I’ve never done 3D modeling before but I want to make some basic, pretty looking environments for a very simple game (essentially a photography “game”) I’m making in Unity. This might be a stupid question, but what is the basic process of creating models in SketchUp, getting them to look super detailed like this: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BSKf9vjYkG8/VErcLICCDWI/AAAAAAAARNc/hJXIQ7-O1Ik/s1600/final%2Boutput%2Bpuddles%2Bon%2Bthe%2Broad%2Bafter%2Brainy-2.jpg, and then importing those detailed models into Unity? I just want to make sure I can achieve this with SketchUp before I really start getting into it since the visuals will be so important.
It’s possible to create such a scene in SketchUp (together with a Renderer), but you shouldn’t expect to be able to create it in some days.
Two random examples of SketchUp generated environments…
Sorry, I guess basic wasn’t the right word, more like plain/empty/bare environments. So I can create my scene and use any recommended renderer, and then import it into Unity? Even if it took weeks or months, that would be amazing if I could create anything half that visually stunning and in a playable game no less.
Which format do you need for this, a simple image or a spherical projection or …?
I would take non-rendered models into Unity, and try using Unity’s shaders to make things look nice. You could in SketchUp create a good looking rendered scene, but the image would be fixed, whereas in Unity you can get real time reflections and refractions.
Here are a couple of videos that might be worth watching. The first one compares Unity 4.5 against Unreal 4.7, and Unity 5 has global illumination, which helps a lot. The other video shows someone’s workflow from SketchUp to Oculus. He goes via 3D Studio Max to improve the textures, and is using FBX. I think you could go straight from SketchUp to Unity using Collada.
