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What's New with SU Podium V2 for Google SketchUp

What's New June 12, 2012

1. Podium Walker Beta has been released.

Photo-realistic, real time walk thru works inside SketchUp and is a free beta. Real time raytracing that supports SU Podium V2 reflections, bumps and lights. Click here.

    What is Podium Walker Beta?

  • A photo-realistic, raytracing program that works inside SketchUp
  • CPU based, not GPU
  • Renders in real-time, SU Podium V2 reflections, artificial lights (omni lights and LEM), refractions, bumps
  • Renders the hundreds of Podium render-ready light fixtures, plants, materials, furnishings from Podium Browser.
  • Creates keyframe animations and also can record your camera navigation.
  • Can create animations directly from SketchUp scenes or from SU Animate paths
  • Will export to video formats such as .mp4 and .avi
  • Currently on on SketchUp Windows. Mac OS-X port is being worked on.

    Click on the above image to view a YouTube video created by Aikin Design that uses PodiumWalker Beta.

2. This month's SU Podium image

    This month's Podium Gallery image is from Nick Hoffman. This combines a SU Podium rendered image that is integrated with an existing photograph using Photoshop. The roof of the building is the SketchUp model rendered with SU Podium. This is a fantastic example of skilled post processing "photo match".


    Click on image to view much larger resolution.

    SU Podium Forum gallery is a great place to see what others are doing with SU Podium V2 pick up some ideas for your rendering. Click on the Gallery Forum.

3. Not just for architects. The Garthwest example.

    Garthwest is a Point of Sale or Point of Purchase company with a small team of 5 designers who use SketchUp and SU Podium V2 to conceptualize and present their designs. Dean Cutsworth submitted this image with a note that SU Podium isn't just used in architectural design. Well noted, Dean. Check them out at www.garthwest.com. If you play the video, you can see some of the Podium generated images.
    Click on the image on the left to get a larger view.

4. Podium Browser keeps growing and still $39.00

    SU Podium Browser An additional 150 new Paid components were added since the last e-news and Cadalog is planning several hundred more in June and July. A vast amount of the new content in May is in the VectorPro category which includes furnishings, sofas, bathroom items. But other content has been added to exterior and household categories. Everything is Podium render ready. Check out the Facebook account for SUPlugins which focuses on new components on the browser here - SUPlugins Facebook.

    Click on the above image to launch a YouTube video that shows how to create this image using Podium Browser render ready paid components.

5. An introduction photo-realistic rendering- Part 3 Lighting

    Jim Allen is writing a series of insightful articles based on years of applying rendering techniques that help you understand hhow to produce realistic render images from SketchUp with SU Podium. Part 3 is all about using the right lighting.


6. Two new SU Podium quick learn books

    Two new books that provide comprehensive information and useful tips to quickly grasp SU Podium V2 have been released.
  • Professor Jim Kenney's Podium V2 Quick start was released last month and is available on Lulu.com. This book is a three-part, self-paced introduction to Podium, easily completed in six hours or less with 13 tutorials. Cost is $24.95 for the perfect bound full color version and $9.95 for the PDF e-book version. Purchase from Lulu.com. Type in Podium Quick Start in either the books section or ebooks section. Please read more about it here.
  • Nicolas Harvery's SU Podium V2 Reference Guide is 48 pages that starts with a quick look at all the basic features of SU Podium V2. Then the books moves on to very useful tips on how to use natural and artificial lighting and material properties to create high quality, photo-realistic images. It also includes tutorials on how to effectively use post processing. The Reference Guid is available in the Books section of www.suplugins.com. Read about it here.
    Also keep in mind Professor Jim Kenney's very comprenhensive Essentials: Rendering with Podium V2. This 137 page book comes not only with a full guide to Podium V2 but with many tuturials and sample models. Also available on Lulu.com.