Using Replace Me Components

The easiest way to use ReplaceMe components is from the Replace Me Library. You can also make your own using the Replace Me Creator.

Placing a Replace Me Component

•	Open the SketchUp Components Browser

•	Select the Replace Me Library from your list of favorites (if you haven't put the Library into your favorites yet, see The Replace Me Library).

macReplaceMeOpenFavorite

•	Browse for the component you want to place in your model

•	Click on the icon to download the lightweight Replace Me component

macReplaceMeTreeLibrary

•	You can now place the component in the SketchUp view port

macReplaceMePlaceTree

•	Replace Me components usually have a "face me" billboard to represent the detailed model and a marker on the ground to show the "footprint" and orientation of the detailed model when it's rendered

SUreplaceMeAnatomy

Note: Even though the Replace Me component is usually a "face me" component in SketchUp, the detailed replacement version will stay in a fixed position. Use the arrow in the footprint to help you orientate the component in SketchUp

Renderering a Replace Me Component

Rendering Replace Me components is automatic.

•	Click the Start Render button

•	Shaderlight automatically downloads a detailed component for each different Replace Me in your model

•	Shaderlight renders using the detailed model instead of the Replace Me

macReplaceMeTreeExample

Note: The first time you render a Replace Me component from the Shaderlight library, the detailed replacement version is automatically downloaded in the background. After the first use, the detailed replacement model is cached on your computers hard drive, so there's no delay in rendering

Disabling Replace Me

Sometimes, if you are doing quick tests, you may not want to render the detailed model. In that case you can turn off the detailed components and render the simple Replace Me components instead.

Replace Me is controlled by Enable Replace Me in the Plugins->Shaderlight for SketchUp menu. If the menu is checked, then the detailed models will be rendered. If the menu is unchecked, then the simple Replace Me components will be rendered instead.

SUreplaceMeTree

Replace Me "billboard" tree

SUrenderedTree

Detailed tree rendered in Shaderlight

SUrenderedBillboard

"Billboard" tree rendered in Shaderlight

Note: If you want to disable Replace Me on just one component, you can use the Replace Me Creator tool