Proxy Components

Proxy Components are used to replace components which have a high poly count with a low poly version.

The low poly version can be used while creating your model, setting up views and then you can switch to the high poly version when creating renderings. Models with LOW-POLY, Proxy Components, are much faster to work with, although the quality of the image is lower while the LOW-POLY layers are selected.

For SketchUp renderings, you can turn on the HI-POLY layers, save the image, and then restore the LOW_POLY layers.

Photorealistic renderers such as IRender nXt will automatically extract and use the HI-POLY layers without having to take the time to turn them on and off inside of SketchUp.

Contents

Creating a Proxy Component

Create Proxy Components.jpg

To create a Proxy Component from an existing component, right click on the Component and select Create LO-POLY Proxy Component from the Rptools submenu.

Action to Take

You can replace the current component with a component of the same name with both LO-POLY and HI-POLY geometry stored in separate layers, or you can create a new component, with a different name, which contains the original component in a HI-POLY layer, and contains the LO-POLY geometry in a LO-POLY layer.

Convert in place

Current component is replaced with a component of the same name with both LO-POLY and HI-POLY geometry stored in separate layers.

Create alternate component

Creates a new component, with a different name, which contains the original component in a HI-POLY layer, and contains the LO-POLY geometry in a LO-POLY layer

Restore original component

Removes any proxy data from the selected component.

LOW-POLY Display Mode

There are two proxy object modes:

  • Criss-cross images - in which the component is replaced with a criss-cross of its thumbnail image
  • Block with images of the original component.
  • Block with plain faces - uses even less display time.
  • Wire frame block - in which the component is replaced with a wire frame block representing its extrema.

Layer display after conversion

  • LOW-POLY on - only the proxy components are displayed.
  • Hi-POLY on - only the original component geometry is displayed'
  • Both on - both the Hi-poly and Low-poly layers are turned on.

Convert Component

  • Select OK to create the DUAL-POLY Proxy Component.

You can reverse this later by right clicking on the proxy component and selecting Restore Component from LO-POLY Proxy from the Rptools submenu.


Applications

Proxy Components are implemented in the following applications: