What is Replace Me?

The Pro version of Shaderlight has the unique Replace Me feature. Replace Me allows you to render detailed 3D components such as trees, people or cars, without having heavy geometry in your SketchUp model. As you probably know SketchUp takes a performance hit if you have many complex or detailed components in your model. Replace Me components are simple lightweight components which, when rendered in Shaderlight, appear as detailed textured components instead.

SUreplaceMeWoodsHouseSU

SketchUp model using Replace Me billboard trees

SUreplaceMeWoodsHouse

Shaderlight render with detailed 3D trees

Important Note: Replace Me will only work in SketchUp8.0 or later.

Replace Me DOES NOT WORK with SketchUp 7

Replace Me component Collection

Replace Me components are available on the Google 3D Warehouse. Open the SketchUp Components window (Window->components) and search for Shaderlight Library.

macComponentsLibrary

In the Shaderlight Library you will find a Replace Me collection that contains a variety of components. All these components are very simple models; usually they are just billboards.

SUreplaceMeTree

Replace Me "billboard" tree

When you click Start Render in the Shaderlight toolbar, the Replace Me components are transformed into detailed models that bring your SketchUp scene to life.

SUrenderedTree

Detailed tree model rendered in Shaderlight

Tip: Many of the Replace Me trees on the warehouse use the gloriously detailed 3D models from DynaSCAPE

Create your own Replace Me

As well as using components from the Replace Me collection on the 3D Warehouse, you can create your own Replace Me models and link them to any SketchUp model file on your computers hard drive.

The Replace Me Creator is opened by selecting Plugins->Shaderlight for SketchUp->ReplaceMe Creator

macReplaceMeCreator

With a component selected, browse for a SketchUp scene file to replace it in your Shaderlight render.

macReplaceMeBrowse