The integration will allow users to easily render photorealistic visualizations within the SketchUp platform.
Architecture, engineering and construction product company Trimble recently announced that it will be introducing a new tool for its top-of-the-line SketchUp Studio offering under the SketchUp lineup. SketchUp Studio will be integrating V-Ray technology from Chaos, a computer graphics company that develops rendering and simulation software. The V-Ray application is designed for rendering architectural visualization. Its addition to the SketchUp Studio platform will allow users to generate high-quality renderings within the software itself, making the process more efficient and uniform. Trimble will also be including added support for point cloud data. However, SketchUp Studio will now only be available for Windows users.
According to Trimble, the new update will enable designers to easily render content through the platform. Users can expect photorealistic visualizations as well as real-time renderings. The integration of V-Ray also means that SketchUp Studio users can now access V-Ray’s web-based 3D content library, Chaos Cosmos. This curated library includes render-ready content that can be quickly downloaded into a SketchUp design such as furniture, lights, plants, and so on. This feature will be available via the V-Ray toolbar in the SketchUp program, where users can search, download and edit various 3D content.
SketchUp Studio now also supports global illumination, artificial lighting, realistic materials and textures, and atmospheric effects that will allow users to create more detailed scenes and spaces along with V-Ray’s diverse library of 3D objects. Styles can be rendered during each project stage, such as “conceptual renders for internal buy-in, fast renders for comparing design options or photorealistic renders for the final design.”
As stated by the director of Strategy and Business Development at Trimble, Hugh Envoy, in a press release, “Design visualization is a critical element in conveying a compelling visual story, showcasing the merits of a proposal and in making better design decisions. The ability to generate both high-definition, photorealistic visualizations and real-time renderings within SketchUp Studio allows AEC professionals to make great design decisions and communicate those decisions to project stakeholders.”
Trimble also recently added Scan Essentials this year, which was jointly developed by Trimble’s Building Construction Field Systems (BCFS) group and the SketchUp team. This allows users to easily snap to points and model using scan data and point clouds. This tool was initially added as an extension but can now be accessed directly within SketchUp Studio. It is also compatible with SketchUp’s native tools and supports RWP, LAS/LAZ, E57, TZF, and PLY. The SketchUp 2D documentation LayOut tool also supports scan formats that allow users to easily export in 2D and PDFs.
Meanwhile, SketchUp is currently available in three paid options alongside the free online modeling tool. SketchUp is free as a browser-based tool that comes with 10 GB of storage for models and supports mobile viewing. The Shop version allows users to view 3D content and utilize unlimited storage as well as AR viewer support. It is available at $119/year. The Pro version includes similar features as the Shop version but also offers desktop availability, free 3D content, VR support, 3D modeling and 2D documentation for $299/year. Lastly, SketchUp Studio includes the new Chaos V-Ray and Scan essentials tool for $699/year.
Trimble’s SketchUp Studio is now available for subscription. For more information visit the SketchUp products page.
