Looking for a quick and easy (and free!) way to turn your SketchUp models into high quality, photo-realistic renders? Try Kerkythea!
Pros
- Kerkythea seamlessly integrates with SketchUp, eliminating the need for costly and complex 3D modeling software.
- Kerkythea has a simple to use interface and does not require extensive training to learn how to use.
- Despite being easy to use out of the box, Kerkythea is also very powerful for advanced users. This allowed us to achieve fast results, but also to constantly improve the quality of our rendered images as we have gained knowledge and experience
- The Kerkythea plug-in for SketchUp has an incredibly easy to use lighting feature. Spot lights and flood lights can be added, adjusted and manipulated easily, giving a much more professional looking end product.
- The user community support for Kerkythea is vast. From tips and tricks to free, downloadable materials packages, there are an incredible number of peer-to-peer assistance options available.
Cons
- The default viewing mode for Kerkythea is wireframe. This makes it hard to view the model upon opening, however it is easily changed using "View/Adjust/Solid Rendering" in the menu bar. My preference would be for the software to default to Solid Rendering from startup, or to have a way to save the interface settings (If that option exists, I am not aware of it).
- When exporting a model to Kerkythea from SketchUp, it usually takes a very long time to open the Kerkythea software. This only happens when selecting "Yes" in the dialog box that asks, "Open exported model in Kerkythea?" The quickest way I've found is to answer "No", open Kerkythea manually and then open the desired file from Kerkythea.
- While there are many free, user contributed materials packages available online, it would be nice to have a larger materials library pre-installed in the software.
Return on Investment
- While it is impossible for me to give a firm number, I can definitely say that the images produced by Kerkythea are an excellent selling tool for projects presented to potential clients.
- As freeware, Kerkythea has allowed me to achieve quality results without spending a fortune on software. Being self-employed, this is wonderful.
- Kerkythea has allowed me to display professional materials without a major cost or time investment in training. This has allowed me to focus on creating floorplans and designs rather than spending all of my time getting the presentation of said designs to look good.
Alternatives Considered
Blender, Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya
Other Software Used
SketchUp, Adobe Acrobat DC, Apache OpenOffice, Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), AutoCAD, Google Authenticator, Google Backup and Sync, Google Drive, Shared Contacts for Gmail, Dropbox, OneDrive, GIMP, Skype, Zoom, TeamViewer