The plugin adds a new Maxwell menu to SketchUp's Plugins menu, and also a new Maxwell toolbar, with commands which duplicate most of those found in the menu. These commands depend on which license is found; the Standalone (SA) license provides commands necessary to set up and render within SketchUp, using the Maxwell FIRE window:
The Render Suite (RS) license adds commands which are related to writing, editing, and rendering MXS files:
The toolbar looks like this:
Rendering & Export
| Command |
SA |
RS | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Render |  | Exports the scene to an MXS file and renders it using Maxwell Render. | |
| Export to Studio |  | Exports the scene to an MXS file and opens it for editing in Maxwell Studio. | |
| Network Render | | | Exports the scene to an MXS file and renders it using the Maxwell Network Rendering system. |
| Maxwell Fire | | | Opens or closes the Maxwell Fire window. |
| Export MXS | | | Exports the model to an MXS file. |
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When the scene is to be rendered in Maxwell Fire, the exported data will be loaded into memory for rendering. It is possible afterwardafterwards, to write an MXS file directly from this data, rather than performing a completely new export from the SketchUp model. This may not always be desired, though, and this is the purpose of the MXS Cache Policy option.
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| Note |
|---|
Use these functions to export MXS files, rather than File > Export > 3D Model. These functions first synchronize data in the model, before then calling the C++ exporter. If you use File > Export > 3D Model, this synchronization will not take place, potentially causing various issues with your exported MXS files (camera mismatches, outdated materials, etc). |
MXM Functions
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
| Browse for an MXM file | Allows you to browse for an MXM file from the local disk. |
| Browse the MXM Gallery | Allows you to browse for an MXM file from the Maxwell Render MXM Gallery. |
| MXM Status Report | Shows a list of all materials and the status of their MXM paths. |
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- Creating a new SketchUp material
- Editing that material in the Scene managerManager
- Switching the material to use MXM Mode
- Linking the material to the chosen MXM file
These steps are what occurs when an MXM file is chosen, either from the local disk, or the Maxwell MXM Gallery.
Browse for an MXM File
This command starts Maxwell MXED in MXM-browsing mode. To choose an MXM file, double-click its thumbnail in the MXED view panel. When this is done, MXED will close, and the plugin will import the selected MXM file into the scene; a new SketchUp material will be created, and its Maxwell attributes will be set up to reference the chosen MXM file.
If Maxwell MXED is not installed (it is only included with a Maxwell Render Suite RS license), a standard file browser will be used instead.
Browse the MXM Gallery
Similar to the Browse for an MXM file command, but uses MXED in its MXM Gallery Browser mode, allowing you to search for and download an MXM file from Maxwell's online MXM repository, the MXM Gallery. When you have located the MXM you would like to download, simply click the ‘Import’ button in the search window to import the selected MXM file into the Scene. The file will be downloaded and unzipped to one of three places:
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If Maxwell MXED is not found, it is because you don't have the RS license, so the plugin will attempt to navigate to the Maxwell MXM Gallery website in your default browser. After downloading the desired MXM file, you can import it using the Browse for an MXM File command.
MXM Status Report
Shows a listing of all materials in the scene, along with the status of their MXM links:
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MXM files and their directories are shown as hyperlinks; clicking them will open MXM files for editing in Maxwell MXED (provided that you have the RS version), or open their location in Windows Explorer or OSX Finder. MXM files which cannot be found are indicated as such.
Scene & Camera Tools
| Command | Function |
|---|---|
| Scene Manager | Shows the plugin's Scene Manager window. |
| Object Properties | Shows the plugin's Object Properties window. |
| Select Tool | Provides an eye-dropper for selecting the materials of entities in the model. |
| Set DOF, Z-Clip, or Z-Buffer | Prompts for two points in the scene and once chosen, adjusts either the camera's DOF (Depth of Field), Z-Clip Planes, or Z-Buffer distances. |
| Set Focal Distance | Prompts for a single point which, once chosen, is used to set the focal distance of the camera. |
| Maxwell Grass | Shows the plugin's Maxwell Grass window. |
| Maxwell Sea | Shows the plugin's Maxwell Sea window. |
| Maxwell Volumetric | Shows the plugin's Maxwell Volumetric window. |
| Maxwell Scatter | Shows the plugin's Maxwell Scatter window. |
| Insert MXS Reference | Prompts for the selection of a Maxwell MXS file, then inserts the chosen file into the model as an MXS Reference. |
Scene Manager and Object Properties
The Scene Manager is the main user interface of the plugin, containing tab pages for editing Maxwell Materials, Cameras, Environment settings, Output settings, and global plugin Options. The Object Properties window is used to manage various rendering properties on a per-object basis. The Maxwell Grass, Sea, and Volumetric windows allow for setting up their respective render-time effects.
Select Tool
This command toggles on/off the plugin's Select Tool, which is used to sample materials from entities, and to add or remove them from the current selection set. When the tool is active, it uses the following modifier keys:
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Normally, it is necessary to use SketchUp's Paint Bucket tool to accomplish these things; however, it is not possible to use the Paint Bucket without also opening the SketchUp materials window, so you may oftentimes find this plugin tool to be preferable.
Set DOF, Z-Clip, or Z-Buffer
This command prompts for two input points. Depending on keyboard modifiers, these points will be used to set one of the following:
- SHIFT: set the current camera's Z-Clip planes.
- CTRL /Option(Win/OSX): set the Z-Buffer min/max distances.
- no modifier: set the DOF (Depth Of Field) of the current camera, while maintaining its current exposure.
Set Focal Distance
The focal distance of the SketchUp camera moves along with the camera as it is zoomed in and out; this causes objects which are in focus with the camera at one position to come out of focus as the camera is moved to a different position. It is often necessary, therefore, to re-adjust the camera's focal distance, and this is quickly done using the Set Focal Distance tool: just click this button and choose some point in the model.
Note that this Focal Distance is only used when the camera is using Manual focus mode.
Maxwell Grass, Maxwell Sea, Maxwell Volumetric and Maxwell Scatter
These are called "Maxwell Extensions" and this buttons give you the option to add them to your scene. In this dedicated section is explained how to work with them in SketchUp: SketchUp - Extensions
Help & Info
| Command | Function | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plugin Manual | Opens the plugin's PDF manual. | Maxwell Manual | Opens the Maxwell Render manual. If Maxwell Render Suite is not installed, attempts to show online help. |
| About | Opens the plugin's About box, which contains information about the currently - installed plugin. |
Licensing
These commands This command only appear appears in the menu , and only in when the Standalone plugin is not licensed.
| Command |
SA |
RS | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade Info | | | If it is possible to upgrade the currently-installed plugin, clicking the Upgrade Info menu item will show the appropriate web page in your default browser. |
| License Activator | | Opens the Maxwell Render License Activator window. This command only appears in the Standalone plugin, when running without a license. |
If you already have licensed the plugin, but you want to add more licenses, you can do it from Maxwell Render application, from Help menu > Activate License...