I don't even know what most of that hi-tech 3D stuff is

Sketchup isn't perfect for everything anyway. As far as I know, bitmap textures can't be used to displace the surface, or their position adjusted to suit the orientation of the face they are on (they are stuck in global orientation mode), and the shadows are totally flat unless you export the model and render it in a more suitable environment.

I've only ever used it to get the basic structure right so that I can export a jpg to be used as guidelines for a GIMP drawing, or made basic cities with it to be viewed from a distance. Even then the shadows require some pretty complicated work involving layers and different types of export from Sketchup to simulate ambient backlighting

Now I'm really looking forward to seeing the model!