THEAFORSKETCHUP

www.thearender.com/sketchup

USERMANUAL
Rev.1.5_448
 TABLEOFCONTENTS
1.INTRODUCTION 3
2.INSTALLATION 3
3.ACTIVATION 4
4.GENERALLAYOUTOFTHEPLUGINWINDOWS 4
5.MAINWINDOW 5
5.1.CONTROLBAR 5
5.2.MAINWINDOWTABS 6
5.2.1.RENDERINGTAB 6
5.2.2.NETWORKTAB 7
5.2.3.DISPLAYTAB 7
5.2.4.ENVIRONMENTTAB 8
5.2.5.CHANNELSTAB 9
5.2.6.ANIMATIONTAB 10
5.2.7.CONSOLETAB 10
6.WINDOWSELECTIONFORINTERACTIVERENDERINGOVERLAYOPTION 11
7.BATCHRENDERWINDOW 12
8.THEABROWSERWINDOW 13
9.THEATOOLWINDOW 14
9.1.CAMERATAB 14
9.2.MATERIALTAB 15
9.2.1.MATERIALLABORATORY(MATLAB) 16
9.3.LIGHTTAB 16
9.4TOOLSTAB 18
10.SECTIONCUTS
11.ONLINETHEALIBRARY 22
12.THEACONTEXTMENU 23
13.TROUBLESHOOTING 23
14.CREATINGEXTERNALMODELS&THEIRPROXIES 24

15.COPYRIGHT 25
16.DISCLAIMER 25

17.APPENDIXAMATERIALPRESETTYPES 26
1.INTRODUCTION
TheaforSketchUpisanintegratedversionofTheaRender.ThisallowsacreationofstunningimagesrightinsideSketchUpandan
interactiveworkwithcameras,materialsandlights.ItcomesbundledwithTheaStudiio,whichoffersfewadditionaltools.

TheextensionsupportsSketchUpVersions6,7,8,20132016bothFree(Make)andPro,onbothsystems:Windows&OSX.
Wehighlyrecommendusing64bitversionsofSketchUp2015orhigher,becausetheycanaccesswholeavailablememoryon64bit
operatingsystems.

2.INSTALLATION

MSWindows
PleaseusetheprovidedBundleinstaller,whichcontainsTheaStudioandtheSketchUppluginintstallers.

Pleasemakesureyouhaveadministratorrightswhileinstallingtheplugin.ToensurethatrightclicktheinstallerfileandselectRunas
Administrator.

Important:
WheninstallingTheaStudiocomponentsetthepathoftheTheaDataandTheaTemporaryfoldertoalocationwhereeveryuserhasfull
read/writeaccess.Ifthepathwon'thaveproperpermissionsTheaStudiowillnotworkrightandalicensewon'tbestored.

MacOSX

PleaseusetheprovidedBundleinstaller,whichcontainsTheaStudioandtheSketchUpplugin.

MakesurethatSketchUpwasstartedatleastoncebeforerunningtheinstaller,please,otherwiseitwon'tappearonthelist.
Theinstallerwillguideyouthroughtheneededinstallationsteps.ItautomaticallyrecognizesinstalledSketchUpversionsandoffersthe
plugininstallationforthem.

3 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
3.ACTIVATION
ForactivatingthepluginyouneedtoopenTheaTool
window,openToolstabandclickonLicensebutton.

LicenseInputFormwindowwillopenandyouwillbeaskedtoenteryour
licensedetailsexactlyasinalicenseemail:
1.
1.Yourfullname 2.
2.Emailaddress 3.
3.TheaStudioSerialnumber 4.
4.PressActivateLicense
56.OpenPluginstabandenterSketchUppluginserialnumber.
7.PressActivatePluginLicenses

5.

Demoversionlimitations

Pleasenotthatwhilepluginisnotlicensed,renderedimageresolutionwillbe
limited(1280x720)andwatermarkswillbeadded.Allotherfeaturesand 6.
functionalityarefullysupported. 7.

8.

4.GENERALLAYOUTOFTHEPLUGINWINDOWS
Oncethepluginisinstalledcorrectlyanewiteminthe
Pluginsmenuwillappear:




YoucanalsohaveaccesstoTheaforSketchUpthrough
toolspalette.SelectShowTheatoolbarfromtheplugin
menu.Atoolbarasseeninwillappearonthescreen:

Userinterfaceofthepluginconsistsofthreewindows:

THEATOOLWINDOW THEAMAINRENDERINGWINDOW

Itallowssettingupcameras,editing THEABROWSER Themainwindowdisplayscurrently
materials,placingandeditinglights, renderedimage,allowsenginesand
exportingascenetoTheaStudio ThisbuttonopensTheaBrowserWindow renderingmodeselections,provides
anddefiningotherpreferences. thathelpswitheasyinsertingThea controlsoverthedisplayed
models,materials,skiesandSketchUp rendering,itschannelsand
components/proxies. environmentsettings.

Tip:incasethepluginisnotenabledyoucangoatPreferencesofSketchUp>Extensionsandenableditonthelist.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 4
 5.MAINWINDOW
Thearenderingwindowcontainsthreeparts:

Renderingpaneldarkroom

Itdisplaysrenderedimagewithresolution
informationandelapsedrenderingtime.When
doubleclickitmaximizeswindowsize.


Controlbar

Letsyoustart/pause/stoprendering,savecurrent
imageanddisplayscurrentprogress


SettingsTabs

Allowsyoutomodifyrenderingoptions,display,
environment,channels,animationsettingsandshow
additionalinformationintheconsoletab.

5.1.CONTROLBAR
RenderPhaseinfo
Savebutton Inthisareaweseesomedetailsconcerningourrenderingprogressorthetime
neededtobefinished.
Itallowstosavethecurrentrenderasan
imageandalsothecurrentlyrenderedmodel
as*.pack.theaor*.scn.theafilethatcanbe RenderSelection
openedtheninTheaStudio.
Checkboxwhenenabledbeforerendering,onlycurrent
selectionwillberendered.

Refreshbutton

Itforcesarefreshofacurrentviewof
therendering.Itisusuallybeingused Stopbutton
whenonewantstoseeimmediately
theprogressoftherenderingbeing ItstopstherenderingandmakesThearefreshthemain
done.Thepluginrefreshestheview window,soitdisplaysthefinalimage.
automaticallyatsomeintervals.

OpenBatchRenderwindow Start/Pausebutton

WiththisbuttonyoucanopentheBatchRenderwindowand StartbuttonmakesTheacollectallnecessarydatafromSketchUp
selectamongScenesthosethatyouneedtoaddinqueuefor andstarttherenderingprocess.
rendering.Alldetailsonthiswindowaredescribedonpage12. Pausebutton(appearsinsteadoftheStartbuttonwhenrendering
isinprogress)pausestherendering.

Tip:Youcandoubleclickonthecontrolbartogetalltabsbelowhidden.Itisusefulwhendoinganinteractivepresentationorwhenmore
spacefortherenderingwindowisneeded.

5 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
5.2.MAINWINDOWTABS
5.2.1.RENDERINGTAB
RenderingMode Renderinglimits

Interactiveoption Displayselection Renderingparameters DeviceselectionforPresto

RenderingModes
ThecontrolprovidesaselectionamongTheaRenderengines.Thereareseveraloptionsthatallowalsoaninteractivetypeofrendering(IR
indication).Mostofrenderingmodesareprogressive,whichmeansthatuserdecideswhenexpectedqualityofanimageisreached.

