Using google sketchup as a battlemap

[Redrobes]

Making actual 3D tokens is hard and is the #1 reason why everyones VTT is in 2D. We could all do a 3D one like the games - in fact by using a game engine it would probably not be all that hard. But the content creation would be... challenging.

To make automatic tokens for 2D images should be relatively easy tho. If I knew the sketchup format then it might be no problem. You can generate the wavefront .OBJ format pretty easily as its all text based. Most apps like blender will import them no problem. Maybe you can get blender to make the tokens...

Getting preexisting common monsters in 3D is not so bad. Here is a forum I use a little tho there are many. Most contain lots of crappy models tho and a few good ones. Theres a lot of rough to get through before you spot your diamond.

http://artist-3d.com/free_3d_models/...hp&count=count

[megrim]

Making actual 3D tokens is hard and is the #1 reason why everyones VTT is in 2D. We could all do a 3D one like the games - in fact by using a game engine it would probably not be all that hard. But the content creation would be... challenging.

To make automatic tokens for 2D images should be relatively easy tho. If I knew the sketchup format then it might be no problem. You can generate the wavefront .OBJ format pretty easily as its all text based. Most apps like blender will import them no problem. Maybe you can get blender to make the tokens...

Getting preexisting common monsters in 3D is not so bad. Here is a forum I use a little tho there are many. Most contain lots of crappy models tho and a few good ones. Theres a lot of rough to get through before you spot your diamond.

http://artist-3d.com/free_3d_models/...hp&count=count

well i kinda figure how to do the 2d models like sang (thats the name of the dude that appears by default in sketchup and here are some screenshots of images put in that way

[Ascension]

That's exactly what I was referring to. Looks just like I thought it would, lacking in 3d realism but serves good enough to show objects and spatial relations. How'd ya do it?

[megrim]

That's exactly what I was referring to. Looks just like I thought it would, lacking in 3d realism but serves good enough to show objects and spatial relations. How'd ya do it?

double clicked on sang then i dragged the image to sang it will put itself vertically (i edited the pics on photoshop to make the background transparent and saved them as png) then i adjusted the image to the axes sang has and deleted sang and presto!

[megrim]

sorry for the double post but i had to add this screenshot

[Ascension]

Nice dynamic angle, I like it.

[eRaz0r]

I've used Sketch up to some success for RPG areas. Mainly for places that are multi-levelled and somewhat difficult to really visualize in 2D. I don't tend to use it for the actual VTT, because it's hard to really wander through it in a manner consistent with actual game play. I usually just create a few scenes from various perspectives and then the players can see a "fly through" to the next scene. If I get enthusiastic, I'll even export an animation.

Here are a couple of pics of a church to the Raven Queen I got about 2/3rds finished.


And a link to a video of a cut-away for a different building - a tower-top in the city of Sharn in the Eberron campaign I was running.
http://docs.google.com/uc?id=0B9A6AS...download&hl=en