THEA FOR SKETCHUP

USER MANUAL
Revision 202.01
Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Thea for SketchUp is an integrated version of Thea Render. This allows a creation of stnning
i!ages right inside SketchUp and an interactive work with ca!eras" !aterials and lights. There is
an option of saving a co!plete Thea scene with all associated files for tili#ing advanced tools
present in Thea Stdio. Thea $or SketchUp spports SketchUp %ersions &" '" (" 201) and 201*
+oth $ree and ,ro" on +oth syste!s- .indows / 0S 1.
$or downloads and plgin featres please visit www.thearender.co!2sketchp
1.2 INSTALLATION
MS WINDOWS
,lease se the provided installer. It is advised to install Thea Render first. ,lease !ake sre yo
have ad!inistrator rights while installing the plgin.
3 defalt SketchUp installation folder is-
C-4,rogra! $iles 56(&748oogle48oogle Sketchp 9version n!+er:4,lgins
The folder will +e ato!atically fond in case of SketchUp versions &" '" (" 201) and 201*.
MAC - OSX
,lease se provided installer. The installer will gide yo throgh the needed installation steps. It
also gives yo the possi+ility to select the SketchUp version5s7 for the plgin to +e installed. It is
advised to install Thea Render first.
;aterials installation is ato!atic too. $or adding additional li+raries thogh" a defalt folder for
ptting these !aterials is-
SU(99 ;acintosh <=2>i+rary23pplication Spport28oogle Sketchp (2Sketchp2;aterials
SU201)99 ;acintosh <=23pplication2SketchUp201)2SketchUp25right click7 ?9 show content
2Contents2Resorces2Content2;aterials
@ote- if yo are sing >ion" Snow >ion or higher version of 0S1 the A>i+rary forlder is hidden.
,lease follow this link to learn how to access the folder-
http-22!ac.ttspls.co!2ttorials2prodctivity2how?to?reveal?yor?li+rary?folder?in?lion?or?
!ontain?lion2
2 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
1.3 ACTIVATION
$or activating the plgin yo need to open the >icense
Inpt $or! window fro! within Thea Stdio or fro!
Thea for SketchUp plgin and add yor Thea Stdio
serial along with SketchUp plgin serial 5see $igre 17.
Tip- yo can open the >icense Inpt $or! window fro!
inside SketchUp +y pressing at Thea Tools window" at
Tools ta+" the >icense +tton 5see !ore details on page
2*7.
DEMO VERSION LIMITATIONS
,lease not that while plgin is not licensed" rendered i!age resoltion will +e li!ited and
water!arks will +e added. 3ll other featres and fnctionality are flly spported.
1.4 GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE PLUGIN WINDOWS
0nce the plgin is installed correctly a new ite! in the ,lgins !en will appear 5see $igre 27.
Bo can also have access to Thea for SketchUp throgh tools palette. Select CShow Thea tool+arD
fro! the plgin !en. 3 tool+ar as seen in $igre ) will appear on the screen.
Tip- in case the plgin is not ena+led yo can go at ,references of SketchUp 9 E6tensions and
ena+led it at the list.
User interface of the plgin is divided into two windows-
Thea Tool .indow
It allows setting p ca!eras" editing !aterials" placing and editing lights" e6porting a
scene to Thea Stdio and defining other preferences.
Thea Frowser
This +tton opens Thea Frowser .indow that helps inserting easily inside SketchUp %iew
Thea !odels" !aterials" skies and SketchUp co!ponents
Thea ;ain .indow
The !ain window displays crrently rendered i!age" allows engines and rendering !ode
selections" provides controls over the displayed rendering" its channels and environ!ent
settings.
) Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 2- ,lgins ;en $igre )- Thea Render Tool+ar
$igre 1- >icense Inpt $or!
,lgins Ta+
1.5 MAIN WINDOW
1.5.1 CONTROL BUTTONS
3t the !ain window as we see it in $igre * we !eet 5fro! left to right7 the following
+ttons2indicators-
Save button- it allows to save the crrent render as an i!age and also the crrently rendered
!odel as G.pack.thea or G.scn.thea file that can +e opened then in Thea Stdio.
Refresh button- it forces a refresh of a crrent view of the rendering. It is sally +eing sed
when one wants to see i!!ediately the progress of the rendering +eing done. The plgin
refreshes the view ato!atically at so!e intervals.
Render Phase info- at this area we see so!e details concerning or rendering progress or the
ti!e needed to +e finished.
Start/Pause button- start +tton !akes Thea collect all necessary data fro! SketchUp and start
the rendering process. .hen there is a selection present" when one presses the start +tton
while keeping 3>T key pressed ? only the selection will +e rendered. ,ase +tton 5appears
instead of the Start +tton when rendering is in progress7 pases the rendering.
Render Selection Check Box- +y ena+ling this +o6 +efore rendering" only the selected SketchUp
co!ponent will +e rendered.
Stop button- it stops the rendering and !akes Thea refresh the !ain window" so it displays the
final i!age.
1.5.2 MAIN WINDOW TABS
1.5.2.1 RENDERING TAB
* Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre *- Control Fttons of ;ain .indow
$igre H- Rendering Ta+ ? Interactive ;ode
$igre &- Rendering Ta+ I Un+iased ;ode
Rendering Modes
The control provides a selection a!ong Thea Render engines. There are several options that allow
also an interactive type of rendering 5IR indication7.
