Attn: Sketchup Users

[Rich Konopka]

[QUOTE=Jim Becker]

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Is that a new SMC term? I have heard similiar expressions


Dave:

As I said before you are killing me !! You are slowly convincing me to look at SU with your drawings. Also, I have seen some beautiful pieces from 2x4's.


Is SU that easy? I really good with a computer but this DesignCad is killing me. The trial download is for 15 days and it did not come with a manual. I found one for an old version on Amazon. It is really worthless in that it doesn't explain the terms very well. IIRC, the author of FWW article had some previous experience and found this easiest of them all. This concerns me in that it will take a long learning curve. In the mean time I'll keep pluging away.

Cadless in Connecticut

[Jim Becker]

I really good with a computer but this DesignCad is killing me. ...This concerns me in that it will take a long learning curve. In the mean time I'll keep pluging away.

Rich, I've used DesignCAD for a long time, although not to the point that I would say I'm skilled at it. But I will say that the "lightbulb" that went off and made things a lot easier is when I finally "got it" that CAD is all about points, distance and angle, not "drawing". You have to think differently. Once I attained that understanding, I was able to become functional very quickly with the program, at least for the things I needed to do all the drawings for the kitchen renovation and some other projects over the years. So don't give up on it yet. (BTW, I also find that using the crosshair cursor helps a lot to bridge the gap between "drawing" and CAD in this program)

SketchUp! on the other hand, is truly a "drawing" program. It does have some things you need to understand up-front; largely about how the 3 dimensional space works and how to insure you are on the correct plane, etc. But the extensive tutorial videos online really help with that.

Frankly, I would not give up either program at this point--they both do what they do very well. If I need something extremely detailed with absolutely exact dimensions, than I'll work with DesignCAD at this point...I have not been able to work at quite that level with SketchUp! so far. But for really visualizing a project, I love SketchUp!, and in most cases, I believe I could build a project from the drawings I make with it since I believe in "field measurement, anyway, during construction.

Is that a new SMC term? I have heard similiar expressions

It's the SMC politically correct version...

[Jamie Buxton]

That Follow Me function in SU4 seems to to be an incredibly powerful tool for doing moldings and edge treatments. If you can draw the profile, you can extrude it along the edge of a piece.

Jim, the trick I've found to using Folow Me is that the profile needs to start perpendicular to the line it will follow. Remember, if you want the molding to go all the way around, you can hold the ALT key after selecting the profile and drag the cursor across the plane formed by the edges.

Follow Me looked very good to me until I found that it doesn't work on curved lines. The function that it does do I can already do manually. Grump!

[Bart Leetch]

It's a great program just way to expensive for a hobbyist.

As for the learning curve I can doodle a quick sketch on a piece of paper & write in a measurements & be building before I'd have time to learn how to use it.

I think learning to use it would be like having another hobby.

[Dave Richards]

Follow Me looked very good to me until I found that it doesn't work on curved lines. The function that it does do I can already do manually. Grump!

Actually, Jamie, it does work on curved lines. The profile needs to start perpendicular to the first segment that makes up the curve.

Rich, I have found SketchUp to be very easy to learn and it takes very little time to make drawings that I can work from in the shop. As far as the time it takes to learn, it really isn't long. In my case, I have times when I can't be in the shop but can be working on my project if I can be working on a drawing of it. I find the time spent drawing shortens the time spent doing layout and machine setup because I've gone through it all in my head.

I guess like all parts of woodworking there are some who would rather just start making sawdust and others who like to spend time planning. To each their own.

[Jamie Buxton]

Actually, Jamie, it does work on curved lines. The profile needs to start perpendicular to the first segment that makes up the curve.

I get an error message that says "cannot extrude curved face."

[Don Selke]

I use Design CAD at the present time. I logged on to the sketchup web site and reviewed the product. It really looks interesting but I can not justify the cost of the program. I was going to download the demo but I hate to get attached to something that I can not purchase. I would have to purchase it out of my shop allowance or budget.

[Dave Richards]

Jamie, I'm glad we got that figured out.

What do you think of this, gang?

[Jim Becker]

Geepers, Dave, between you and Mr. Burch, I'm in awe with your SketchUp! skills!

[Dave Richards]

Jim, you can do this stuff, too. I'm just playing around. I might build this thing although I might be able to buy the one from Lee Valley for less than the price of the casters.

[Bart Leetch]

Here's a couple that I have available...so far...

Boy that one ugly lookin jointer. Where you fine one that ugly. He He He.

[Jim Becker]

Boy that one ugly lookin jointer. Where you fine one that ugly. He He He.

Hey, it not only slices, but it dices, too, since it's a jointer/planer combo!! (Julienne-ing requires an option I didn't buy...)

[Bob Winkler]

Great program, great company, great support. But the price puts it out of hobbiest use. Now if I can only convince my boss that I need it for work...

[Dave Richards]

Bob, if you do any woodwork for other people, you might find SketchUp gives you an edge in communicating your ideas to them. This can help avoid costly mistakes and delays. Maybe that's a way to justify it, anyway.

And just to tempt all of you a bit more here's a recent work in progress. It is the steering mechanism I designed, built and installed in the sailboat I built. I'm not finished with the drawing yet. I still need to model the roller chain and the sprockets as well as put in the steering cables, turning blocks and bottle screws. The spokes on the wheel are stylized and don't look exactly like the original but I like the way they turned out.

[Bob Winkler]

I'm amazed at your work Dave. And if I was in the business of doing woodworking for others, I would find it to be a valuable tool for sales (kind of like Todd).

But being in the electronics industry, as good as I am at BS, this would be a tough justification for company purchase. I almost convinced myself that I could use it to design 19" equipment racks with it- but then my guilty conscience said "who are you kidding."

Maybe someday they will come out with a "Sketchup Lite" for the rest of us.

Bob