Fake 3D

I spent some time this weekend figuring out how to automate Sketchup with Ruby. Once I had that going I wrote a script that would rotate around an object taking a snapshot every five degrees. From there it's pretty simple to use them in a Flex application to simulate 3D.

If you have a complex model, like this Colonial Viper, it's a lot more efficient to pre-render all of the shots and just flip through them like a picture book.

Plus there is the problem of Collada import into PaperVision 3D. Not all Collada models work, in fact, most don't. So using this technique I'm guaranteed that the model will render properly.

BTW, this particular model is part of my ongoing effort to give slicker example images and such. Too many authors use drab images when they put together examples. The technology is great, but the example shown in the result is drab. Thus, a Colonial Viper from the new Battlestar Galactica, since, seriously, what is cooler than that?