Rendering in SketchUp

additional Texture Sites
John Pacyga, RLA, a landscape architect who writes a blog called SketchUp for Landscapes, 
compiled a vast list of free and commercial texture websites. It includes Facebook, Flickr, and 
more (Fig. 7.4). You can find his blog here:
http://sketchupland.posterous.com/great-texture-websites-for-sketchup-and-photo

---

72
Part 2: Textures
Fig. 7.4: 
John Pacyga’s blog provides links to many websites offering textures.
Choosing and Downloading Textures
To get the most out of your materials, assess them in relation to the characteristics mentioned 
here when you’re reviewing them for download.
Size Matters
Texture sizes are measured in pixels indicating the texture’s length and width. The larger the 
pixel height and width values, the larger the texture. SketchUp, by default, supports textures 
no larger than 1024 
n
1024 pixels. Any texture greater in size will be sampled down. In a process 
called subsampling, SketchUp will process the texture at the maximum limit of 1024 
n
1024. 
However, this limit does not affect the IRPs. If a texture larger than 1,024 pixels is present, the 
IRP will process the texture up to its maximum size, ignoring SketchUp subsampling. 
Smaller Textures as the General Rule
Use smaller texture sizes for most model surfaces with the exception of those discussed here. 
Small texture sizes can vary from 500 to 1,600 pixels in width. 
CG Textures.com provides various sizes for each texture. The sizes range from small, 
medium, large, and higher. Medium, larger, and greater textures require a paid membership 
(Fig. 7.5) for use. 
Fig. 7.5: 
Notice the sizes of wood texture offered by CG 
Texture.com. When you’re working in SketchUp and ren-
dering, small sizes are ideal for most textures.

---