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Thread: Sketchup anyone??

  1. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob Cunningham View Post
    I was lucky enough to speak to Dave Richards (FWW Design. Click . Build Forum). I have used AutoCad for years but also struggled with SU. He told me that it seems more difficult for people with other drawing software experience to grasp SU. Just keep working at it, it will all the sudden make sense.
    Rob, that is about the best description for my experience with SketchUp. I have used quite a few CADD programs over the years and found SU non-intuitive at first. Once you get used to the idea of pushing and pulling instead of cutting, it's pretty easy. The trick is to not think of how you would mill wood into the desired shape. Get used to creating holes by pushing circles and squares through an object instead.

    I was debating on picking up a professional CAD package that I already know (either AutoCAD or MicroStation) before I stumbled across SU. This tool has saved me a bundle since I've completely redesigned projects before they have even hit to prototype stage just by modeling them in SU. I do find the lack of good materials a bit bothersome though. Has anyone found a good materials library for woodworking?

  2. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Charles P. Wright View Post
    Lewis,

    Did you model all of those tools on your own; or did you get premade models for them?

    Charles
    Sorry for the delay Charles - been away from the computer for a bit.

    Most of them I found on the 3D warehouse in Sketchup, and then modified them to match the dimensions of the machines I either have or am planning to buy. Also, I changed all the colors to Powermatic's mustard . I also grabbed actual photos of machines etc. and painted that onto the sides at times. The window is a good example of that - I took a picture of the window last winter and stuck it on as well.

  3. #18
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    I was almost ready to throw in the towel on SU haveing lived too long in the 2D graphics world. With some practice and pointer from others I learned to picture the screen as a 3D space and finally had one of those Ah-Ha! moments. Now I can whip up fairly complex stuff in just a short time. I did this just now as a silly example:
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    "A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg".


    – Samuel Butler

  4. #19
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    sketchup is the best thing to hit my shop since lumber. i can't even begin to imagine how i would go about laying out door and window designs by hand, in fact i think for most other people who have basic experience but have just in the past few years begun to try and elevate their work to a higher level, by far the biggest obstacle is design. at least for me it was.

    what would cost me a ton of time and 2x6s to mock up can be done in an hour in front of a football game on my laptop. google are my heroes .

  5. #20
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    I too have been playing with SU for the last year on and off but for the life of me I can't seem to get a grip on it... I will, no doubt try again and maybe, just maybe with the help of the links posted and help on here from others, I just might be able to mock-up and nice bookshelf... LOL

    Thanks for the links
    Dave
    Ahhhhh..... the smell of fresh cut wood!

  6. #21
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    Dec 2008
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    For those having difficulty starting out in SketchUp, I highly recommend the training videos on SketchUp's website - particularly the "new to SketchUp" videos here: http://sketchup.google.com/training/...ew_to_gsu.html

    Each video focuses on a single command and shows you all the ins and outs of it.

    People with some extent of CAD background do seem to have a tougher time starting out with SU than complete newcomers because it is a fairly different way of working with things. Much more akin to working with modeling clay than with conventional drafting practices.

    I've had some informal instructional sessions with some members of my woodworking class and most of them say two things: 1) that they haven't bothered to watch the videos and 2) that just watching me put things together suddenly made things a lot clearer for them. They've all then gone on to watch the videos and improved their skills at a much faster pace.

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