Making An Introductory Video

Hello everyone at Sketchup. I sent in a post about using Sketchup to make an Introductory video sequence. I created a YouTube video describing how to do this. I thought I should add a place where one can download the Sketchup skp file that I was using in the YouTube video. This will allow people to try this technique if they want, also to get a feeling for how their Sketchup will work with big skp files that are loaded up with imported images. I also in the YouTube discussed how to reference a large png if one wanted. So I placed a large png available for download also. I put the skp file and the png file on a page of my website, they are both too large for the Sketchup Warehouse (the skp file is 266mb and the png file is 324mb). Here’s the YouTube link:

Here’s the link to my website page where the skp file and the png are (go to the bottom of the page to see links for download):

I watched the video, I think you´re using sketchup wrongly, you can do a much better presentation using LayOut, its actually one of the main reasons this program exists, you wouldn’t need to work on different programs or having to use 20 renders, you can from a single model get all the information working properly with tags and scenes, yo can add a couple renders also in layout if you want to show something more realistic, also all the work you did in Corel draw you can do it directly on LayOut. after you’ve done all your presentation pages you can make a presentation just like you do it on powerpoint. if you make a presentation using layout it will look more professional and you don’t need to stop the recording to show images outside the program, you just import the image to layout and put it on a page, if you want to show it you just move to the page stay there and explain whatever you want about it then just move on with the presentation. Ive seen good presentation made on sketchup specially in the 3D basecamp, but it’s done with scenes, tags and watermarks that give it a better look. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to do it the way you’re doing it on your video, it looks messy and it wouldn’t look good if you are zooming in and out orbiting or panning to fit the image in your viewport. I recommend you to visit the sketchup website go to the learning section and watch the video related to Layout, It will improve your presentations 100%.

Thanks for your criticism. I will reply.

  1. My understanding of Layout is that it is optimized to be 1) very Professional, 2) very Precise, and 3) very 2D. I think for many audiences the combination of 1), 2) and 3) make a presentation that is very boring.
  2. My understanding of Layout is that one needs to learn it and become familiar with it. My technique is easy for anyone who can use Sketchup. It is very easy to import images into a Sketchup drawing file.
  3. My technique allows one to demonstrate and show every image in one’s entire presentation all at one time, and to make a quick “run-through” of the whole presentation in 2-3 minutes. I am not sure Layout can do this.

Example: Layout allows one to clearly demonstrate how wide are the white lines on the pavement of the parking lot for visitors at the new Hospital that was built on what was a corn field on one side of town. My technique allows one to present to the Hospital Board that they should build a new Hospital on that corn field on one side of town.

  1. Here’s what the new Hospital will look like.
  2. Here’s the Financials of the current Hospital.
  3. Here’s the recommended bank’s requirements to participate in a Bond Referendum.
  4. Here’s the regulatory issues of creating a New Hospital Bond Referendum.
  5. Here’s a Marketing Agency that will help to get the Bond Referendum passed.
  6. Here’s our improved financials from expanded capacities and services of the new Hospital.
  7. Here’s stories with patients that had patient care problems with the current Hospital

My technique allows all of 1) – 7) to be shown to the Hospital Board in 2-3 minutes.

And I would suggest bring a computer, a projector, and your Sketchup drawing file, because a Board Member might say, “Could you go back to one of those slides and show it to me a little slower with more discussion.”

And you can put up every slide in one display and let the Board Member come up and show you which slide he or she is talking about.

I’m not sure Layout can do this.

I do my Sketchup work to design complex mechanical items that address problems where I feel the current solutions are not optimal or non-existent.

I tend to run into 3 issues with this kind of work:

Issue 1) What you are describing is impossible to create as a real item.
Issue 2) What you are describing could be created as real, but it is a bad idea.
Issue 3) I never thought about the solution you are describing for this problem.

I tend to run into Issue 3) most of the time. I want with my Sketchup based YouTube discussions to get the entirety of what I am discussing out and clearly defined very quickly and very much at the very beginning of my YouTubes. I think there is no real usefulness in me getting deeply into the minute details of the mechanical item I have designed before people first understand the problem and overall context of what I am talking about.

And you noticed that my demo was “messy,” but I was going fast. I had more the intent to show how easy and quickly one can put together an introductory brief video sequence to place at the front of a more detailed video. I think its possible to make a brief introductory video sequence that is not “messy,” it just takes more time to do that. pg

Agree to disagree. I understand that once you’ve developed a workflow it’s hard to learn a new one, all the issues you commented can be solved on layout. Anyways if you feel comfortable and that your presentations are good enough to present a project it’s fine, we all have our way to get things done.

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Thanks for your interest. I agree with you. I think people, if they want, and as much as it is possible for them to do so, should be able to use the programs and techniques with which they are comfortable.