$or Interactive rendering engines" as seen in $igre H" ser can specify several settings for the
selected engine" as it is analytically descri+ed later.
Window Selection for Rendering verla! option
3t the right side of the Rendering Engines list" when
Interactive Render is ena+led" a list with ) +llets 5see
$igre '7 lets the ser define if the interactive rendering
will +e shown inside Thea window 5see $igre (7 or inside
SketchUp window as 0verlay option 5see $igre J7 or
inside SketchUp window as 0verlay with Flending 5see
$igre 107.
0verlay option shows the rendered i!age on top of the SketchUp scene and ser can navigate"
!odify geo!etry" add !odels etc. and see the rendered i!age changing accordingly inside
SketchUp view. Flending !ode gives a +lending reslt of the rendered i!age and SketchUp scene
style. Initially a defalt style is sed that gives +etter +lending reslts +t ser is a+le to change to
the desired style while rendering. The rendering can +e saved as an i!age" +oth in standard and
+lending !odes.
Tip- while sing the 0verlay" especially with +lending" the +est reslts can +e achieved +y sing
,resto engines with 8,U ena+led for rendering and leaving C,U 5at least a thread or two7
availa+le for SketchUp.
"nteractive Region Rendering
3nother availa+le featre with the se of interactive
rendering inside SketchUp window 5as 0verlay or
0verlay with Flending7 is the Interactive Region
Rendering" which provides a fast feed+ack fro! yor
!odel and !aterials setp. Bo can !ark the desired
part of SketchUp view 5as Interactive Rendering is on7
+y pressing Shift +tton and the sa!e ti!e with Thea
crsor draw the desired window. Bo can add
!ltiple regions too as seen in $igre 11. Bo can also
save the selected region +y pressing the save +tton.
H Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre (- Rendering inside Thea
.indow
$igre J- Render in SketchUp
.indow as 0verlay
$igre 10- Render in SketchUp
.indow as 0verlay with
Flending
$igre 11- Interactive Region Rendering
$igre '- Render inside Thea
window or inside SketchUp as
0verlay or as 0verlay with Flending
Server
Server option is availa+le for the @on?Interactive !odes 53daptive 5FS=7" Un+iased TR1 and TR27
and helps ser perfor! a network rendering" with the se of client !achines.
Super#sa$pling
This corresponds to the sper?sa!pling sed for the i!age otpt" i.e. internal resoltion
!ltiplier for anti?aliasing enhance!ent. @one corresponds to no sper?sa!pling" @or!al to 262
and <igh to )6). 3to corresponds to no sper?sa!pling for +iased engine and 262 for n+iased
engines. Setting sper?sa!pling to a higher level will generally i!prove anti?aliasing of the otpt
+t will increase !e!ory de!ands for storing the i!age 5* ti!es in @or!al level and J ti!es in
<igh level7. The ti!e needed to render the scene will also +e increased for +iased engine. Ft for
the n+iased engines" the e6tra ti!e needed to render the higher resoltion i!age is sally
a!orti#ed +y the redced noise visi+le in the visali#ed 5down?sa!pled7 i!age. It is sally
sggested" for n+iased rendering" to change sper?sa!pling to @one for high resoltion otpt
and <igh when there is persisting noise.
%dditional Settings
&hreads
This is the entry for the render worker threads that will +e sed dring rendering 5not all
application process threads7. The special vale 0" sa!e like ;a6" corresponds to the n!+er of
logical cores on yor !achine. E6ceeding this vale 5shown e6plicitly as the last vale in the drop?
down list7 will have no +enefit and actally an i!pact on perfor!ance.
'i$its
Ti!e5!in7
This is a para!eter sed to ter!inate the n+iased render process 5it is only sed +y
n+iased render engines7. It is given in !intes" and 0 is a special vale corresponding to
no ti!e li!it at all.
Sa!ples2p6
This allows to ter!inate an n+iased rendering when each pi6el in a rendered i!age will
+e sa!pled given n!+er of ti!es. In si!ple cases when no !ch castics is present in a
!odel a vale of )00 is sfficient. In !ore co!ple6 scenes higher vales !ay +e needed.
"nteractive Modes
Those !odes allow not only render the !odel as a static i!age" +t also let interactively !ove a
ca!era arond a !odel or adKst Sn position and see the rendering view +eing pdated.
IR?,rogressive 5307" IR?,rogressive 5;C7" IR?3daptive53;C7" IR?,resto 5307 and IR?,resto 5;C7
are na!es of availa+le !ethods.
$or fast rendering ,resto engines can +e selected as they se +oth yor 8,ULC,U 5see $igre 127.
Bo can define e6tra para!eters for devices sed +y ,resto engines at =evices window. 3daptive
53;C7 !ethod works very well with !ltiple lights and co!ple6 lighting conditions.
;ost i!portant para!eter for those engines is the MTracing =epthM which defines how !any ti!es
light +onced in a !odel. %ales starting fro! * give good reslts in si!ple conditions" while
higher n!+er is needed when there are !any highly reflective srfaces in a !odel.
