Alex' collection of SketchUp tutorials and news posts that talk about all SketchUp topics: modeling, rendering, scripting, extensions, fabrication, etc. The five most recent tutorials and news posts are listed below. You can find everything else in the topic category archives:
News Blog,
Tutorials,
3D Modeling,
Extensions,
Making,
Rendering,
Scripting,
SketchUp Basics
Dear friends and colleagues,
I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and joyous holiday season, a Merry Christmas, and a healthy, happy, and successful new year 2021! After the current year turned out a bit different than everyone expected, there is certainly much hope and some certainty that next year will be better on several fronts.
Cheers,Alex
P.S.: The inspiration for this year's holiday image took me back to a visit to Quebec's Ice Hotel from several years ago. As always, everything is modeled in SketchUp and then (for the first time) rendered in Enscape. The tree punch out on the back wall was done using an image and my Scale By Tools extension.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHuqTEaOtI0
In this tutorial I use the example of a large wind turbine array to show how useful my Random Tools extension for SketchUp can be in making things look more realistic - by rotating turbine blades in this case.
Steps
The three main steps to prepare a component for use with SketchUp's Random Tools extension are also illustrated below. For this example it is best to use a component, not a group. As I show in the video, grouping the rotor blades will not allow the extension to properly place its center at the rotation axis. Therefore, start by selecting the rotor blades and the axle and using the "Make Component" tool. In the Make Component tool, we then need to place its axis at the center of rotation. Click the "Set Component Axis" button and then place the axis as shown below. Now you can use the "Randomize Objects" tool from the Random Tools extension to rotate the blades...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKz6m7sR-uw&feature=youtu.be
This video provides an introduction to Ruby scripting with the Ruby Code Editor extension in SketchUp. Scripting in SketchUp is also a good "intro to coding" exercise because you not only learn a usable scripting language (Ruby), you can even use it to create 3D models that you can manufacture (e.g. 3D print) afterwards.
This is a free sample instructional video from the book "Architectural Design with SketchUp: 3D Modeling, Extensions, BIM, Rendering, Making, and Scripting" (2nd Edition). I discuss this topic more in detail in that book's Chapter 7.Want more of these videos? If you own the book, use the password from the inside cover to gain access to all of my remaining videos on Wiley's website: http://www.wiley.com/go/schreyer2e. If you don't yet have your own copy, follow the links in the sidebar to get one. It is a great reference for SketchUp!
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https://youtu.be/gBt-x9EZf48?list=PLxUo4IvucruefSR-dwEs7pHAjQZgoOhw0
In this video I cover importing raster images into SketchUp and scaling them for 3D modeling. A typical case would be a scanned building plan that needs to serve as a basis for modeling architectural features. This is an important basic skill that you will often need.
This is a free sample instructional video from the book "Architectural Design with SketchUp: 3D Modeling, Extensions, BIM, Rendering, Making, and Scripting" (2nd Edition). I discuss this topic more in detail in that book's Chapter 2.Want more of these videos? If you own the book, use the password from the inside cover to gain access to all of my remaining videos on Wiley's website: http://www.wiley.com/go/schreyer2e. If you don't yet have your own copy, follow the links in the sidebar to get one. It is a great reference for SketchUp!
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https://youtu.be/ANAjb02EnR0?list=PLxUo4IvucruefSR-dwEs7pHAjQZgoOhw0
In this video I cover how to create the mobile from Chapter 6 in my book. This involves finding the accurate centroid for irregular shapes, which is easily done with my centroid extension. Just model this, send it to the laser cutter, and then hang it.
This is a free sample instructional video from the book "Architectural Design with SketchUp: 3D Modeling, Extensions, BIM, Rendering, Making, and Scripting" (2nd Edition). I discuss this topic more in detail in that book's Chapter 6.Want more of these videos? If you own the book, use the password from the inside cover to gain access to all of my remaining videos on Wiley's website: http://www.wiley.com/go/schreyer2e. If you don't yet have your own copy, follow the links in the sidebar to get one. It is a great reference for SketchUp!
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