InteractiveModes(IR) NonInteractiveModes
Thosemodesallownotonlyrenderthemodelasastaticimage,but TherearethreenonInteractivehighqualitymodesavailable:
alsoletinteractivelymoveacameraaroundamodel,adjustshadow,
materials,modifymodelandseetherenderingbeingupdated. Adaptive(BSD)
Inmanycasesfastmethodbasedonpresets,butitrequires
IRPresto(AO)and(MC) someexperiencewhenacertainsetupisadvantageous.
PresetsarepreparedforExteriorandInteriorscenarios.Basic
ForfastrenderingPrestoenginescanbeselectedastheyuseboth presetalreadygivesgoodresultinmanycases.Pleasenotethat
yourGPU+CPU.Youcandefineextraparametersfordevicesusedby Interiormethodsarememoryhungryanditisnotadvisedto
PrestoenginesatDeviceswindow. usethemin32bitversionsofSketchUporwhenlessthen4GB
ofRAMisavailable.
PretoModeswith'BucketRender'enabledwillstartrenderingintiles.
Itallowsrenderingofbigresolutionandmultiplechannelsimagesand
avoidsmemorylimitationissuesthatmayotherwiseoccur.

AmbientOcclusion(AO)isatechniquetoartificiallylitamodel.When
usedwithdiffusedepth=0canspeedupareneringconsiderably.

Adaptive(AMC)
Thisprogressivemethodworksverywellwithmultiplelightsand Unbiasedmethods
complexlightingconditions. Thoseprogressiveenginesdon'trequireanysettingsand
deliverrenderingsofthehighestquality:
MostimportantparameterforIRenginesisthe'TracingDepth'which
defineshowmanytimeslightbouncesinamodel.Valuesstarting Unbiased(TR1)engine
from4givegoodresultsinsimpleconditions,whileahighernumberis Itispreferredinexteriorrendersandinteriorswheredirect
neededwhentherearemanyhighlyreflectivesurfacesinamodel. lightingisthemostdominantinthescene.
WhenInteractiveoptionisenabledyoucan
choosewheretheliverenderingwillbe Unbiased(TR2)engine
displayed.TheaforSketchUpcanrendereither Itispreferredwhendifficultindirectlightingisdominantinthe
inTheaMainWindowordirectlyinSketchUp renderorheavycausticsarepresent(suchasasunpool
usingTheaOverlaymethod! caustics).

FordetaileddescriptionofavailableblendingoptionswithSketchUp
viewpleasecheckpage11.
Fordetaileddescriptionofparametersofrenderingmethods,please Tip:Foradvancedusersyoucancreateyourcustom
refertoTheaStudiomanual. Adaptive(BSD)presetinsideTheaStudio.EditAdaptive(BSD)
rendersettings,savethem(Render/Presets/Savecurrent
Tip:Whenrenderinginteractivelyascreenresolutioninsteadof settings)andcopyfromTheaData/PresetsfoldertoSketchUp
cameraresolutionisbeingused.DisableInteractiveoptiontorender Plugins/Thea4SU_files/presets.
atfullsize.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 6
 ServerNetworkRendering
ServeroptionisavailablefornonInteractiverenderingonly.Itenablesanetworkrendering,whichusesmachinesinlocalnetworkwith
TheaStudiowithnodelicensesinstalled.WhenitisenabledanewTabcalledNetworkLogappears.

Whensettingupthenetworkrenderingmakesureallcomputers
havepropernetworkconnectioncansharefiles,accessnetwork
drives,etc.Itisimportanttohaveport6200openedinWindows
firewalloranyotherfirewallinstalledonmachinesinthenetwork.
ThisportisusedbydefaultforacommunicationbetweenSketchUp(server)andnodes.

StartStudioonnodesin"TheaClient"mode.Thereis"TheaClient"shortcutinTheaRenderinStartMenu.Whenallnodesarerunning
openSketchUp,openamodelandmark"Server"optionintheRenderpanelandpressStartrender.

WhenarenderingstartsyoushouldseeinNetworktabthatnodeshavebeenfoundandafterawhile,dependingonamodelcomplexity,
theywillstarttocommittotherenderingontheserver.TheNetworkLogshowsallmachinesthatareconnectedtoSketchUpserverand
theirstatus,howmuchtheycontributedtotherenderingsofar,numberofcontributionsandtechnicaldetailsaboutthem.

Iftheserverisnotverypowerfulmachine,thenitisadvisedtoenable"Pureserver"modebeforepressing"Start"button,sotheserver
doesnotmakerenderingitself,butjustsendsandreceivesdatatoandfromnodes.Pleasenotethat"PureServer"doesn'tworkwith
AdaptiveBSDengine.

Supersampling
Itisavailablefornoninteractiverenderingandcorrespondstothesupersamplingusedfortheimageoutput,
i.e.internalresolutionmultiplierforantialiasingenhancement.'None'correspondstonosupersampling,
'Normal'to2x2and'High'to3x3.'Auto'correspondstonosupersamplingforbiasedengineand2x2for
unbiasedengines.Settingsupersamplingtoahigherlevelwillgenerallyimproveantialiasingoftheoutputbut
willincreasememorydemandsforstoringtheimage(4timesinnormalleveland9timesinhighlevel).The
timeneededtorenderthescenewillalsobeincreasedforbiasedengine.Butfortheunbiasedengines,the
extratimeneededtorenderthehigherresolutionimageisusuallyamortizedbythereducednoisevisibleinthevisualized(downsampled)
image.Itisusuallysuggested,forunbiasedrendering,tochangesupersamplingto'None'forhighresolutionoutputand'High'whenthere
ispersistingnoise.

Threads
Thisistheentryfortherenderworkerthreadsthatwillbeusedduringrendering(notallapplicationprocessthreads).Thespecialvalue0,
samelikeMax,correspondstothenumberoflogicalcoresonyourmachine.Exceedingthisvalue(shownexplicitlyasthelastvalueinthe
dropdownlist)willhavenobenefitandactuallyanimpactonperformance.

Limitsforprogressiveengines
Progressiveunbiasedrenderingmodescanrenderindefinitelyuntiluserdecidesthatarenderingqualityisgoodenough.
Timeandsampleslimitsallowtostoprenderingwhenafirstofthosetwoconditionsismet.
Time(minutes)
Timelimitisgiveninminutes.Renderingstopsafterspecifiedtime.Valueof0meansnotimelimit.
Samples/px
Sampleslimitstopsrenderingwhenallpixelsinanimagehavebeensampledspecifiednumberoftimes.Insimplelightingconditioncases
avalueof300issufficient.Inmorecomplexinteriorsceneshighervaluesmaybeneeded.Valueof0meansthereisnosampleslimit.By
defaultthelimitissetto512samplesperpixel.

5.2.2.DISPLAYTAB

DisplayTabisaveryimportantspacewhereyoucanmanipulateyourrenderedimage,especiallyintermsofexposure/brightness,colors
saturation,contrastandapplyanypostprocessing.IfyouimageistoodarkyouhavetoincreaseISOanddecreaseShutterspeed.
Firsttwosectionsarerelatedtoarenderexposureandthefollowingthreetoafiltering.PleasenotethatGlarefilterrequiresa
considerableamountoftimetoperformonlargerimages.Whenrenderingitisbeingdisabledtosaveprocessingpower.

Foradetaileddescriptionofalloptions,pleaserefertoTheaRenderDarkroomtutorialSection2A.

