Using Trimble Connect Visualizer

The Trimble Connect Visualizer utilizes the Unity graphics engine to render SketchUp models. Using the Trimble Connect Visualizer you can navigate your rendered model, take snapshots, and even adjust the environment.

Model Navigation

The following keyboard or mouse shortcuts can be used to navigate a model in Trimble Connect Visualizer.

To do this:	Use this:
Zoom in or out	Scroll forward or backward with the mouse wheel. Press the W and S keys on the keyboard.
Pan the model	Click and hold the middle mouse button and drag the model. Press the A and D keys on the keyboard to pan left and right. Press the Q and E keys on the keyboard to pan up and down.
Rotate model	Place the cursor over the point of rotation, hold down the left mouse button, then drag the model to rotate.
Look around	Hold down the right mouse button and drag to look around.
Enter/Exit Full Screen	Press F11

Side Panel Tools

The following side panel tools provide a variety of options for customizing the rendered view of a model:

	Tool	What it does:
	Open the Environment Controls
	Take a snapshot
	Open the Snapshot directory (Pictures/TrimbleConnecVisualizer by default)
	Enter/Exit Full Screen
	Open the Materials interface
	Open Visual Settings
	Open VR Settings
	Return to the default model view
	Open Views and Fly Path controls
	Show/Hide the side panel

Environmental Controls

Environmental Controls contains the following options:

Adjust the skybox, or background, and its behavior. Custom skyboxes can be used but must be in a 2:1 aspect ratio.
Change the position of the sun, Use the sliders to adjust the horizontal and vertical positions, or use the lock to lock down the relationship between the sky and the sun.
Adjust the visibility and position of the ground plane. Use the icons to enable or disable the ground plane, or move the slider to adjust the height.

Materials

Trimble Connect Visualizer attempts to map the materials used in a SketchUp model to the materials used in the Trimble Connect Visualizer catalog. The following options appear in the Materials interface:

Sliders to adjust the RGB values, opacity, specular level, and roughness of the material.
Enable or disable the material override mode.

Visual Settings

The Trimble Connect Visualizer offers a variety of options that can change the look and feel of a scene.

VR Mode

Enable VR Mode to use a VR device to view a model. VR Mode uses the OpenVR API. VR Mode requires:

A VR device that is compatible with OpenVR. Please check the technical specifications of a device to make sure it is compatible with VR Mode in Trimble Connect Visualizer.
The compatible device is attached and configured correctly.

If using a keyboard and mouse, the controls in VR Mode will remain the same. If using a controller:

Move using the left stick.
Rotate around the global vertical axis using the right stick.
Move up and down using the left and right trigger buttons.
To run, hold down the left stick.

Snapshots

Clicking the Snapshot icon takes an instant snapshot of the current view. By default, all snapshots are saved in the following folder:

C:\Users\<username>\Pictures\TrimbleConnectVisualizer

The snapshot tool exports the current viewport in the following resolutions:

High Resolution (3840xxxxx)
Low Resolution (1920xxxxx)

Create Views and Fly Paths

A View shows the model from a specific angle. Views can also be used to create animated fly paths by setting waypoints. To create views and fly paths:

Open the Create Views interface.
Navigate the model and use + to add waypoints. Remove unwanted waypoints using X.
Use the toggle to turn off the sun animations.
Press Play to see your fly path.

SketchUp Viewer