$or detailed description of para!eters of rendering !ethods" please refer to Thea Render
!anal.
& Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
(on#"nteractive Modes
There are three non?Interactive high Nality !odes availa+le-
%daptive )BS*+- in !any cases the fastest !ethod +ased on presets" +t it reNires so!e
e6perience when a certain set?p is advantageos.
&wo ,nbiased $ethods- they donMt reNire any settings and deliver renderings of the highest
Nality. These are-
,nbiased )&R-+ engine- it is preferred in e6terior renders and interiors where direct
lighting is the !ost do!inant in the scene.
,nbiased )&R.+ $ode- it is preferred when difficlt indirect lighting is do!inant in the
render or heavy castics are present 5sch as a pool sn castics7.
1.5.2.2 DISPLAY TAB
=isplay Ta+ is a space where yo can !aniplate yor rendered i!age and apply any post?
processing. $irst two sections are related to a render e6posre and the following three to a
filtering. $or a detailed description of all options" please refer to Thea Render =arkroo! ttorial I
Section 23.
' Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 1*- =isplay Ta+
$igre 12- 8,ULC,U !ode selection
$igre 1)- 3daptive 5FS=7 ,resets
1.5.2.3 ENVIRONMENT TAB
/nviron$ent
,se Sk!
It tells Thea to create a +ackgrond for a rendered scene in a for! of ,hysical Sky. It will look as a
clear sky which will +e ato!atically adKsted to a position of the Sn. Trning this on !akes
plgin disa+le the +ackgrond i!age" if it is +eing sed.
,se Sun
It tells Thea to create the Sn that will give sa!e shadows as those present in a SketchUp !odel.
/dit Settings
3t the Edit Settings drop down list we can see the options for IF>" Sn and Sky to appear" which
open the corresponding panels for editing.
"B'0 "$age Based 'ighting
3s seen in $igre 1H +y selecting the IF> edit settings" the panel with the corresponding panel
appears where ser can specify the Ill!ination" Fackgrond" Reflection and Refraction !aps.
I!age?+ased lighting is a convenient way to add ill!ination to yor scene" co!ing fro! captred
photos of the srronding environ!ent. Since a photo of a real scene can +e sed" the lighting is
highly convincing and enhances the realis! of yor renders. In !ost cases" the i!ages sed for
this kind of lighting need to +e of high dyna!ic range in order to provide enogh lighting for a
scene.
0ne can se an i!age for ill!inating the scene" nevertheless" he can also set p different i!ages
for +ackgrond" reflections and refractions. This !akes possi+le to se different sorce for
lighting and for reflections2+ackgrond" which in !ost cases need !ore details in the i!age. This
is actally a sal render opti!i#ation" where the ill!ination sorce is relatively low?detailed
te6tre in order for the i!age to Nickly CconvergeD" while +ackgrond and reflections se a
detailed !ap for visally enhanced reslts.
To add one of i!age types select proper type and press MFrowseM +tton to select a desired i!age.
.hen proper +it!ap selected its path will +e displayed in the adKacent hori#ontal inpt +o6. 0ne
can control intensity" rotation and a way the i!age is wrapped arond a !odel.
( Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 1H- Environ!ent Ta+ ?IF>
Sun
;anal Sn option helps to position the sn in an ar+itrary
position regardless of !odelMs geographic location. Bo are a+le
to adKst the sn ,olar 3ngle and
3#i!th" either +y entering the desired vales" or !anally" +y
opening the Environ!ent ,review 5$igre 1'7 and clicking
preferred location in the preview.
Environ!ent ,review can +e opened +y clicking a +le icon in
Environ!ent Settings. This window shows a preview of
environ!ent which is +eing ato!atically pdated. .hen
;anal Sn is disa+led and IF> lighting sed" then the
environ!ent !ap can +e rotated +y dragging the preview
i!age.
Sk!
Fy selecting the Sky at the Edit Settings list" the sky settings appear as seen in $igre 1(.
1.5.2.4 CHANNELS TAB
This ta+ is +eing sed when an additional i!age is +eing reNired" other than a standard
rendering. This is !ostly sed when a post?processing is intended sing e6ternal i!age
J Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 1J- Channels Ta+
$igre 1&- Sn Settings
$igre 1(- Sky Settings
$igre 1'- Environ!ent
,review
!aniplation progra!.
3vaila+le channels are- Color 5standard rendering7 " @or!al" =epth" 3lpha" 0+Kect Id" ;aterial Id
and channels specific to 3daptive5FS=7 rendering !ode- =irect" 3!+ient 0cclsion" 8lo+al
Ill!ination" S+?Srface Scattering" Reflection" Refraction" Transparency and Irradiance.
>!inance 3nalysis descri+e the l!inance and ill!inance distri+tion. Thea Render can
co!pte +oth of the!. >!inance is co!pted ot of the +o6 for any i!age that yo have
already rendered and for any render settings. Ill!inance can +e co!pted +y the 3daptive FS=
engine.
To view the analysis of a rendered i!age select M,hoto!etricM fro! the drop down !en. M;in Il I
>!M and M;a6 Il I >!M para!eters control a range of ill!ination the analysis is perfor!ed on.
