What's New with SU Podium for SketchUp

What's New March 3, 2014

(http://www.suplugins.com/whatsnew.php)

1. SU Podium V2 Plus released for SU 2014 and SU 8 Win/Mac
2. SU Podium V2 Images of the Month
3. Podium Browser: New kitchen accessories, wallpapers, and much more
4. Podium Walker 1.0.7: Interior Lobby Video
5. V2 Plus - Physical Sky 2 Comparison Chart
6. Coming Soon - Essentials: Rendering With Podium V2 Plus
7. Webstore Specials - Ongoing
8. What's New Archives - Click here to link to the Archives

1. SU Podium V2 Plus for SketchUp 2014 and SketchUp 8 released

SU Podium V2 Plus is now available from this download page. V2 Plus is a free update and supports SketchUp 2014 (Win/ Mac), 2013 (Mac only), and SketchUp 8 (Win/Mac). V2+ will not support SketchUp 7 so we will continue to sell and make V2 available for customers. Podium V2 Plus will be officially released as soon as SketchUp 2014 becomes available.

SU 2014 users, please note: If you have updated to SketchUp 2014, you must download and install SU Podium V2 Plus. Do not try to install your existing SU Podium V2 for SketchUp 2014. There have been many changes made to SU 2014, including the default plugins folder location.

V2 Plus adds a number of exciting new features, while maintaining the straightforward and easy to use workflow you've come to expect as a Podium user. New features in V2 Plus include:

• Podium Image Editor - Quick and easy post processing without ever leaving Podium.
• Podium Preset Editor - Go beyond Podium's built-in presets and experiment with your own settings and ideas.
• Physical Sky 2 - An entirely new physical sky option brings increased accuracy and realism.
• Advanced metallic materials - Improved reflections and material properties for rendering metallic surfaces in Podium.
• Read More - Check out our side by side V2 - V2 Plus comparison chart.
• SU Podium V2 Plus is a FREE upgrade for V2 customers!

Begin benefiting from Podium's newest features immediately:

Click here to download SU Podium V2 Plus

2. Gallery Forum - February 2014 images of the month

The Gallery Forum is a great place to find inspiration, receive critique, and learn new tips and tricks to perfect your Podium Renders. Click here to browse the Gallery Forum. Here are some of our favorite images posted by Podium users in the past month:

This excellent interior space was created by Kenneth Hoeg. Please click the image to view it at full resolution, or click here to explore Kenneth's image thread on the SU Podium forums.

Our second selection is from Davor Petranovic, and stands as an excellent example of what can be achieved using the 2.5D grass instances available in Podium Browser. Additional grass renders can be found in Davor's forum thread, and a brief tutorial explaining how to render 2.5D grass in SU Podium V2 can be found at the linked page.

Finally, an atmospheric bathroom scene by drewtown rounds out our selections for the month:

3. Podium Browser News

Click on the image to view full resolution.

This gorgeous exterior image by Nathaniel Ellis was populated using new and existing furniture, vegetation, and props from Podium Browser. Click on the image to see the render in full resolution, and use the following list to check out some of the Browser Components that Nat used to bring the image to life:

Tons of new Podium Browser content for February 2014:

This month also brings a wide selection of new Podium Browser components, including a huge number of tileable wallpapers, new kitchen accessories and sink taps, and nearly 75 new Yamagiwa & Thorn light fixtures. Here's a small sample of the new Browser components that we added in February:

9 New sink taps		Assorted kitchen accessories
Over 1300 new wallpapers		73 Thorn & Yamagiwa light fixtures

Podium Browser is still only $59.00 and includes over 9,000 high quality, render ready components, with additional models, materials, and light fixtures being added every week. Read about the speed and efficiency of Podium Browser here.

To see the full range of new Browser content, open Podium Browser web page. Click on Agree, then click on Show only recent files.

Podium Browser SketchUp Mac 10.9 Maverick's Safari 7 bug has been fixed. Please read about it here . If you are a Mac 10.9 users you will need to install the fix.

4. Podium Walker is 2014 ready

Version 1.0.7 for SketchUp 2014 is ready for Win/ Mac. This is an .rbz installation. Download from here.

