Swift3D

Last week, I managed to export a SketchUp model into Flash! This was an important step so I'm glad it worked eventually (with a relatively simple model). I used a piece of 3D modeling software called Swift3D from Electric Rain. Although I didn't use it for any modeling, it allowed me to import a 3DS file (which I exported from SketchUp Pro) into Swift3D. I could then export this file from Swift3D with Papervision3D which resulted in a Flash file.

Swift3D environment:
In Flash, I could rotate the 3D model by clicking and dragging (as I'm used to in SketchUp), using the mouse wheel or using the controls which Papervision3D placed in the bottom right corner.

Model in Flash:
There were a couple of minor problems:

• A curved surface disappeared

• Some lines disappeared (this should be solved when more detail and colour is added to the SketchUp model before exporting)

• My first few attempts at opening the 3DS model in Swift3D were unsucessful because the model was too large (because I'm modeling the buildings to scale). This was solved by reducing the scale. As modeling to scale helps me to keep the buildings in proportion, I'll continue to use the same scale until I have to export the model when I'll shrink it down to fit in Swift3D.

Hopefully this process will also work for a much more complicated and larger model, which the finished one will be!

Updated map

Since my last post I've done a lot more work on the SketchUp map and made some progress.
This is what it looks like now:

I've added the Bellagio's second building as well as Paris and Caesar's Palace.

Paris: (and its mini Arc de Triomphe!)

Photo source: aberdidi on Flickr

I made an attempt at the Eiffel Tower but it's very tricky so I'll have another try soon when my SketchUp skills have improved a bit more.


Caesar's Palace:
Photo source: neil.d123 on Flickr

First (semi) completed building

The first building is now complete (in as much detail as I want it to be at this stage). A few others have been started but the Bellagio is done for now.

Here's what the real thing looks like:
(My own image, which is why it's more than a bit blurry!)

And my SketchUp version:


Although it looks a bit simple and bare at the moment there were more than a few frustrating moments when it came to the finer details. I'm happy with how it turned out though.

The next step is to use this model to experiment with the process of exporting a 3D model to Flash which isn't as straightforward as I'd like. There are a few possible ways to do this which I'm looking into. Another reason why I didn't add too much detail and colour at this stage is that some of this detail may be lost while I'm exporting it.