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SketchUp to IMVU

September 16th, 2006 (Visited 16853 times) Tags:

It sure seems like SketchUp is becoming the default building tool for 3d user-built content. Today I see the word that IMVU now supports importing SketchUp content.

For those who do not know, IMVU is a graphical chat system founded by Will Harvey, who also founded There.com. It is basically IRC with real rooms, and of course a microtransaction system for items such as clothing. Last I had seen, the user-uilding program was limited to that sort of thing, but SketchUp is far more suitable for furniture and the like, so perhaps IMVU has expanded its capabilities.

This is yet another way in which virtual world elements are seeping in from the other side… how long will it be until there is an assumption that of course you can import your own models into EverQuest III, just because the audience pool has taken that ability for granted in all their IMing?

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Terra Nova wrote on September 21st, 2006 at 11:47 pm:

trim off pounds from your photo subjects.” (Via Signal vs. Noise). 3.) The ubiquitious Sketchup (3d modeling tool for the casual user) can now be used to create 3d models for use in online chat (IMVU). (See [1.] , [2.] ). I’m not sure what to say beyond the usual comments regarding the mingling of virtual and real identities or the trend towards user created content in virtual worlds. Sure, since the death of the avatar

Faith wrote on September 17th, 2006 at 4:53 am:

[...] Comments [...]

moxie21: a mix of stuff wrote on September 17th, 2006 at 10:13 am:

[...] Min (moxie21) wrote,@ 2006-09-16 17:48:00 a mix of stuff Interesting story about Rebekka, a 28-year old single mother from Iceland who posted some awesome pictures of Iceland up on flickr, won fame, and is now hired by Toyota to shoot pictures for them. She’s also now on the Wall Street Journal’s “New Media Power List.” Like whoa! Here’s her site.. and she also has some provocative ones of herself, haha, I suspect that’s part of the marketing scheme (starts plotting.. hehehe… now all I need to do is get a Canon 350D and get one of my photos on flickr blog..hehehehehe.. J/K)This drop down menu overlap problem I dealt with my first summer at Goldman is pretty persistent. LJ, it’s time for some onmouseover action And a new toy: trends.google.com …edit, 10:21pm: why I want to be a freshman all over again, and probably the coolest guy in SV.edit, 12:19am: like whoa: http://sketchup.google.com/, and like whoa: –> … watch out web 2.0, it ain’t about the plumbing anymore!edit, 12:54am: developing ocd with this again, i was thinking about apple’s new ipod release and started thinking about why the mac+free ipod is such a good deal for apple. apple released the nano same time last year, and it released the new scratch-resistant colors (and omg, the new shuffle) same time this year… and the sweet deal it has for itself is to use the mac+free ipod as a clearinghouse of its old nanos! omg — genius!!!(Post a new comment) raccaldin36 2006-09-17 02:00 pm UTC (link) like whoa: http://sketchup.google.com/You ain’t seen nothin’ yet: http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/09/16/sketchup-to-imvu/ In other news, SketchUp is difficult for me to work with. Architecture students seem to use it without thought, though, which kinda scares me. =P But I can hire Tim, Mad SketchUp Genius, anytime!I want to be a freshman all over againAvenue Q – I Wish I Could Go Back to College. Drop me an email if you want a copy.(Reply to this) [...]

Terra Nova: Avatarization of you wrote on September 20th, 2006 at 10:46 pm:

[...] 3.) The ubiquitious Sketchup (3d modeling tool for the casual user) can now be used to create 3d models for use in online chat (IMVU). (See [1.] , [2.] ). I’m not sure what to say beyond the usual comments on the mingling of virtual and real identities or the trend towards user created content in virtual worlds. Sure, since the death of the avatar, I might be aging sceptical when it comes to my relationship with my avatar. I also wonder if too much freedom to fictionalize oneself online – from the superficial (e.g. how do I look to you) to the most basic (e.g. who is managing my avatar) will somehow stunt the development of virtual worlds over the long term: With a room full of Zorros, what else can you do but have a costume party? [...]

imvu models - Web - WebCrawler wrote on May 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm:

[...] … blogs.electricsheepcompany.com/chris/?p=135 [Found on Google, Windows Live] 5. Raphs Website » SketchUp to IMVU The ubiquitious Sketchup (3d modeling tool for the casual user) can now be used to create 3d [...]

Imvu Website Ip - Dogpile Web Search wrote on November 16th, 2007 at 2:47 am:

[...] avatar name, and then go to the … imvu.co.nz/ [Found on Google, Yahoo! Search] 4. Raphs Website » SketchUp to IMVU Raphs Website » SketchUp to IMVU The ubiquitious Sketchup (3d modeling tool … Im [...]

