Overview
Using Sketchup and other free tools, get a no texture model into TTS.
Tools Used
Sketchup (Free from Trimble): [link]
Plugin: Sketchup OBJ export (Free from TIG): [link]
Plugin: Model center to Origin (Free from Todd Burch): [link]
One minor change to this file: edit:
trans = Geom::Transformation.new(bb.corner(0).vector_to(ORIGIN)) ; # move the temp bounding box
into:
trans = Geom::Transformation.new(bb.center.vector_to(ORIGIN)) ; # move the temp bounding box
This change centers the object on origin instead of next to origin.
About
SketchUp is a great tool for creating 3d objects. In the free version, it can’t naturally export to OBJ, which TTS needs. The plugin above allows OBJ export. The centering plugin makes sure that objects imported into TTS will rotate and flip on themselves rather then fling around a bit.
Process
Within Sketchup, create one or several pieces to be used. Some trial and error may be needed to find the right scale. For me, it looks like each foot is about an inch in TTS. Don’t know silly US measurements? Make it 10 to 15 times bigger then normal in Sketchup.
If you have many objects, copy them one at a time into a second instance of Sketchup. Within the new instance with just the one object, either select the entire model or select nothing and use Todd’s center plugin. Then save the Sketchup skp file where you want the obj file to be. It can be named anything, including the default Untitled.skp. Finally, run TIG’s export plugin. If nothing pops up, then there should be several files next to your skp file.
Now that you have an OBJ file, this can be imported into TTS. One free method is to use [link] . If I open an OBJ file with TextPad, it opens as a hex file which can’t be easily copied. Renaming it to txt allows my text reader to open it. Copy that text into pastebin, submit it, then click the RAW link to view just the text from the OBJ. That URL allows for your model to be imported into TTS.
Another free solution is Dropbox. I don’t know the specifics of it, but since you are getting the file unaltered from Dropbox, you can upload the OBJ as it is, then link straight to it.