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If you haven’t already heard about the 3D drawing program from Google called “SketchUp,” check it out at the Google site. Over the years, I’ve played around with several 3D packages including Blender, Carrara and GarageGames. All of them have advantages and disadvantages, but SketchUp gets big points for being perhaps the simplest to use.

You can download a free version of SketchUp and get started right away. I highly recommend that you watch a few of their training videos first so that you can get accustomed to their approach to 3D. When you run their software, the splash screen gives you a link to their video training pages.

You can run SketchUp for free, or there’s a “paid” version for $495. I’m not expert enough at it yet to comment on whether or not the $495 is a good value, but I do know that from paying for several other 3D packages, $495 is about the average.

One thing I like about SketchUp is the fact that it is simple to use real dimensions. For example, if you’re creating a cube that’s, say, 15 inches on a side, you simply enter:

15”,15”

while creating an initial 2D rectangle. Then, when you “pull” the rectangle out to create the third dimension, you enter:

15”

and the result will be a cube with 15 inches on a side.

Other features, like “Follow Me,” allow you to quickly pull a design along a path to create decorated edges. For example, if you’re designing a room with crown molding, you simply sketch out the profile of the crown molding, put it at one edge of the boundary between the ceiling and wall, highlight it, click the “Follow Me” button and then click on the edge of the wall along the ceiling. Poof! The crown molding is put into place automatically. If only I could put up crown molding in my own house that quickly!

 

 

Like any 3D package, you need a bit of patience to learn the basic concepts. Again, I advise going through the videos. Each video is very short, and you can practice the concepts after watching each one. If you’re a technology “weekend warrior” like me, you’ll feel like a pro after a few hours on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Google retains an online bank of pre-made objects that you can use for your own designs. Basic things like furniture, buildings, trees and people are available for free. It’s good to be provided these basic 3D shapes so that you can focus on your own unique requirements.

Happy doodling!

Dan

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