Germany
Joined: Jan 8, 2012
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Ways to get a better 3D view / Export to SketchUp and Google Earth
Hello and a happy new year to everybody!
While looking around for a software to check out what our new house will look like, I found Sweet Home and am very impressed - it's a great piece of work - thanks so much, Emmanuel!
Nevertheless, I think the 3D-View is not optimal: because the point of view is always in the center of the model, the "outer" rooms can not be seen well. Emmanuel does not want to change this because he's afraid the new users will be "lost" in 3D-navigation which is ok.
To move around and watch everything in 3D, I tried to find a good way to export the SweetHome-model to a more flexible 3D viewer, so this is what I found out now:
- create the model with SweetHome - export to Obj-Format - now different methods: - A: start SketchUp, intall the obj-Importer (http://sketchuptips.blogspot.com/2007/01/wavefront-obj-exporter.html) and import it - all textures are lost, the import takes very long and crashes sometimes if the model is too complex - B: open the obj-file with AccuTrans3D (trial version here: http://www.micromouse.ca/downloads.html - fully functional but not free - any other programs?) and save it in Google Earth KMZ-Format; start SketchUp and import the kmz-File (also without textures, seems more stable, but also problems with large models)
Once the model is in SketchUp, you have to... - break up the model into single parts (sorry don't know the correct English translation, in German it's "in Einzelteile auflösen") - delete some wrong panes and lines, especially in the top-level floor - resize to the correct dimensions (select all, measure tool, click on a dimension and type in the correct data) - to make the windows transparent, you have to click on the window pane, delete it and drag a transparent texture on the remaining window pane (there are two panes exported)
You can use all the great navigation and perspective tools. A killer tool is the feature to place your house model into its real place (file > Geolocation) and get an instant preview in Google Earth, so you are able to get a perfect view of the real surrounding. I even constructed simple house models of the neighbours, so I can perfectly see what the view from the porch and every room will look like (I can provide some screenshots if somebody needs some persuasion - I live in the mountains, it is GREAT for me to see if I can look over the neighbour's house to see the mountains or not!).
So far, so good. But as stated before, the import has problems if the models are too complex, which happens inevitably by using "real" furniture objects. As long as there is no more effective way, I suggest the following feature: when selecting the "export to obj-Format", you have the option "export furniture as boxes". If this option is set, all movable items (not windows, stairs, doors) will be replaced by a simple box with the same dimensions.
Thanks again! Heiko
PS: Once you have the model in SketchUp, you can easily create roofs with the rectangle and push/Pull tool...
Germany
Joined: Jan 8, 2012
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Re: Ways to get a better 3D view / Export to SketchUp and Google Earth
Edit: meanwhile I found out that the "wrong lines" in the topmost level occur when the option "draw ceilings" is activated - with this, Sweet Home tries to find corresponding points to draw a correct projection of the floor which has to go wrong if floor and ceiling are not parallel.
So be careful to disable this in all the rooms in the level under the roof!
France
Joined: Nov 7, 2005
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Re: Ways to get a better 3D view / Export to SketchUp and Google Earth
Until now, the ceiling computing works for simple slopping walls only.
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Emmanuel Puybaret, Sweet Home 3D developer
Germany
Joined: Jan 8, 2012
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Re: Ways to get a better 3D view / Export to SketchUp and Google Earth
Until now, the ceiling computing works for simple slopping walls only.
..and that's a great feature and far more than I would have expected. Now that I found out that I simply have to disable that for the rooms under the roof, the export obj > kmz > sketchup works great (direct way obj > sketchup with the obj-plugin works also but wrong orientation, you have to rotate the whole model).
I have to repeat it: once the model is in Sketchup you can do lots of useful things that are important: - great 3D navigation (walk, look around, Hand-tool) to view the house and rooms from all perspectives - print every view with good quality (chose "extreme quality" in page preview dialog) - simulate sun and shadows at all times (morning/evening, summer/winter) - still trying with Blender to render HQ picutres
- cons: textures are not imported, only colors
For both Sketchup and Blender export, I would find the following useful:
I suggest the following feature: when selecting the "export to obj-Format", you have the option "export furniture as boxes". If this option is set, all movable items (not windows, stairs, doors) will be replaced by a simple box with the same dimensions.
