three principles of translation - spacing, rotating and copying. The x/y/z translations also include 3 scaling types - linear, expotential and fibonacci. So you have a sublime level of control over the scale factor. Finally, you get the decide the order of the translations. This allows you to control the order that the move/rotate/scale operations are done. Sometimes the order has no effect on the result, but other times it will give quite different outcomes. Try experimenting with different ‘orders’ to see the affects. Sometimes, just like in manual modeling, moving an object and rotating it about a fixed point will give a quite different result compared to rottaing it first and then moving it. TIG’s Grow plugin is a great addition to SketchUp and can make often puzzling translations are breeze. You can download Grow here and make sure to read the installation instructions carefully.
CO M M U NI T Y
SHOWCASE
The latest gallery submissions on SketchUcation.com Each month we want to show what our members are achieving using SketchUp. If something takes your fancy just click the image to be brought to that topic.
More Style
evening shot
Relax
Alvis continues his showcase.
Post processing genius at work.
Fred’s journey with Thea oozes style and comfort.
fine dining
Going for a pint
ssshhhhhhh
Jerisamui dining room scene rendered with Vray.
mrMikeEsq first Gallery submission was intoxicating.
Nektares’ Library render in Thea reads like a good book.
Say jeez!
Tiger ii rebuild
Whaat Indigo?
Chistopher Nielsen’s epic rebuild just keeps on coming.
Dale’s final shots using Indigo Render.
imerial cruiser
skater boi
Plymouth GTX
Marian anime inspired ship is simply stellar.
David Hier’s proxy modeling is a tour de force in using Artisan.
Thomthom digs out an oldie for one last cruise.
SketchNL had Just wow!
some
spare
time.....
books.sketchUcation.com learn with the experts at your pace
by mike lucey In this month’s Catchup I’m looking at the X100
choppers) is that the operation is fully automated
Unmanned Aerial System from Gatewing, a newly
from launch to landing. No piloting skills are required
Trimble acquired company. I think the X100 is going
to fly the x100!
to change the aerial mapping industry as its within
•
Its a case of just facilitating the x100,
practices at around $50K from what I gather.
•
Indicating the areas to be covered on the ground station.
The GateWing x100 is another ‘dot’ on my ‘connect
•
Select a take-of and landing spot.
•
Plan the areas to be covered using the software wizard.
•
Launch the x100 with the catapult! (but please remember
possible financial reach of small to medium surveying
the dots’ picture that hopefully will indicated where SketchUp is going with Google and now Trimble. I I think the x100 would cover a lot more ground in a few hours that a legion of SketchUppers with their cameras! Maybe Google has finally realised this!
not to stand in front while doing so!)
•
The X100 is capable of producing highly accurate mapping whenever the surveyor needs it, even in quite bad weather conditions according to the product operation description.
All this can be
The x100 then covers the predefined area taking the over lapping images.
•
The ground control station is only used to monitor the operation and carry out image quality checks etc.
achieved while the operator remains with his feet
I notice the landing is ‘bump down’ fashion but also
planted firmly on the ground.
think the x100 can handle this with easy as its sturdy
The main advantage I feel the x100 has over other aerial survey methods (light aircraft and piloted mini
body is light and made of expanded polypropylene, reinforced with a carbon frame.
What propels the x100? I hear you ask! It is a battery system that is capable of supplying enough power to cover several square kilometers. I was also glad to learn that the device has a built in fail-safe system. I trust this would allow for a quick flight abort if the need arose e.g. avoiding the casual hang glider passing by.
create high quality orthophotos and accurate digital surface models It’s uses could be endless, vegetation / farmland monitoring, forrest / habitat preservation or for planning, visualization and flow-ups of new land management projects that need to be updated in short timeframes. In operation the X100 automatically takes pictures from the air at altitudes of between 100 and 750 meters. The images are positioned with GPS and achieved in high precision by the large overlap of the images. This data is the then used to create high quality othrophotos and accurate digital surface models.
Gatewing offers two data processing options. One
For those that like to check things out on video, the
is with the standalone software package called
‘Gatewing X100 product video 2009’ video gives a
StretchOut. This is a highly automated program
good overview.
which converts the raw x100 imaged into a data set. There is also an option to upload to the Gatewing Cloud for processing and the results are delivered shortly after. This digital terrain mapping method allows the user to provide their own remote sensing imagery.
The resulting data is razor-sharp with no artifacts and in intense color and high spacial accuracy, nice just what Google Earth needs. One of the most attractive features of the X100 is its light weight, a couple of kilograms and a wingspan of just a meter. All this makes for quick and easy launching
from every
possible location, even
steep
hill
sides, I dare say. After
clever device, if somewhat only for the professional Surveyor at the moment, however I imagine it will be possible to hire the x100 in the near future at an hourly / daily rate. All I will need then is a client with a large parcel of land that needs an accurate 3D
End products are ready for GIS or CAD importing!
nearly
It must be said that that the GateWing x100 is a
launch
the
X100
flies
its
preprogrammed flight lines which are normally parallel flight paths creating the overlapping images. Here are some of interesting facts about the nuts and bolts of the x100....
model of it and I can start having some fun.