7 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
5.2.3.ENVIRONMENTTAB
EditSettings

Selectionboxopensthecorresponding
environmentpanelsforediting:
IBLImageBasedLighting EnvironmentPreview
Sun
Ground&Sky Thiswindowshowsapreviewof
environmentwhichisbeingautomatically
UseSky updated.WhenManualSunisdisabledand
IBLlightingused,thentheenvironment
IttellsTheatocreateabackground mapscanberotatedbydraggingthe
UseSun UseGround
forarenderedsceneinaformof previewimage.

PhysicalSky.Itwilllookasaclearsky
IttellsTheato Thisbuttontogglesa
whichwillbeautomaticallyadjusted
createtheSunthat groundplanethat
toapositionoftheSun.Turningthis
willgivesame catchshadowsandcan
onmakesplugindisablethe
shadowsasthose alsoreflectobjects
backgroundimage,ifitisbeingused.
presentina aboveit
SketchUpmodel.

IBLImageBasedLighting

ByselectingtheIBLeditsettings,thepanelwiththecorrespondingpanelappearswhereusercanspecifytheIllumination,Background,
ReflectionandRefractionmaps.

Imagebasedlightingisaconvenientwaytoaddilluminationtoyourscene,comingfromcapturedphotosofthesurroundingenvironment.
Sinceaphotoofarealscenecanbeused,thelightingishighlyconvincingandenhancestherealismofyourrenders.Inmostcases,the
imagesusedforthiskindoflightingneedtobeofhighdynamicrangeinordertoprovideenoughlightingforascene.

Onecanuseanimageforilluminatingthescene,nevertheless,hecanalsosetupdifferentimagesforbackground,reflectionsand
refractions.Thismakespossibletousedifferentsourceforlightingandforreflections/background,whichinmostcasesneedmoredetails
intheimage.Thisisactuallyanusualrenderoptimization,wheretheilluminationsourceisrelativelylowdetailedtextureinorderforthe
imagetoquicklyconverge,whilebackgroundandreflectionsuseadetailedmapforvisuallyenhancedresults.

ToaddoneofimagetypesselectpropertypeandpressEXTbuttontoselecta
desiredimage.Whenproperbitmapselecteditspathwillbedisplayednextto
thebutton.Onecancontrolintensity,rotationandawaytheimageiswrapped
aroundamodel.

ThereisalsoanoptiontouseapurecolorforanIBLslot.Youcangetthisoptionthroughrightclickonthebuttonandselecting'Use
Color'.Themenuletsalsoselectanimagepathfromalreadybeingused,copy/pasteorclearcurrentimagepath.

Sun

BydefaulttheSunintensity,positionandspectralcolorishandledbythepluginautomatically,basedonShadowsettingsinSketchUp.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 8
Thereisanoptiontooverridethosesettingswhenitisneeded.WhenManualSunenabledyoucanmodifyasoftnessofSunshadows
withthemultiplier,powerandemittancesettings.

IfyouwanttohaveacompletecontrolovertheSunpositionregardlessofSketchUpsShadowsettings,thendisableSUposition.Youare
abletoadjustthesunPolarAngleandAzimuth,eitherbyenteringthedesiredvalues,ormanually,byopeningtheEnvironmentPreview
andclickingpreferredlocationinthepreview.

Ground&Sky

Groundsettingsletyoucontrolawaythegroundplanereflectslight.Youcanspecifyroughnessofthereflectionsaswellastheirintensity
(%)andcolor.

SkysettingsaffecttheappearanceofTheaPhysicalSky.Themostimportantistheveryfirstparameterwhichtakesvalue~2.5foraclear
andcloseto10.0foranovercastsky.

5.2.4.CHANNELSTAB

Thistabisbeingusedwhenanadditionalimageisbeingrequired,otherthanastandardrendering.Thisismostlyusedwhenapost
processingisintendedusingexternalimagemanipulationprogram.

Availablechannelsare:Color(standardrendering),Normal,Depth,Alpha,ObjectId,MaterialIdandchannelsspecifictoAdaptive(BSD)
renderingmode:Direct,AmbientOcclusion,GlobalIllumination,SubSurfaceScattering,Reflection,Refraction,Transparencyand
Irradiance.
SomechannelslikeShadowChannel,RawDiffuseColor,RawDiffuseLighting,RawDiffuseGI,SelfLuminanceandPassperLightareonly
availabletoPrestoengines.

When"PassperLight"isenableditisgoingtoproduceindependentimagesforalllightsourcesavailableinamodel.Thismayrequirealot
ofmemoryforlargeamounttooflightsandhighresolutions.

Maskpasseswillonlyappearwhenyouassignamasktoagroup,componentorimageusingrightclickcontextTheamenudescribedon
page23.



LuminanceAnalysis

LuminanceAnalysisdescribetheluminanceandilluminancedistribution.TheaRendercancomputebothofthem.Luminanceiscomputed
outoftheboxforanyimagethatyouhavealreadyrenderedandforanyrendersettings.IlluminancecanbecomputedbytheAdaptive
BSDengine.
ToviewtheanalysisofarenderedimageselectPhotometricfromthedropdownmenu.MinIlLumandMaxIlLumparameters
controlarangeofilluminationtheanalysisisperformedon.

9 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
5.2.5.ANIMATIONTAB

Theacanrenderfewtypesofanimation:
standardcameraanimationbasedonSketchUpscenes.Fieldofviewchangeswon'tbeappliedthough.
objectandcameraanimationsbasedonvariousSketchUppluginsthatdisplayanimationwhenyouplaySketchUpscenesanimation.This
modeiscalled'Generic'
SketchyPhysicsanimationsthatcanbereplayedwithSketchyReplay
MSPysicsanimations(0.80+)
Fredo'sAnimatoranimations

Animationisbeingexportedasaseriesofnumberedimages.Youwillhavetoconvertthemintoaplayablevideofileusingspecialized
software.VirtualDubisafree,opensourceexample.

Theanimationtabcontrolsfollowingparameters:
Animatecameraspecifieswhethercameramovementwillbeanimated
Animateobjectsspecifieswhetherobjectsmovementwillbeanimated.Itrequiresapresenceofanimationplugin,becauseSketchUp
itselfdoesn'tanimateobjects.
Framespersecond(fps)controlsfluidityhowmanyanimationframeswillbeplayedpersecond.Standardvaluesare24or25fps.
Plugin:(Generic,SketchyPhysics,MSPysics,Fredo'sAnimator)theselectiondefineswhatpluginwillberesponsibleforobjects
movement.
RenderFrames(All,Selected)specifieswhetherTheashouldrenderallallspecifiedframesinafieldbelow.Youcanentersingleframe
valuesorframeranges,separatedbycomas:15,3045,60.

Networkcooperation(Frame,Bucket|Pixels)isonlyusedwhenrenderingisdonethroughnetworkusingrendernodes.Itcontrols
whethercomputersinanetworkrenderwholeframesindependently(Frame)orcontributetoeachframe(Bucket|Pixels).We
recommendusingtheBucket|Pixels,becauseitlimitsnetworkbandwidthneededtosendwholeframesfromnodestoserver.Itisalso
moreefficientwhencomputersinanetworkarevaryingintermsofperformance.


WhenusingAdaptive(BSD)engineandpurecameramotionyoucanalsoenabletheWalkthroughoption.Itwillspeedupwalkthrough
renderingbecauselightingcalculationwillbedonejustonceandwillbesharedamongallframes.

