Shipping Container Cabin Concept – Part 3

If you’ve read parts 1 & 2 you might remember that I’ve been using this shipping container exploration to test a photorealistic SketchUp plugin called Podium V2. Well I’ve had so much fun it that before the 30-day trial ended I bought the plugin.

As I learn more about how to best render images I’ll post some how-to videos but in a nutshell the main trick is to add light sources inside the drawing. You can also use their photorealistic-ready components (like the Jeep and trees in the image above) and textures to help add to the realism too.

In this version of the container cabin I show how windows can be added to the sides of the shipping containers by welding steel window frames into the side walls. I’ve made them protrude a bit for added function and visual interest but you could do the same thing with a simplier steel frame. I also show how steel shutters can be added to help secure the cabin when the owner is absent.

The interior furnishing are more posh looking because I selected most of the furniture from the Podium V2 components library and not surprisingly it’s loaded with posh stuff – not the stuff you’d typically find in an off-frid cabin. But since this was as much of an experiment with this new plugin as it was a design exploration I chose to leave the interior a bit more high-end looking.

The biggest drawback with plugins like this is that they chew up a lot of computer resources (like RAM and CPU time). My laptop is fairly powerful but I’m starting to see where a bigger tower computer could come in handy. Below are more views of the cabin.

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