Looking for a CAD/Modeling Program

[Nick]

Ok, sorry. I doubt they have a database of school emails just try using your randomland email or something similar. They might care about gmail addresses but maybe not. You have to agree that you will not use it commercially so its probably all the same, and they are definitely  not losing a sale. Plus I will give then good press for being cool. Not that it will help them.

[zourtney]

I'm playing with the SketchUp program (I just realized how phonetically similar that is to "ketchup"...) It takes some learning and is really nothing like AutoCAD and is only sort of like Rhino3D. They have a maddening definition of "move" -- if you hit Ctrl it makes a copy. And copying that way is the only way I have found to specify a "move-by" offset dimension.

But every program takes some learning. And it does an exploded view real nice-like.

[Nick]

Nice. You got farther then I did with it, but I kinda gave up too soon. I immediately started to try making logs and such but could find no way to create something to a given size (or even see how long something was) and then was momentarily impressed by its texturing setup.  Only to be later unimpressed with its lack of a hot key to switch back and forth from  dragging/rotating the view and the current tool you are using.

[zourtney]

I noticed that, if you're using the rectangle tool, it'll try remove lines at intersections. For example, make an L or a T shape out of 3D boxes. Where the two lines meet, the is no dividing line. This is probably very nice for most things, but not good when you're trying to model how pieces of something are put together, like my box example above. I had to use the line tool to manually make all sides of the box. Only then did it cooperate.

Just takes some learning, I suppose. The only reason I know anything about AutoCAD is because I spend 6 months writing and debugging that automated drafting thing at work. This program is certainly easier to use, but seems to lack the power of all those trim, extend, and fence tools which turn mere mortals into AutoCAD gods...or something like that. For the uninitiated, it's impressive to watch.

[Nick]

Yup, I know what youes talking about. It was crazy to watch the drafters just smack the keyboard and have things just kinda happen.

[zourtney]

Like in movies and TV shows!...except they're always dealing with highly graphical, fictional user interfaces with no obvious buttons. Screens come a'poppin and other screens disappear with no rhyme or reason. Ok, it's not actually much like that at all.

[Nick]

[zourtney]

Much to my chagrin, I declare SketchUp the clear winner of any free-and-legal 3D modeling program. It's actually fun to use, though I am an exceedingly boring human being, finding interest in some of life's dullest moments (we should make a thread about "Amazed by the Commonplace")

[Nick]

Go for it. I bet we will find great differences between us all. (I rather enjoy watching that water boil when I make noodles)

[zourtney]

Wait! Are you saying a watched pot does boil? 

[Nick]

I can indeed verify that that old idiom is false.

[Nick]

Back on topic! Yay!
I ran across a program called 'Kerkythea' when I was looking to see how to make sketchup actually render something instead of its isometric view.
Well, it cant but Kerkythea can. And nicely. There is a plugin for scetchup called kt2su that will export your drawing and allow you to add KTs materials into sketchup. Its materials are different as they have reflection, diffusion and such.

One thing to know is that the metalic materials just look black until you render them.   One option to help that is to import the metalic materials onto an existing material. Though the underlying color shows up when you do that. But you can always just use that as a placeholder and change things in the renderer. I am probably just not yet doing it right.  And the default rendering size and settings are for a finished render (so they take forever)

[zourtney]

Cool. So, is it an actual modeling program or is it just an advanced renderer?

[Nick]

Its just an advanced rendering and ray-tracing program. You do all the work in sletchup (or any other supported format) and then export it to KT. It will do really, really nice renders if you know how to use it. Clearly I don't know how But I have managed to get it  to make a few ok pics of yard art ideas.

[Nick]

I played a little more with things, just looking to see what was easily accomplished. (well, non of it is really easily done, as there is a steep learning curve. But what could be learned quickly) Here is a couple hours worth of toying around and 20 min worth of rendering :

Looking at that rendering more, it seems the clipping mask for the grass is off. You will notice how the blades don't line up with the actual picture of the grass, this seems a common problem for beginners. I guess I have more learning to do.