When"RenderAnimation"buttonispressedyouwillbeaskedtoselectafolderandspecifyafilename.Framenumberswillbeappended
automaticallytothefilename(Animation000.png,Animation001.png...).

PleasenotethatforthetimebeingThea4SUdoesn'tanimatestandardlights.Fredo'sAnimatorcananimatethem,ifyoustartrendering
theanimationfromtheAnimator,notfromThea.

5.2.6.CONSOLETAB
TheaForSketchUpusestheconsoletodisplaypluginversion,installationpathandtosendyoumessagesinformingaboutcurrentstateof
rendering,timeinwhichrenderingwasfinishedandwarnings.Ingeneralvisitingtheconsoleisrecommendedifsomethingdoesntwork
asexpected.Itcanhelpyoufindingasourceofproblem.Incaseofanimportanterror,theconsolewillopenautomatically.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 10
6.WINDOWSELECTIONFORINTERACTIVERENDERINGOVERLAYOPTION
BelowtheRenderingEngineslist,whenInteractive
Renderisenabled,aselectionboxwithoptions
allowsdefinewhethertheinteractiverendering
willbeshowninsideTheawindow(rightimage)or
insideSketchUp(imagesbelow)asanOverlay.

WithedgesmodeisespeciallysuitedforinteractionwithSketchUp
model.ThismodetemporarilymodifiesSketchUpdisplaystyletoallow
thebestvisibilityedgesinexterior/interiormodels.Youcannavigate,
modifymaterials,addmodelsandseethechangesappearingin
SketchUpwhilerendering.
BlendedandMultipliedoptionsgiveyoufullfreedomofsettingup
SketchUpstyle.Blendedworksbestwithdarkbackgroundsandbright
lines(asinWithedges).Multipliedworksoppositehiddenlinemode
withwhitebackgroundlooksbest.

Therenderingcanbesavedasanimage,bothinstandardandoverlay
modes. RENDERINGINTHEAWINDOW

INSKETCHUPWINDOW INSKETCHUPWITHEDGES

BLENDEDWITHSKETCHUP MULTIPLIEDWITHSKETCHUP

Tip:WhileusingtheOverlayandmodifyingmodel,thebestresultscanbeachievedwithPrestoenginesusingonlyGPUforrendering.CPU
shouldbeunusedandmadeavailabletoSketchUp

11 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
InteractiveRegionRenderinginSketchUpwindow

InteractiveRenderinginsideSketchUpwindow,allowsyouto
renderjustaselectedareaofyoucameraview.Youcanmark
thedesiredpartofSketchUpview,whenInteractiveRenderingis
on,byholdingShiftbutton.Dragtoselectaregiontooltipwill
appear,thenyoucandragaframetocoverrequiredarea.
Multipleregionscanbedisplayedatthesametime.Youcanalso
saveanactiveregionbypressingthesavebutton.

RegionRenderinDarkroom

Whenarenderingisdonesometimesthereisasmallthinginan
imagethathastobealtered,thatdoesntaffecttherestofit.
Witharightclickanddraggingyoucanselectapartofthe
renderedimageagreendashedlinewillappearwithasizeof
theselectedregiondisplayed.Whenyoustartanewrenderthe
originalimagewillstay,butTheawillrerenderjusttheselected
area.

Pleasenotethatalthoughtheimagewillbedisplayedinfull,
displaycontrolswillaffectonlytheregion.Ingeneralitisnot
advisedtomodifythem,astheresultwillnotmatchtheoriginal
image.

EntireimageisbeingsavedonlynonHDRIformats.Exr,img.thea
andHdrisavejusttheregion.

7.BATCHRENDERWINDOW
Aswehavealreadydescribedbypressingthe
OpenBatchRenderwindowbuttonthewindow
shownbesideopens.Itlistsallavailablescenes
ofaSketchUpmodelinatable,alongwiththeir
namesandacheckoptionforincludingthemin
theBatchprocess.
Onceweselectthesceneswewanttobe
rendered,wecandefinewhichoftheirsettings
(Camera,Display,Environment,Rendering)will
betakenintoaccountbycheckingthe
correspondingbox,andthenpresstheStart
BatchRenderbutton.
Anewwindowopensthatallowsustodefine
thelocationoftherenderedimages.

Duringrendering,atthebottomoftheBatchRenderwindowalistwithdetailsonthebatchprocessappears.Atanypointyouwantyou
canpresstheStopbuttontostoptherenderingprocedure.

Tip:RefreshScenesbuttonclearstheselectionsyouhavemadetoallowyoutoreenterthem.

Tip:YoucansavesettingsinaScenethroughCameratabinTheaToolswindowasdescribedonpage14.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 12
 8.THEABROWSERWINDOW
TheaBrowserservesfollowingpurposes:
givesfastaccesstoTheaMaterials,externalModelsandSkiesand
alsoSketchUpcomponentslocatedinTheaDatafolder
givesaccesstothesamecontentinuserdefinedCustomfolders
allowsfindingusedandmissingexternaltextures,modelsandother
imagemaps
letssaveintoa.ziparchiveaSketchUpfilewithallexternal
dependenciestextures,imagesandmodels

PleasenotethatTheaprovideswiderangeofmateriallibraries,aswell
asModelsandSkies/Studiolightingsetups.Youcandownloadand
installthemthroughTheaTool/Tools/CheckUpdatesdescribedon
page.

Whenbrowsingpreviewsyoucanselecttheoneyouwant,doubleclick
onitandtheninsideSketchUpyoucaneitherpaintasurfacewiththe
materialorinsertamodelatadesiredlocation.

WhenTheaSkyisdoubleclicked,itisenabledandaddeddirectlytothe
IBLoftheEnvironmenttab.PleasenotethatSkiesalsomayalter
currentdisplaysettings.
CustomfolderscanbedefinedusingarightclickandchoosingAddfolderoption.Inthesame
mannertheycanberefreshedorremoved.

ExternalTheamodelsusuallycontainverycomplexgeometry.Itisnotfeasibletoloadthem
directlyintoSketchUp.BydefaultTheabringsjustaboundingboxofanexternalmodel,butin
generalitisbettertohaveaproxycomponentthatwillresembleashapeofthefullgeometry.
WitharightclickyouTheacanhelpyoucreatethisapproximationautomatically.Theavailable
optionsoftheproxycreationaredescribedindetailonapage24.

ASketchUpmodel(*.mod.skp)canbewritteninthesamefolderastheTheaModel
(*.mod.thea)andinthiswaythisSketchUpfilewillbeusedinsteadoftheboundingboxwhen
insertingtheexternalmodelsasaproxy.Whenmod.skpispresentthenitspreviewwillbe
displayedontopofmod.theapreviewasshownontheimage.

8.1.MODELINFO
TheaBrowseralsohasaModelInfosectionwhichshowsExternalDependenciesassociatedwithamodel.
Thiswindowallowsustoviewandfind/modify/updateexternalTextures,IBLsandModelsusedinthescene.

Savingwholemodelwithdependencies

RightclickingonModelInfoanoptionappearsthatallowsustosavein*.zipformatawhole
SketchUpscenealongwiththeexistingdependencies(textures,externalmodelsetc.).

13 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
 9.THEATOOLWINDOW
9.1.CAMERATAB
Resolution
TheWidthandHeightsettingscontrolresolutionofarenderedimage.Pleasenotethat
interactiverenderingmodesusefullareaofpluginsmainwindowandrenderexactlyatsame
resolution.ThePlus&Minusbuttonsincreaseordecreasecurrentresolutiontwofold.
(H)orizontal\(V)erticaltogglebuttonchangesorientationoftherenderedimage.

