Rendering in SketchUp

353
Chapter 21: Texture Values
Fig. 21.3: 
Texture values are visible only once the model is rendered (Shaderlight).
Shaderlight, SU Podium, and many other IRPs use the Eye Dropper in the SketchUp Mate-
rial menu to select textures and apply values (see Chapter 8). Twilight Render has its own Eye 
Dropper as part of the Material menu.
Presets
Most IRPs use presets with predetermined 
values that are applied to textures. With names 
like Satin, Metal, Glossy, Shiny, Plastic, and 
Stone, these presets are logically named to 
remove some of the guesswork for their uses. 
Shaderlight and Twilight both use presets; SU 
Podium (v1 and v2) relies on numeric values 
(Fig. 21.4, Fig. 21.5).
Fig. 21.4: 
Preset texture values (Twilight Render v1)

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354
Part 5: The Iterative Rendering Process
Value Types
Each IRP uses different names and methods for applying 
values. However, they all reference four values. Almost 
every material will have at least two of these four values 
applied prior to rendering. The values are
3
3
Bump: How smooth or coarse the texture renders
3
3
Surface Condition: How much reflection a sur-
face can possess
3
3
Surface Reflection: How visible surroundings 
appear on a surface
3
3
Transparency: A material’s opacity
Bump Values
Bump can be described as 3D contrast. It controls how 
smooth or coarse a material appears. Bump is a universal 
value found in all IRPs and is never applied with preset
values—at least for now.
The higher the bump value, the coarser or more contrasted the surface will render, allowing 
some materials to take on a 3D appearance. For example, bump will allow materials like con-
crete with scoring, house siding, fabrics, or countertops to possess a 3D relief (Fig. 21.6, Fig. 21.7). 
Bump can make individual brick patterns appear extruded or provide soft indentations to 
painted walls and surfaces (Fig. 21.8, Fig. 21.9). Bump can cause lawn and similar groundcov-
ers to have a rough character, and it can provide subtle relief to brushed metals.