A new video has been added to the Podium Walker gallery, featuring a large interior lobby scene by John Aikin. Click on the above image to link to PW gallery or click here. Numerous assets from Podium Browser have been used in this model, including the the following:

• Apple 27 Display
• Apple Keyboard
• Apple Magic Mouse
• Macbook Air
• Conference Table 01
• Magazines 01, 02, 03
• Books 02, 08
• FalsterChair 02
• FalsterTable 01
• Vase Plant

• Arecaceae Cocos 01, Cocos 05
• Banana Palm
• Desert Background
• California Umbrella VAST 118
• Vase Set Red #1
• Cement 009
• PDM Paving 040, 043
• PDM Stucco 03
• Chrome
• Glass Thin 01

• Filing box
• LC2 Chair Leuwico Xeno 503, 509
• Poulsen Magazin CL
• VP Cabinet 05
• VP Coffee Table 13
• Cast Iron 1
• PDM Aluminium
• PDM Granite Ivory White
• PDM Granite Raja Pink
• PDM Granite Soft Cream

5. V2 Plus - Physical Sky Comparison Chart

One of the most exciting new features in SU Podium V2 Plus is the addition of the Physical Sky 2 option.

Podium's new Physical sky model was designed to give users a more realistic representation of physical light levels seen throughout the course of a day.

About the chart: This chart, by Nicolas Harvey, illustrates the difference between Podium's two physical sky options, rendered using Exterior 1.07 preset at summer solstice, with default Intensity & Exposure values. All items, grass, treeline, and clouds, can be found in the Podium Browser.

• Podium Physical Sky 1: Podium's physical sky simulates a clear day using the date and time set in SketchUp. Physical Sky 1 improves upon the result given by SketchUp's default background, however this 1st version of the Podium sky often produces unwanted brightness and unnatural color shifts near dusk and dawn.
  
  
• Podium Physical Sky 2: The second version corrects those two issues by giving more realistic sunrises and sunsets, with no unwanted colors below the horizon. During daylight hours, Physical Sky 2 is slightly brighter with a more cyan tone than Physical Sky 1. For this reason, we kept the first physical sky, which remains a useful option for daytime renderings.

6. Essentials: Rendering With Podium V2 Plus

Jim Kenney's new book, Essentials: Rendering With Podium V2 PLUS, is available in the Cadalog Web Store.

Essentials includes 187 pages of beautifully illustrated tutorials, walk-throughs, tips, and best practices for setting up lighting, materials, and render settings in SU Podium V2 Plus. Read a short introduction from the publisher:

Essentials: Rendering with Podium V2 PLUS, an independent book written by Jim Kenney, is a must read. Jim is an Architect and Professor with CSU Sacramento and has written this book for students and practicing professionals. If you are new to Podium or you are planning to upgrade to Podium V2 PLUS, this soon to be released book will help you as it covers Podium and its newest features from A-Z. The book is well illustrated with clear directions on everything from setting up your SketchUp model properly, to very detailed lighting and material property settings for both exterior and interior scenes.

The rendering shown above is from Chapter 4.1 Rendering Demonstration, and is presented in multiple day / night scenarios with ample illustrations and detailed procedures.

Quick Start Exercises are now included, formerly a separate manual. The book is now available in PDF format at the Cadalog Web Store. A full-color print version will soon be available at lulu.com/spotlight/jimkenney

This is Jim's third book on SU Podium, and promises to be useful for both beginner and advanced users, acting as a comprehensive introduction, and an in-depth breakdown of the exciting new features offered in SU Podium V2 Plus.

7. Webstore specials

Viso3D - convert your SketchUp model, add a Light Map and navigate it on the iPad

The Win/ Mac version of the Viso3D SketchUp export plug-in will convert your SketchUp 8, 2013 and 2014 model into a small file that can be read by the iPad 7. The Lightmap in the plug-in will also preserve the sun and shadows settings and create an ambient light for interior scenes. Read here and download the free trial. $29.95 ends soon.

2nd License Specials for SU Podium V2 and Podium Browser continues

The 25% discount on your second purchase special is still in place as it has proven to be popular. If you already own one license of SU Podium or Podium Browser, get the second license of each for 25% off the list price. Buy here

SU Animate V4 50% off or $49.00. SU Animate is a non-photo-realistic (NPR) object animation program. Please read about SU Animate here. (www.suanimate.com)