I heard rumors that it can be done... creating building in Google ScetchUp, and converting them into SC4 Buildings... If anyone know if this is true and knows where I can get the program to convert them into SC4 Buildings, let me know!!
I'm not a batter but as far as I know the program for converting buildings for SC4 is BAT (Building Architect Tool), it can be downloaded from the Simcity 4's official site or from here by clicking on the Support button (at the top).
The simple answer is: yes, it's true. There are however some drawbacks: you still need the BAT to render and export, and most importantly, only the pro version of Google sketchup can do this (which costs money). I've tried it myself and what it actually does is export to a .3ds file which you need to import in the BAT and then render.
I hope all of this makes sense to you.
i found someone who can give me the pro version 7 of google sketch up... so all i have to do is save as 3ds file then open it with BAT? then save with BAT? i can get gmax and BAT my second question is, will Gmax and BAT work on Windows 7 ((upgrade version) (from Vista))?
It should work just fine, as long as you follow the installation instructions. Something about having to be in the main C:/ folder if I remember correctly?
what instructions, and what about the C: folder?
I think it's meant so that it can romp around without triggering UAC. If it's in Program Files, it will trigger UAC every step of the way.
I think that in the C: root (C:\gmax) was the recommended directory.
The 'pro' version of Google Sketchup has a 8-hour time-limit free trial, so if you're a bit conservative with using it it should work just fine for converting Google Sketchup models to .3ds
My Birthday is on the 30th and i usually get around $100 Total from all my family... How Much Money does the pro version cost? I could purchase it with my Birthday cash...
QUESTION 2: my sister is an expert at Sketch-Up but doesn't have pro...she can make anything... she makes animals, pokemon, buildings, pretty much anything under the sun... is it possible for her to create something in her's, then save it to a flash drive and i can open it in pro then export to 3ds?
Eh... the pro version is around $400. In my country it is possible to get a student license for 85 euro, which is something like $110. Maybe you could try that.
For your second question, yes just save the model in the regular sketchup format (.skp) and open it in the pro version.
Sometime ago there was a way to convert skp files to the 3ds format (which gmax uses) using some third party software. Don't know if that still works with the latest version of sketchup. Just google it.
what is the name of the skp to 3ds program? no relevant results when searched skp to 3ds... just a bunch of forums of peoples asking how to do it, with none linking to the actual program... if i knew the name of the program, maybe i'll get better and more relevant results...
Hmmm &Thk/(
For those people that want to stick to a legal way of converting sketchup models to 3ds check over here:
http://forums.devshed.com/game-development-141/converting-sketchup-models-to-3dst-519710-4.html (http://forums.devshed.com/game-development-141/converting-sketchup-models-to-3dst-519710-4.html)
download meshlab here for free:
http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/ (http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/)
Meshlab converts .dae files to .3ds, so you have to save your sketchup model in the .dae format
Let me remind everyone in here that we do not condone any talking about pirated software. Period.
I tried lot of things with skp and 3ds.
When I download skp more than one year ago, we were able to have the pro version for a trial period. This period was about 8 hours. However 8 hours with the software opened. And you need less than 1 minute to convert big skp to 3ds.
So you can imagine how much models you can convert. Moreover in this time it was the pro version of version 5 or 6. Today the version is higher so I imagine it's another trial period.
Anyway, it's working fine for me more than 1 year with the same trial period. However there stay few bugs in the conversion especially with named textures.
Skp data bank is interesting about merging few details at the end of the BAT, however they are often heavy and you need to use them sparingly. Never forgot that skp help you a little bit but never remplaces the work you have to do in gmax or 3dsmax.
Finally if you payed the pro version to BAT in skp and after to convert into 3ds, french feedbacks are that is easier and more intuitive to Bat in this software.
So try free skp and after you will see ;)
when ever i convert my .skp models to .3ds and use B.A.T i have 0 textures, how do i fix that? 9i just have a sold grey building and is one object)
I am assuming that this is the result from importing .3ds into B.A.T? I noticed that unless if you have a texture map file associated with the .3ds model, it likely imports the object/model file without any textures, I have never imported something into B.A.T with color alone, it still imports it as a colorless model.
I am not an export on this though, but this is not the result of textures not converting from the .skp to 3ds process alone, is it?
The textures must be in BMP format if you want to export textured 3ds models from sketchup into BAT.
The BAT will lighten the textures quite a bit so you have to make them a bit darker than your intended result.
For me, I do all my texturing inside the BAT as it is far more versatile. Just remember to put the faces into groups before you export the model otherwise you won't be able to texture the model.
what do you mean by BMP or BPT...idk what you call it sorry.
BMP is a graphical format. It means that the pictures you use for textures in sketchup have to be in BMP format in order to be able to export them inside the model to the B.A.T.
For instance, if you want to use a picture from the web as a texture in sketchup. Most of the time pictures are in jpg format. Just download the picture and open it in a picture editor like Irfanview and save it as a BMP file. Then use it in sketchup and after you are done texturing export the model to the B.A.T.
But still, texturing inside the B.A.T. is for me the preferred option.