Importing a 3D Model from Google 3D Warehouse™

Getting a Model

The ability to use third party 3D models in Live Interior 3D lets you create projects that better meet your design idea. For many designers, the Internet is now the first place to check for 3D models. Among numerous on-line collections, Google 3D Warehouse™ is notable by a large collection of models. It is constantly growing due to efforts of people who share their 3D models.

Live Interior is integrated with Google 3D Warehouse™ what provides direct import of 3D objects into your project. For you, this means that you can access the collection by using Live Interior interface, and there is no need in creating an interim file on your hard disk — the model will be inserted right in your project.

Note that you can also download the model by using ordinary web browser, and then import the model into your project. Importing from a file will not be discussed here. If you wish to modify a model before using it in Live Interior, you should download it, edit in Google SketchUp™, and then import into your project.

Don't forget that you should have an Internet connection for getting models from Google's collection. The average size of models is about hundreds kilobytes for single pieces of furniture. Some objects contain many details. Their size can make 1 MB and more. Complex models (such as rooms with furniture) can be even larger. The model size will be shown on the model page, so you will be able to estimate how quickly it can be downloaded.

To access the model collection, click the Google 3D Warehouse™ tab on the Library panel (or choose Window > Library > Google 3D Warehouse™  in the menu). The 3D Warehouse window will open. It appears to be a simplified web browser that displays the Google 3D Warehouse web page.

In the toolbar of the browser, you will find customary navigation buttons to the: previous page, next page, home page (of the Warehouse, of course). The Import Settings button stays apart from others — on the right. It opens the import options:

• Make all surfaces double-sided... — select it to avoid problems with imported objects. The consequences of using the option – your project will be of larger size when the option is selected.
• Split object instances — when a model is made of several components, they turn to independent objects. Don't select the option without necessity. Otherwise, the imported model may brake into pieces (components) when you are moving it. Anyway, you can re-import it again.

The home page shows several categories of models. Type the name of the model you want to find and click Search. Note that the Models/Collections option gives different results. Don't pay too much attention to colors (materials). You will be able to change them after importing.

Once you have found a model you like, click its thumbnail to open the model's page. There is a bigger picture of the model, the size and creator's name. Click the Download button (it can be named Get Model as well). During the download process, the object is shown in Live Interior 3D as a dummy object (cube).

To return to the search results, click the Go Back button in the toolbar.

A 3D model, that is imported directly, will be saved in the current project. To use it in another project, copy and paste it, or add into the library. For this, open an appropriate object category in the library (use the drop-down menu). Then move to 2D view, press the Opt key and drag the model onto the Library panel. Using a separate category seems to be more useful as it's easier to distinguish custom and built-in 3D models.

Further Options

If you are fully satisfied with the imported model, congratulations! More probable, the model should be adjusted for your project. What can be changed?

The main settings are located in two places — Type & Representation dialog and the Inspector.

The Type & Representation dialog lets you:

• Change the object type — very important option — specifies an object as furniture, door or window. The type of the object defines its behavior in the program. Note, the default type of an imported object is “furniture”. If you have imported a door or window, set the corresponding model type in the Type & Representation dialog.
• Change object dimensions — helpful, if you need to make the model smaller or larger. Note that you cannot change the side proportions here (use the Inspector for this).
• Flip the model in 3D — mirroring a model in the horizontal plane is useful when you need a door with a handle on the other side (table with drawers on the other side, etc.), and when you just need to have a pare of mirrored objects for a symmetric design.
• 2D representation — an image to display an object on the floor plan. Choose such an image that lets to distinguish one object on the plan from another. You can pick an image from the library or use your own one. The Custom Image for the 2D Representation article discusses how to create 2D representation.
• 2D flip — is useful for non-symmetric objects. You can mirror the 2D representation to change the side of the door hinges, for example.

Since the Inspector displays a set of parameters depending on the object type, check the type of the imported object before changing other its properties.

While settings in the Design & Representation dialog are usually adjusted once after importing the object, the object properties in the Inspector are changed many times while you are working on your project.

The Inspector lets you change the dimensions of an object. Note that unlike the Type and Representation dialog, Inspector allows to change the width, height and depth independently (without constraining proportions).

The most interesting for you is ability to apply different colors (materials) to the imported model. Keeping the shape of the model, you can paint it any color. So, when you are looking for models in the Internet, don't pay too much attention to colors and textures.

The Live Interior built-in library of materials lets you choose solid colors (matt and glossy paints) as well as textured materials (stones, leather, wood, etc.). It's quite a powerful tool, you can download a chair made from plastic, for example, and turn it into wooden chair.

For single-material models (woody table, for instance), the easiest way to change its material is to grab a new one with a mouse from the library and drop onto an object in the 3D view. This method is also used for painting walls and slabs.

Materials of a 3D model are listed in the Inspector when the model is selected. To replace a material, select it in the Inspector (the upper box of the Materials tab), then pick a new material in the box below.

There is a very useful tool in the Inspector — a material picker. You can find and import several models (sofas, tables, chairs and so on) to use them for a complex set of furniture. If the models were created by different designers, you will need to match their materials to make the pieces of furniture of a common style. The material picker lets you copy a material from one model and apply it to another.

For example, you like how a chair looks in your project. Other models in your project are a table and a sofa, but they don't match the chair. With the material picker you can apply materials of the chair to them (wood to the sofa and table, fabric to the sofa, etc.). For this, you select the destination model (sofa) to get its materials listed in the Inspector. Then select one or several of them to replace. Finally, activate the material picker and click on the source model (chair) to choose one of its materials.

Nick Shubin
Published: October 2007
Last reviewed: April 2008

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