Sketchup-Ur-Space

Using the material database in Sketchup

Debamoy Ghosh

The tutorial would cover up the process that how to download and use materials from the online material database folder using the SkIndigo exporter for Sketchup.

The Indigo Material Database can be spotted at www.indigorenderer.com/materials

Two ways are existed to use materials from the online database in SketchUp/SkIndigo: loading straightway into SketchUp, and outwardly linking to downloaded materials. We'll cover both options in series, starting with the simpler direct introduce method.

Importing directly into SketchUp:-

1. Creation of a new Sketchup material: Now let's start by opening SketchUp and making a simple thing to apply the material to (in this case a cube). We'll also want to make a new SketchUp material (via Window menu -> Materials -> Create Material) to hold our Indigo material, and apply it to the newly shaped cube.

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

2. Opening the SkIndigo online material browser: Having shaped an easy object and applied a new material to it, from the "Plugins" menu, under the "SkIndigo" sub-menu, select "Material Editor":-

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

This opens the SkIndigo material editor window. At the top of the material editor window is a "Search" button, click this to open the material database folder window in SkIndigo:

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

3. Downloading and applying a material: The material database folder browser window will open unlock, permitting you to search for materials by keywords or name. By default the most lately materials presented will appear at the top:

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

If we favor a material and double click it, SkIndigo will ask if you'd like to load it into the present selected material; click "Yes", or else it will want to save the downloaded material to disk.

The downloaded material should now be loaded into the SketchUp material and applied to your object, ready for rendering with Indigo:

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

Alternative method: Linked IGM

It is however possible, that the material cannot be presented correctly within SketchUp, since it is not a physically-based renderer. Here, SketchUp will present a warning dialog suggestive of it be used as a "linked" material:

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

Linking a downloaded material: To do this, we select the material in the SkIndigo material editor, and set its Material Type to "Linked IGM":

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

Click the "...” button next to the "IGM" field, and select a downloaded IGM or PIGM file. This will link the downloaded material to the SketchUp material so that when Indigo renders the scene, it will use the linked material.

Since the material cannot be represented properly in SketchUp, SkIndigo will prompt you for a texture to use for the material in the SketchUp viewport.

This is so you can effortlessly recognize the linked material, however it is optional:

Using the material database in Sketchup
Image Courtesy: indigorenderer.com

Reference:- www.indigorenderer.com