SketchUV program question?

[Jay Shockey]

Hello to you all, I am NEW to the forum and Vray. I was wondering if it is a good idea to use SketchUV to map a piece of furniture I designed and then export file to Vray to use a Vray wood texture? I know how to apply a wood texture in sketchup and being able to apply a wood stain texture to the pieces and have the correct position of the wood grain. I am using just high quality wood grain and stain images but want to be able to use a Vray wood texture and or a wood texture from polligon.

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!!

Jay

[GD3DESIGN]

Hey Jay,
Really, you can use any method you'd like to texture your model. Once you get your UV's laid out, Vray will read them the same way regardless of the method you used to apply them. I personally use Fredo6's Thru-Paint to do most of my texturing. Other options are WrapR, or for more advanced workflows there is substance painter....but you might have a ways to go before that - there is a higher learning curve there.

I'm not sure what you mean about mapping with SketchUV, then exporting to Vray...? If your using D. Martens' SketchUV then you'll be mapping the uv's right inside sketchup, then rendering....no exporting/importing necessary. Maybe upload a sample skp and screenshots of what you're trying to do if you can't get it figured out. I recommend watching some youtube tutorials also. Checkout 'tutorials up' tutorials on Thru-paint, and also Justin's 'sketchup essentials' tutorials....they should get you on the right path pretty quickly.

Cheers!
GD

[Jay Shockey]

Thanks GD!! Much appreciated!!

Jay

[Jay Shockey]

Hello GD, I have a question for you. I am currently doing the learn Vray course and just started. I have created a room with my furniture designs and wondering what the best way to light the scene would be? I am not concerned about outside sunlight etc etc just the interior. Would I be best to use the standard 3 way light set up with primary, secondary and fill lights? Or would a dome light alos be good idea?? Not rwal familiar with the HDRI maps etc etc and dome lights yet?? But will watch more videos. I just thought I would ask you before I practice!

Thank you for your time!!

Jay

[GD3DESIGN]

Honestly, I'd recommend trying each set up to get experience with each one so you can compare the different results. You will get experience, learn a lot about the pros/cons of different setups, and be able to make a lot more knowledgeable decisions about which way you want to go for different scenarios in the future.

I do a lot of 'design viz', trying to show people exactly what there interior will look like. My workflow usually starts with a simple global illumination with the sun turned off, and I'll get the exposure to where I think it would be in the daytime with no lights on, only ambient light coming in from the windows. Then, I'll layer in the proposed lights one set at a time. I usually start with the can lights (recessed), will get them looking good and balanced then move on to each set, tweaking them before adding the next type of lights...pendants, chandeliers, sconces, under cabinet/in cabinet, range hood, etc. Then finish off with fill lights using v-ray rectangle lights, or whichever v-ray light I think will fit best to fill any overly dark areas. Sometimes I use the old trick of putting rectangle lights in the windows to boost some light.

If I remember correctly, the vray quickstart tutorial for interiors covers lighting pretty good. So check that out, then after that its all experimentation to see what works best for you. Definitely do a lot of super low resolution test renders as you experiment to see how the render times differ. I've been blown away how much time you can knock off of renders with a little bit of trial and error/experimentation with lighting. If you search my posts, I remember asking on here about fine tuning lighting not too long ago, maybe in the past year or two. There was some good info shared by Chaos Group in there.

Have fun!
GD

ps. when I'm not worried about realism as far as portraying the design, I sometimes just use rectangle lights in the windows. It gives you good control - you can make one light brighter, another a little warmer and so on, just like the standard 3 way light set up, but your really controlling how the light is coming in the windows. Then of course, you can add additional fill lights where needed. I've also used this method on top of global illumination or HDR dome lights, for the added control it gives you over how much light is coming from what which windows. (im not a big fan of using the sun in my interior renderings, much prefer the diffused light look and not having to position shadows or worry about the sun blowing things out.....)

[Jay Shockey]

That’s great advice thank you!



Jay