Saturday, March 19, 2011
Use a SketchUp Model to “Get It”
Popular Woodworking Magazine: "For the last few years we have placed a free SketchUp model of nearly every project we’ve published in Popular Woodworking Magazine on Google SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse. We use SketchUp to plan our products, and as the root of the illustrations you see in the printed magazine. If you have SketchUp installed on your computer, you can download a model, view it from any angle, take it apart and modify it if you want. It makes life in the shop a lot easier because you can work through how a project goes together and adapt it to the way you work without cutting any wood.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Sometimes I find myself having trouble understanding how all the pieces fit together when looking at plan and elevation drawings. I know that all of the information is there on the 2d representations but sometimes I just need to see things from all sides to get it. I'm very glad Jimmy and Dale drew the Alice Towers in 3d, when I got handed the job of how to stabilize them, when I couldn't walk into the Chosky I could fly around their 3d models. So it makes sense that the most immportant moment of the construction, the "I get it!" moment be developed using a software that handles the visual aspects of that quite easily. And SketchUp does. I've only fooled around with it, but it makes modeling very easy. I think using SketchUp as a wood working tool is a sign to come for our industry.
I love google sketchup! it is a great program to use to illustrate your ideas but to a certain extent. it does have its limitations and to use it to its best practical applications knowing those limitations is very important. knowing the time to use it and the tie to not is very important. in its very base it is a program which is great for showing you where things generally go. its mathematical accuracy is where it tends to wain and those situations cad commonly may need to take over. but for general layout and product understanding it is a great product.
Post a Comment