Share your Google Sketchup Projects!

[OJ Bartley]

Modelling is about all I have done, but hopefully by the spring I'll be ready to get the floor done, and then I can do the electrical and build my bench. Sketchup has been a GREAT tool for helping to determine where I want to put lights, outlets, switches, etc.

 

[Garage Customz]

How much is the software? I got on the sketchup site and it said single license for $495. Is that what most of you have?

 

[NIS240SHU]

You want Sketchup Make. Thats what the free version is called nowadays.

 

[javajaws]

Subwoofer:

Gravity feed smoker:

Almost finished:

In-wall aquarium/cabinet:

 

[muidaq]

Sketchup video!

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Sketchup video!

Nice walk through. What software are you using to capture the screen video?

Joe

 

[borgdog]

I did my cabin in Sketchup, actually after I built it, but it is framed correctly.

 

[muidaq]

Nice walk through. What software are you using to capture the screen video?



Joe

Just QuickTime that comes on any Mac.

 

[bshusted]

First time using sketchup and I really like it. My wife wants a daybed/couch for our spare bedroom and this is what I came up with.




I modeled the slide out portion after one I saw at Ikea. Fits a full mattress when pulled out. I plan to cut up a foam mattress so that when closed, the rest of the mattress can be used as the back. Drawers underneath are for bedding.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

bshusted,

That looks real good. It looks like you also figured out how to use dynamic components and the onclick function. It will be interesting to see your finished product.

Joe

 

[waltari]

I haven't worked on my future shop plans for a while, but here's a couple sketchups from a work project.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Joe, I have a Lista Storage Wall system with 54" drawers and sliding shelves. I'm trying to do the SketchUp layout of my garage with the three sections I have (only about 20'x11'). Do you have renderings of the Storage Wall units?

Helder

So sorry for the delayed response. I can draw up any storage wall system in a few minutes. Please note the attached renderings.

Let me know the exact configuration and we will render it for you with SketchUp

Regards,
Joe

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Sketchup does not run on an iPad. At least a full version. There are a few visualization tools that can display a sketchup model on an iPad but they are not all that great.

 

[KELLHAMMER]

Recent project I have been working on

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Nice job Kellhammer. Your Avatar looks like you might be an architect. If so, I am curious how your have found using SketchUp vs. other software?

Joe

 

[KELLHAMMER]

Motorhead
I am an architect, Sketchup is a great tool. Even though I use it on a regular basis, I still use AutoCAD for producing construction documents. I work much faster in Acad and built a real good library. I only messed around with Sketchup over the years since version 2. Lately, I've really gotten inspired by seeing others peoples work. Plus, more people are using it than ever before and producing unbelievable models.

SU Pro version is really affordable when compared to other 3d software. And from what I hear has a much easier learning curve.

 

[CrazyAirborne]

I love sketchup!

Here was my last project, shelving for my fish room, needed to be able to hold up very heavy fishtanks. turned out great at worked really well. i could climb up the shelving with my 220lb *** and it wouldnt even budge. I love how easy it is to measure and cut pieces after you've drawn everything to exact size in Sketchup.

 

[bugdust]

I may have to give this another try. I couldn't get the free version to work worth a squat. I was proficient with AutoCAD years ago (can still do it but controls are different on newer versions) and I use Creo (formerly ProE) on a daily basis for work.

 

[Wingnut65]

Motorhead
I am an architect, Sketchup is a great tool. Even though I use it on a regular basis, I still use AutoCAD for producing construction documents. I work much faster in Acad and built a real good library. I only messed around with Sketchup over the years since version 2. Lately, I've really gotten inspired by seeing others peoples work. Plus, more people are using it than ever before and producing unbelievable models.

SU Pro version is really affordable when compared to other 3d software. And from what I hear has a much easier learning curve.

Same thing here, I'm much faster on AutoCAD. More recently, I've been indoctrinated into Revit, which will take some time getting comfortable with. It's hard to let go or 25 years of AutoCAD experience.

In SketchUp, I only learned it to do one project, an entertainment center for home. Didn't take long to learn and I can see the possibilities it offers.

Concept:


Completed:

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Kellhammer,

There are quite a few architects that are finding the value in SketchUp. The SketchUp layout tool set is great for building upon SketchUp renderings with fully annotated drawings.

We also have AutoCAD in our shop but it's probably been about a year since we have used it. In my instance I took full advantage of the Dynamic Component capability in SketchUP Pro to build a single model from which I can render ANY Lista cabinet or storage wall configuration one can imaging.

We broke down the cabinet design into a hierarchy of logical components, all of which are represented by mathematical equations related to one another. Once the cabinet specifics are selected in a menu, the model builds the cabinet. Using this capability I can build any Lista cabinet in seconds.

SketchUP is the only 3D modeling tool that we were able to make work in this dynamic environment way.

Right now, on our website www.MotorheadExtraordinaire.com, most of the cabinet images for the Xpress ship cabinets have been rendered this way. We have a project underway to put every LISTA cabinet in their easy-order catalog online using this approach. That is well over 700 cabinets.

Needless to say, we are huge fans of SketchUp.

Regards,
Joe

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

I'm planning a garage for building this summer, and since today the temperature went above 55, I sat down and made my first ever attempt at SketchUp. I've finished a pretty rudimentary drawing, but have a couple of questions.

1. This morning I learned how to draw a line, and to specify how long is should be, but when a draw a ( for example ) 20 foot line, it looks good, but when I use the dimension tool, SketchUp says it is 20' 1/16". Why doesn't the dimension tool say the line is what I told SketchUp to make it?

