Quick Texture Maps in Sketch-up
So recently I’ve been playing around in Sketch-up honing my skills in working from scratch to make models. And meet my science fiction fix. So I’ve been taking some of my sketches of space ships and modeling them to scale in sketch up. So today I’m going to focus on making texture maps within sketch-up to create them quickly.
First, texture maps are image files that get applied to the model as a “material” from the materials window using the paint pot tool. In sketch up there are solid colors, and photographs of landscaping, building materials, and other patterns. The computer applies these in a “tile” pattern on all of the surfaces of the model the tool is used to select.
Makes for the illusion of textured surfaces. curves can be a challenge!
First to make a custom texture map decide how big is the area this material needs to cover. For my ship model it is 300′ long and about 180′ wide at the end. So a large number of surfaces to cover. I want the effect of looking like armor platting. I decide I need a 50′x50′ area. If it’s smaller than that it will get “cluttered” looking, too large and it will be broken up too much. For a more down to Earth application, if you are putting a custom CMU block pattern, you would want a masonry module.
So in a new drawing I made a 50′x50′ rectangle. I then drew up several areas of platting. I offset the outlines and then selected a gray-scale set of colors. Now I could use other colors but if you are looking for realism I suggest the gray-scale and then adjust the colors. (see below for these two ways).
Once I have the pattern established I next go to the “view” options. Turn off “display edges” and any edge options. Now the pattern is a bunch of unbounded colors. If I need a hard dark or light line between two areas I “offset” and color that area darker.
Next under “view” turn on “fog” menu. From the Fog menu check “use Fog” then un-check “use background color. There is a little square next to that which indicates what color is going to be used for the color of the “fog”. Click on it and select the color of the material you want, adjust the darkness using the slider. Press OK, and back in the “fog” menu there is a slider that has two settings one end has an ∞ symbol. where you put the “100%” will place the distance Sketch-up’s camera can “see” in the drawing. Move the “100%” to the right to adjust it so you have thicker fog. The slider on the left is the “thickness” of the fog. By doing this you can have a graduated color layered over the pattern. So with my drawing I wanted a yellowish-khaki look. (there is another method to do this in the materials menu discussed below)
To get this pattern into an image type you can use for a new materials it must be exported. First go to the “camera” menu and select “Top”. Then zoom extents. Now go to “file” menu and go to Export >2D graphics. Select a file type to export to. JPG is good for patterns, and pictures. GIF is useful if there is a transparent part of the material. You can adjust the output size and resolution from the Options button. smaller file size is better, it will make it render faster. Press OK and the file will out put the raster image.
Open the file with any photo/image adjusting software like GIMP or MS office Picture manager. Crop it so that it cuts out any extra area not in the pattern. A bleed area of a few pixels is not a bad idea either to avoid “lines” showing up unexpectedly.
50'x50' pattern area
Making the material is fairly strait forward. Open your model and go to the materials menu. press the “new material” option. This will open a new menu. there is a color wheel and a box to check “use image”. Next browse to the file you output. It will up load it. Next under neither are two boxes that have a vertical and horizontal sizes on one size and chain image on the other size. Set the size equal to the size of the original drawing. (in my example 50′x50′)
Other options here are “color correction” and “transparency”. Color correction is another way to adjust the color of the pattern. Click on the square and the color wheel will pop up, you can adjust it here too. If you want to restore the color to the default file values press “reset”. Now Transparency will adjust how translucent it is. This could be used for windows or if you want to do a cut-away of a model you can make a solid transparent. Once you set it up press OK.
Then use the paint pot tool to apply the new material. Keep in mind that these materials have an orientation and components and grouped objects may have to have their orientation adjusted or opened for editing in the correct orientation to make the material look right.
So how did I get the Earth in there? It’s not Google Earth, that’s for sure. For this I did the same thing but in reverse. here’s how I made the scene.