1.5.2.5 ANIMATION TAB
This ta+ contains ani!ation related settings. Crrently Thea for SketchUp spports si!ple ca!era
ani!ation I walk?throgh style. Ca!era !ove!ent will follow e6actly sa!e path as it !oves in
SketchUp. $ield of view changes dring ani!ation wonMt +e applied.
M$ra!es per secondM para!eter controls how flid an e6ported ani!ation will +e. 3ni!ation
rendering can +e only started +y pressing MRender 3ni!ationM +tton.
1.5.2.6 CONSOLE TAB
Thea $or SketchUp ses the console to send yo !essages infor!ing yo a+ot crrent state of
rendering" ti!e in which rendering was finished and warnings. In general visiting the console is
reco!!ended if so!ething doesnMt work as e6pected. It can help yo finding a sorce of pro+le!
? no light in a !odel or !issing te6tre.
10 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 20- 3ni!ation Ta+
1.6 THEA BROWSER WINDOW
1.6.1 GENERAL
.ithin Thea Frowser window yo can find the
availa+le Thea ;odels and ;aterials li+raries
and Skies.
Fy seeing their previews yo can select the
one yo want" do+le click on it and then +y
going inside SketchUp scene yo can either
paint a srface with this !aterial or add the
!odel to the desired point. Sky is added
directly 5and ena+led7 at the IF> of the
Environ!ent ta+. Thea Frowser displays also
SketchUp co!ponents and lets yo insert
the!.
Tip- +y right clicking on the Csto! $older
option yo can either refresh yor contents or
choose yor own folder with !aterials or
!odels. Bo can also re!ove a selected folder
+y right clicking on it.
11 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 2)- ,review and sing a !aterial
$igre 2*- ,review and inserting a !odel
$igre 21- Thea Frowser
$igre 22- Right Click 0ptions
1.6.1 ADDITIONAL INFO FOR CREATING AND INSERTING MODELS EXTERNAL PROXIES!
Thea $or SketchUp allows an insertion of co!ple6" e6ternal Thea !odels in a for! of a +onding
+o6" which will +e replaced +y the original" detailed !odel inside Thea rendering window when a
rendering starts. To insert a !odel select it firstly fro! the Thea Content Frowser" either a!ong
the e6isting li+raries or fro! yor own collection or fro! those created as descri+ed +elow.
Si!ply do+le click on it to select it and then insert the !odel into SketchUp.
CREATING A PROXY
Bo can easily create a Thea !odel 5!od.thea7 and se it afterwords as a pro6y fro! within
SketchUp" +y following the ne6t steps-
? Select the co!ponent yo want to se as a pro6y and na!e it appropriately 5see $igre 2H7.
? Select a s!all ca!era resoltion 5for e6a!ple 1H061H07 and find a nice view of yor !odel to
!ake a preview rendering 5see $igre 2&7.
? 3t Thea Render !ain window ena+le 5+efore rendering7 the Render Selection option 5see $igre
2'7.
? Render yor !odel preview 5see $igre 2(7. Bo can now press the Save +tton and save the
rendered !odel in a !od.thea for!at 5Thea ;odel7. 0therwise yo can save it +y the se of
Content Frowser 5see ne6t steps7.
? 0pen then the Thea Frowser window. Select at the left side list a desired folder. Then with right
click at the right side of the window" press the appearing CSave G.!od.thea hereD option 5see
$igre 2J7.
? The pro6y is now created and can +e fond fro! now on inside the selected folder. .ith do+le
click yo can insert the !odel 5+onding +o67 inside SketchUp scene 5see $igre )07.
12 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre 2H- Creating and Saving
the co!ponent
$igre 2&- Setp Ca!era %iew
$igre 2'- Render Selection
0nly
$igre 2(- ;ake the preview
render
$igre 2J- Save !odel to
selected folder of Content
Frowser
$igre )0- Use the !odel as a
,ro6y
CREATING PROXY PREVIEW
3 corresponding SketchUp !odel 5in G.!od.skp for!at7 can +e written in the sa!e folder as the
Thea ;odel 5G.!od.thea7 and in this way this SketchUp file will +e sed instead of the
+onding+o6 when inserting the e6ternal !odels as a pro6y. .hen !od.skp is present then its
preview will +e displayed on top of !od.thea preview.
The +asic steps to create correctly a Sketchp !odel that will correspond to the Thea !odel can
+e seen at the ne6t e6a!ple" where a tree fro! Firch Trees li+rary is sed.
.e i!port at first the !od.thea inside Sketchp 5+onding +o67 in an e!pty scene. .e switch to
the ,arallel proKection" and we select a view 5front for e6a!ple7 and we set p the Thea ca!era
so that it will fit the +onding +o6 height and width. .e then ena+le alpha channel and we
render the !odel 5+y sing only the sn and not the sky7. 0nce we are satisfied with the
rendering" we save the i!age as a G.png file 5its alpha channel will +e saved ato!atically at this
i!age7. .e repeat the sa!e procedre for another side of the !odel 5its right side for e6a!ple7
so that we can have !ore correct 5do+le sided7 preview.