2. I drew walls on my garage, by "boxing them in " with straight lines. When I drew the final line, which made the "wall" a polygon, SketchUp filled them in with a solid color. How do I remove the fill?

3. How do you guys make wall look like real walls? I drew my building with simple lines, and it looks like a pencil drawing. I think in the engineering business they call it a "wire form."

4. How do I make a line which is X distance from and parallel to another line? I think in AutoCAD they call it "offset."

I think those are enough questions for now, if I get the answers to those, I'll be able to play around all day Saturday!

Thanks for the help,

JBP




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[sbosecker]

I had arranged to have some plans for my 46 x 60 drawn up by a nephew. He was an architecture student so this was fun for him. After he completed the plans, I was visiting my parent's farm and I saw a machine shed on a property near them that caught my eye. It had some features that I liked. I didn't want to jerk my nephew around by asking him to change things so I downloaded the free Sketchup program and started a model of my project.

My efforts truly are sketches... generally speaking - at this point they are concept models. The walls are zero thickness but it has really helped me to see if my changes to the original plan were viable or not.

The ability to rapidly sketch changes and also to insert models of tools into the building has been a great help in visualizing how it might all work.

Scott

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

Hopefully my response will help ....


1. This morning I learned how to draw a line, and to specify how long is should be, but when a draw a ( for example ) 20 foot line, it looks good, but when I use the dimension tool, SketchUp says it is 20' 1/16". Why doesn't the dimension tool say the line is what I told SketchUp to make it?

>> Try going to Window/Model Info and then Units. You can then set the line snapping (or not) and snap granular. I think this might allow you to make the lines consistent​

2. I drew walls on my garage, by "boxing them in " with straight lines. When I drew the final line, which made the "wall" a polygon, SketchUp filled them in with a solid color. How do I remove the fill?

>> It should not have "filled it in". It is just a perspective that the polygone is close.​

3. How do you guys make wall look like real walls? I drew my building with simple lines, and it looks like a pencil drawing. I think in the engineering business they call it a "wire form."

>> Try the simple box approach and then use the offest tool to offest the wall.​

4. How do I make a line which is X distance from and parallel to another line? I think in AutoCAD they call it "offset."

Lastly ... There some great beginner tutorials. The beginners tutorial will show you how to do this stuff.

http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos

Regards,
Joe

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

Thanks, Motorhead, I appreciate the answers.

I would like more info on # 2, about the polygons appearing as if they have a fill. I understand what you are saying, that they aren't really filled, but, for example, SketchUp "filled in" my roof, and now when I look at my structure in plan view, I can't see the lines which I drew in the floor. What am I missing?

Also thanks for the link to the tutorials, I'll visit them before I ask any more questions.




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[nvbigblue]

The tutorials that Motorhead Extraordinaire posted above are a great place to start.
I'm not really a CAD guy, but having been in IT for quite a while, I've dealt with a number of different CAD systems. SketchUp is a great surface modeler, but a sometimes frustrating CAD program.

I'm all self-taught with SU, but I had to slow down and take the time to watch some of the videos and do some googling before I could really get it to do what I wanted it to do. The best things I learned, that will make it a lot easier to draw are:

Keyboard shortcuts
Section Planes
Hide/Un-hide
Grouping
Components

Here's a couple of exports from my shop. First one is no section planes, the others are examples of 'cuts'. Makes it SO much easier to edit the drawing when you can't 'see' something anymore because you covered it with a roof or something similar.

I've spent a TON of time 'building' my shop in SU, and it matches the plans exactly (the concrete and structure, not the interior), but the last pics are examples of something I 'built' in SU and then created in the real life. It's an overhead console for my UTV. I mounted a stereo and light switches in it. I started with the technical drawings for the console, switches, switch guards and the radio, built each item, them stuck it all together.

If you draw a shape, any shape and it 'fills' in when you close the shape, simply select the fill and hit delete.

Once you figure out some of the quirks and how to work around them, you'll start having fun creating stuff... I'll post up some of my stuff in a different post.

NV

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

Thanks NVBigBlue, I'll try the trick to remove the fills. I'm going through the tutorials now, and learning. Like any new software, it takes time, you don't do your best on the first try, or even the first 5 tries!

Thanks for the reply,

Jim






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[TheLS1Lover]

How do you guys do the studs and headers and such?

 

[High Desert]

Wow! There are some really impressive designs in this thread! I used Sketchup to build my shop before sending what I wanted to the architect. I also use it to pre-build almost every project now to ensure everything fits up nicely without having to hand draw it.

Sketchup is an amazing tool for those with no CAD training.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

How do you guys do the studs and headers and such?

I've not actually drawn up any studs in my work but I think I would just approach it as a 3D object and turn it into a dynamic component, maybe even with user input arguments. Unfortunately you need the Pro version ($599) to build components but the standard version can use pre-built components.

I've attached a zip file containing a Sketchup dynamic component model of a stud. You may have to set your Sketchup views to show the Component options. Once you bring up the Components option dialog box you can click on the stud and a menu will pop up allowing you to change the dimensions.

I am sure there are a lot of different ways to do this but this method will work.

Joe

 

[ThrifyGarage]

Not much yet. But here is my start on my garage. It's pretty accurate so far.

 

[Motorhead Extraordinaire]

That looks great. Sketchup is so useful to be able to visualize items. Please keep updating your post as your model grows.

 

[RainierHooker]

Just downloaded SU a few days ago, and have spent entirely too much time on it lately. But now I have the pergola that I am going to build this summer all planned out...
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