Artisan is an extension for SketchUp that lets you do the impossible! With powerful tools for subdivision, sculpting, soft selection, free-form deformation, extrusion, and more, Artisan will supercharge your ability to model terrain, characters, furniture, and other complex organic forms.
Subdivision
New in Artisan 2 is the ability to model using real-time subdivision modeling where the subdivided surface (“subsurf”) gets updated in real-time as you make edits with the various Artisan tools. Simply select a group or component in your model and click the ‘Subdivide and Smooth’ button to start real-time subdivision. This mode works similarly to a “non-destructive subdivision modifier” in other 3D modeling apps.
The Extrude Tool in Artisan 2 has been given a monumental upgrade with new abilities to extrude (and thicken) multiple complex surfaces in multiple modes, all while maintaining quad-based manifold topology.
Version 2 also adds the incredibly useful Inset Tool which is comparable to the native SketchUp Offset tool but can be used on complex surfaces including non-planar quads.
Artisan 2 adds a brand new Loop Tool which will add incredible speed and flexibility to your subdivision modeling. Add, edit, and remove loops with ease!
Transformation
New in Version 2 is the ability to maintain quads using automatic folding and healing. When using any of the Artisan Transform Tools, any 4-sided polygons (quads) will become temporarily split until you are finished moving them. If the quad becomes non-planar, it will remain a non-planar (QuadFace) quad but if planar, it will become restored back to a planar quad with no diagonal.
The new Axes Mode toggle allows unprecedented control and speed when manipulating vertices, edges, quads, and surfaces. Simply tap ALT to switch between 3 different axes modes: World, Local, and View.
World mode aligns with your current SketchUp Axes, Local mode aligns with the selected entities, and View mode aligns with the current camera view. In any mode, you can tap the arrow keys to lock the matching axis constraint. The Transform tools feel just like the native SketchUp tools you know and love!
The classic Make Planar tool has been given a big upgrade! Now, you can easily align vertices to any existing face (or axis) in your model and also choose the exact position of the plane by clicking the desired point in your view using SketchUp inferencing. And like all Artisan Transform tools, quads are maintained.
Sculpting
If you thought sculpting in Artisan version 1 was fun, just wait until you try Version 2! The improvements to the sculpting tools have to be seen to be believed!
Let’s start with the new Auto-Add Detail feature. When enabled, new edges and faces will be added dynamically as you sculpt allowing you to zoom in and carve even the smallest detail.
Next, how about the new grab and inflate brushes? Grab can be used to tweak the position of a portion of the mesh or create elongated objects like tree branches, tentacles or hair. The inflate brush can expand or collapse a surface by shifting vertices along their normals.
We’ve made huge improvements to the symmetrical sculpting workflow. In Version 2, just click the Symmetry button and a symmetrical component will get created that is flipped along the current red axis. Any vertices on the symmetry plane will automatically stay locked on the plane. When you are finished using symmetry, simply explode the two components into one seamless mesh.
For more information, visit:
artisan4sketchup.com