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will not take place, potentially causing various issues with your exported MXS files (camera mismatches, outdated materials, etc).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
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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.
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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...