Need I say it again? This month’s
of the host device, then using the
gadget
iPhone
built-in camera app, slide the case
gadget! This time I am reviewing
into the eyepiece until the image
the
first
border becomes crisp. Once this
universal photoadapter case for
is achieved its a matter of snapping
the iPhone. This device connects
the latch to lock everything in place
the camera on the iPhone 4 / 4S to
and away to go taking pictures.
is
yet
Magnfi,
another
the
world’s
various optical instruments, allowing pictures to be taken through the eyepiece. Binoculars, microscopes and telescopes come the mind but it should work with any device that has an eyepiece.
The Magnifi is a low maintenance afocal design as there are no lenses to clean. This is the case as the device works by precisely aligning the iPhone’s camera with the optical axis of the eyepiece its attached to. The Magnifi will works with eyepeices in the 25 - 38mm range.
The set up is quick and easy, simply slip the iPhone 4 into the Magnifi case and pop it over the eyepiece
The Magnifi is a two-piece design. It’s case and
Magnifi is being constructed using impact-resistance
eyepiece adapter and connected via a unique bayonet
Polycarbonate plastic and has a safety latch below
mount. The assembly its a matter of aligning the two
the iPhone’s dick connector that holds everything in
red marks and then twisting counter-clockwise to
place securely. The latch engages automatically with
lock.
an audible click and its a matter of just pressing it to release.
The devise fits to iPhone snugly indeed! The designers use the term ‘FeatherGlide’ to describe how this works. The case hugs the iPhone’s stainless steel ban, leaving the glass on both sides free for touch. There is also ample room inside the case for Something that is a concern to many iPhone owners has also been addressed by the Magnifi designers. They advise that the bayonet mount gives the device users interchangeability between their existing eyepieces and any future supported uPhones within the product range. So it looks like it will also work with
both front and rear screen protectors. In the past there have been various devices to ‘get the job done’ but most were cumbersome and bulky. The Magnifi case is a clean and simply design that the new iPhone that is rumored to launch in June!
does not add much bulk to the iPhone, so its possible to have it in your pocket ready for bayonet attaching and picture taking. Available at http://www.arcturuslabs.com/ for $79.99
CONSTRUCTION MODELING - Step 9
There are three general types of animations that can be quickly recorded from a piece-based construction model. The second (See Step 8 for tutorial on phased animations) is a very simple fly over or walk through sequence using Cameras and Scenes to control placement, phasing, and transitions. 1. Set up the camera path around or through the building 2. Set up a central target for camera sequence 3. Position equally spaced camera pods along the path 4. Mount camera on the pod and point to target 5. Adjust field of views, visible layers, and times 6. Add a Scene and repeat for each camera Scene 7. Temporarily delete or hide the 11Camera Group 8. Adjust Layer visibilities and transitions 9. Test the video and adjust each frame 10. Export or record as a video
Outline of target area on the Camera Layer
Add a marker as a fixed camera target
Segmented path with equally spaced camera pods
Use a separate layer for all Camera utilities
Pod heights can vary from Scene to Scene
Outline, Path, Pods, and Target on Camera Layer*
Make sure only the Camera Layer is visible for Scene setups
DRIVE/FLY ANIMATION RE
FE RE NC EL
IN
POD
E
*Temporarily delete or hide the 11Camera Group before exporting or recording the final animation
1
2
Drag the Position Camera tool from the pod to tarCamera get** jumps to top of pod facing **Add a reference line from pod to the target target as you complete each Scene
TARGET
4
TARGET
3 Use the Zoom tool to move slightly back from target Immediately key in a new Field of View and adjust camera
TARGET
Adjust Layer visibility for the model and Add a Scene
Repeat the setup for each camera pod
*Use more Scenes to get a smoother camera movement
01 02
Add a Scene for each camera position*
Camera Layer is not included in animation
03 04 05 06
Adjust Transition and Delay for Animation setting
Select Play from the View Menu to test animation
See this UTube video for the drive by animation
http://youtu.be/pXJjQgtpZ_w
PAN ANIMATION Place equally spaced targets on a radius
TARGETS
Use a single camera pod at center of radius
CENTER
U-TUBE
NE
E LI ENC
ER REF
Videos from our books Setup a sequence for animation Simple drive-by animation Simple camera pan animation
Drag Position Camera tool from radius center to targets for each Scene
ENCE REFER
LINE
Add reference lines as you complete each Scene
See this UTube video for the pan animation
http://youtu.be/WBpgI0kUvBE
SketchUcation roundup Look at our lucky winner... One of our survey winners was Jeff Hammond from New York. Jeff is long time member, Top SketchUcator and all round good guy.
But is he a hat person?
As always, you can send your feedback to richob@sketchucation.com