[Plugin] 'Camera2Vue.rb'

[Alex Jenyon]

Thanks to some help from some ruby masters, I've managed to adapt Grant Marshall's 'Camera2Modo' script to export SketchUP cameras to E-on software's 'Vue' digital environment software.

I hope it's useful. I've tested it on SU6 with Vue 7 infinite on a Mac. It will almost certainly work with SU6 on a PC, and with Vue7 / 7.4 infinite / xstream on either platform. Not tested with SU7.

Here's my 'proof of concept'

SU Render:

Vue Render:

Combined:

You can download the script, a vue scene ready-setup and a tutorial here:

camera2vue.zip

I don't seem to be able to make the files into an attachment (might be safari), so if someone else / a mod can do it, that would be great. Let me know if there are any problems.

Enjoy.

AJ

[matteo]

If this works, and I don't see why it should not (since you tested different combinations of vue + sketchup) thank you very much!

I'll stop to to do the edge overlay by hand, attempting to match the vue perspective with the sketchup output set as background.

I really like to combine sketchup edges with a radiosity rendering of the some view.

[remus]

Attached the file, not sure why it didnt work for you.

thanks for the script, as well. Although i dont use vue, im sure those who do will make good use of it.

[Chris Fullmer]

Looks great, thanks Alex! Hopefully I'll get to use Vue more in the future and then I'll check this out in more detail,

Chris

[solo]

Alex

Thank you so much for your efforts in bringing another very needed script to our community and especially when it involves SU and Vue.

Would you mind if I did a video tutorial for the guys at geekatplay and Cornicopia so they too can benifit from this script?

[solo]

one last thing...how does it work?

[Alex Jenyon]

@Solo:

There's a 'readme' file in the zip folder I uploaded, which hopefully explains everything.

Let me know if you have any trouble getting it to work - I haven't tried it on any system apart from mine yet, so a bit of testing is probably in order.

If it's working well for you, then please post the script / tutorials wherever you want.

Enjoy!

AJ

[solo]

Ah, seems to be working, the one thing that I missed was my SU resolution/aspect vs Vue render size.

[matteo]

hi Alex,

I've tested it with Vue 7 Esprit on windows xp: sadly it can't read this kind of python script (see attached image).

Howerer, if i open the python script with a text editor, i can copy and paste the camera coordinates and orientation into the upper right panel of Vue.

Now my problem is how to convert SU fov to Vue fov, since I can't find the the box labelled 'Vertical FoV' in the advanced camera options of Vue 7 Esprit. I'll have to develop a small trigonometric function to convert it.

[solo]

success!!

[craftycurate]

Hi ...

Thanks for making Camera2Vue available ...

However, although I'm sure I followed the instructions, the scene does not appear as expected - the camera is not positioned correctly relative to the 3B object.

I don't have Sketchup Pro so can't export as as OBJ with "swap yz" - would that make a difference?

I am using an OBJ exporter script instead.

Thanks
Richard

[Alex Jenyon]

@craftycurate:

I'm honestly not sure - I just tried to record my own process as closely as possible.

It's worth checking in 'vue' to see if the orientation of the object is *nearly* right - i.e. the vertical axis in SU is the same as the 'up' in Vue.

If it is, there are a couple of things to check:

1. The field of view matches (SU's 'field of view' is the VERTICAL field of view in 'VUE'

2. The units are the same. My script outputs the camera data in METRES. If your obj exporter uses mm, feet, or something else it's not going to match.

3. The object is not hidden by the ground plane in 'vue' (delete it to make sure). Also check that vue doesn't automatically centre or resize your obj geometry.

Hope you can sort it out!

@matteo:

Vue d'esprit can only read python scripts that e-on has created themselves. I don't have a copy, so I can't test out your problem. It should be possible to use the FoV and the aspect ratio to calculate the camera focal length - there's plenty of info around on how to do this, but it's a bit tricky. Let me know if you find a workaround, and I might try to add it to the script.

@Solo:

Yay! Great news - glad you got it playing ball. Did it work the way I described, or did you have to put in a bit of extra legwork?
Please put together a video tutoral if you've got the time - I'm not sure it's something I'm going to be able to do.

Thanks for your time everyone - most appreciated.

AJ

[craftycurate]

Hi Alex ...

Thanks - I'll try out your suggestions.

Cheers
Richard

[craftycurate]

I'm very close but not quite there - not sure what needs changing. I am working at maximum precision in Sketchup ... maybe rounding errors in Vue, which only accepts 3 dps.

it isn't just a scaling error, but there is a slight rotational one too - the left corner is matched, but the bottom one isn't.

