The Cube – A Fun SketchUp Diffusion AI Experiment

The Cube – A Fun SketchUp Diffusion AI Experiment

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this video I am having a bit of fun with the new SketchUp Diffusion tool… Give this a try: Add only a single cube to your modeling space and then try to create an interesting visualization from that using only the prompts and the styles in SketchUp Diffusion. This is actually a great way to explore prompt engineering. It is interesting how the AI is able to capture the general orientation of the scene from just the cube and the horizon line behind it. You can find my original forum post about this on the SketchUp forums here. And admittedly I based this on a competition that the Blender community has been doing for a while. Check those out, too. For more on what you can do with SketchUp and Diffusion, take a look at my initial post about this topic. Video https://youtu.be/dQmV58Jlq4c Examples Here are some of my own examples: Prompt: "A treasure in a luxurious space." Prompt: “A floating, death star spacecraft over a...
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AI Rendering with SketchUp Diffusion – First Impressions

AI Rendering with SketchUp Diffusion – First Impressions

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this video tutorial I give a first glance overview of the new SketchUp Diffusion tool. Throughout, I am combining a basic how-to tutorial for SketchUp Diffusion with my various thoughts on the tool (given several different use case scenarios) and the general usability of AI for visualization and ideation. While it is indeed still early days for this technology, it is already quite impressive what it can do. Good looking first renderings can be done quickly, even from minimal geometry. However, there are some caveats and I am very curious how the next iterations of this and similar tools will impact the AEC industry. Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/CIzSw98WBaw Examples You can see some of my example images below. Original model views (as submitted) are on the left and the SketchUp Diffusion AI results are on the right. The respective prompt is in the image caption. Prompt: "A rendering of campus buildings at sunset" Prompt: "An exterior entrance to a campus dining hall" Prompt: "A bench sculpture in a...
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Joyful Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2024!

Joyful Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year 2024!

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61MgpvHfowg To my readers, viewers, friends and colleagues: I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and joyous holiday season, Merry Christmas (to those that celebrate it), and a healthy, happy, and successful New Year 2024! And just to reiterate what I said in last year's post: A little bit more peace on earth would also go a long way! As usual, I made this video "card" completely in SketchUp. Want to see how I did this? I’ll post a tutorial soon to sketchupfordesign.com and my YouTube channel. Cheers,Alex...
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Making SketchUp Objects 3D Printable

Making SketchUp Objects 3D Printable

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this video tutorial I show my basic approach for making SketchUp objects (like the revolved vase from my last tutorial) 3D printable. In essence, the process involves checking whether a SketchUp model is considered a "solid" by the software and then fixing any issues that may prevent it from becoming a solid. Interested in more detail? This video covers only some of the basic techniques - I explain the process in much more detail in Chapter 6 of my book "Architectural Design with SketchUp." Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/UXFUrHTZ-k8 Links ThomThom's Solid Inspector - The main extension/tool for fixing solid-ness of an object. I hope you find this technique useful and create some cool items. Feel free to post those in the discussion area below....
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Turn yourself (or a loved one) into a (Rubin-)vase (Video)

Turn yourself (or a loved one) into a (Rubin-)vase (Video)

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In this video tutorial I show how you can take a portrait of a loved one (or yourself) and - using SketchUp - turn it into a revolved object that you can then use as a vase, cup, candle holder etc. This technique is simple and makes for a great gift (e.g. by 3D printing). As a bonus, I show how you can create a face-morphing shape with two portraits. Keen readers of this blog may know that I covered this technique in a step-by-step tutorial in one of my earliest posts. I had never done a video tutorial on this technique, however, which is hereby remedied. Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/d5y5f965YAs Links While the basic technique uses only SketchUp's built-in tools, I also demonstrate some of Fredo6's extensions here: Joint PushPull - An extension that lets you thicken any surface. FredoSpline - This is useful for creating smooth curves and converting between different curve types. Curviloft - This lets you "morph" between two outlines. Rubin Vase - Apparently this effect...
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