In this way he have 2 i!ages for 2 of the
!odels sides" which we can then i!port inside
SketchUp" place the! one into the other" so
that or preview will +e created" and !ake
the! a co!ponent. .e then save this
co!ponent as a G!od.skp file inside the sa!e
folder with the initial thea !odel and with the
sa!e na!e. $or or e6a!ple" we will end p
with the following files-
FirchOTreeO0)O&!.!od.skp and
FirchOTreeO0)O&!.!od.thea
$ro! now on" once we i!port the Thea !odel
inside SketchUp" its preview will +e sed" so
that we can easily !ove2rotate it in or
SketchUp scene.
1) Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre )1- FirchOTreeO02 has a !od.skp preview availa+le"
seen on top of !od.thea preview
$igre )2- setting p the ca!era and render
the !odel
1.7 THEA TOOL WINDOW
1.".1 CAMERA TAB
Resolution
The M.idthM and M<eightM settings control resoltion of a
rendered i!age. ,lease note that interactive rendering !odes
se fll area of plginMs !ain window and render e6actly at
sa!e resoltion. The ,ls / ;ins +ttons increase or
decrease crrent resoltion two fold. 5<7ori#ontal45%7ertical
toggle +tton changes orientation of the rendered i!age.
%spect ratio
This setting control proportions of a final rendered i!age.
.hen PSU .indowP option is selected the resoltion of a
rendered i!age will +e adKsted to +e sa!e aspect ratio as
!odel view in SketchUp. .hen PThea .indowP is selected the
resoltion is adKsted to reflect crrent proportions of !ain
render view. 3 typical proportions of *-) is characteristic for old
type of !onitors with resoltions of (006&00" 102*6'&("
1&0061200. .ide screen proportions of 1&-J is !ore co!!on
in new !onitors with resoltion of 1&006J00" 1J20610(0.
.hen creating a panora!ic spherical or he!ispherical i!age a
correct ratio is 2-1.
LENS
Thea can proKect a rendered i!age on the screen in a standard
!anner I perspective or orthogonal" depending on a crrent
view in SketchUp or sing Spherical or Cylindrical proKection.
The spherical proKection allows creating renderings of virtal
panora!as that can +e viewed in e6ternal progra!s. Correct
aspect ratio of sch an i!age is 2-1.
Shtter speed controls a !otion +lr which appears in an
ani!ated scene. Thea gives yo control over a diaphrag! of a
ca!era. It can +e circlar or polygonal defined +y a n!+er of
+lades. This inflences a look of a Mdepth of fieldM effect and a
!otion +lr.
*epth of 1ield
The depth of field can +e controlled in the plgin in two ways. Either +y Mf?n!+erM of ca!era
lenses or +y percentage of a P+lrrinessP of a rendered i!age.
.hen 3to $ocs is ena+led plgin ato!atically adKsts focs distance to keep what is visi+le in
a ca!era Min focsM when possi+le. $ocs distance displays a !anal distance at which a ca!era is
focsed at. To set that vale click MSetM +tton and select a point in a !odel. The distance will +e
calclated ato!atically. The vale is disregarded when M3to $ocsM is ena+led.
1* Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre ))- Thea Tool ?
Ca!era Ta+
'evel Ca$era
This +tton levels ca!era withot changing itsM position. It is helpfl especially when setting?p a
ca!era for a panora!ic shot.
Scene Settings
This section allows associating Thea Render settings with SketchUp scenes2pages. It works sa!e
way as it is done in SketchUp with scene settings e6cept they are not loaded ato!atically when a
scene is selected" +t it has to +e done !anally +y clicking P>oadM +tton. To save settings select
a scene na!e fro! the list" !ark setting types yo want to store and press MSaveM +tton
3vaila+le options are- Ca!era Settings" =isplay Settings" Sky2IF> Settings" Render Settings.
1.".2 MATERIAL TAB
"ntroduction
Fefore e6plaining in detail the ;aterial Ta+ of the Thea Tools .indow" we need to give a Nick
description of the availa+le ways of adding a Thea !aterial inside SketchUp.
3s we will descri+e +elow" yo can now choose +etween three availa+le ways-
1. =o+le click on a painted face with the Thea tool crsor" open Thea ;aterial >a+ 5see $igre
)*7" create yor !aterial or choose one fro! the availa+le li+raries 5or yor own folders7 and
apply it to yor SketchUp face. Bo can choose to 3ccept the changes or ReKect the! 5and retrn
+ack to the !aterial withot any changes applied to it7.
2. Click once on a painted face" with the Thea crsor tool" and see its details at the ;aterial ta+
5see ne6t paragraph and $igre )H7 and then choose one of the e6isting presets for the !aterial
and edit it according to yor needs.
). $ind Thea !aterials 5converted in G.sk! for!at7 inside SketchUp ,aint Fcket 5see $igre )&7
and apply the! directly to yor SketchUp srfaces. Conversion tool is also availa+le for !aking
yor thea !aterials +eing converted into SketchUp !aterials and see the! at the ,aint Fcket
5!ore details can +e fond at the Tools ta+7.
1H Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre )*- Thea ;aterial >a+
$igre )H- ;aterial
,resets
$igre )&- Thea ;aterials
inside SketchUp Fcket
Material &ab
.ith the se of the ;aterial Ta+ we can either select a preset
for one of or !aterials or see its preview" if edited with Thea
;at >a+.
