ARTVPS releases Shaderlight 2 for SketchUp
ARTVPS has released an update to Shaderlight, its interactive rendering plug-in for SketchUp, adding support for animation and enabling users to switch billboard images with real 3D models on the fly.
A new button on Shaderlight Pro 2’s toolbar enables users to render SketchUp scene transitions as a sequence of photorealistic images for animation.
The other major new feature is Replace Me, which enables users to switch out billboards of people and trees in their scenes with 3D models. A smooth proxy system enables the software to render the 3D version “without the associated slow down when using large amounts of geometry”.
Replace Me currently uses stock content supplied by DynaSCAPE, but an authoring tool also enables users to share models through Google 3D Warehouse.
Shaderlight Pro 2 costs $299. A free version of the software is available, but lacks either of the new features and much of the advanced lighting functionality.