Making maps in google Sketchup works

[Wedge]

You will need:
Left4Dead Authoring Tools (I think you can get the sketchup plugin through the source SDK as well)
Hammer
Google sketchup (free version will work, you don't need pro)

Start up left4dead authoring tools. Get the plugin for sketchup from there. Draw a concave shape in sketchup. Select your entire shape, right click it, and select group. Export it through the plugin as a vmf file. Import it into quark. If you see any teal/blue brushes in the X Y or Z views delete them, they're broken brushes. This means you either didn't group it correctly in sketchup, you deleted one of the brush's faces or you left some construction lines or shapes in. They won't export correctly. Either replace them in quark or replace them in google sketchup. Copy the brushes and paste them into a new torque map. Save it and then export it.

Pictures so far (maybe they'll get people interested):

Sample map made by valve in google sketchup:
http://i35.tinypic.com/259x4t4.png

Same map loaded in quark:
http://i33.tinypic.com/156dbf6.png

Same map loaded in constructor:
http://i38.tinypic.com/hryq34.png

Same map loaded in Blockland:
http://picasaweb.google.com/email.wedge/Blockland#5385866181085495314

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[Wedge]

Well it works perfectly. But for some reason I can't export anything from any program. I modeled a quick cube and tried exporting from a) legacy dif in constructor, b) valve map 220 exporter from quark, c) exporting a map file straight out of constructor and quark and drag/dropping it straight onto map2dif downloaded off the Blockland website. I've got the latest version of all of these programs. I have no idea why it's not working.

I'm getting the console error "Register object failed for object (null) of class InteriorInstance" in Blockland. I've already searched google and the forums throughly.

[Marcem]

After taking a few minutes getting this all set up, and downloading QuArK from taiwan, I got it working:

This is after exporting from sketchup, opening in quark, exporting to map, opening in torque constructor, applying the stuccosmeary texture, saving as map again, then using map2dif to get it ingame.  Also, you can get the exporter in the source SDK, too.

[Jimmg]

Question is can you import

[Wedge]

What, import a map file in to sketchup?

[Jimmg]

Yes.

[Wedge]

No

[Wedge]

Okay, thanks to Marcem I've got interiors loading again. Apparently it's been too long since I made a map or an addon. I was throwing everything in a folder called DIFS which blockland doesn't like, you need to put it in a folder with the prefix map_.

Anyway, it works well. Here's a screenshot from the above tests. It works great and I'm going to go try and make some stuff in sketchup now.

[Marcem]

Yeah, I'm also going to try this out.

[heedicalking]

Where do I get the Authoring Tools.

[Sarataz]

EDIT: It looks like you need to have Left 4 Dead already in order to get the authoring tool from what it says at the valve wiki. But I'm going to find another way to get it.

[Wedge]

You can get them in the source SDK as well.

[MtnDew]

If only I had known this earlier. :(

[heedicalking]

You can get them in the source SDK as well.

How?

[Sarataz]

How?

Steam.