In this article, we will check out ThruPaint – a SketchUp extension from Fredo6 that allows for customizing complex materials, UV mapping, and much more.
About ThruPaint
ThruPaint’s material editing tools make changing materials and textures in SketchUp easy and created by Fredo6 for working with materials in SketchUp. As a number of you recognize, the native materials tool are often a touch limited, especially when working with curved surfaces, because the materials don’t always map alright.
The first section allows you to select both materials, and also material/UV mapping combinations from your model. This can be useful for transferring UV mapping types between different shapes.
The second section allows you to line the UV mapping type for your object. This allows you to pick the simplest UV mapping solution for your particular face. These all work a touch differently, so I’d recommend a touch of trial and error to ascertain which one works best for your situation. I’ve had pretty good luck with the “Projected” UV Mapping. The last option within the UV mapping section allows you to regulate the fabric applied to a face without changing the UV mapping.
When you apply a cloth to your face, you’ll click thereon with the Thru-Paint tool active, and it’ll actually offer you a tool that permits you to adjust the size, rotation, and site of the feel on the face.
The selection section allows you to line how the objects you paint are selected. This section is choppy into two parts – Faces and edges. When Faces is chosen, you’ll adjust how you’ll apply materials. You have options for every individual face (broken up by hidden geometry), each surface, all connected faces, then connected faces with the same material, and connected faces with the same UV mapping. Face side allows you to line if you are going to use to front, back, or both.
There are also options in here to use colours to edges. One thing to notice on this for these to point out up, you would like to regulate your style settings so your edge colours are shown “by material” instead of “all same.” You can also use this to use colours to annotation labels. Supposedly it works for dimension labels as well.
There are also a few more edges up here to the side that allows you to automatically call Thru-Paint whenever you switch the SketchUp material tool on, marking edges as diagonal and turning hidden geometry on and off. Overall, this extension may be a fantastic addition the SketchUp’s material tools, especially for irregular faces.
