Sketchup guide for Woodworkers

[Jay Jolliffe]

I just got an add from the Taunton Press book store about an e-book on the use of sketch up for woodworkers. Has anyone used this. I know sketch is suppose to be easy to use but I sure struggle with it.

[Philip Rodriquez]

Jay, google Sketchup for woodworkers (i do not think I am allowed to post the link). Rob Cameron is an amazing FREE resource.

[Al Weber]

There is also a series of video tutorials at Swamp Road Wood Works. I'm not sure of the exact site but there are a series of beginner and a couple of intermediate tutorials. The beginning ones are the only ones I have used and they are excellent (and free).

[Peter Quinn]

I am just finishing up working through the e-book on sketch up for wood workers from Tautons. Its an excellent resource and IMO well worth the money. He has clarified a lot of things for me and lays out a design strategy that has changed the way i draw using the computer. I got it for $7.95 on sale this fall. There may be other good resources as well, but this one goe from beginner to competent user level with great explanations along the way. Worth a look.

[Lex Boegen]

I bought this e-book and I think it is worth the money. It shortened my learning curve. In a few hours of reading this e-book and trying the examples, I was able to use Sketchup to create my own projects. Well worth ten bucks.

[John TenEyck]

Another + for the SketchUp E-book. I think I paid about $9.95. In four hours I got through the first 60 pages or so, and it resolved all the frustration I was having trying to learn it on my own. I highly recommend it.

[Douglas Clark]

I can't speak to the quality of these books (I'm sure they are great) but I have extensive experience with SketchUp. I was introduced to it in my first semester of my Master's program in City and Regional Planning and I enjoyed it so much that I taught myself how to use it. In a very short period, I became competent enough that my work with SketchUp (beyond novice but certainly not advanced) landed me my first job after grad school. Since then I've never gone a week without using it extensively. In fact, for a couple of years I probably used it literally everyday at work. It is an amazing program and is, in fact, one of the simplest 3D programs to use (I still refuse to learn AutoCAD as it is as the learning curve investment to reward ratio wasn't worth it for what I do). Of course, as with everything, there is a learning curve but if you can get past it, it's an amazing tool. In my opinion learning SketchUp is easier than accurately setting up a band saw. Keep at it!

BTW I am always available as a reference to anyone who would has questions as they are learning SketchUp. I can definitely help most beginners and even intermediate level users. Is there a forum on the Creek explicitly for SketchUp or CAD. If so, I should spend time there?

[Steve Griffin]

That is quite the testimonial Douglas.

Since you offered, I have a question:

I currently use MacDraft to draw 2D furniture/cabinet drawings. After a demo of turbocad, I realized Macdraft would be far easier to learn and use on my own, though I understand CAD ultimately has greater capabilities. I'm primarily interested in 2D for my shop drawings, but I suppose 3D could be nice for customer presentations if it doesn't take forever to do.

I guess my question is: how would you describe the 2D capabilities and ease of use of Sketchup? I like my simple plan and elevation views of projects and don't want to spend all day drawing. Or am I missing out on the value of 3D?

Thanks for any comments! -Steve

[Bill ThompsonNM]

+1 for the ebook Sketchup for Woodworkers. not real expensive and well worth it. Nicely done. I think different people will do better with different books. it really depends on your learning style, previous experience and so on. Check out the other references above, but it's also worth trying.. you'll find one that works for you!

[Brice Burrell]

That is quite the testimonial Douglas.

Since you offered, I have a question:

I currently use MacDraft to draw 2D furniture/cabinet drawings. After a demo of turbocad, I realized Macdraft would be far easier to learn and use on my own, though I understand CAD ultimately has greater capabilities. I'm primarily interested in 2D for my shop drawings, but I suppose 3D could be nice for customer presentations if it doesn't take forever to do.

I guess my question is: how would you describe the 2D capabilities and ease of use of Sketchup? I like my simple plan and elevation views of projects and don't want to spend all day drawing. Or am I missing out on the value of 3D?

Thanks for any comments! -Steve



Steve, drawing in 2D is very easy in Sketchup but you're really are missing out if you aren't modeling in 3D. Most of the time I model my project just as I would build them, every piece, mortise,tenon, dado and so on are just like the real thing. You can catch mistakes in design when you model each piece. Plus, in 3D you have something as close to the real thing as you can get without a mock up.

[Douglas Clark]

Wow, Steve... on first glance your question seems simple enough; but it's really such a loaded question I just don’t know how to tackle it efficiently. Really it sounds to me like your deeper question has more to do with whether or not you want to, or should, invest time and money into 3D design software of any kind; that actually seems much more a questions of economics or even philosophy. I don't want to hi-jack this thread, so maybe we ought to consider starting a new thread or perhaps I could send you a response directly. What do ya think?