I import the SKP file into Vue as an SKP - the free OBJ exporter creates a mirror image for some reason.

If I can get this working for the SKP file, it might be useful to other Free SU users.

Cheers
Richard

[craftycurate]

Here's another one - used a Sketchy Edge style to cover the inaccuracies, but it looks quite nice!

[Marian]

Doest it work with any of those free vue types?

[solo]

Should work with the PLE version.

[solo]

Here is a quick pdf tutorial with installation files:

http://www.box.net/shared/md8inqn1yd

[Alex Jenyon]

@Solo: That's brilliant - thank you so much for taking the time to put that together. Mind if I host a mirror of it on my own server?

@craftycurate: Can you upload / email me the skippy file, and let me know which version of 'Vue' you are using? I'll look into it, see if I can some up with a solution for you. alex [at] aj-concepts.net

Cheers

AJ

[solo]

Sure thing Alex.

[Alex Jenyon]

Okay, I've got a workaround for folks who only have SUfree.

I have absolutely no idea WHY it works, but it seems to - so please test it and see if you can work it out yourself.

1. Export the geometry as a google earth .kmz file

2. Rename the file from name.kmz to name.zip (i.e. change the file type to .zip)

3. Unzip the .zip file

4. Open the 'models' folder, and find 'name.dae' - this is a collada file

5. Import the collada file to 'Vue'

6. Scale it by 3.937. No, I have no idea why, but it seems to work. Anyone know why it's this value?

(To do this, if you're not sure: Select your object, and click on the 'size' icon - the cube that's been stretched vertically. Calculate what the 'x' size of the object multiplied by 3.937 is. Then lock x, y and z sizes together - using the padlock icon - and enter this value in the 'x' size field. All the values should scale together.)

7. Follow the rest of my method to match the camera.

AJ

[sepo]

Will it work with Vue 5 Infinite ?

[Alex Jenyon]

@sepo - I don't know, and don't have any way of testing it.... Only one way to find out, I guess.

I'm using fairly basic python commands in Vue, but I think the command to select the camera changed between Vue 6 and Vue 7, which might mean the script doesn't work.

You could try deleting the first two lines of the python script, manually selecting the camera in Vue, and then running the script normally.

Otherwise, you might need to do a bit of digging into the python documentation for Vue 5 to get it working seamlessly, but it shouldn't be too tricky.

AJ

[sepo]

Ok I will try and let you know. Thanks for your reply. I never really upgraded from Vue 5 as I hated camera...Donno if it is any better now.

[craftycurate]

@sepo - I don't know, and don't have any way of testing it.... Only one way to find out, I guess.

I'm using fairly basic python commands in Vue, but I think the command to select the camera changed between Vue 6 and Vue 7, which might mean the script doesn't work.

You could try deleting the first two lines of the python script, manually selecting the camera in Vue, and then running the script normally.

Otherwise, you might need to do a bit of digging into the python documentation for Vue 5 to get it working seamlessly, but it shouldn't be too tricky.

AJ

Thanks Alex - it works beautifully. Looks pixel perfect. Here's an example render.

Thanks for all your help & for providing this great script - I'll be interested to try it with some architectural models.
Richard

C2V Test4.jpg

[sepo]

Are you saying it works with Vue 5?

[craftycurate]

By the way, a workflow tip that will help with the scaling issue (via Alex's Collada method).

If your SKP model has a nice bounding box, simply measure the length of one of those sides in SKP, and then paste that dimension into the corresponding dimension in Vue.

If that isn't possible, scaling by 3.937 will do the same job.

[craftycurate]

OK another render, to prove the method works with complex models which would show up flaws.

I've added a subtle outline, which is the SKP render, overlaid on a Vue 7 Global Radiosity render, though it looks great with a simple Ambient Occlusion one too.

View in full size to see the detail.

Thanks
Richard

[matteo]

So, there is no need for trigonometric conversions to convert degrees into 35mm camera FoV, as I feared.

Here the steps to make it work in Vue 7 Esprit.

1) Run the plugin 'camera to vue' inside sketchup and, when you're prompred to save the python script, save it as simple text by adding the '.txt' extension to the name you choosed to save it.

2) Open it with a text editor and leave it open.

3) In Vue just go to the options panel and under 'display options' check -show camera Fov in Object properties-.

4) Select the camera and copy and paste from the previous opened text all the single values of camera position and rotation, plus Sketchup's field of view in the upper right panel.

You're done:
render and enjoy!

/matteo

[matteo]

The funny standard measure unit of Vue, 10,00cm, divided by one inch (2,54cm) equals 3,93700787

But don't ask me why this is needed