Aspectratio
Thissettingcontrolproportionsofafinalrenderedimage.WhenSUWindowoptionisselected
theresolutionofarenderedimagewillbeadjustedtobesameaspectratioasmodelviewin
SketchUp.WhenTheaWindowisselectedtheresolutionisadjustedtoreflectcurrentproportions
ofmainrenderview.Atypicalproportionsof4:3ischaracteristicforoldtypeofmonitorswith
resolutionsof800x600,1024x768,1600x1200.Widescreenproportionsof16:9ismorecommonin
newmonitorswithresolutionof1600x900,1920x1080.Whencreatingapanoramicsphericalor
hemisphericalimageacorrectratiois2:1.

Lens
Theacanprojectarenderedimageonthescreeninastandardmannerperspectiveororthogonal,
dependingonacurrentviewinSketchUporusingSphericalorCylindricalprojection.Thespherical
projectionallowscreatingrenderingsofvirtualpanoramasthatcanbeviewedinexternalprograms.
Correctaspectratioofsuchanimageis2:1.
Shutterspeedcontrolsamotionblurwhichappearsinananimatedscene.Theagivesyoucontrol
overadiaphragmofacamera.Itcanbecircularorpolygonaldefinedbyanumberofblades.This
influencesalookofadepthoffieldeffectandamotionblur.

DepthofField
Thedepthoffieldcanbecontrolledinthepluginintwoways.Eitherbyfnumberofcameralenses
orbypercentageofablurrinessofarenderedimage.
WhenAutoFocusisenabledpluginautomaticallyadjustsfocusdistancetokeepwhatisvisibleina
camerainfocuswhenpossible.Focusdistancedisplaysamanualdistanceatwhichacamerais
focusedat.TosetthatvalueclickSetbuttonandselectapointinamodel.Thedistancewillbe
calculatedautomatically.ThevalueisdisregardedwhenAutoFocusisenabled.

ZClipping
WiththesetwooptionsyoucanenableaNearandFarverticalclippingbydefiningthedistancein
meters.Inthiswayyouareabletocreateverticalcutsandseeinsideinteriorroomsforexample
withouttheneedtocutawall.

LevelCamera
Thisbuttonlevelscamerawithoutchangingitsposition.Itishelpfulespeciallywhensettingupa
cameraforapanoramicshot.

SceneSettings
ThissectionallowsassociatingTheaRendersettingswithSketchUpscenes/pages.Itworkssame
wayasitisdoneinSketchUpwithscenesettingstheyareloadedautomaticallywhenasceneis
selected.Tosavesettingsselectascenenamefromthelist,marksettingtypesyouwanttostore
andpressSavebutton.

Availableoptionsare:CameraSettings,DisplaySettings,Sky/IBLSettings,RenderSettings.
GreendotbesideasettingmeansthatthataScenecontainsthesetting.

SettingscanbeeasilyremovedfromaselectedScenebyclickingonthegreendotandselectingone
ofoptions:'Clearchecked'whichclearsonlymarkedsettingsor'Clearall'.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 14
9.2.MATERIALTAB
MaterialTabservesasasimplematerialpropertieseditorbasedonsetofavailablepresets.Itallows
afasttransformationofastandardSketchUpmaterialintoTheamaterialwithoutaneedofopening
anadvancedmaterialeditorcalledMatLab.

WhenTheaToolwindowisbeingopenedSketchUpcursorchangestoTheacursor,which
indicatesthatitispossibletoclickonapaintedfacewithinamodelandthiswaypicka
materialforediting.Otherwayofchoosingamaterialisselectingitsnamefromthedrop
downlist.

MaterialPresets
TheaforSketchUpprovidesawiderangeofreadytousematerialsettingspresets.Mostofthem
exposecertainpropertiesthatcanbeadjustedtofinetuneandachieveadesiredlook.

SomeofpossibleresultbasedonasameSketchUpmaterialareshownabove.Foradetailed
descriptionofallavailablepresetspleaserefertoAppendixAonpage26.

EditinMatLab
IfyoudoubleclickafaceorpressEditinMatLabthenanadvancedmaterialeditor(MatLab)will
open.Itisdescribedonpage16.ApreviewoftherenderedmaterialisgeneratedinMatLab,and

willbedisplayedinSketchUpafteracceptingchangeswith button.Important:Pleasenotethat
SketchUpwillbefrozenaslongasMatLabwillbeopen.CloseittounblockSketchUp.

SaveMaterial
AttheverybottomofthetabyouwillfindalsoSavebuttonthatsavescurrentmaterialwithan
availablepreviewin.mat.theaforlaterdirectuseormat.packfileforarchivingorsharingitwith
otherTheausersinourmaterialonlinerepositorydescribedonpage22.

DEFAULT CARPAINT METAL METAL THINGLASS THICKGLASS MIRROR EMITTER

roughness5 roughness100

EditingMaterialPresets

ThecolorbydefaultislinkedwithSketchUpmaterialcolorortexture.Bypressingthe button,youarecanselectacustomcolorwhich
wilreplaceoriginalSketchUpcolor/texture. Externaltexturecanalsobechosen.Whenitisspecifiedthenitcanbeimportedinto
SketchUpwitharightclick>Importtexture.Thetexturesizewillbeautomaticallyreduced,butinarenderingafullresolutionofthe
originaltexturewillbeused.
AdditionallyfortheEmitterpreset,thetextureselectionhasanoption,whichletyouspecifyemittanceas
atemperature(K).

AllmaterialtypesexceptEmitterhaveBumpMap(%)textureparameter.Thebumptexturecansimulateunevensurfaces.Themapcan
employsametextureasSketchUpmaterialhasoranexternaltexture.

TheverylastoptiononthepresetlistisTheaMaterial(MatLab).Themateriallaboratory,MatLab,cancreateallkindsofcomplex
materials,butisrathercomplextouse.DetaileduseofMatLabwontbecoveredinthisdocument,butfullinformationcanbefoundin
theTheaStudiomanualatwww.thearender.com/downloads.

Tip:WhenrenderinginteractivelyinTheaWindowcursorchangestoacrosshairandallowsselectionofamaterialdirectlyinarendered
image.SingleclickopensMaterialtabandshowsthematerialproperties.

15 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
9.2.1.MATERIALLABORATORY(MATLAB)
Browser PreviewOptions

Accept
Changes
Reject
Changes

Menu Layers Arranging ActiveLayer Adding TextureLab Procedural

Layout Layers Settings Layers Textures

Fordetaileddescriptionofthemateriallaboratory,checkTheaStudiomanualwww.thearender.com/downloads
Tip:IfyouwanttobringexistingTheamaterialintoSketchUp,thebestwaytodothisisusingTheaBrowser(Page13)windowwhichwill
createanewSketchUpmaterialwithapropertexture/color.MatLabbrowserdoesntdothat.

9.3.LIGHTTAB
SketchUpdoesnthaveitsnativelightsources.TheaforSketchUpusescomponentswitha
specialnamestodefinepositionandorientationoflights.Therearetheelighttypesavailablein
theplugin:

PointLight ProjectorLight

Omnidirectional Alightthatprojectsanimage.
SpotLight IESLight
sphericallight
Adirectionallightthatallows Alightbasedonscientificallymeasuredreallifevalues,
focusingofalightconeona providedbylightbulbsandfixturemanufacturersina
chosenareainamodel. formof*.iesfiles.
OnecanalsopaintafacewithamaterialusingEmitterpresetandinthiswaycreateanarealight.
Frontsideofthefacewillbeemittinglight.

