The Texture Tool plugin created by TIG on SketchUcation.com is a decent plugin to adjust textures. Works with Google SketchUp 8 and allows you to adjust the texture in many different ways including: Texture Adjust, Texture Nudge, Texture Rotate, Texture Scale, Texture Shunt and Texture Tweak.

Once installed the plugin has two main sets of buttons, one with a red pointer box and others without. The red pointer box seems to do nothing at first but it actually just lets you set increments of whatever function. And this stays locked, by simply using the arrow buttons on your keyboard you can adjust these settings. The other buttons that do not have the red box just allows you to use the function ones and results are immediate. For a more detailed set of instructions be sure to read the instructions on the download page.

Overall, the Texture Tool plugin created by TIG on SketchUcation.com is a useful tool for those needing accurate textures. At the time of this review this plugin is free and is available at SketchUcation.com. I give this plugin 4.5 out 5 stars.

Download Notes: Remember to be logged into SketchUcation.com in order to download a plugin.

The Vertex Tools plugin created by Thomas Thomassen is a great plugin allowing for easy manipulation of a series of vertices at once. The plugin is great for creating landscapes for surveying, free hand manipulations/sculpting, designing organic projects and many other uses. It allows you to create smooth slopes and even the ability to specify the slope distance and change them as you go. The plugin comes with built in features allowing you to select free hand, or by square and circle or by points in a click by click style fashion.

At first it was tough to figure out how to use this plugin. NOTE, if you create your mesh using the Sandbox tools, you need to explode the mesh and keep it selected in order for it to work with the Vertex tools plugin. Once you have your mesh selected you can use the tool in the Tools menu. It was frustrating to keep having to go to the tool menu but I discovered that you can create a toolbar shortcut by right clicking (on pc) and selecting the Preferences button and then checking the Toolbar and Context Menu boxes. Once you get a grip on how to use the tool it works great. Below is a video tutorial on how to use the plugin in more detail.

A major drawback is that this tool lacks the ability to create specific/calculated shapes. It would be a great benefit if there was a way to impose or project a 2D object as a selection on your grid without having to manually select the nodes. This could be very time consuming for complicated objects. And even if you are trying to use the circle and a square in conjunction, the tool does not respond well and creates craters where the objects intersect. And even ran into problems that once I have selected a certain area and wanted to adjust the settings the selection would disappear.

Overall, the Vertex Tools plugin created by Thomas Thomassen is a very useful plugin for general use but lacks the specificity to use the tool to its full potential. At the time of this review this plugin is $20 for a single license and is available at www.thomthom.net. I give this plugin 3.5 out 5 stars.

The Face Reverser plugin created by Didier Bur on Sketchucation.com is a simple but yet effective tool to reverse faces so that they are facing the correct direction. A face generally is pointing up or down, just a way for SketchUp to distinguish between both sides of a face. The face orientation comes into play while using some plugins. For example if you use the Fur plugin, the side of which the fur will appear is based on the orientation of the face.

The plugin works easily just by right clicking and the clicking the “View-based Face Reverser” option and then choosing what to change. You can choose from changing the entire model, a selection or just what can be seen. Then a dialogue box comes up and you can choose the accuracy of the tool. The tool is useful but does have it’s drawbacks. When it changes the face orientation it usually just sticks to what is visible. So the back side of an object will change to the opposite orientation.

A MAJOR drawback is that if you have already applied a texture to a surface and the face is reversed, then the plugin will move that material to the other side. So it is best to use the plugin before you apply any material or textures to it.

Overall, the Face Reverser plugin created by Didier Bur is a useful plugin under several circumstances. At the time of this review this plugin is free and is available at Sketchucation.com. I give this plugin 3.5 out 5 stars.

Download Notes: Must be logged into SketchUcation