SYSTEM-X DESIGNER WANTED

[Sir Pleamo]

Hi everyone!
Yes, at least the correspondences with cachalote and emma has convinced me to join playmofriends too. As cachalote already mentioned, I am also a member of Klickywelt.de, and wow, while I am reading this thread I see, you have already get in toch with my Sys-X project. ...and I was pleased of such a kind introduction of my project here by cachalote and Emma  As Cachalote has said, first "Sir George I" established a SketchUp-based 3D-modelling for Playmobil parts, but for Steck-System only. I'm not a "Stecker", so I decided to do the same with SysX but nevertheless Sir George and I are working together in the sense of realizing the whole Playmo world in 3D  .
I will join the numberous discussion-lines in this thread soon (manny intersting and important stuff has been mentioned allready), but for the beginning I will post some pics of the 3D-project, to get you an idea about it. As Emma already quote from my mail, I'm very happy to get in touch with all of you sharing the interest of sysX (Maybe I could present you my 17th century SysX-harbour soon).

[WarriorOfToys]

These scans are great!
Now if only I could figure out how to use Sketch Up...

[Sir Pleamo]

At the moment I do not have much time... so maybe at weekend I will be able to post in more detail... but for short:

Now if only I could figure out how to use Sketch Up...

I love it! 
I wish I had more time to devote on learning the software... 

No problem, it's not as hard as it first looks, and I'm writing a pdf-manual especially for the use of SketchUp with those playmo-parts at the moment too.

To take things on to the next step: could we build a library of SketchUp models of Klicky parts (torsos, arms, legs, heads, hair, collars, belts, etc.) to enable 'virtual customising'? Once we had the basic shapes of the main parts (torsos, arms, legs, etc.), in most cases it would be a question of the colours/renders applied to the shapes. Building up a library of every colour/printing combination would be a challenge, but we like a challenge, don't we?

Yes we do, but believe me a klicky would be a real masterpiece, my experience at the moment teaches me we should do step by step. But you are right in designing not only genuine building parts, I have already some lamps and chests etc. in work... but Klickys? Wow!?!

I think it's possible to share SketchUp models through Google's own web pages/fora, but I don't know the details.

In principle this might work BUT: 1) everyone needs an account at google (and even I do not have such an account, and I don't want to have one, too) because 2) then anyone will be able to see, download and use these parts. Nice idea but this will kill the project because Geobra will then immediately interrupt. That's just a question of copyrights and so on. The easiest way I suggest is to share it "traditionally" via downloading-sites like rapidshare or via email and zip (both ways I am going to offer for my parts too). A library then will be easily possible when you just copy all the models in the same folder, that's all in SketchUp!

As Emma already has mentioned, I'm in contact with her and we are going to establish some standards to make it possible for anyone to help creating new parts.
As I said already, maybe at weekend there will be more time for me to discuss this theme in more details!
...and to those which still prefer Steck, believe me, you don't know what you are talking about 

[cachalote]

hello sir pleamo,
  i am sure we are all eager to see your harbour.
  it will no doubt create doubts in the the steck-is-best fans.
  thank you so much for joining and for your fantastic pictures.

[AndrewL]

Hi Sir Pleamo, and welcome!

Your work so far looks absolutely wonderful, and I say that as someone who owns almost no System-X pieces at all! (Though that is by accident rather than design or any desire for ideological purity!)

Your point about not sharing SketchUp models of Playmobil parts via Google's own systems is almost certainly correct. I share your suspicion that Geobra's management and IPR lawyers would try to squash any such activity as soon as they got wind of it.

The idea about 'Sketching Up' Klickies was something of a pipe-dream, really. But it's nice to dream, isn't it?

Anyway, you and Sir George have definitely shown us all a fantastic way forward. I don't know whether I will have the time or resources to help in a practical sense (e.g., no-SysX parts to hand to add to the libraries already in existence). But if standing on the sidelines cheering loudly is of any assistance, consider it done!

Cheers,

AndrewL

[Tiermann]

I will have to look into this more deeply. I have done lots of things with 3D software, including plenty of modeling. I usually use other programs though like Vue for rendering and MoI for modeling. I've been away from digital art for a while now but winter is coming up and it might be fun to play with this and help the project. I will have to see if my software can save to a skp file. It is possible to get free plugins that allow exporting in .obj format from Sketchup
Here is one

I don't want to hijack the thread  but to show you what i have done -
Here are a couple of things I've done in the past.
For this garden I bought the models of the plants but created all the structures and objects myself.


in this one I made everything you see in the picture from scratch


This is what one of the MoI modeling pages looks like


and here is that model in a scene rendered in Vue


the originals on these are all much larger of course and show more detail.

[cachalote]

incredible work tiermann. 
you should try and get on board the system-x ship. 
and don't be afraid of its name... 

[Sir Pleamo]

@ Tiermann:

Yes I wrote that I will return to this thread at weekend, but these amazing pictures force me to post earlier! Great work!   ...and yes you seem to be very familiar with 3D-modelling! Really great art!

But that's also my worry about it. This is art indeed! My idea was not making 3D Klicky-art but something like a tool just for everyone who wants to plan a building (Yes I know, a guy who could do such art is able to do simpler things, too). I do not use any kind of texture for example... As I mentioned, my main interest is simplicity to make it handable and FREE. I know that there are some other free versions of 3D-programs (DAZ etc), but personally I think all of them are much to powerfull for the "simple" CAD-idea and therefore not easy to understand for people not familiar with 3D or graphical programs at all. Right, to illustrate or make art, SketchUp is really worth. I don't know what others might say, but I think we should keep it low. Anyway, if someone likes it can convert the files in whatever he wants. dae-files are also available in Sketchup, but my experiences with cross-programm-work are not a very good ones when all the parts should match at least.

Anyway, great when the discussion goes on! ...and I'm not the only one here! So, Tiermann, don't get me wrong, I'm really impressed by your work, great stuff! But still I think this is not the direction it should go. But maybe I got you wrong and all you wanted was showing us your expertise in 3D modelling, wasn't it?

[Tiermann]

I think for people who are interested it could certainly be used for art, but that's not my point.
I think what you are really aiming for is something like LDraw, a way to build digitally with Playmo parts. Textures etc are not necessary for that beyond coloring.
I actually missed getting to one of the points I wanted to make. Having made different sorts of things I know that curved objects are much harder to make than rectangular ones. So it will be not too hard to make most System X parts, but would be quite difficult to do decent looking klickies.
Anyway I will be downloading the most recent Sketchup and take a look at things.

[Emma.J]

......

Anyway, you and Sir George have definitely shown us all a fantastic way forward. I don't know whether I will have the time or resources to help in a practical sense (e.g., no-SysX parts to hand to add to the libraries already in existence). But if standing on the sidelines cheering loudly is of any assistance, consider it done!

Cheers,

AndrewL

Have you thought of helping Sir George with the steck parts? I've said I'll have a go at some system x for Sir Pleamo......Arrrrgghhh what have I let myself in for 

Beautiful pictures Tiermann I which I had the skill to do something like that. Mine would look like a 4yr olds stick buildings in comparison