@Last Software is using their appearance at this week’s SIGGRAPH 2004 trade show in Los Angeles, Calif. to show off SketchUp 4 Film & Stage, a new extension for their SketchUp 4 3D design software designed enable the software to work as a pre-visualization solution for art directors, filmmakers, cinematographers and others working in film and television.
SketchUp was originally developed for use in architecture, engineering and construction. The software mates an intelligent guidance system that lets users create 3D models as if they were sketching by hand, without the same sort of steep learning curve as other 3D modeling software.
The SketchUp 4 Film & Stage extension enhances SketchUp 4’s camera tool, enabling users to control aspect ratios and camera positions. A library of filming-specific components is also included, including dollies, cranes, grips, characters, lights and cameras. SketchUp can then export to AVI and QuickTime video formats.
The preview release of SketchUp 4 Film & Stage is being offered as a free download for Mac OS X or Windows. A separate free trial version of Sketchup is also available for download. System requirements call for Mac OS X v10.3 or later, G4/400MHz, 128MB RAM, 20MB hard disk space and QuickTime 5.0 or later. SketchUp 4.0 costs US$475 to buy online.