[Douglas Clark]

And now that I've finally posted... I see that Brice's mind is far less convoluted than mine. I aspire to his brevity and conciseness. From a design perspective and as someone who has spent four years specializing in concept design of the strangest collection of projects you'll find on one desktop... I heartily agree! <chanting> 3D, 3D, 3D, 3D !!!

[Steve Griffin]

Thanks Brice and Douglas,
It's very encouraging to hear that Sketchup is good in 2D. I'm much more motivated to give it a try, knowing that I can move up to 3D if I like.

I resisted computer drawing for years, as I can pencil draw up things quite fast. Of course now I can't live without it, and maybe Sketchup is just what I need to move up to the next level.

Thanks again, Steve

[Peter Quinn]

Thanks Brice and Douglas,
It's very encouraging to hear that Sketchup is good in 2D. I'm much more motivated to give it a try, knowing that I can move up to 3D if I like.

I resisted computer drawing for years, as I can pencil draw up things quite fast. Of course now I can't live without it, and maybe Sketchup is just what I need to move up to the next level.

Thanks again, Steve

Steve, you should understand that in sketch up you will be drawing in 3D, that is all that sketchup does. But it allows you to view the model from a plan or elevation view without parallel projection, so it looks like 2D, and there is no requirement to make your drawings 3D by giving them volume. I use it for quick elevation sketches all the time in situations where a full 3D rendering is not needed from a shop building prospective. I will not spend 3 hours modeling something I can build with a 15 minute sketch. But it is great to have the 3D capability for more complicated assemblies.

[Larry Fox]

For a great source of info on Sketchup head on over to Fine Woodworking.com and read through the "Design. Click. Build" forum. You can't go wrong with reading through any post over there by David Richards. He is a wellspring of SU knowledge and an extremely nice and helpful guy.

[Brice Burrell]

Steve, you should understand that in sketch up you will be drawing in 3D, that is all that sketchup does. But it allows you to view the model from a plan or elevation view without parallel projection, so it looks like 2D, and there is no requirement to make your drawings 3D by giving them volume. I use it for quick elevation sketches all the time in situations where a full 3D rendering is not needed from a shop building prospective. I will not spend 3 hours modeling something I can build with a 15 minute sketch. But it is great to have the 3D capability for more complicated assemblies.

Peter, your answer on 2D drawing is more accurate than mine, I should have given the question more thought before replying. I imagine there could instances where drawing in 2D might pose some challenges in SU. I stand firmly behind my drawing in 3D comments though. :D

[Steve Griffin]

Jay, your thread changed my life!

After a week of evenings watching google tutorials and Rob Camerons free videos, I drew up my first built-in for a client.

It took about 5 hours, and at least half of that was learning new stuff and revisiting some of Rob's videos. This initial effort is no doubt sloppy and crude compared to what the experts can do, but it's encouraging what a modest time investment has yielded.

My fears of 3d taking too long were unfounded--once I get past the beginner level, I'm certain I will be able to produce 3 views faster than my old 2d programs.

I'm definitely going to upgrade to pro, but there is no hurry--the free version has plenty for me for now. I also plan to get the Taunton Ebook.

Thanks again guys! -Steve

[Mike OMelia]

I used sketchup today to layout a design for a toy/hope chest. I used the subtractive approach in that I calculated a bounding volume and chipped away anything that was not the chest. Amazing how fast I picked it up! Is there a way to turn it into an exploded diagram of major subcomponents? Sides, bottom, top, etc? Create plan views?

I really believe (based on my limited exposure thus far) that for many of us, this easy to use tool will greatly improve our designs!!

Mike

[Brice Burrell]

I used sketchup today to layout a design for a toy/hope chest. I used the subtractive approach in that I calculated a bounding volume and chipped away anything that was not the chest. Amazing how fast I picked it up! Is there a way to turn it into an exploded diagram of major subcomponents? Sides, bottom, top, etc? Create plan views?

I really believe (based on my limited exposure thus far) that for many of us, this easy to use tool will greatly improve our designs!!

Mike

Mike, your chipping away approach is okay for drawing to work out the basic concepts. However you really do want to model that way for producing usable models to make plans from. You have to manually draw every part and move it yourself to produce an exploded views and/or make plan views. I know that sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't once you get the hang of the program. Besides you'll catch a lot mistakes in the design when you virtually built the model piece by piece before you ever cut a single piece of wood. I'd recommend you check out Gary Katz's SU tutorial for modeling just like you're building the real thing.
http://www.garymkatz.com/ChartsDrawings/SketchUp-Tutorials.html

[Mike OMelia]

Thanks Brice. I will do that. I did play around with individual pieces but found "joining" them impossible to do with my current knowledge level. But what you say makes sense.

