TT SUbD 2.1.4 For Sketchup

TT SUbD 2.1.4: The ultimate subdivision tool for Sketchup

If you are looking for a way to create organic shapes and complex surfaces in Sketchup, you might want to check out TT SUbD 2.1.4, a powerful and easy-to-use plugin that allows you to subdivide quads in Sketchup.

TT SUbD 2.1.4 is the latest version of the popular subdivision extension developed by ThomThom, a well-known Sketchup expert and plugin developer. It was released on January 29, 2020 and it is compatible with Sketchup 2016 or newer.

TT SUbD 2.1.4 for Sketchup

What is subdivision?

Subdivision is a technique that transforms a low-polygon mesh into a smooth and high-resolution surface by adding more polygons and smoothing the geometry. It is widely used in 3D modeling, animation and rendering, especially for organic and curved shapes.

Subdivision works by dividing each polygon (usually a quad) into four smaller polygons, and then moving the vertices according to a predefined algorithm. This process can be repeated multiple times to increase the level of detail and smoothness of the surface.

Why work with quads?

Quads are four-sided polygons that are ideal for subdivision because they create a regular and predictable grid structure that provides direction and flow to the mesh. Tools can follow an edge and select loops or rings in a predictable order, making it easier to manipulate and edit the mesh. Quads also make UV mapping easier, as the grid allows for seamless texture mapping.

However, working with quads in Sketchup can be challenging because Sketchups Auto-Fold feature will break a quad into two triangles once its vertices are not coplanar anymore. To overcome this limitation, TT SUbD 2.1.4 uses a special type of quads that are defined by two triangles that share an edge which is soft, smooth and has Cast Shadows turned off. This way, TT SUbD 2.1.4 can recognize which pair of triangles represent a quad and subdivide them accordingly.

How to use TT SUbD 2.1.4?

To use TT SUbD 2.1.4, you need to have a quad-based mesh that you want to subdivide. You can create one using Sketchups native tools or using other plugins such as QuadFace Tools, which is highly recommended for creating ideal geometry that subdivides well.

Once you have your quad-based mesh, you can select it and activate TT SUbD 2.1.4 from the Extensions menu or from the toolbar icon. You will see a dialog box where you can adjust the subdivision level (from 0 to 5), the crease weight (from 0 to 100) and the display mode (control mesh or subdivided mesh). You can also toggle between these options using keyboard shortcuts.

When you are happy with the result, you can click OK to apply the subdivision or Cancel to revert to the original mesh. You can also click Preview to see how the subdivision will look like without applying it.

Whats new in TT SUbD 2.1.4?

TT SUbD 2.1.4 introduces some new features and improvements that make it even more powerful and user-friendly than before. Some of these features are:

• A new option to subdivide selected edges only, which allows for more control and flexibility over the subdivision process.

• A new option to subdivide selected faces only, which allows for creating local details without affecting the rest of the mesh.

• A new option to subdivide by groups or components, which allows for subdividing multiple objects at once while preserving their hierarchy and transformation.

• A new option to subdivide by materials, which allows for subdividing different parts of the mesh based on their assigned materials.

• A new option to subdivide by smoothing groups, which allows for subdividing different parts of the mesh based on their assigned smoothing groups.

A new option to preserve UVs, which allows for keeping the original UV mapping c481cea774