Rendering in SketchUp

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Part 3: Modeling Detail
Fig. 13.16: 
3D Warehouse buildings inserted into SketchUp model with FormFonts Geometrees (see 
FormFonts section) and rendered in Twilight Render
Manufacturers’ Components
Many furniture, appliance, construction, and manufactur-
ing companies have developed and uploaded professional grade, product-specific models 
into the Warehouse (Fig. 13.17). However, they can be hard to find. When looking for a spe-
cific item, use the Collections search option. Look for manufacturer names or logos in the 
results. Or, search by using a specific manufacturer and product name. 
Fig. 13.17: 
3D Warehouse search results showing manufacturer-specific components

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Chapter 13: Component Details
3D Warehouse Disadvantages 
Using the 3D Warehouse (
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse
) offers several challenges. 
First, many models on the Warehouse are poorly constructed or lack aesthetic appeal. Most 
vegetation falls in this category. Some are useful, most are not. The online book resources 
provide links to specific plants in 3D Warehouse useful for modeling and rendering. 
Second, learning how to search through 3D Warehouse and find the right type of models, 
given the sheer quantity available, can be time-consuming. 
Third, directly inserting models makes it easy to skip the step of saving the models into a 
Component Library. However, you can avoid this problem by searching the Warehouse using 
a typical web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Windows Explorer) and downloading the models 
directly to the Component Library. 
FormFonts
FormFonts (
www.formfonts.com
) offers a wide assortment of professionally made 3D 
components. Many, if not most, of the components found at FormFonts are useful for 
rendering (Fig. 13.18).
Fig. 13.18: 
The FormFonts website and some of the component model types offered

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