Although I had recorded some introductory videos about point cloud modeling with Scan Essentials in SketchUp that are included at the end of this playlist, those didn't go into sufficient detail on a bunch of the features. Based on my presentation "From Points to Polygons" at the recent 2024 3D Basecamp, I decided to rectify that shortcoming and produce a set of videos that introduce Trimble's Scan Essentials extension and present various workflows that can be used with this tool. Those videos are included below and in the aforementioned playlist.
As I mention in the videos, you can download a sample point cloud from this site if you want to try this out for yourself.
Let me know in the comments if this is helpful for you and if there are any other topics that you would like covered.
What are Point Clouds?
Point clouds are created using either laser/LIDAR scanners like Trimble's X9 or photogrammetry. If you use a laser scanner, then you...
In case you are in need of an opinionated architectural critique, look no further. You can now employ AI for that! With the recently introduced vision capabilities in OpenAI's services and therefore my OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension, you can now ask questions about what is in your SketchUp model. But that's not all: For a little bit more bite in that critique, you can even give the AI response a specific personality, e.g. the snarky critic in my video below.
You can do that via the System Message option in its settings. Just add a line like the one shown in the image below and then that instruction will apply to the entire conversation between you and the AI.
As you likely know by now, you can download the OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension and learn more about how it works here.
Got any other fun and/or useful ways to employ this new tool in SketchUp? Let me know in the comments below.
Video
https://youtu.be/Nv4jzMoY7y4...
In this tutorial I cover one specific use case for my OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension: A coding 'copilot' (assistant) for Ruby code. This is one of several use cases for this extension and it has the potential to at least save you from a ton of web browsing.
When I write SketchUp Ruby code, I frequently need to look up code snippets. With the approach presented here, I can use AI to provide such snippets for me instead. This works well with my Ruby Code Editor extension where you can then past, edit, and run that code. But it will also work with the built-in Ruby Console.
Tutorial Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwhD5reOkoo
Links
OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension
Ruby Code Editor extension...
Response to the prompt: "Is there anything wrong with this building?"
Earlier this week, OpenAI released its new gpt-4o model. This model not only improves and updates its current AI models, but it also adds vision ability. As a result, a user can upload images and then the AI can identify things in the image based on a user prompt. There are some great examples of the new capability on OpenAI's website.
Since I previously implemented the OpenAI connection with SketchUp using both plain Ruby code and a handy extension, I had to try out whether we can connect the two using these new capabilities, too. One use case for this could then be the ability to ask questions like "What may be missing in my model?" or "Is there a cat in the model?" (Not sure why you would ask the latter but it leads to a correct answer!)
As it turns out, giving SketchUp this AI capability is not too hard...
We don't always need to work in 3D. Space layout planning for interior design, event planning, facilities management, etc. is often easier and faster in 2D. As it turns out, we can do this quite effectively in SketchUp's 3D modeling environment or on LayOut's 2D sheets, without even creating a full 3D model.
Here's an example: An annotated furniture layout, based on a DWG plan
In this tutorial I show how you can easily import a plan (either an image or a CAD file), scale it, and then start laying out perfectly-sized furniture. There are different workflows in SketchUp (this works in Free or Desktop) and in LayOut (SketchUp's drawing preparation software that comes with your subscription). In this tutorial, I cover both of those workflows.
Tutorial Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7D8VaoVj8A...