Mike

[Brice Burrell]

Thanks Brice. I will do that. I did play around with individual pieces but found "joining" them impossible to do with my current knowledge level. But what you say makes sense.

Mike

Then Gary's video is really going to help you.

[Bob Lang]

You can copy faces from a "quick" model and turn them into components. No need to start over from scratch. There really aren't any right or wrong ways to do things, but some methods are more efficient than others. For me the whole idea of using SketchUp is to work accurately and efficiently. My number one rule is "don't draw it if you can copy it".

Bob Lang

[Greg Portland]

Besides you'll catch a lot mistakes in the design when you virtually built the model piece by piece before you ever cut a single piece of wood. This is why I use the tool as a hobby WWer.

Once you build up a library of common components that you like to use (certain hinges and slides, common cabinet cases, common moulding, etc.) then putting together a design goes much faster. Note that most of these components have already been drawn and shared in the Sketchup library or elsewhere online.

[Mike OMelia]

Well, I spent some time this weekend redrawing my toy chest and using the Cut List pluggin. I love it! The Cut List pluggin is really useful for checking your work. It all has to jive in the end. It's also nice for figuring how much wood I need to buy. Since I will be gluing up laminates to make legs and thicker (than nominal finished 4/4), I found it useful to draw the components in layers just like I will glue them up. That makes the cut list more accurate. I will post a pic after I finish it.

Is there a way to get SU to display a list of components? What more do you get with Pro? I find that some of the FAQs at the SU forum mention tools like "join" or "glue" or "scalpel" just do not exist in my 8.0 version. Are these Pro tools?

Mike

[mreza Salav]

I found the tutorials (video) on the following page very easy to follow. After watching all you'll be pretty much set to do your own (or at least that's how I found it):

http://www.srww.com/google-sketchup.htm

[Bob Lang]

Hi Mike,

There are a couple of ways to see what components are in your model. From the Window Menu select "Components" and "Outliner". I usually leave the "Components" window open. There are two little boxes with drop down arrows that let you choose what you want to display. Select "In Model" from the one with the picture of the little house. You can drag new instances of those components into your model from there, and you can also access other models stored on your computer or in the 3D Warehouse.

There isn't a lot of difference between the free and pro versions of SketchUp. The biggest is that in SketchUp 8 there are solid modeling tools in the pro version. These let you use one half of a joint (say a tenon or dovetail pins) to make the other half of the joint on another part with a couple of mouse clicks. You can also export vector files from pro into other applications like AutoCAD or Abode Illustrator. If you don't do a lot of very detailed models, or don't need to export, you can do everything you need to do for modeling in the free version. There are also two add-on programs that come with the pro version, LayOut (makes printed presentations from a SketchUp model) and Style Builder (that lets you change settings for line weights and styles). I think LayOut is pretty rudimentary but some people really like it. Compared to the costs of other CAD programs, I think SketchUp pro is extremely reasonable at $500.

It sounds like the terms you mention belong to Plug-ins for SketchUp. There are a few sites where you can find Plug-ins for just about anything that work with the free version.

hope this helps,

Bob Lang

[Mike OMelia]

OK, messed with that outliner and components box last night. Missed the part about "in model" and thus only saw graphics of supplied components. But the outliner did show me interesting stuff. When I use the Cut List pluggin, invariably I end up with "no name" components (or strangely named components) with zero thickness. I realize that those are objects (not components) like rectangles that did not get pushed into 3-d. They are HARD to find! Since they are not a component, the outliner does not show them.

Question: Imagine a desk leg that sides will attach to. I draw a rectangle on one side of the leg and then I want to copy that to another side, just around the corner, 90 degrees away. How do I do that? The component dialog? Or do I need to change the coordinate frame? (the copy only wants to move "in-plane"). I guess I could rotate it. Seems overly hard to do.

Question: I want to create a leg base molding. I saw the "follow-me" tutorial and can go from there. But attaching a rectangle object at 90 degs to the surface is not clear to me.

Thanks!

Mike

[Brice Burrell]

Mike, there may be a way to copy the rectangle around the corner but I'm not aware of one. This is a case where having the object in 3D helps so you can easily rotate or pivot it around the corner.

[Mike OMelia]

Well, here is my toybox, blanket chest. I think the blanket chest will not have arms and back. What do you all think? I did not bother softening any edges or stuff like that (molding will have rounded edges, for example).

[Mike OMelia]

I thought I would get a comment or two!