Hello, everyone.
I’m new to SketchUp and I’m from the world of Zbrush and Blender.
Sketchup is really fun and fasts that’s the reason I’m considering it, but I I can’t seem to find intuitive tools for beveling, and I hadn’t seen a UV editor.
Are you all just leaving your models with harsh edges and skipping UV layout for texturing?
You can use native Follow Me tool, or a plugin like Fredo’s Corner or Round Corner ( which can bevel as well as round).
To allow positioning of textures, apply texture to faces, not components or groups as a whole
I will add beveling when it makes sense for the model. It usually doesn’t for the modeling I do. I did on this model, however, so I’d get highlights on the edges of the shoulders on the handles as well as on the threaded clamp block.
As John suggests Fredo’s Round Corner and Fredocorner are helpful for this although it can also be done in a variety of ways with native tools.
Okay, I have to figure out how to use “Follow Me” for BEVELS…
I’ll stay native until I figure things out.
How in the world did you put that threading on the handle? 
Man, you can create really incredible details in Sketchup. Wow.
What happens when you wanna add further details to sell realism into the metallic textures?
Such as fingerprints, paint chips, dirt, etc.
Any UV options available?
My end goal is always to create an object that’s low resolution with clean UVs for a PBR workflow.
Yeah, UV’s not so much. Sketchup doesnt really do UV’s, if you are on a Windows machine, you can do excellent unwraps with WrapR but the native UV stuff is basic/ non-existent to say the least but I think/hope the Sketchup Team are on it. 
Textures very simple, just a texture slot, no other attributes. You are best to hand that off to an integrated render engine like Vray or a realtime engine like UE. (there is a Windows based pipeline to UE via the Epic Datasmith plugin which can offer a PBR workflow, obvs you can use Substance PBR materials in UE)
Great low-res models, betcha.
Very helpful!
Very Informative!
Unreal’s Datasmith feature is the major reason I’m here. Revit and Max are not even an option for me, way too expensive.
I was just making sure I wasn’t overlooking something because I thought beveling and UV’s were pretty standard for modeling, those were actually the first features I searched the viewport for.
I’ll just export the model to obj and do the UVs into either Zbrush or Blender if necessary.
I’m going through the tutorials as we speak.
Unlike Blender where beveling can be applied as a modifier, in sketchup it has to be a physical part of the geometry. I tend to duplicate the model for a “rendering” version and apply the bevels to it using the various methods described above so that the render looks more realistic with edge highlights etc. The reason to keep the original copy “unbeveled” is so that if you need to go back and change stuff you will have clean geometry to push pull without the beveled edges getting in the way, although there are other ways to move geometry with discreet selections and the move tool (and not use push pull).
As for texture mapping, I have found SketchUV mapping tools to be helpful, but the triangulation geometry in SU does create some issues for easy mapping.
A relatively new SU process uses quad modelling (quadface tools ext.) and the extension SubD which I would describe as parametric smoothing / edges.
The UV mapping is easier as well.
quad modelling
I’m not trying to be that Blender “know it all” type guy… 
But Blender has the modifier feature for a non-destructive workflow.
But you can also enter EDIT mode for any object and apply bevels destructively.
Also, in that video, he’s just projecting UV’s on the different polygons. I would need more control than that, so I’ll definitely use either Zbrush or Blender to get a more professional result.
I appreciate your knowledge.
I’m starting to get a better understanding of how Sketchup will work for me.
I hope that if the Sketchup team decides to put a UV Editor inside considering the needs of Game Devs…
I hope they research UV tools like Unfold3D or RizomUV and make a simpler more Sketchup Styled approach.
@ [GSTUDIOS]
Oh cool. That ext SubD is more of what I was trying to do.
Thanks.
Just to demonstrate the bevel issue, for simple shapes the move can work, but for more complex shapes a lot of beveling can be troublesome.
( note:left right will select only “complete” items within the marquee, right left will select any parts within the marquee.)
Howerever, Fredo’s new Fredocorner tool is able to undo beveled operations once applied with the repair option, so saving the need to duplicate?
Oh my…
It seems I should just stay away from beveling 
That makes things more complicated than it needs to be.
exactly, maybe I hadn’t written it properly, but meant to say that the benefit of blender is that it works with modifiers in that its non destructive, whereas SU it is (except Fredocorner can now undo beveling) so its non destructive.
WrapR maybe better for you than SketchUV, but for sure, Blender has better UV capabilities.
Not sure if any of the standalone renderers can do it, but Lumion and Twinmotion? have the ability to add beveled highlights in the rendering process without them having to exist in the model.
I’m rendering using UE4 and hopefully, it has a node for solving some beveling in the texture. Because that sounds like a better solution.
Lumion and Twinmotion are way out of my budget. 
Before I spend that kinda money I’ll just purchase dual RTX 2080 TIs.
The threads were drawn with a profile made to match the actual threads (3/8"-16) extruded around a helical path.
Yes. Anyone can do this with SketchUp.
You could do that with appropriate textures but much of it would be left to the rendering program.
Anyone can do this he says…
as I facepalm while trying to Google “What is a HELICAL PATH”?
Then I’m greeted with this video…
after watching I still have no clue what a Helical path is
Just kidding. Thanks for the answer. I’ll give it a shot.
Worry about getting proficient with the basic native tools first.
