This is the companion page for Chapter 4 of the book Architectural Design with SketchUp.
On This Page
From the Book
In this chapter of Architectural Design with SketchUp, you’ll explore the many extensions (occasionally also called plugins) that are available for SketchUp Pro. They are used for tasks that can’t (efficiently) be accomplished using SketchUp’s built-in tool set alone. These extensions are often freely available, they are easy to install, they add a wide range of functionality, and you can use as many or as few as you need on a given project. Note, however, that extensions only work with the desktop versions (Windows or Mac) of SketchUp Pro, not with the web or iPad apps.
Some of the things that are possible with extensions are advanced creation/modification of objects, organic modeling, fabrication preprocessing, physics simulation, building energy analysis, and—as you will see in Chapter 5—photorealistic rendering.
Go beyond the book:
Check out my tutorials on this site in the Extensions category
SketchUp Models In This Chapter
Below are two of the models that you can explore interactively in your browser (click and drag to orbit):
View and download all models from this chapter on the 3D Warehouse.
Extension Search
Use this link to get to the custom search engine (CSE) for extensions (formerly called plugins).
Links In This Chapter
Updated links will be listed here:
- extensions.sketchup.com
- sketchucation.com/pluginstore
- sketchucation.com/plugin-store-free-download
- sketchuppluginreviews.com
- mindsightstudios.com
- mindsightstudios.com/booltools-2
- valiarchitects.com
- smustard.com
- artisan4sketchup.com
- evilsoftwareempire.com/vertex-tools
- sketchplus.com
- 1001bit.com
- modelur.com
- suplacemaker.com
- profilebuilder4sketchup.com
- skalp4sketchup.com
- landfx.com
- 3skeng.com
- 3dlibrary.rubysketch.com
- bimobject.com
- sketchfab.com
- nationalbimlibrary.com
- bimup.co.uk
- plusspec.com
- cadspan.com/software
- skimp4sketchup.com
- alexschreyer.net/projects/flatten-faces-plugin/
- 3dwarehouse.sketchup.com
- openstudio.nrel.gov
- ecoscorecard.com
- greenspacelive.com
- iesve.com
- sefaira.com
Sample Videos From This Chapter (from the 2nd Edition)
You can access all Chapter 4 videos using the password from the book on Wiley’s companion site: www.wiley.com/go/schreyer2e
All Chapter 4 videos:
- 0401: Extensions and Extension Warehouse (included here)
- 0402: Extensions in-depth
- 0403: Creating shells using extensions (included here)
- 0404: Slicing terrain using extensions
- 0405: Unwrapping a shape
Next Steps
- Check out my tutorials on this site in the Extensions category
- You can find my extensions in Trimble’s Extension Warehouse
UP NEXT:
Chapter 5 explains how you can create amazing renderings from SketchUp
Discuss This Chapter
Use the discussion area below to add any comments, tips, tricks etc. for this chapter…