The Flightpath animation

The usual way of creating a flyover presentation in rendering software such as 3D Studio Max is to create a travel path. The camera is then attached to this path and told how fast to travel along it, where to point, and when. This is exactly what you can do in SketchUp too. This method is usually preferable over the walkthrough you've already looked at because:

• The travel is smooth, not jerky

• The speed of travel is constant

• There is greater control over where you go and what you look at

• Scenes are created automatically

To prepare for the next step, you need to download and install the following plugins:

• The Flightpath.rb plugin by Rick Wilson from http://www.smustard.com/script/flightpath

• The BezierSpline plugin by Fredo6 from the SketchUcation Plugin Store.

Smooth transitions

You're going to simulate an aircraft flying between tall buildings. This will teach you all the advanced skills you need for your architectural video, although you might be working on a smaller scale...