;aterial ta+" as seen in $igre )'" displays a na!e of a crrently
edited !aterial and a preview of Thea !aterial 5if the !aterial
has +een already edited in Thea7. To select2edit a !aterial one
has to open Thea Tool and while the tool is active" click2do+le
click on an already painted face in SketchUp. Thea Tool is active
when a crsor changes itMs appearance as seen in $igre )(.

.hen yo do+le?click the face" Thea ;at >a+ window will
appear" allowing yo to !odify the !aterial properties or apply
another !aterial fro! a li+rary 5see $igre )*7. $or !ore
detailed infor!ation on Thea ;aterial >a+ and its options"
please refer to Thea Render ;anal.
.hen ser clicks Kst once the !aterial" the ;aterial ta+ will
display the na!e and a preview of a the !aterial ? if the !aterial
has +een already edited in Thea ;at >a+? otherwise the panel
will show like we see it in $igre )'" where the availa+le presets
e6ist.
Tip- In interactive !ode crsor changes to a cross?hair and allows selection of a !aterial directly
in a rendered i!age. Single click shows !aterial properties and settings while do+le click
!a6i!i#es render window.
2eneral (otes
The csto! color +y defalt is linked with SketchUp !aterial color. Fy pressing the SU +tton" yo
are a+le to se a csto! color instead the one already selected in SketchUp and change yor
!aterial accordingly. Fy pressing the SU +tton once again yo can decide to choose SketchUp
!aterial again or an e6ternal te6tre.
1& Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre )'- Thea Tool I
;aterial Ta+
$igre )(- Thea Tool Crsor
The e6ternal te6tre once specified can +e i!ported into SketchUp +y right?click 9 I!port te6tre.
The i!ported te6tre si#e will +e ato!atically redced.
.hen te6tre type is ME1TMernal with a right?click one can i!port a downsi#ed te6tre into
SketchUp.
3dditionally as seen in $igre &* for the E!itter" SU +tton has the option of specifying a
te!peratre5Q7 for the e!itter.
3ll !aterial types e6cept E!itter have option of sing +!p !ap. The !ap can e!ploy sa!e
te6tre as SketchUp !aterial has or an e6ternal te6tre.
3ll !aterial types e6cept ;irror can se as a +ase- SketchUp !aterial" an independently defined
color or an e6ternal te6tre.
Bo can re!ove also a Thea !aterial" +y doing a right click on the preview area and press
CRe!ove ;aterialD +tton.
Felow we can see a ta+le with all the !aterials presets that e6ist at ;aterial Ta+" along with their
availa+le options" description and an e6a!ple preview.
Material Preset *escription %vailable ptions /xa$ple Preview
=efalt This defalt type is a pre diffse
!aterial.
1' Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre )J- SU Ftton
$igre *1- =efalt
;aterial preview
$igre *0- =efalt
;aterial options
;atte This !aterial type represents a very
rogh srface. It provides control
over Reflections and Sig!a
Roghness" which inflences how
well an o+Kect accepts light fro! all
directions. It !akes the !aterial to
appear !ore flat.
,lastic This type of !aterial +ehaves as
plastic. It provides Roghness and
Reflections para!eters. It is a good
+ase for a whole range of plastics
fro! very rogh and dll to polished
and shiny.
Thin
Translcent
This type prodces a single sided
translcent !aterial which is perfect
for crtains and other non?
vol!etric o+Kects. 0ne can control
its transparency percentage.
>acNer This type represents a lacNered
srface typically seen as a finish of
ti!+er floors. It provides Reflections
and Roghness para!eters. .ith
the roghness set to 0 it rese!+les
polished !aterial and with higher
vales a satin appearance.
1( Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre *)- ;atte
;aterial preview
$igre *2- ;atte
;aterial options
$igre *H- ,lastic
;aterial preview
$igre **- ,lastic
;aterial options
$igre *J- >acNer
;aterial preview
$igre *(- >acNer
;aterial options
$igre *'- Thin
Translcent
;aterial preview
$igre *&- Thin
Translcent ;aterial
options
Cera!ic This type descri+es a cera!ic
!aterial with a glossy finish.
Car ,aint The !aterial sing this preset will
rese!+le a car paint. .hen
M;etallicM option is ena+led" the
paint will +ehave as it wold contain
nifor!ly spread !etallic flakes.
Colored ;etal This type is designed to give a !etal
appearance with prononced
reflections.
;irror The !aterial will +ehave as a !irror
srface. This type overrides
SketchUp !aterial color.
1J Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre H)- Car ,aint
;aterial preview
$igre H1- Cera!ic
;aterial preview
$igre H0- Cera!ic
;aterial options
$igre HH- Colored
;etal ;aterial
preview
$igre H2- Car ,aint
;aterial options
$igre H'- ;irror
;aterial preview
$igre H&- ;irror
;aterial options
$igre H*- Colored
;etal ;aterial
options
Thin 8lass This type descri+es an architectral
glass with a control over ;etallic
reflection it !ay posses de to
applied coatings. This !aterial
doesnMt reNire a vol!e of a
geo!etry and is especially sited for
non solid" thin face o+Kects.
Thick 8lass This type prodces a vol!etric
glass which takes into accont the
refractions within o+Kect vol!e.
