Sketchup Trick (How to avoid disappearing edges)

[Goku1910]

I know it's frustrating to create a transparent texture in sketchup while only using one face since applying the color fix with anim8tor makes the opposite side disappear....so I couldn't use grid-like textures for catwalks. But no more.

Soon I'll make a tutorial on how to do it in video, but for now I can try explaining it.

What you need is a grid texture that is seamless like the one I showed above.

1) create a new component which will be one step in the stairs (you can copy it numerous times to make the stairs)

2) Makes sure that you are in monochrome mode and all side facing outwards (the sides you can see) are white.

Now comes the tricky part, this is where you manipulate it.

3) The top square, or part you want to be the grid select it and then right click and select bounding edges.
*Copy it by either ctrl+C or using the move tool and holding ctrl.
**Place it anywhere on the workspace and make it a group.
***open the group and then reverse the face
4) place the group in the same position as it was when you copied it so that it overlaps the other. Now you have two faces in opposite directions.

**You may need to reposition the textures so that they line up properly.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It's recommended that you don't adjust the size of the grid after painting the first texture.

Are you saying the bottom face won't show? If so, paint both sides and combine all objects with transparency into one component and export separately using double sided faces. Problem solved in 2 lines.

[Goku1910]

with objects exported by sketchup you'll get black faces. But when you use anim8or to fix that the darker face is completely removed meaning that every face is one-sided. When you do what I said you'll have two one-sided faces facing back-to-back....That way, when anim8or is used, the grid is visible from both sides in the simulator.

In my video, if I ever actually do it will show examples of this. It applies only to sketchup since I don't use other programs.

Yeah I've never been able to get double-sided faces in and out of Anim8or correctly. They always come out of Anim8or as one-sided or broken.

I used this technique for certain parts on red lantern and it works perfectly except it KILLS the fps. You are technically doubling the poly count.

[Goku1910]

^Luckily for me my computer can handle it.

Works great for making fences, etc. since using a three dimensional object with transparent textures (or material in sketchup terms) simply doesn't looks right.

You can see what I mean in my model for Dragon.

With this you're really using four faces to make one stair shaped like an L instead of a rectangle like I've been doing. That's four sides compared to 6 sides depending on how you use it.

Since I had to do a conversion from my old method to my new one on my latest ride, the poly count is through the roof....as seen in the screenshots I did not make an L shape like I will on the next model.