First I downloaded a NASA image from the JPL photo gallery of public domain images. Then I cropped it to a square shape. Then uploaded it as a new material and sized it to 500′ x 500′. Then I made a 500′x500′ rectangle and added the new “Earth” material I just made. (note I had to flip the face of this rectangle so it would display correctly, I didn’t want Bizzaro-world Earth!) I positioned the ship model in front of the Earth image. I set the “Fog” setting to black and infinite cut-off distance. To export I used the same method, but bumped up the resolution size.
Sketch-up is a great tool to play with, try this out it only took about 30 to 45 to go from scratch to painting the model.
After 10:10:10
So October the 10th of 2010 came and here in the Northwest it was raining (natch!), but like some movie plot device the rain stopped and the clouds broke as I pulled into Olympia to join up with 30 other volunteers to plant trees along route 101 and along a bike trail.
The event was part of 10:10:10 the Global Work Party organized by 350.0rg. In this case it was an event that was created by Elaine Sanders as she said “If you can’t find anything near you, organize it and tell 350 about it”, so she did. Elaine is in her 80′s and needs oxygen – but she was able to find Bob Barnes with WDOT, a landscape architect who has been in the process of replanting a steep cut along Rt. 101. Bob had been able to get a lot of the clearing done, and was able to get 180 trees of local varieties to plant. Together they were able to recruit 30 volunteers ranging in age from their 20′s to their 60′s to get the job done.
This is an example of the power of the internet to allow groups to inspire and work together to achieve an aim. I would say about a third of the volunteers found the event solely through on-line means and didn’t personally know Elaine or Bob. Around the world 350 was able to help coordinate over 7300 events around the world including Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq – places one would think are considered isolated. However with the dawning awareness that isolation is a construct of politics and culture – everyone can pull together toward stopping climate change.
So in your business what excites your customers? Is there a “meet up” campaign you can devise to bring your best customers together – maybe even in a volunteer fashion to do some local good. What is your passion, is it something your customer’s share? Find that commonality of passion and form an event around it. Forging that connection and common experience is what makes community.
10:10:10 Time is now
So this up coming weekend will have the unique date of 10:10:10, on Sunday. Besides a fun day to sign your checks, it is also a global day of action to do something to lower CO2 emissions.
This global event is the brainchild of 350.org and 10:10 – two organizations that are insisting that CO2 levels must be globally lowered, each has two similar but different goals. 350.org (not to be confused with the grass roots local economy movement 3/50), basic goal is to lower total CO2 levels at 350 parts per million (ppm). Right now the global CO2 level is 385ppm, and rising. Their goal is to act now to lower it 35ppm, which is an achievable goal. Bill Mckibben, who wrote a book called “Eaarth” exploring how much Earth will be changed by run-away CO2 levels, so much so that we might as well rename the planet. Additionally he recently attempted to get the Obama administration to accept the original Jimmy Carter solar panels as an artifact and make a commitment to put solar on the White House (he was brushed off by some EPA political appointees).
The organization is 10:10, [Author's Note: This morning (10/05/10) the US website and Face Book page are down - embarrassing right? No known cause yet, other than my luck.]a British based organization that recently expanded in the US here in Seattle. 10:10′s program is more hands on. It is a voluntary pledge to reduce personal CO2 emissions 10% every year for the next 10 years. (So for me, my emissions are 13.40 tons/ year. So I need to reduce my emissions by 1.34 tons this year). Individuals, families and businesses can join and take the pledge to reduce CO2 emissions. This is direct emission reductions, not a pledge to buy offsets, offsets may fund forest planting and renewable energy expansion, but it is not a direct reduction. Other ways to reduce your carbon foot print is buying local food and from local businesses in addition to home and personal transport energy reductions.
So on October 10th There are over 5000 events world wide, in over 170 countries. The events range from educational demonstrations to tree planting, to other activities (and after work parties – network, network, network!). So if you’re feeling like the world is standing still on this issue and you want to get involved find something near you!
To Observe and Protect
I am going to discuss the role of the architect in the construction observation process, during the construction phase of project.
