That would be great.  I've been using podium for a couple of months and found it's fairly easy to use, and very powerful.  You can get renderings fairly close to 3ds max, and rivet.

thanks for the great feedback guys. we have actualy been tinkering with this idea for a while now and are still in the process of organizing the plethora of applications and options that are available for rendering. it will most certainly have to be a multi-show effort given just how many options are available. up for consideration are the following:

- SU Podium

- TurboSketch

- 3DS Max

- Cinema 4D

- Piranesi

- Photoshop

as well as a couple others that are fairly new on the scene and/or still in Beta.

since my experiences are fairly comprehensive with some of the apps mentioned above, but minimal with others, we might also consider the possibility of inviting a few guests into the studio to record their tips and tricks for rendering sketchup models in any of the apps above. stay tuned for more details and, for anyone  reading this, take a second to let us know if you have any thoughts about which rendering apps we should cover. even better still would be to help us in our efforts to get as much quality info put out there as possible by posting your own tricks, workflows and methods for rendering your models in other apps.  and even better still would be to let us know if you'd be interested in showing off in front of the camera.

-mike

Excellent!

I guess a lot of us do forget that Photoshop is a terrific tool for rendering photo realistic effects with your SU models...

Although I particularly like the 'sketch' effects that it can add, making your SU models look like architectural drawings (there are a few tutorials on the Net about how best to get this effect in Photoshop). 

Link to example thread: http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1261

However, I guess when most of us think of 'rendering' we do naturally think of the 'modelling with light' - and textures - typical of packages like 3D Studio Max and Maya.

A lot of us would appreciate a tutorial on the rendering add-ons for SU, as they are a lot more complicated than the average Ruby script/plug-in. 

It's one of those things you have to 'see' to really grasp.

:) 

Just been having a play with SU Podium...

With not a great deal of success I have to say.

My problem stems from trying to render or model interior lighting. It just isn't quite as easy as the FAQs lead you to believe.

Unfortunate - because the rest of Podium seems to work really easily. 

You're right, the instructions don't explain how to use the software correctly.  I find that using the forum you can get all the tips you need to correctly use the software.

I have been very happy with Podium for interior renderings. I have not used it yet for exterior but have seen great results there as well. It's really simple. Using groups or components greatly speeds up the process. All you have to do is select a surface and adjust the reflectivity/light transmitting characteristics of each. To save time, only apply reflectivity and/or light to dominant features. You'll waste a lot of time going through every surface. I little nudge on the fader bars goes a long way too so don't go crazy. I would also recommend setting the export quality at the lowest/quickest. I've compared an hour rendering to the same 5 day rendering and see little difference. In terms of export size, always start with the smallest so you can troubleshoot settings prior to the long export wait. The new version of podium has greatly decreased the export time as well.

Another rendering package to keep an eye on is Maxwell. I've had a couple people experimenting with it for some time and we're seeing excellent results. It's a very powerful software and worth looking into if you think there's a need for something beyond a simple rendering tool.

Hi there!

I actually made a little progress with Podium - but have a lot to learn about what surfaces/groups you can and can't add light to realistically.

I'm going to have another go this weekend - making use of the Podium forums if I get stuck.

I've applied for the education discount, and they guys were very helpful.

HELLO

And what about v-Rey for SketchUp?? it seems to bee quite simple 

Hi mike,

what about artlantis? they advertise its ease of use with SU so would it not be the case to include it in your list? 

 

regards.

 

edson