Roghness of a srface and intensity
of Reflections can +e controlled.

E!itter This type trns a painted face into a
light e!itter. Its power is specified
in several nits. Te!peratre can
also +e specified instead of defalt
color2te6tre. There is an option to
!ake e!itter not visi+le in a
rendering or to !ake it CpassiveD ? it
will have a l!inos appearance"
+t will not cast the light into a
scene.
20 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre HJ- Thin
8lass ;aterial
preview
$igre &1- Thick
8lass ;aterial
preview
$igre &)- E!itter
;aterial preview
$igre &*- Ena+ling E!itter Te!peratre
$igre &2- E!itter
;aterial options
$igre &0- Thick
8lass ;aterial
options
$igre H(- Thin
8lass ;aterial
options
Thea ;aterial
5;at?>a+7
This type ses fll Thea ;aterial
editor fro! the Stdio and allows
fll control over !aterial properties
5sch as Clipping that we see in the
e6a!ple preview7. 3ny of previos
!aterial types can +e also edited
this way.
CRe!ove Thea ;aterialM +tton
re!oves all Thea !aterial settings
associated with SketchUp !aterial.
1.".3 LIGHT TAB
SketchUp doesnMt have itsM native light sorces. Thea for SketchUp ses co!ponents with a special
na!es to define position and orientation of lights. There are thee light types availa+le in the plg?
in-
,oint >ight- a reglar o!nidirectional spherical light.
Spot >ight- a directional light that allows focsing of a light cone on a chosen area in a
!odel.
IES >ight- a light +ased on scientifically !easred real life vales" provided +y light?+l+s
and fi6tre !anfactrers in a for! of G.ies files.
0ne can also paint a face with a !aterial sing e!ittance and in this way create an area light.
$ront side of the face will +e e!itting light.
Creating 'ights
>ight ta+ allows a creation and editing properties of
light co!ponents. To create a light open Thea Tool
.idnow and select M>ightM ta+. 3t the +otto! there
are three +ttons responsi+le for creation of three
types of lights. 0n the start of light placing tool ser
is asked to show in SketchUp !odel a location of a
sorce of light +y right clicking and s+seNently a MtargetM of the light. In case of a point?light only
the distance fro! the sorce to target is +eing sed to calclate a sfficient light power to reach
the target. It is i!portant to place light sorces in a distance to an adKacent geo!etry higher than
a radis of the light. $ailing to co!ply with that rle !ay prodce ndesired PnoiseP in the final
i!age. 0nce light co!ponent is created its na!e and properties will +e displayed in the >ight ta+.

/diting 'ights
>ight properties can +e invoked +y selecting a light co!ponent or clicking a co!ponent while
Thea Tool is active. 0n a top of the >ight ta+ a na!e of crrently edited light co!ponent is +eing
displayed.
21 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre &'- Create >ights 0ptions
$igre &&- ;at?>a+
;aterial preview
$igre &H- ;at?>a+
;aterial options
Pointlight 3 Spotlight properties
,oint?lights and spot?lights share several properties-
/$ittance
3 color of a light is controlled +y a color of !aterial the
light co!ponent is painted with. .hen a te!peratre is
ena+led it will +e sed instead of the color.
3ll lights have flowing para!eters-
,ower e6pressed in !ltiple nits" efficacy 5l!2.7"
attenation and light te!peratre 5Q7.
Spotlight properties
Spot?lights have additional <ot Spot and $all 0ff
vales that control a shape of light cone. M<ot SpotM
descri+es the inner angle where the light is e!itted at
a fll intensity and M$all 0ffM is and angle the light fades
co!pletely at.
"/S 'ight properties
Fy defalt an IES light have a sa!ple.ies file loaded into it. It is
possi+le to load a different description of light distri+tion +y
selecting it fro! a dropdown !en and pressing M>oadM +tton.
To se an IES file not present in Thea Stdio IES files folder" select
fro! the list M0ther fileM and press M>oadM. Bo will +e asked to
select a file yo want to save into the light co!ponent.
22 Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre &J- Spotlight ,roperties
$igre '0- IES >ight
,roperties
$igre &(- E!ittance ,roperties
2eneral Properties
3 light co!ponent can +e MEna+ledM which !eans it will +e casting light. MShadowM controls
whether the light will +e casting shadows. MSoft ShadowM specifies whether the shadow will +e
soft" +ased on a i!aginary radis of the light sorce e6pressed in !eters.
M;in RaysM and M;a6 RaysM para!eters are sed only +y the 3daptive5FS=7 engine. Those are sed
rarely. $or a detailed description" please refer to Thea Render ;anal.
MContainerM lets yo assign a container?!aterial in which the light is placed. Setting this !aterial is
valid only for a sitations when a light is s+!erged in a water or placed inside a !aterial
congaing properties of a !edi!. It can +e also sed to force a light to show a vol!etric
proKection of light.
1.".4 TOOLS TAB
Convert &hea $aterial)s+ to S4M
This +tton can convert a selected Thea !aterial to a SketchUp
!aterial 5in SQ; for!at7. The created !aterials can +e placed in a
!odel +y sing reglar ,aint Fcket. It ato!atically opti!i#es the
te6tre of the SketchUp !aterial and adds the sa!e preview as
Thea !aterial has.
