Finally getting down to business with sketchup

[clevermod01]

I know I'm jumping on this thread rather late but I thought I might be able to add some useful information.
i began my 3D training at a special effects shop in Chicago right near the beginning of the era.n I trained on "seat number one" that was the first commercial license of Alias. It was several 100 K and ran on SGI hardware And truthfully the rendered images looked like crap but it didn't take that long for the medium to refine and competition to start bringing prices down. this was a few years before the PC came into its own and software was developed to run on them. Now a days no one runs the big iron its all on PC (though pretty freakin powerful ones)
I'm typing this on a laptop that runs MAYA (Alias) Autodesk 3D studio, animation master and Blender (free ware) Oh yeah  Sketch up too.
The shifts and growth in capability never stop and we are about to go through another one.
My point is, if it doesen't look good now or is too expensive, give it a year. keep your eyes open and be wary of definitive statements. we live in a time of technological tectonic shifts. when i first started my career 30 years ago the film effects industry was all, well film. The hot tech was animation stands run under computer control. All those guys said the same thing about electronic animation. It looks terrible, It will never look compete with us. They were ALL out of business within 2 years. Films are no longer shot on film. Digital cameras resolution is now far greater and more discretely controlled that the finest resolved film. If you suggest shooting on film people are going to look at you funny.
I now teach 3d and i can tell you that the free ware available is every bit as good as the formerly high priced stuff.

[JohnP]

Jeepers Marc, mess up a hobby PAP project and throw away $75. Mess up one of your MAO (Mill-A-Part) limestone projects-?

How much one of those cost?

John

[marc_reusser]

These are smallish (65x60)....so they run around 5K each (nic. shipping, and 4.5K to install both).  We have done larger and more slightly more complex ones (carved by hand) that run between 10-20K.

Since I have the file, I am sorely tempted to print them (or a slightly modified version) in 1/35.  Might make a neat diorama accessory.....even as just a jumble of individual segments in a junk yard, damaged building, or in a stone yard scene.

M

[marc_reusser]

Here is the SU drawing showing both fireplaces, that I promised.







M

[RoughboyModelworks]

That smaller one would look absolutely perfect in our house Marc...  Though, with the floors already sagging to the middle of the house, I suspect the weight would send it crashing down into the shop below....

Paul

[marc_reusser]

Well if it's just going to end up in the shop...why not go for this one from another project....you can use it for a forge as well.

[Philip Smith]

Awesome !    Thanks for sharing Marc.


Philip

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Phillip.

Here is the last example of this..I promise.

The door surround drawing and then shown installed on the house.  The font in the middle of the gravel motor-court was also done in SU, and milled.....it's one single piece (If I recall it was around 7' in dia), except for the step/base around the bottom.

M

[Chuck Doan]

That is very interesting. Put ol Michelangelo right out of business!

[RoughboyModelworks]

Very nice Marc... did you do the entire house as a new construction or was that a redo? I particularly like the large window into the "great hall."  I suspect that font, being one piece, is a planter full of hernias... 

Paul

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Paul.

Thats a new build we did (around 10,000 sf.). The lit window is the main stair hall. It's a very shallow radius bay (oriel) widow.  The wierd light areas in the front door and sitting room window above, are because you are seeing through the house and out the other side.

Marc

[Hauk]

Finally posting a update. I still sort of mourn the loss of PAP, as it was probably the best option for hobbyists, despite the thechnologys shortcomings.

I took a couple of new pictures for an article on SU & 3D printing:









I feel that the extreme closeups shows that the claims that PAP parts were useless is just BS.

No cleanup expect an acetone wash, no Photoshop cleanup.

The primed part was Tamiya metal primer from a rattlecan.

The problem withthe PAP parts was getting  consistent quality on the parts.
But I feel these problems could have been adressed, and that it should be possible to make a business on supplying the blue stuff to addicted hobbists. Anyone got any good news or other relevant info?

Regards, Hauk

[eTraxx]

@Hauk. I had the same part printed both at PAP and Shapeways (their FUD / Frosted Ultra Detail). Other then the color they are virtually the same



Here's the brickwork for my coke oven printed in FUD (the base is an embossed pvc card called Sintra)


Close-up of one side with a penny

[Chuck Doan]

Ed, would you say the strength of the two materials is the same?

[eTraxx]

The one (blue) oven frame print from PAP was all I ever had done .. so it's hard to compare but ... they *feel* similar. I dropped one of my FUD printed oven frames and it broke when it hit the floor. Now .. it's pretty darn thin. My impression is that it's strength is similar to clear styrene .. meaning somewhat on the brittle side. That being said .. the only other part I broke was a bridge shoe .. and I stepped on that with my full weight so I can't fault that!