CreatingLights
Lighttaballowsacreationandeditingpropertiesoflightcomponents.Tocreatealightopen
TheaToolWindowandselectLighttab.Atthebottomtherearefourbuttonsresponsiblefor
creationoffourtypesoflights.OnthestartoflightplacingtooluserisaskedtoshowinSketchUp
modelalocationofasourceoflightbyrightclickingandsubsequentlyatargetofthelight.In
caseofapointlightonlythedistancefromthesourcetotargetisbeingusedtocalculatea
sufficientlightpowertoreachthetarget.Itisimportanttoplacelightsourcesinadistancetoan
adjacentgeometryhigherthanaradiusofthelight.Failingtocomplywiththatrulemayproduce
undesirednoiseinthefinalimage.Oncelightcomponentiscreateditsnameandproperties
willbedisplayedintheLighttab.
Tip:Ifalightlooksfaintinarenderingmakesurethatexposuresettings(ISO,Shutterspeedandf
number)arecorrect.Forinteriorsvaluesof800,30and2.4accordinglyareusuallysufficient.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 16
EditingLights
LightpropertiescanbeinvokedbydoubleclickingalightcomponentorclickingacomponentwhileTheaToolisactive.Onatopofthe
Lighttabanameofcurrentlyeditedlightcomponentisbeingdisplayed.

Pointlight&Spotlightproperties

Pointlightsandspotlightsshareseveralproperties:

Emittance
Colorofalightiscontrolledbyacolorofmaterialthelightcomponentispaintedwith.Whena
temperatureisenableditwillbeusedinsteadofthecolor.

Alllightshaveflowingparameters:
Powerexpressedinmultipleunits,efficacy(lm/W),attenuationandlighttemperature(K).

Uniquespotlightproperties

SpotlightshaveadditionalHotSpotandFallOffvaluesthatcontrolashapeoflightcone.

HotSpotdescribestheinneranglewherethelightisemittedatafullintensity.

FallOffisananglethelightfadescompletelyat.

IESLightproperties

MultipliercanbeusedtomodifyanintensityofIESlight.

Ingeneralitisadvisedtokeepthisvalueatdefault1.0,becauseIESformatdescribereallife
valuesofbrightness.Togetarenderingbrighterdisplaysettingshavetobeadjustedinstead.

BydefaultanIESlighthaveasample.iesfileloadedintoitandavailablepreviewimage
displayedbelow.

Itispossibletoloadadifferentdescriptionoflightdistributionbyselectingitfromadropdown
menuandpressingLoadbutton.

TouseanIESfilenotpresentinTheaStudioIESfilesfolder,selectfromthelistOtherfileand
pressLoad.Youwillbeaskedtoselectafileyouwanttosaveintothelightcomponent.

Tip:IESdescriptionissavedinsideeachIESlightcomponent.YoucansafelyshareSketchUp
modelwithotherswithoutsupplying.iesfileswithit.

ProjectorLightproperties

Projectorsendsarectangularlightbeamwithacolordefinedbyanimage.Itcanalsosendjust
acolordefinedbycomponentcolorortemperature,ifimageisnotspecified.
W(idth)andH(eight)controlasizeofprojectedimage.Aspectratiooftheprojectedimageis
lockedbydefault.Youcanunlockitwiththechainicontodistorttheaspect.
Power,EfficiancyandAttenuationworksamewayasinotherlighttypes.

Tip:Itisimportanttokeeplightsawayfromothergeometry.Softshadowradiuscannotbe
largerthenadistancetoawallorlightfixture.Failuretomeetthisconditioncanresultina
noisyrendering.

17 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
 GeneralProperties

AlightcomponentcanbeEnabledwhichmeansitwillbecastinglight.

Shadowcontrolswhetherthelightwillbecastingshadows.

SoftShadowspecifieswhethertheshadowwillbesoft,basedonaimaginaryradiusofthelight
sourceexpressedinmeters.

Containerletsyouassignacontainermaterialinwhichthelightisplaced.Settingthismaterialis
validonlyforasituationswhenalightissubmergedinawaterorplacedinsideamaterial
containingpropertiesofamedium.Itcanbealsousedtoforcealighttoshowavolumetric
projectionoflight.

9.4.TOOLSTAB
ConvertTheamaterial(s)toSKM

ThisbuttoncanconvertaselectedThea
materialtoaSketchUpmaterial(inSKM
format).Thecreatedmaterialscanbe
placedinamodelbyusingregularPaint
Bucket.Itautomaticallyoptimizesthe
textureoftheSketchUpmaterialandadds
thesamepreviewasTheamaterialhas.
SoapartfromtheexistingTheamaterial
librariesthatcanbefoundinsideSketchUp
Bucket,youcanhaveanyTheamaterial
convertedandappliedtofacesinthe
samewayasallothermaterials.


Technicalnote:PathstotextureswhicharestoredwithinTheaData/Materialsfolderwillbe
writteninsideSKMfileasrelativetothatfolder.ThismakesSKMlibrariessystemindependent.
Allothertexturepathswillbestoredasfull.Inacaseapathtoatexturechanges,the
conversionprocesshastoberepeatedotherwisetextureswillberenderedblack.


Tip:TheaforSketchUpinstallercomeswithareadytousesetofSKMTheamaterials.Check

yourSketchUpmaterialsforTheareference.

Export

SavesmodelasTheascenein*.scn.theaor*.pack.theaformat.
NotethatwhentheSelectionOnlyboxischecked,onlythecurrentselectionissaved.
ByenablingtheCameraAnimationoptionand/orObjectsmovement,youranimationpaths
(scenesincludedinanimation)arealsoexportedandcanbeusedinTheaStudio.

License

ThisbuttonopenstheLicenseFormwindowthatallowsyoutoaddyourserial,name,email
addressandmakeanactivationoftheprogramasdescribedonpage4.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 18
 DeviceSelection

ThisbuttonopenstheDeviceSelectionbuttonthathelpsyou
definethedevicesthatwillbeusedbyPrestoengine,
enable/disablethemandadjusttheirpriorities.

DeviceselectionisalsopossibledirectlyfromPrestorendering
settingspanel.

Preferences

Language
ByclickingonPreferencesbutton,anewwindowappears.Fromhere,youcanchangethe
Languageoftheplugin.Inordertodoso,youneedtofollowthenextsteps:
ThereisaTheaForSketchUp.pofileinthefolder:Thea4SU_file/languages/

ThisfileneedstobetranslatedusingPoeditprogram.Theprogramwillgeneratea
TheaForSketchUp.mofile,thathastobecopiedtothecorrespondingfolderoftheselected
translationlanguage.

IfthelanguageisalreadysetinthesystemthenitwillbeautomaticallyusedwhenSketchUpstarts.Ifithasnotbeensetautomatically,
usercanopenTheaTool/Tools/Preferencesandselectthelanguagemanually.ThelanguagemodificationwillbeactiveafterSketchUp
restart.IfforexampleyouhaveplacedtheTheaForSketchUp.mofileatthefolderwithnamees(Spanish)atthedropdownlistofthe
LanguagewindowyouwillseetheSpanishlanguagetoo.
TypicalCountryCodesare:de(German),es(Spanish),fr(French),it(Italian),ja(Japanese),pt(Portuguese),pt_BR(BrazilianPortuguese),
ru(Russian),zh_CN(ChineseSimplified),zh_TW(ChineseTraditional).