The architect in most normal contracts is responsible for the design of the building. This entails the part of the design most people imagine, the layout, the elevations, the material selections and basic systems. However design also involves the integration of the local and national codes, laws and ordinances that must guide the design. From the first drafts plans of the building these codes must be part and parcel of the design. The number of exits, the width of corridors, the ramps between levels, the size of bathrooms to comply with the ADA, the fire separations between uses, the overall size of the building, and many other factors. This is part of the design.
When the design is approved by the jurisdiction with authority (a city, county, etc.), it is issued a permit that basically states this design is approved as shown in the plans, and inspections will compare the construction to the approved plans. Making the construction conform to the plans is the role of the Contractor.
The architect during the construction phase may be contracted by the owner to observe the construction, to make sure it conforms to design intent. There is a major difference between observing construction and inspecting it. Inspection is the certification that every step in process has yielded an assembly that meets the minimum standards specified in the code. Observation is keeping a record of progress, and notifying the client and general contractor that there are items that do not conform to the design intent.
For example, on one hotel project we had a corridor wall that was to rated 1-hour, and to have an STC of 55. (Sound Tansferance Coefficient) The wall was the product of off site construction, built in a factory. The contractor installed it backwards. I noted this and contacted the structural engineer for his opinion. His opinion was that it didn’t matter structurally. The wall had what is know as a sound clip, it separates the drywall from the studs to cut the transfer of noise through the wall. Instead of running continuous along the corridor it was running on the room side, interrupted at each unit demising wall. I had to inform the client and the contractor that the walls did not meet design intent, (the location of the channel that should deliver the STC 55 required by the hotel franchise) but would probably pass inspection. (still maintained the 1-hour rating and performed structurally).
This left the client to decide what to do next; have the contractor disassemble the wall sheeting and rebuild it – wasting time, but meeting his franchise requirements, or let it slide and hope it made negligible difference in the long run. As it turned out this mistake did pass inspection, because it met the minimum requirements of the code. As far as the STC rating, unless expensive and controlled experiments are performed by an acoustical engineer it would be hard to determine objectively how the wall performs. But it leaves the client room to sue the contractor if subjectively noise is an issue that effects his business – the evidence is the record of the construction that did not meet design intent.
That’s the role of the architect in this process, to record observations about the conduct and product the contractor is providing to the client. The architect documents for the benefit of the client what is being done with out making claims as to the prospect of the certification of the product. We can further serve the client by giving our opinions and professional advice to remedies to meet the design intent of the documents.
Architecture after Oil
Peak oil is here and industrialized civilization is facing its final challenge, the challenge that will decide if we as a species continue. Peak oil is not when the oil is gone, this is when the energy being put into drilling, pumping, transporting, refining, and finally selling the oil is greater than the energy of the oil being removed. This will happen to all resources eventually. This is happening now for oil.
But, some good news – architecture has a long history to draw on – almost all of it without industrialized oil based technology. Buildings account for around 70% of all energy use – creating building materials, transporting materials, construction, heating, power, lighting, demolition.
First what will be increasingly affected by decreasing oil supplies? Let’s start at the top, the roof. Bitumen, Hot Mop, Modified Bitumen, PVC, TPO, EPDM, tarpaper, asphalt shingles – all based on oil products. Expect these to increase in cost.
Next is flashing. Many modern flashings are EPDM. Architects and contractors know that flashings are what keep the envelope able to shed water. They are used everywhere. Metal flashings are mostly used on roofs. EPDM most often used around windows, sills and other transitions between materials. In addition to flashings are backer rods, also made of plastics (oil) these are used in expansion joints in façade materials.
The envelope of a building beyond the flashing materials discussed, there are many oil intensive materials used. Tyvek and other building wrap, including of course tarpaper are needed to make a moisture barrier are oil intensive. Vinyl based siding, EFIS – Elastomeric Finished Insulating System – is polystyrene with a thin layer of cement and latex based finish, are oil intensive.
These things are the stock and trade of modern building across all spectrums of typologies. So how can we build without these materials? Look at history, what’s been used before oil. Additionally reuse the oil intensive materials we’ve already manufactured.
