SU GIF Exporter - Make animated GIFs in SketchUp

[citygeometrix]

I love 3D models (like many people here, I’m sure). Unfortunately, they’re still not as ubiquitous as images, so sharing them widely remains a challenge.

But flat screenshots of 3D models can be frustrating. I can’t help but want to rotate the object and see the dark side of the moon! . I think animated GIFs are a good compromise. So, until native support for 3D models becomes the norm, I thought an extension that generates them directly from SketchUp might be handy.

Introducing SU GIF Exporter:

SketchUp (SU) GIF Exporter - Demo

Features

• Preview: Displays a preview of the generated GIF.

• Settings:

  • Resolution: Adjust the width and height (in pixels) of the output GIF (default: 640 x 480; max value: 16000 x 16000)

  • Speed (Degrees per Frame): Rotation angle (in degrees) of the model or camera per frame.

    • Predefined options: Slow (5°), Medium (10°), Fast (30°).
    • Custom: Enter a specific rotation step (in degrees).

  • Delay: Adjust the delay (duration in milliseconds) between frames (default: 300 ms).

  • Rotation:

    • Origin: Apply the rotation either to the model’s center or the camera.
    • Axis: Set one of the default axis X, Y, or Z as the rotation axis (default: Z).
    • Direction: Define the Clockwise (CW) or Counterclockwise (CCW) orientation of the rotation.

• Export:

  • Generate: Begins the GIF creation process with the configured settings.
  • Save: Saves the generated GIF to a local file.

How to Use

1. Configure Settings: Set the desired resolution, speed, delay, rotation axis, origin, and direction. If “Custom Speed” is selected, specify the step angle in degrees.
2. Generate GIF: Click “Generate” to start the GIF creation process. Monitor the progress bar and preview window.
3. Preview: Click the “Preview” button to pause/play the resulting GIF after generating.
4. Save GIF: Once the GIF is generated, click “Save” to download it to your device.

Examples

Exterior view with model rotation (loops forever)

Interior view with camera rotation (loops 2 times):

Miscs

• 7-Days trial - full access
• Permanent licence for $25 USD
• Get 20% OFF if you purchase before end of trial
• Video export very likely to be added in the future
• Submission to the Extension Warehouse coming soon.

Please have a try and let me know if you like it (or not ).

[citygeometrix]

A quick case study regarding the importance of the model selection when the Origin option is set to Model (which means that the rotation is applied to the model):

Although the slab in the below image is hidden, it still affects the selection leading to an unbalanced box…

And thereby unexpected rotation as illustrated below.

A quick fix is either to select individual components of interest (can be tedious), or just like I did here, delete the “noisy” components (just for the time of the GIF generation and restore if needed).