Cheers! It’s cocktail hour.
You’re bidding on an event that requires a sleek, modern bar, but you don’t see exactly what you want in the Vivien library. What to do? You could hire a CAD artist to draw a realistic 3D model of a bar and then import the file into Vivien, OR you could search for a bar in Google SketchUp’s online 3D Warehouse and bring the file into Vivien with the SketchUp Import feature.
Google SketchUp is a 3D software program that lets you build and modify realistic 3D models of almost any type of object—cars, bars, furniture, stage elements—and then save the object as a SketchUp file (with an .skp extension). To share your work with the world, simply post your drawings to Google’s online 3D Warehouse.
You don’t actually need the SketchUp software to use the files in the warehouse—just browse through the files, locate the one you want, and import it into Vivien in much the same way as you import DWG/DXF files. The possibilities are virtually limitless!
To import a SketchUp Object into Vivien
There are three parts to this procedure:
• Locate the object that you want and download it to your computer
• Merge the object into your Vivien file
• Customise the object as you would any other Vivien library object
Note: This procedure assumes that you have already created the venue in Vivien and that you are going to merge the SketchUp object—in this case, a custom bar—into your Vivien file.
1. Navigate to Google SketchUp’s online 3D Warehouse (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/).
2. In the Search box, type cocktail, and then click Search.
3. From the resulting list of images, click the thumbnail image for the Modern Bar.
4. Under Download, click Google SketchUp 5 to download the file to your computer.
5. Click Save and choose a custom location (or accept the default save location).
6. Once the file is saved to your computer, open the Vivien file into which you want to merge the SketchUp bar.
7. On the Drawing Wireframe tab, ensure that Plan View is selected.
Tip: Press TAB and type 0 to ensure that the Height value is 0 feet.
8. From the File menu, click Import SketchUp.
9. In the Import window, navigate to the file you just downloaded and then click Open.
10. Leave Select Base point with mouse selected, and click OK.
11. On the Import Directories tab, leave the default path shown (this is where all textures associated with the SketchUp object will be saved on your computer).
12. Click the Layer tab.
Note: If the program prompts you to create the Texture Import Directory, click Yes.
13. On the Layer tab, ensure that all layers listed (if there is more than one) have the Import check mark enabled beside them.
Note: If any of the layers listed does not have the Import check mark shown, highlight the layer, and click the Import check box.
14. Click OK.
15. In the Block Load window, click the Explode option button, and then click Do for all.
Note: Blocks in SketchUp are called components. If you have components in your drawing, you have the option to explode them, convert them into a library item, or ignore them. Exploding the component breaks it into its sub-components and enables you to customize the object just as you customize Vivien objects.
16. Click OK. Since the bar is a complex file with many elements (i.e., bar glasses, a sink, champagne buckets, etc.), you may have to wait a minute for it to load. When Vivien is ready, a message appears in the bottom left corner of the window, prompting you to choose the insertion point.
17. Click to place the bar in the desired location in your Vivien file.
18. When the file is fully loaded in Plan View, click the Virtual View tab to view the custom bar.
19. To change any of the textures shown, you will use Vivien’s Appearance tab. Click the Drawing Quad tab and, in the Plan View quadrant, select the individual elements of the bar that you want to change, just as you would for any of Vivien’s library objects.
20. Right-click and choose Properties.
21. On the Appearance tab, highlight the Surface or Imported Surface element and clickUse Texture from Library.
22. In the Texture Select window, navigate to the desired texture, and then click Select.
23. Click Apply and note the change in the Drawing Quad tab, Virtual View quadrant. If you are satisfied with the changes, click OK; otherwise, continue selecting surfaces and applying texture/color until you are pleased with the result. When you are finished, your file could look something like this: