brokenknee
Platinum Member
I just started using sketchup and have some of the basics down. Now looking for recommendations for useful plugins.
Anyone using sketchup?
- Thread starter brokenknee
- Start date
3Ts
Elite Member
Yes.
We took our house design and modeled it in sketchup to check for views within the house (i.e. are you looking at the toilet from the living room) and to see how the house would look from different angles.
Check this out for already constructed models:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/index.html
I have a vaulted ceiling design I did, but can't upload any pictures at the moment because of my data link, i'll try to post them later.
We took our house design and modeled it in sketchup to check for views within the house (i.e. are you looking at the toilet from the living room) and to see how the house would look from different angles.
Check this out for already constructed models:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/index.html
I have a vaulted ceiling design I did, but can't upload any pictures at the moment because of my data link, i'll try to post them later.
RNeumann
Elite Member
What are you using it for?
3Ts
Elite Member
Here's a couple of pictures from the same file. Sketchup makes it easy to make a 3D model then rotate it and take slices thru it.
OP
brokenknee
Platinum Member
I would be mainly be using it for woodworking and construction projects. I am into woodworking and would like it to help design kitchen cabinets for our house. I also need to build a new chicken coop (the wife wants one a little fancier than the square box I built last time, she said give it some character. My nephew also asked me to draw up plans for a deck he is building for his mother to submit to the permit office.
It would be mainly things along those lines for now.
It would be mainly things along those lines for now.
OP
brokenknee
Platinum Member
I have looked at the warehouse, but have yet to find and figure an easy way to modify them to suit my needs.
I am looking at plugins such as house builder and some cabinet building software.
Do you know if house builder is a free plug in?
Learn to use components.
For example when making furniture it allows you to make pieces, rather than just a collection of lines and surfaces for the overall thing. Then you can hide and unhide model pieces, or pull out copies or put on layers (depending on your prefered work style) to make and assemble the real ones. Also, once you start playing with components and how to edit them, then the way most of the models in the warehouse are put together will make a lot more sense. They use a lot of components and groups, and once you learn how to edit them, you can do things like throw away the 90% of a warehouse model you don't need for a current project.
Components also let you do repetitive pieces easily, such as studs in a wall or bolts or whatever, while still allowing you to take an individual copy and "make it unique" to edit it for that location.
What I like most about it is that it allows me to get geometry down "on paper" (so to speak) quickly, to check fits and scratchpad ideas and check scales and such. Not every model has to be a full and proper work up, just like every sketch with a real pen doesn't have to be a fully dimensioned drafting, sometimes a napkin sketch is fine.
While I learn best just jumping in, there are a bunch of things on youtube on how to do various things. For example, sketchup doesn't have a mirror command, which annoyed me for the longest time, until I saw a vid where someone made a copy of something and then scaled it by -1 in one direction. Oh hey, instant mirrored part, cool. Several of the woodworking magazines and their online counterparts will sometimes have sketchup articles, or even whole downloadable models.
For example when making furniture it allows you to make pieces, rather than just a collection of lines and surfaces for the overall thing. Then you can hide and unhide model pieces, or pull out copies or put on layers (depending on your prefered work style) to make and assemble the real ones. Also, once you start playing with components and how to edit them, then the way most of the models in the warehouse are put together will make a lot more sense. They use a lot of components and groups, and once you learn how to edit them, you can do things like throw away the 90% of a warehouse model you don't need for a current project.
Components also let you do repetitive pieces easily, such as studs in a wall or bolts or whatever, while still allowing you to take an individual copy and "make it unique" to edit it for that location.
What I like most about it is that it allows me to get geometry down "on paper" (so to speak) quickly, to check fits and scratchpad ideas and check scales and such. Not every model has to be a full and proper work up, just like every sketch with a real pen doesn't have to be a fully dimensioned drafting, sometimes a napkin sketch is fine.
While I learn best just jumping in, there are a bunch of things on youtube on how to do various things. For example, sketchup doesn't have a mirror command, which annoyed me for the longest time, until I saw a vid where someone made a copy of something and then scaled it by -1 in one direction. Oh hey, instant mirrored part, cool. Several of the woodworking magazines and their online counterparts will sometimes have sketchup articles, or even whole downloadable models.
jrdepew
Silver Member
I use sketchup for every large project, as well as some small ones. I laid out some picture frames quickly for some custom prints my wife ordered. It made cutting and sizing the stock very easy.
I agree with learning to use components...it is a great tool. You will learn the shortcut keys quickly too so you can go from moving an object, to orbiting around, to drawing, etc, very quickly.
Some of the larger projects I planned in sketchup
Shed plans:
Complete shed:
Porch Plans:
-Joe
I agree with learning to use components...it is a great tool. You will learn the shortcut keys quickly too so you can go from moving an object, to orbiting around, to drawing, etc, very quickly.
Some of the larger projects I planned in sketchup
Shed plans:
Complete shed:
Porch Plans:
-Joe
RNeumann
Elite Member
Their is a big learning curve. The plug-ins, while nice, won’t be your limiter for some time. Get into the program and figure out how to do the basics. Then you can start to customize the layout of the toolbar etc. IE someone who is doing lighting will have it setup totally different than someone who is building cabinets. Once you get all of that figured out then you can start to add plug-ins as need for a specific need or task.
My wife’s architecture firm is all CAD. Each of her drafters has theirs set up different- it just depends on how they like it.