UseBackfacematerial
Thisoptionhelpsdealingwithmodelswheremultiplefacesarepaintedonabacksideonly(whereasthefrontfacehasnomaterial).By
enablingthisoptionTheaforSketchUppluginwillusethebackfacematerialforrenderinginsteadofthedefaultwhitematerial.

Weldvertices
Thisoptionisdisabledbydefault.EnablingitwilltellTheatoweldverticesofobjectswhenconvertingSketchUpmodeltoTheaformat.This
isactuallyonlyrequiredforobjectswithdisplacementorwireframeproceduraltexture.Theweldingisperformedautomaticallyfor
geometryusingdisplacement.Enablingitisonlyrecommendedwhenusingthewireframetexture.

AutoSave
EnableordisabletheAutoSaveoption.WithAutoSaveenabled,Theaissavingautomaticallytherenderedimageevery10minutes(thisis
thedefaulttimebutyouareallowedtochangethisparameter).TheAutoSavelocationoftherenderedimagesisbeingdisplayedinthe
ConsoleintheRenderingWindowwhenthewindowisbeingopened.

ServerPort
Thisparameterisusedfornetworkrenderingandspecifiesaportnumbertheserverwilluseforcommunicationwithrenderingnodes.
Pleasemakesurethattheportisopenedinyourfirewall.

19 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
 InteractiveRenderIR

InitialAppearanceofInteractiveRender

YoucancontrolhowresponsivetheInteractiveRenderisbyadjustingtheslidertofind
bestbalancebetweenqualityandresponsiveness.Themoreresponsivethelessprecise
initialframeofIRwillbe.

ResolutionReductionforIROverlay

ThecanrenderdirectlyinSketchUpviewexactlyatthesameresolutionasascreen.Itis
notpracticalforhighresolutionmonitors.Whenapplyingthereductiontherendered
imageresolutiongetssmaller,henceitisrenderedfaster.Theimagestillmapscorrectly
toSketchUpview.Usingthereductionishighlyrecommendedfor4K+monitors.

Channels

UsingtheChannelspreferencepanelwecanselectaformatandincaseofExrthebit
depthforeachchannel,butpleasebeawarethatnotallchannelswillrequire32bit
depth.

Onlysomeliketheposition,depthandUVpasswillbenefitfrom32bitdepth.

TosaveourrenderpassesasonemultilayeredEXRfilewehavetoenabletheoption
CreatemultilayeredEXRincludingallchannels.

Iftheoptionisdisabledthepluginwillbesavingeachchannelasaseparatefile.

CheckUpdates

Thiswindowhelpsyousee
publiclyavailableforan
immediatedownloadThea
applications,plugins,modelsand
materiallibraries.Youcanread
moreabouteachpackageinthe
descriptionwindow.

Pleasenotethatneitherplugin
norTheaStudiocanbeupdated
directlyfromthewindow.The
pluginhastobeclosedandthe
updatedonemanuallyby
downloadingtheinstallerfrom
www.thearender.com/sketchup.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 20
 About

Aboutwindowdisplaysinformationaboutpluginversionandwhetheritrunsin64bitmode.
x64afterpluginnumbermeansthatthepluginis64bitapplication.andcanaccesswhole
availableRammemory.32bitversionsinSketchUp2014andearliercanaddressonly33,7GBof
Ram.

WehighlyrecommendupgradingSketchUpto64bitversionwhenusingTheaforSketchUpona
machinewith64bitOperatingSystemandmorethen4GBorRam.

10.SECTIONCUTS

SketchUpSectioncutsarefullysupportediftheyareplaceddirectlyinamodel.IftheyarenestedinsideGroups,theystillwillbecutting
wholemodel,notonlythegeometryinsideagroup.

PleasenotethatunlikeinSketchUpthesunlightdoesn'tgetintoyourroom/objectwhenyoucutit.Theapreserveslightingconditionsas
theremovedgeometrywasstillthere.Thisisespeciallyusefulwhenyouwanttotakeshotsofnarrowinteriorswithexactlylightingas
designed.Withoutasectioncut,camerawouldbeobscuredbyanexistingwall.

21 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
11.ONLINETHEALIBRARY
Ouronlinethearesourcespage:http://resources.thearender.comisaplacewhereyoucanfindhighqualitymaterialscratedbyourTeam
andbyTheacommunity.Wecontinuetoaddnewlibrariesanduserscontributealsotheircontent.Inafutureweintendtoallowmodels
andskiessharing.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 22
12.THEACONTEXTMENU
Whenclickingonacomponent,grouporimageyoucanaccessthecontextTheamenu.Itallowsyoutoperformafunctiononanobjector
modifyobjetctspecificproperties.

CREATEEXTERNALMODEL/PROXY
ThisoptionletsyouexportacomponentintoanexternalTheamodelandcreateareducedplaceholderforit.Thismayhelpyoukeep
SketchUpfilesizelow,whilehavinghighpolygonmodelsvisibleonlyinyourrenderings.Theprocessindescribedonpage24.

ASSIGNMASKINDEX
Thisitemallowsyouassigningamaskindexfrom015toaselectedobject.Ifyouenable"Mask"channelinChannelsTabinrendering
windowandstartrenderingyouwillseeawhitemaskonblackbackgroundcreatedforthisobject.

THEAMODELFLAGS
TheaforSketchUpgivesawaytocontrolavisibilityorshadow
castingofindividualcomponents,groupsandimagesinarendered
image.

WitharightclickyoucanaccesTheaRendercontextmenu/Thea
RenderFlags:'Visibility'and'CastShadow'.

Thepropertyisbeinginheritedbysubgroupsorsubcomponents.

Visible:ON Visible:OFF
Castshadow:OFF Castshadow:ON

13.TROUBLESHOOTING
ThereisnoTheapluginvisibleinSketchUponmyMac
PleasestartSketchUpatleastoncebeforerunningTheainstaller,otherwisetheSketchUpversionwillnotberecognized.

MyNvidiaGPUgraphicscardisnotrecognized
PleasemakesureyourGPUisonafollowinglist:https://developer.nvidia.com/cudagpusandthatyouhavethemostrecentgraphicscard
driversinstalledincludingCUDA.

Myrenderingisverydark
ThedefaultDisplaypropertiesaresetfordaylightconditionsforexteriors.IfyourenderinteriorviewsyouhavetoadjustISO,Shutterand
fnumbervaluesasitishappeninginmanualphotocamera'smode.ISO:800,Shutterspeed:60andfnumberof2.4shouldbeagood
startingpoint.
Foracompleteguideregarding'accuratelightintensityandcameraexposure'pleasecheckrelateddocumentonthispage:
https://thearender.com/site/index.php/resources/tutorials/studiogeneral.html

OpeningMatLabfreezesSketchUp
MatLabisbeingopenedassocalledmodalwindow,whichhastobeclosedwhenamaterialeditingisfinished.

23 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
14.CREATINGEXTERNALMODELS&THEIRPROXIES
TokeepSketchUpmodelsizelowandstillproduceveryhighqualityrenderings,itisoftengoodtoexportthemostheavycomponentslike
trees,carsetc.intoanexternal.mod.theafilesandreplacetheminSketchUpwithasimplifiedproxyversion.

ProxiescanalsobecreatedforTheamodelscomingfromothermodelingapplications.ThiscanbedoneinTheaBrowser.

