Simple Steps to Create HDR environment in Vray for SketchUp

this is what normal rendering without the use of HDR image to create background environment looks like. Just normal render setting with vraysunlight as the source of light.

Sources of my library

http://vyonyx.com/category/down/cutout-people/
this site has an amazing amount of cut-out people that looked very natural, not acted or posed.

Aligning/Shifting image

I have come across a software that help to 'repair' perspectives images from distortion be it from rendering or photography. I'll show you.

BEFORE ShiftN

AFTER ShiftN

HERE'S THE LINK

http://www.shiftn.de/

Common render settings

sometimes whenever there is a need to do a very fast 3d modeling and render, I usually use the same template(in this case the file that already completed with setting and ready to render).
open the file and create the new set of model inside the existing file, so the setting of previous render options still intact. Especially the lighting setting can be used all over again maybe with a little bit of touches (ie: lighting colour and so on).

I'll share my file(interior render) it might not be the best setting, but it gives a considerably good result... and I always use it as a template for my regular interior rendering, save the time to 'try and error' the setting and see the result that is desirable to me( cause my pc is not very fast).

Untitled2.skp

its done on sketchup 7 with vray 1.48.xx version.
try it yourself, maybe you can come up with your version "template"

Material: Lake water like material

here the example of the result render from default setting...

http://rapidshare.com/files/361902156/LAKEWATER.skp

Plugin: Bezier Spline

Its hard to construct curved line in sketch-up accurately.This plugins might helps.

BezierSpline draws a variety of Polylines, Bezier and Spline curves, all in 3D. The present release gathers all extensions, including those published recently (Courbette, Catmull, F-Spline).

link:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?1zmtwolmkmm

download it and paste it to your plugins folder in sketchup for example like this:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Google SketchUp 6\Plugins

People Silhouette Template

here's some people silhouette that can be useful to be add to your presentation board, rendering image.

link:http://www.mediafire.com/?ziep9dj04mj

this a shape file using with Adobe Photoshop
you have to load it from photoshop's shape option section
heres how to load it:

go to the rectangular tools, click it for awhile until another small option bar come out and select custom shape tools, then you can load it:
see figure below


>LOAD SHAPES

Plugins: Tensile Anyone?

Ever consider creating a tensile structure in Sketch-Up. Impossible isn't it?

Tutorial: Basic Guide to Vray for Sketch-Up

New to Vray for Sketchup?
some basic guide book that will help those who want to learn more and start produce your own photo-realistic rendering by using sketch-up.Here are the link. So don't waste your time start producing your first photo-realistic image now!

VRAY manual:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=7d3540fdcd8f639eaf924764f9977b1de04e75f6e8ebb871
.SKP FILE(sketchup file) needed for the tutorial:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=7d3540fdcd8f639eaf924764f9977b1de04e75f6e8ebb871