So apart fro! the e6isting Thea !aterial li+raries that can +e fond
inside SketchUp Fcket 5as we have seen in $igre )&7" yo can
have any Thea !aterial converted and applied to faces in the sa!e
way as all other !aterials.
Technical note- ,aths to te6tres which are stored within MThea
Render2;aterialsM folder will +e written inside SQ; file as relative
to that folder. This !akes SQ; li+raries syste! independent. 3ll
other te6tre paths will +e stored as fll. In a case a path to a
te6tre changes" the conversion process has to +e repeated.
/xport
Saves !odel as Thea scene in G.scn.thea or G.pack.thea for!at.
@ote that when pressing the Save Thea Scene +tton with 3>T
pressed at the key+oard" the crrent selection is only +een saved.
Fy ena+ling the E6port 3ni!ation option" yor created ani!ation
path 5scenes inclded in ani!ation7 is also e6ported and can +e
then seen inside Thea Stdio.
2) Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre '1- Thea Tools Ta+
'icense
This +tton opens the >icense $or! window that allows yo to add
yor serial" na!e" e!ail address and !ake an activation of the
progra!.
*evice Selection
This +tton opens the =evice Selection +tton that helps yo
define the Interactive Render device" set priorities" ena+le2disa+le
engines etc..
Preferences
'anguage0 Fy clicking on ,references +tton" a new window
appears as seen in $igre '*. $ro! here" yo can change the
>angage of the plgin. In order to do so" yo need to follow the
ne6t steps-
There is a Thea$orSketchUp.po file in the folder-
Thea*SUOfile2langages2
This file needs to +e translated sing ,oedit progra!. The progra!
will generate a Thea$orSketchUp.!o file" that has to +e copied to
the corresponding folder of the selected translation langage.
If the langage is already set in the syste! then it will +e
ato!atically sed when SketchUp starts. If it has not +een set
ato!atically" ser can open Thea Tool2Tools2,references and
select the langage !anally. The langage !odification will +e
active after SketchUp will restart. If for e6a!ple yo have placed
the Thea$orSketchUp.!o file at the folder with na!e es 5Spanish7
at the drop down list of the >angage window yo will see the
Spanish langage too.
Typical Contry Codes are- de 58er!an7" es 5Spanish7" fr 5$rench7" it
5Italian7" Ka 5Rapanese7" pt 5,ortgese7" ptOFR 5Fra#ilian
,ortgese7" r 5Rssian7" #hOC@ 5Chinese Si!plified7" #hOT.
5Chinese Traditional7.
2* Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre '2- >icense Inpt
$or!
$igre ')- =evice Selection
$igre 'H- Selecting another
>angage
$igre '*- ,lgin ,references
.indow
,se Back face $aterial when 1ront absent0 This option helps dealing with !odels where !ltiple
faces are painted on a +ack?side only 5whereas the front face has no !aterial7. Fy ena+ling this
option Thea for SketchUp plgin will se the +ack face !aterial for rendering instead of the
defalt white !aterial.
%uto Save ever! x $inutes- ena+le or disa+le the 3to Save option. .ith 3to Save ena+led"
Thea is saving ato!atically the rendered i!age every 10 !intes 5this is the defalt ti!e +t
yo are allowed to change this para!eter7.
The 3toSave locations of the rendered i!ages can +e located at-
$or .indows the defalt folder is - ,rogra! =ata4Thea Render4Te!p4SessionOS4te!p.i!g.thea
$or ;ac0S1 the defalt folder is - PA2=oc!ents2Thea Te!p2SessionOS2te!p.i!g.thea
Check ,pdates
This window helps yo see the availa+le Thea versions and
resorces li+raries" check ot their previews and details and
download2install those needed.
%bout
.ith this option yo are a+le to see so!e infor!ation on the
plgin and its crrent version.
1.8 LICENSE TERMS
Solid Iris grants to Bo a personal" non?transfera+le" and non?e6clsive license to download" install
and se CThea for SketchUpD and associated printed and2or electronic doc!entation
acco!panying the Software" in accordance with this agree!ent. This license does not nder any
circ!stances grant ownership of the Software to Bo.
3 single copy of the progra! can +e installed and sed +y Bo" on one !achine. Bo can install
the application on p to two !ore !achines" provided that the plgin is not sed or e6ected
si!ltaneosly on any !achines. If Bo wish to install the Software or se the Software
concrrently on additional !achines Bo !st prchase additional licenses.
=e!o version is provided for evalation only and its se for co!!ercial prposes is prohi+ited.
2H Copyright Solid Iris Technologies
$igre '&- Check for Updates
$igre ''- 3+ot window
1. DISCLAIMER
CThea for SketchUpD is provided Pas?isP and withot warranty of any kind" e6press" i!plied or
otherwise" inclding withot li!itation" any warranty of !erchanta+ility or fitness for a particlar
prpose. In no event shall the athor of this software +e held lia+le for data loss" da!ages" loss of
profits or any other kind of loss while sing or !issing this software. The software !st not +e
!odified" yo !ay not deco!pile" disasse!+le. 3ny kind of reverse engineering of the software is
prohi+ited.
2& Copyright Solid Iris Technologies