Import Objects - Strange shadows on imported models

Anyone who uses sketchup will know this problem..... dodgy looking shadows on flat surfaces. If you are like me and have no clue how to make ambient occlusion maps and things like that. I found a method to sort out them pesky shadows.

The method to fix this problem is now known as Fazzing

Here I made a simple model with a hole in the middle to show you what I mean. On the right model with horrible shadows, on the left a lovely model with no horrible shadows.

Here is the same model in sketch up before exporting. To get rid of those horrible shadows all you need to do is this.... Use the offset tool and make a very small border on the face of your model around the edges and around whatever is causing the shadows, like I have done on the picture above.

The offset tool is the bottom right one.. or just use the line tool, if the offset tool won't do the job. Now when you import your model into muvizu them pesky shadows should have gone. I hope this helps you out, it makes your models look a whole lot better. Even using this border method on a simple cube will make shadows better.

Box on left...... no small borders....Box on right...... small border method. Both boxes are made from the same model

This can also be done with cylinders.

a ziggy72 tip

1. Select the edge of the cylinder

2. Use the Move tool to move it up/down but with Ctrl pressed (which forces Sketchup to copy the line)

3. Move the copy of the line (constrained to up/down) and you have your seam without changing the shape. And just to show it works, here's a door I was just working on (that didn't work right with the lights, as usual, as you can see on the left). After it's been 'Fazzed', as we should call it, it looks great

Before (left) and after (right)