First is masonry. Bricks have been in use for thousands of years, and before that mud bricks. Bricks made in the modern way use powerful gas fired kilns to cure the clay. Transportation can be a big oil use in bricks, so finding a local manufacture is a good way to reduce oil dependence. Reused bricks are another resource to look for.
Stone is another pre-oil resource, but quarrying and transporting it is very oil intensive now, but reusing stone into new construction is not. The pyramids of Giza, originally covered in white marble, but over the millennia after the Egyptian dynasties, the marble cladding was scavenged for use in Cairo. This is the fate of all un-used monuments.
Wood has been our other medium of choice for thousands of years. Our timber and lumber industry is geared to produce trees for the housing market. The large trees are gone or protected and the production forests are harvested as soon as possible to make the standard lumber we are familiar with. But standard lumber is not the only way to build with wood, it’s just what is most available and economical for commercial purposes. Every climate that has trees the culture has found a way to use this resource. From Pueblo dwellings that reuse the same logs (hence they stick out), to huts and yurts, log cabins, or long houses. In these modern times, reusing the older lumber locally is another lower oil impact resource. Another is urban logging that can recover wood from trees felled in storms or during development. Many times these mulched, but alternatively for construction or millwork. (Especially veneers and laminates)
Going back up to the roof, the most important surface that keeps the rest of the envelope working efficiently; there are certain factors that must be re-examined. I started listing all the oil-based products used in roofing. Prior to the miracle of bitumen-based roofing the options were slate, tile, thatch, metal and wood. These components work, but they all require attention to detail. The bitumen roofing systems have much simpler details, and can be rolled out (literally) very quickly. Building large flat roofs is a modern edifice. Pitching a roof is the easiest way to get the water off the materials. Only with the seamless and impenetrable surface of bitumen products can you have the 1/8” per foot slope, and have pools of water on a roof. All other materials are assembled in such a way to shed water. However, our modern technology has developed the living roof. By using the impenetrable EPDM or TPO as a substrate and then using modular trays to hold soil and succulent vegetation these two work together to make a living breathing surface. The soil and plants protect the EPDM from UV rays, and the plants can absorb the water that sits on top of the roof material. The green roof reflects heat, cutting heating and cooling costs, and absorbs some water that would enter the storm system.
The biggest hurtle architecture will face is localism. We as an industry are accustomed to getting our materials and equipment from across the country, even the world. As oil becomes more expensive, transporting construction materials will force us to look at local resources. So get to know your local industries, your local machinists and manufacturers. Where do these local manufactures get their resources, their equipment? We need to reexamine our details, specifications, and notes.
Links:
Green America’s National Green Pages, building materials
I can not live without books
“I can not live without books” -Thomas Jefferson
Pictured here is “Time-Savers Standards for Building types-2nd Edition”, Joseph De Chiara & John Callender (1980), a 1280 page tome that is an excellent time capsule of late 70’s design thought in architecture. I found it in a used bookstore. First, I was ecstatic they had it, then I saw it was priced at five bucks! Then it hit me – this is here because some architect is selling his books to make rent. I bought it anyway. And I’ve been there too this year, selling books and videos to get grocery money.
I think that is sign of the times, architects parting with their books. It’s hard to do. Architects love their books; the monograph of the firm or designer that we aspire to be like. The books on theory, design manifestos and ideas, esoteric and academic they inspire us to look outside the box. Our books of design standards – details, advice, and lessons learned we incorporate into the construction plans. Finally, there are the vital but dry codebooks, laboratory tested design books, and other engineering manuals.
I bought the book anyway. Why? First, I had over Five bucks in my pocket. Second – I believe I’m going to need it. Will I really need it? No. But I just can’t pass up a book full of plans, program and space organization information and other knowledge. It is horribly out of date, the cover has the twin towers on it, space planning predates the ADA, and has no mention of environmental design. Despite that, it is still knowledge. Importantly it gives me insight buildings of that period.
So 30 years from now, children yet to be born who will be in their architecture career, will they have collections of books? What do you think?