The Power of Free
Not many guys get to say they’re teaching their girlfriend how to 3D model and render, but fortunately I can (it’s how we met, actually)! Along that journey, I discovered a pretty nice plugin for Google Sketchup. IDX Renditioner unlocks loads of possibilities that the average Sketchup patron never dreamed of. No longer will your architectural spaces or mechanical parts look like something out of an instruction manual.
With virtually zero rendering or lighting experience, a newbie user can install the plugin, change a few environmental settings like the north facing direction & time of day, and start generating images like this. Albeit it’s no VRay, but not bad at all for being completely free. That image is literally about 5 minutes of prep work (not including modeling; room downloaded from 3D Warehouse) and 5 minutes of rendering time.
IDX can designate textural attributes to standard Sketchup materials, including reflection type (glass, metal, polished, varnished, etc.), bump mapping, and glow. Indirect illumination and basic image based lighting give the image a more realistic feel than you’d otherwise get out of Sketchup.
Here is what I did with the original render with a bit of tinkering in Photoshop:
