David Chadwick tries out a render plug-in for SketchUp that matches it's ease of use in providing photorealistic renderings. Sketchup is a great tool for both the professional architect, who can use it to quickly layout design concepts, and for the amateur, introducing him to the delights of designing in 3D using a simple and intuitive tool. Users will have noted, though, that the rendering tools that come with the software are not of the highest quality, and amount to little more than the application of basically coloured and textured material to walls, roofs, etc, the addition of some artefacts, and basic lighting tools. Users can, of course, export the models into higher level rendering tools, but to get the most out of these quite expensive tools requires a fair degree of skill.
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