Tutorial - Objects for BTB with Sketchup

[Biggles1212]

Hi I've completed a full tutorial that should be comprehensive enough for just about anyone to make objects in Sketchup and use them in BTB for their favorite sim.

I'd appreciate any good suggestions.

It took me a few hours to work all the snags out and there was a lot of great information already here at Race Department.

I've uploaded the tutorial here.

http://forum.racedepartment.com/downloads/btb-library/38/full-objects-sketchup-btb-1805/

If you have any questions post them here or PM me. I'll do my best but I'm no guru at this.

Do enjoy. Thanks

 

[martinez]

Sketchup 6 is back
http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/bobs-track-builder-37/googles-sketchup-6-installer-2826/
Enjoy!

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

For WinXP?

 

[Kyle Puttifer]

DW it works...

 

[martinez]

I'm using it under WinXP - no problems. This is the same file I've dowloaded from Forum's dowloads some time ago.

 

[Jakub Sulej]

I tried to export my sketchup objects into a BTB, but when I open my Xpack, in files where I can select what I want there doesn't exist my things. What I had done wrong, can somebody tell me?

 

[Kurt Lehman]

I tried to export my sketchup objects into a BTB, but when I open my Xpack, in files where I can select what I want there doesn't exist my things. What I had done wrong, can somebody tell me?

Video tutorial at SIMTrackipedia-

http://simtrackipedia.wikidot.com/forum/c-99544/quick-start

 

[Paul Minnaar]

I did this last night and was quite chuffed with the result, however, getting it perfect (textures etc) will take a little bit more effort.

 

[joaofaria94]

can someone make one for xpack bobs track builder?
this link is the object to make xpack

http://www.mediafire.com/?8f3sommjtf4x426

 

[R Soul]

XPacker says "mesh parts have different vertex buffer definition". I don't know what that means but I'm guessing that the 20MB dae file is too big. Try splitting the object into smaller pieces, importing each of them, then making a complex object and adding each part.

 

[joaofaria94]

ok thanks

 

[Wayne Reed]

Hi I've completed a full tutorial that should be comprehensive enough for just about anyone to make objects in Sketchup and use them in BTB for their favorite sim.

I'd appreciate any good suggestions.

It took me a few hours to work all the snags out and there was a lot of great information already here at Race Department.

I've uploaded the tutorial here.

http://forum.racedepartment.com/downloads/btb-library/38/full-objects-sketchup-btb-1805/

If you have any questions post them here or PM me. I'll do my best but I'm no guru at this.

Do enjoy. Thanks

Does any have this file please as the link is not working

 

[martinez]

Here you go:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/zwm86z

 

[Wayne Reed]

Thanks bud

 

[moeom]

Hey guys, im having problems with XPacker importing my Sketchup model. Every time i want to add the model, it gives me this problem:

Can't find Material Dbayeh Marina\Materials\Objects\untitled\Material2.

Now i dont know why it gives me this. But i did exactly what the tutorial had told me to do and it always gave me this result. Is there a step i skipped that i missed somehow? I doubt it though. On the video tutorial, all i saw was the maker (good video by the way.) use sketchup and adding the textures. Once he was done, he just exported it into a KMZ format. Once done, he extracts it with a Zip program. Once there, he opens XPacker and creates a new folder and adds the objects in the Objects Tab. Once there, i get the mentioned pop-up. Weird i think. Help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[ebrich]

Hi Moeom, have you verified that you have a dae file in your game file - Objects Files - Models - 'Your Material' - models - dae, or where ever you extracted it to?

 

[martinez]

Check your model in Sketchup once again - especially Materials window. If there is more materials that you were planned - it means you probably have some unwanted edges or polygons that Sketchup produces very often. Sketchup always add new materials for new polys...
Don't use ANY materials from Sketchup itself - first: they are poor; second: they are jpg's and don't keep the "powers of 2" rule; third: they always bring problems
Note - you can't use .dds in Sketchup - save your textures as jpg's (you can also use png's, but for transparency - they are a trap).

 

[moeom]

Hi Moeom, have you verified that you have a dae file in your game file - Objects Files - Models - 'Your Material' - models - dae, or where ever you extracted it to?

Ok well in the XPack folder, i have my folder in it named NewXpack. In that folder I have CrossSection which is empty. Next i have Materials folder which has the three materials i used. Under that i have Objects folder which is empty. Last comes Textures folder that has the textures i used as well. Now if i get what u mean, i have to put the dae file in the Object Folder? But what i understand from you is that i need the dae file in the extracted folder. If so, than yes, it is there. In the popup, it says that Material2 is not there. But when i look in the Materials Folder, the name of the file is Material_2. Could that be the problem?

Check your model in Sketchup once again - especially Materials window. If there is more materials that you were planned - it means you probably have some unwanted edges or polygons that Sketchup produces very often. Sketchup always add new materials for new polys...
Don't use ANY materials from Sketchup itself - first: they are poor; second: they are jpg's and don't keep the "powers of 2" rule; third: they always bring problems
Note - you can't use .dds in Sketchup - save your textures as jpg's (you can also use png's, but for transparency - they are a trap).

I double checked my model, which is a very simple model for testing by the way. There is no extra unwanted material anywhere. Just three materials im using on the model. Grass Texture, Concrete Texture and a Painted Concrete which were saved as bmp file to keep things simplified as the tutorial had stated.

I read your post on the other thread, i'll try to find Sketchup 6 and give it a go to see if it will work. Im using Sketchup 8 at the moment and it could be the problem seeing how it might not be extracting the files the way it should as programed in BTBXPacker.

Thanks for the help again guys.

 

[moeom]

Ok lads, i got the problem fixed. As i suspected of what martinez, i had to use Sketchup 6. The problem was that Sketchup 8, i wasn't able to save the 3d Model in Google Earth 4 format. Version 6 allowed me to and tested it in BTB and it works just fine. Thanks for the heads up lads and for the help. Back to making my track with the extra features im looking forward to adding to it. Let the fun begin.

 

[martinez]

Sktechup 6 is here:

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/bobs-track-builder-37/googles-sketchup-6-installer-2826/

It's better to use as less materials as possible (better track's performance in any simulation) and make texture atlas for the object, which means to map the object with one texture, not three

If you have Sketchup 8 Pro, you can try also export to 3ds from there. I don't agree with people who say that btb/xpacker likes collada better than 3ds
With 3ds, you don't have to extract anything to import to xpacker. Good idea could be also to name textures in 8.3 format to make it easier in case of importing track to 3ds Max.

 

[moeom]

Sktechup 6 is here:

http://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/bobs-track-builder-37/googles-sketchup-6-installer-2826/

It's better to use as less materials as possible (better track's performance in any simulation) and make texture atlas for the object, which means to map the object with one texture, not three

If you have Sketchup 8 Pro, you can try also export to 3ds from there. I don't agree with people who say that btb/xpacker likes collada better than 3ds
With 3ds, you don't have to extract anything to import to xpacker. Good idea could be also to name textures in 8.3 format to make it easier in case of importing track to 3ds Max.

I will need some explaining on how that is done.

As for the 3d export part, that i will have to put on the side for now and think about later. If collada format works just fine for the track im making, it will save me much time. But if it turns out that the track will run smoother when/if all my objects are in, than i would think of this alternative. Just because Sketchup is an easy to use program, i have already got the grips of it.