Whystler's Schtuff

I’ve been using Sketchup since Sketchup 6. Many years of good times and good models! So I guess I should start myself a Gallery Page.

To start, here are a couple of links to Mozilla Hubs worlds that all used Sketchup 2017 to build, before moving to Blender to do lighting and export.

-Whystler

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Here is a screenshot from a virtual reality hall where we hold meetings for our local SCA group. I made it in sketchup 2017, starting with the concept of the Knight’s Hall from the Abbey of Mont St. Michel. I baked a light map onto it using Blender. The VR platform is Mozilla Hubs.

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Here is something I made a long time ago. I’ve performed the room on three VR platforms: Sansar, Mozilla Hubs, and Altspace. This is called the Atmosphere Lounge. I made the building, the tables, and the robot in Sketchup 2017, and the lighting in this particular example is calculated by Mozilla Hubs on the fly.

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Here is a second screenshot of the Atmosphere Lounge mentioned above. I’m a new forum user, and can only post one picture per post.

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This is a cosy hall Called Whystic Lodge that I used to have in the VR platform Altspace. It was built in Sketchup, and all the lighting for it is done in Unity.

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Here’s another angle of the above (new user, 1 photo per post)

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And another view within the above room, showing a different area (new user, 1 pic per post)

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Excellent work ! :+1:

The next few posts show rooms I was hired to build for a Canadian virtual reality conference (VRTO) that was held in Mozilla Hubs.

This was the main conference lobby, and like all the following, it was built in Sketchup 2017 and lit in Blender with a baked lightmap.

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This was the Auditorium made as part of the same project above (new user, 1 pic per post).

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This was a breakout space as part of the same project above (new user, 1 pic per post)

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And finally, the last screen I have from the project above (new user, 1 pic per post). This one is the VIP lounge.

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Here is a blog post that showcases two of the worlds I made in Sketchup 2017 for the virtual world: Sansar.

You’ll see pictures of the Bridge Room I made there and also Whyst Garden. Whyst Garden is made in Sansar with small modular parts… I think about 7 architectural parts… that I made in Sketchup 2017. They are as basic as walls, windows, columns, moldings, roofs, and floors. There are a few objects there that were made by others including the trees and the sphinx sculptures. These environmentals are all lit/rendered procedurally by the VR platform.

Thank you!

Some very fun work here. Bravo.

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Nice work. I’d be interested in knowing more about your workflow (SU + Blender it sounds like) and producing and publishing such VR.

Hi there RTCool!

For the Atmosphere Lounge room, I didn’t do any light rendering for Sansar or for Mozilla Hubs. The light is calculated by the VR tools for these - just set up sun, brightness, tick shadows, etc. Mozilla Hubs, though, I usually do a light baking in Blender, because seeing Atmosphere Lounge on mobile, is nothing but flat no shading. You have to view things on desktop/laptop on Hubs in order to see the lighting.

The lightmap for the Altspace version was done in Unity, as Altspace is Unity based.

Most of this stuff is a new world to me, except for looking into Blender a little. The only VR thing I’ve done is a spherical panorama with SU Podium, which then needs a host to play it.

So, you create your model in SketchUp and then go to Blender for light baking? Is that a one-way trip and then out to VR formats, or does the light baking come back into SketchUp?

There is an extra step I take, which probably doesn’t need to be done if you know Blender well enough.

I separate my sketchup model into parts based on each of the materials used. Usually that can run between 7 and 14 models. I save them each separate them.

Then I import each of them into accutrans, or another similar program to make sure all the parts (of the part) are together. You see, what happens with Sketch is that each bit that isn’t connected to other bits is considered it’s own material somehow in Blender (and also in accutrans). So in accutrans, I will merge everything into one material, and then export the part (select a face with the material, and then choose select all by material). I do this with all the parts.

Then , I import all the parts into Blender and join them together into one model (right click, choose join), and I go through the process of light baking, which is very well documented on youtube. In fact, if you go to the Mozilla Hubs youtube, there is a good part of one video specifically outlining how to light bake in blender for Hubs.

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Sketchup (build and save models for each of the materials in dae format)

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Accutrans (to unify each material-based model by merging and export a model for each material in obj format)

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Blender (after importing all models and “joining” , then for lightbaking and export - see mozilla hubs tutorials on youtube for baking and exporting information)

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Mozilla’s Spoke (for positioning and set … this is an online service to set things up for Mozilla Hubs)

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Mozilla Hubs (viewing and hanging out with friends in your new VR room :slight_smile: )

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