SketchUp 8

[namssab1nad Piers]

Looking in Wiki about using SketchUp for making meshes, it only mentions Sketchup 7.  Does Sketchup 8 (the newest version) work as well?

[hibit Spad]

Even though Sketchup is listed in the programs you can use to create mesh it is not supported my LL.  Every time a Linden is presse on the issue that is the answer you will get.  Google has a reputation of making changes to their software and not documenting or telling people that changes are coming or have happened.  Also, Sketchup does a few weird things to mesh for export to Collada that LL does not want to deal with. 

 

So if you decide to use Sketchup, you may be on your own when things don't work.

[Josef Munster]

Export the file to upload as obj. If you use the free version, get and install the SketchUp obj export plugin. Use MeshLab, a free file converter, to import the obj file and convert to collada. There's several reasons reasons for this.

SketchUp's collada and google earth export has some conflicts with what the Second Life upload expects. SketchUp after the first release of v 7 exports Collada v 1.4.1 and Second Life uses 1.4.0. If you do get a SketchUp collada to upload, curved surfaces appear distorted. If you export to obj then use MeshLab to convert to collada, you don't get the distortion, and most important - the file uploads, and it's more efficient in terms of prims, prim equivalent, physical weight, and render cost.

Both mesh below were uploaded this morning. The one on the left was a Sketchup v 8 exported collada (7 prims, 5 prim equivalent, 5.2 physical weight, 324 render cost). The one on the right was the same model exported as obj then converted using MeshLab to collada (1 prim, 3 prim equivalent, 3.0 physical weight, 55 render cost). There's no curved surface distortion  and the cylinder and the connecting surface align on the right.  Also note it saves you 6 prims, 2 prim equivalent, 1.8 physical weight, and 269 render cost.

[namssab1nad Piers]

I looked for that plug in.  Couldn't find it. Is it made by Google or a 3rd party?

[Nacy Nightfire]

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=33448