Learning Sketchup

[boiwonder]

I've been using AutoCAD for 2D drafting for 10 years now.  This past fall I learned solid modeling on AutoCAD.  Now I am trying to learn Sketchup because that is the program of choice for the people I am working with.  I think it may also have an advantage with simplified rendering as opposed to the Photo-realistic rendering that Autodesk products

Comments

[edgecondition]

Uh I can imagine that it can be frustrating. I learned sketchup on the go, at the time when I was sick and tired of sifting between and not being accustomed to either ACAD or Rhino modeling that I was trying to master- to no avail.
For me, the way to work with sketchup is - with push/pull and move/copy commands only, and knowing what holding Ctrl/Alt/Shift in the process means. Sure sometimes I rotate something, draw a construction line or measure - but even that's secondary. In my head I don't compare sketchup with a modeling software but with freehand drawing, line by line, surface by surface, and by some wonder, still faster than other modelling programs. Ehh... this didn't sound helpful to me even, but maybe it did; good luck!

[edgecondition]

ps. I never intersect anything in sketch-up, but align two intersecting bodies in correct positions and draw a line/curve along the intersection, then delete excess halves. Like sketching, not like proper modeling.

[boiwonder]

I thought that was what the "intersect with model" command was supposed to do. Well, if I can't get it to work, I'll try it that way. I think part of my problem was that I copied objects that had already been intersected. I am going to try "follow me" along a predefined path of lines. This might solve one problem area. I also think I might need to refer to help a little bit more, and try something more different than similar when the first approach doesn't work. Thanks.

Sketchup is more like hand drawning and rendering than it is modelling. I think that's why it is fast than the modelling programs. I've used AutoCAD, ADT (only a little), and Viz. They have a more complex interface and require a lot more input for an accurate result.

[edgecondition]

yes, and also - sketchup isn't very good with the concept of "objects" at all. It's either lines and faces between them, or (in my case, usually bigger and complex, not so many) compound objects. Say, if you had three simple cubes and a line going through them, or if they were slightly touching eachother - you can forget about "cubes" as objects, they're already hardly separable.

We all say sketchup is great for quick fixing and easy manipulation -but that goes only in the sketching phase of the design, where you sketch-up and throw away many versions each day; once you're started on the complex complete model - it's very daunting to track down eventual mistakes and fix them without re-drawing half of the model. Just like every last drop of precision is necessary in all modeling programs, the same is true for sketch-up, it may just appear it's not.

[kenshi]

I use Sketchup every day in my design practice and also teach it at the local college. Here's some advice for you

[boiwonder]

Thanks!

Some follow-up questions

[boiwonder]

Sketchup is a 3D visualization program, NOT a full modeling solution.

What distinction would you make between visualization and computer modelling? In the CAD course that I took in the fall, made computer models and presented various views of them. Then we input the model into visulatization software, and that's when it started to look like something real. Does modelling have any merit on its own or is it just another step in the process?

Despite its limitations, it's much better at 3D visualization than any AutoDesk product.

I assume that speed is a major advantage. In what other ways to you think Sketchup is superior?

Re: Some follow-up questions

[kenshi]

A full modeling package will do both solid and parametric modeling and then be capable of running analytic processes on the results. Sketchup does neither.

Speed is a major advantage. Also, the interface and output closely resemble a hand drawing process. This makes the tool very easy to learn and use. As far as such things go, Sketchup is the first program I've every seen that looks like it was designed from the end-user's needs and work patterns rather than from a programmer's idea of what would be cool/interesting/workable/etc.

[edgecondition]

eh I was looking for an old friend's entry and saw this again!
Take a look at this: the winning entry of a local architectural competition has all presentation drawings made and -seems- rendered in sketch-up! And looks awesome, on it's own as well as in comparison to other fancier/BS.-er entry presentations, IMHO!