2 replies to this topic

[Matthew Dunson]

I am awaiting the moment that SoftPlan incorporates the ability to add profiles and 3D geometry to the roof surfaces to mimic standing seam and clay tile roofs since a simple texture (even with a bump map) isn't as realistic for the level of detail I need my renders to be for some client projects. I do own sketchup and I stumbled upon this plugin:

 

Instant Roof Nui | Vali Architects | Instant Scripts

 

YouTube Tutorial:

 

INSTANT ROOFS IN SKETCHUP with Instant Roof NUI (youtube.com)

 

The only downside is this is a $39 yearly subscription for this extension however it saves me the time from physically modeling roof profiles and tiles which would need to be applied to the roof manually. There are a ton of tutorials on how to add 3D geometry to roof planes in sketchup but this extension is such a time saver for the fast turnaround I need to produce accurate 3D Models for rendering.

 

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this plugin or has seen any other extensions/methods they use to get 3D geometry onto roofs inside sketchup? The only other downside is that if I make changes to the model and re-export to sketchup, my roof settings applied with this extension may be deleted, unless I save the roof geometry that is generated as a component and reimport it once I have an updated model (assuming the roof line hasn't changed).

 

And yes, I have thought about using a row of profiled beams on a separate layer and adjusting them to fit to the top of roof however this seems like a time-consuming process but if anyone has had successful results with it, that would be another option I'm considering exploring as a current workaround that doesn't require separate modeling in sketchup. If I do use profiled beams for the 3D effect, the only thing would be how well a texture simulates the natural lapping of the clay tiles. I am sure it is possible but if more accurate results are achievable with this plugin, I guess it is worth the subscription for this niche feature to have for increasing the realism of these roof types in 3D.

[Mark Petri]

I have explored that, but have not needed to show a texture on a roof as much as showing proper roof framing (even rafter tails and soffits) or beam joinery. That doesn't work well in SP either. When I need something to model with detail I often do it in SketchUp and import as a symbol into SP. It works well. I've even had the occasion I've been able to get the truss model export for an engineered truss roof design and clean it up and import it so the trusses are what will be built and I can see if there are any conflicts. I sure wish there was more we could do within SP, but am grateful for the ability to work with SketchUp to fill gaps.

[Todd Williard]

I have used his add-ins for years - all of them are great.