EverySketchUpcomponentcanbeexportedintoanexternal.mod.theafileandreplaced
byautomaticallygeneratedapproximationoftheoriginal.

Thespecialexternalmodelcreationtoolcanbeopenedbyrightclickingonaselected
componentandchoosingTheaRender/Createexternalmodel/proxyoption.

Creatingexternalmodel

AthumbnailforanexternalmodelcanbeobtaineddirectlyfromSketchUp,bypressingtheFrom
SketchUpbuttonorfromarender.WhenyoupressRenderbuttonanewrenderingwillstart
usingcurrentrenderingengineandsettings.Onlyaselectionwillberendered.Itis
recommendedtochooseoneofinteractiverenderingmethodsforthatpurpose.Whenthesame
Renderbuttonwillbepressed,whilerenderingstillrunning,asquareportionofitwillbeused
asapreview.Youcanadjustcamera/sunpositiontoachievethebestlook.Whenhappywiththe
result,youcanadjustProxyCreationoptionsdescribedbelow.

CreatingProxy

Proxycanbeautomaticallycreatedfromoriginal
componentusingtwooptions:trianglesorpoints.You
needjustspecifyamaximumnumberofthoseinaproxy.

Ontherightthereisanimageofanoriginalmodel
containingabout27,000facesandtwoproxiesbasedonit,
eachcontaining2,000trianglesorpoints.Thesecond
proxyhadalsoAddtheboundingboxoptionenabled.

Ifyoudontwanttocreatethedetailedproxy,butjustthe
boundingbox,disabletheDetailedproxyoption.

Ifyoudontwanttosavethe.mod.skpfile,butjustuseit
onceinthecurrentmodel,disabletheSaveas.mod.skp
option.

Thenewproxywillreplaceallinstancesoftheselected
componentorjusttheselection.
WhenyoupressSavebuttonyouwillbeaskedtoselecta
locationwheretheexternalmodelandtheoptionalproxy
willbesaved.Alltheassociatedtextures,comingfromthe
component,willbeplacedalsointhesamefolder.
WhencreatingaproxycomponentfromanexistingThea
model,witharightclickonathumbnailinTheaBrowser,
thepluginwilloffersametwoappearanceoptiontrianglesandpoints.Addingaboundingboxis
optionalwhenDetailedproxyoptionisenabled.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 24
 Proxycomponentscanbealsocreatedmanuallyinvariousways,buttheyalwayshavetobebasedonaproxy
createdbytwoabovemethods.

Thereisamethodworkingespeciallywellfortrees:
insertamod.theaintoanemptySketchUpmodelinthe
origin
switchtoafrontviewandturnoffperspective
selectCamera/ZoomtoolsoawholeheightofSketchUp
viewisoccupiedbytheproxyboundingbox
setTheacameratoArbitraryaspectratioandadjust
resolutionsotheredcameraframematchesthebounding
box.Thelargerresolution,usuallyvertical,canbe512pixels.
inChannelstabenablealphachannelandrenderthemodel
noninteractivelyinTheaWindow
oncesatisfiedwiththerendering,savetheimageasa*.png
file.Thealphachannel,responsiblefortransparency,willbe
savedautomaticallyinthisformat
repeatsameprocedureforsideandtopview

Inthiswayyouwillget3images,whichwecanthenimportedinsideSketchUpandplacedinsidetheproxy
component.Youcanexplodethemanddeletetheboundingbox.Oncehappywiththeresultyoucanrightclick
onthecomponentandsaveitinthesamefolderasoriginal.mod.theafile.

15.COPYRIGHT
CopyrightofthismanualbelongstoSolidIrisTechnologies.3dsMaxiscopyrightAutodesk,SketchUpisTrimbleandCUDAiscopyright
Nvidia.

16.DISCLAIMER
TheaforSketchUpisprovidedasisandwithoutwarrantyofanykind,express,impliedorotherwise,includingwithoutlimitation,any
warrantyofmerchantabilityorfitnessforaparticularpurpose.Innoeventshalltheauthorofthissoftwarebeheldliablefordataloss,
damages,lossofprofitsoranyotherkindoflosswhileusingormisusingthissoftware.

Thesoftwaremustnotbemodified,youmaynotdecompile,disassemble.Anykindofreverseengineeringofthesoftwareisprohibited.

25 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
 17.APPENDIXAMATERIALPRESETTYPES

MaterialPreset Description Availableoptions Preview

Default Thisdefaulttyperesembles
SketchUpmaterialascloseas
possible.SketchUptransparencyis
convertedintouniformalpha
transparency.

Matte Thismaterialtyperepresentsavery
roughsurface.Itprovidescontrol
overReflectionsandSigma
Roughness,whichinfluenceshow
wellanobjectacceptslightfromall
directions.Itmakesthematerialto
appearmoreflat.

Plastic Thistypeofmaterialbehavesas
plastic.ItprovidesRoughnessand
Reflectionsparameters.Itisagood
baseforawholerangeofplastics
fromveryroughanddulltopolished
andshiny.

ThinTranslucent Thistypeproducesasinglesided
translucentmaterialwhichisperfect
forcurtainsandothernon
volumetricobjects.Onecancontrol
itstransparencypercentage.

Lacquer Thistyperepresentsalacquered
surfacetypicallyseenasafinishof
timberfloors.ItprovidesReflections
andRoughnessparameters.Withthe
roughnesssetto0itresembles
polishedmaterialandwithhigher
valuesasatinappearance.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 26
MaterialPreset Description Availableoptions Preview
Matte Thismaterialtyperepresentsavery
roughsurface.Itprovidescontrol
overReflectionsandSigma
Roughness,whichinfluenceshow
wellanobjectacceptslightfromall
directions.Itmakesthematerialto
appearmoreflat.

Plastic Thistypeofmaterialbehavesas
plastic.ItprovidesRoughnessand
Reflectionsparameters.Itisagood
baseforawholerangeofplastics
fromveryroughanddulltopolished
andshiny.

ColoredMetal Thistypeproducesasinglesided
translucentmaterialwhichisperfect
forcurtainsandothernon
volumetricobjects.Onecancontrol
itstransparencypercentage.

Mirror Thematerialwillbehaveasamirror
surface.Thistypeoverrides
SketchUpmaterialcolor.

ThinGlass Thistypedescribesanarchitectural
glasswithacontroloverMetallic
reflectionitmaypossesdueto
appliedcoatings.Thismaterial
doesntrequireavolumeofa
geometryandisespeciallysuitedfor
nonsolid,thinfaceobjects.

27 CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies
MaterialPreset Description Availableoptions Preview
ThickGlass Thistypeproducesavolumetricglass
whichtakesintoaccountthe
refractionswithinobjectvolume.
Roughnessofasurfaceandintensity
ofReflectionscanbecontrolled.

Emitter Thistypeturnsapaintedfaceintoa
lightemitter.Itspowerisspecifiedin
severalunits.Temperaturecanalso
bespecifiedinsteadofdefault
color/texture.Thereisanoptionto
makeemitternotvisibleina
renderingortomakeitpassiveit
willhavealuminousappearance,but
willnotcastthelightintoascene.

TheaMaterial ThistypeusesfullTheaMaterial
(MatLab) editorfromtheStudioandallowsfull
controlovermaterialproperties
(suchasClippingthatweseeinthe
examplepreview).Anyofprevious
materialtypescanbealsoeditedthis
way.RemoveTheaMaterialbutton
removesallTheamaterialsettings
associatedwithSketchUpmaterial.

CopyrightSolidIrisTechnologies 28