Chris said on September 16th, 2006 at 10:23 am:

how long will it be until there is an assumption that of course you can import your own models into EverQuest III

Isn’t that basically what Nintendo’s doing with Mii? If the Wii is successful, I wouldn’t be surprised to see cross-game avatars become commonplace.

Evangolis said on September 16th, 2006 at 12:35 pm:

And how long until somebody sues because players are bringing in avatars using images like Angelina Jolie and Green Lantern? It seems to me that the biggest obstacle to player generated content is what the players will do with it. And I don’t just mean maliciously. People generally don’t understand the concepts of IP very well, in my experience.

Darniaq said on September 16th, 2006 at 1:12 pm:

Exactly. I’m actually surprised more in various IP-holding industries haven’t been taking a closer look at how their stuff is being misused on places like YouTube and MySpace.

Further, I don’t think we’re going to see “importing models to EQ3″ anytime soon. No matter how powerful and intuitive the tools, the average person still isn’t that good at making their own content, and many just don’t want to. Creation and entertainment don’t go together, though personalization (lower order content management) certainly does. What would result would be yet another emergent business, profiteering creatives who can make “good” content to spec. That getting imported into new games now becomes a case of for-pay content being imported into a for-pay world, in a hodge podge that for a time would likely look as messy as Second Life.

I foresee a backlash there where people seek self-consistency ala today’s MMORPGs, themselves not going away anytime soon. This is not unlike any experienced media. Anyone can make a movie or write a book, but the industries are about delivering those things to the masses who don’t want to bother. SL vs WoW, for example.

I think we’d need to see a lot more than just new tools coming out for this to change. Maybe the next gen of gamers, today’s tweens for example, will just be more talented en masse?

Michael Chui said on September 16th, 2006 at 1:17 pm:

Darniaq, have you read Henry Jenkins’ Convergence Culture? If not, consider it recommended.

MikeRozak said on September 17th, 2006 at 12:44 am:

When I last looked at Sketchup a few years ago, it was infinitely easier to use than any of the other 3d modellers out there. Z-brush was also well done. SketchUp did a good job of buildings, while Z-brush was good at organics. 3DSMax was OK. Maya was EVIL!

I haven’t looked at sketchup recently, but at the time it had a sort of “philiosphy” of doing everything by cutting out sections of polygons and extruding and bevelling them. This worked for rough house/building models, but started to fall apart on more complex constructs (studs, beams, joists), and didn’t do organics.

With my own modeller, http://www.mxac.com.au/m3d, I found that thinking in terms of building blocks (more complex primitives) was a better mix of flexibility vs. ease-of-creation. If you install the app, you’ll see that I have building blocks for houses, which are their own procedural modeller. I have a different procedrual modeller for trees. A different one for caves (using metaballs). Yet another for faces (polygon subdivison) and hair (fuzzy-pumper barber shop).

It’s a tradeoff though; each modeller requires that the user learns something new in order to use it, but since each modeller is specialized, it does a better job at what its trying to accomplish.

The same issues apply to textures; I ended up creating about 20 procedural texture algorithms, from board-and-batten to leaves to chainmail.

Darniaq said on September 17th, 2006 at 11:52 am:

Michael Chui wrote: Darniaq, have you read Henry Jenkins’ Convergence Culture? If not, consider it recommended.

Thanks for the recommendation! Ironic timing I’m a big fan of real convergent thinking, not just the talking heads that see digital cameras and cellphones and say “see??” I’ll pick it up.

Michael Chui said on September 17th, 2006 at 2:39 pm:

As of March 2006, Mike, SketchUp hasn’t changed much from that from what I could see while using it. I also seem to have a severe inability to actually model, well… anything. I was in a class with some architecture students (I’m not one) and watching one of them use it was… mind-boggling. =P

Of course, when we took a class “field trip”, this same guy pulled out a notebook and started sketching a wood-metal join he saw on a ceiling. So… I’m impressed either way.

I think I remember seeing some organic-like models in the library to be pasted in; we didn’t use it. Polygon count got too high, and we were having trouble with lag as it was. (Old graphics card on lab computers.)

MikeRozak said on September 17th, 2006 at 11:04 pm:

Having spent time with the architect that was designing my house, I can see how sketchup fits in well with an architect’s thinking. It’s good for getting “sketching” buildings in 3D… in the same way that cardboard models are good for building prototypes. It falls apart (or at least did a few years ago) when you wanted to add detail.

SketchUp to IMVU

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