Interested in Mass Timber Buildings, Construction, and Related Topics?

Interested in Mass Timber Buildings, Construction, and Related Topics?

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
John W. Olver Design Building under construction (Photo: A. Schreyer) As you may know, in addition to my SketchUp book, I am the lead author on the book "Fundamentals of Residential Construction" (now in its fifth edition) as well as the co-author of the recently published book "Mass Timber: Materials, Design, and Construction". Both books are published by John Wiley & Sons and are available in print or as e-books wherever books are sold. I recently created the website buildingfundamentals.com as a place to post companion materials for those books but also blog about the wider construction industry - with a particular emphasis on wood buildings. If you find those topics as interesting as I do and want to hear more about them, then you can now subscribe to my new site by email. That way, you receive a newsletter as soon as I post something. Follow this link to get started: Subscribe to buildingfundamentals.com via email Of course, you can also just visit...
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Having Some Fun with AI: The Snarky Architecture Critic

Having Some Fun with AI: The Snarky Architecture Critic

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
In case you are in need of an opinionated architectural critique, look no further. You can now employ AI for that! With the recently introduced vision capabilities in OpenAI's services and therefore my OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension, you can now ask questions about what is in your SketchUp model. But that's not all: For a little bit more bite in that critique, you can even give the AI response a specific personality, e.g. the snarky critic in my video below. You can do that via the System Message option in its settings. Just add a line like the one shown in the image below and then that instruction will apply to the entire conversation between you and the AI. As you likely know by now, you can download the OpenAI Explorer SketchUp extension and learn more about how it works here. Got any other fun and/or useful ways to employ this new tool in SketchUp? Let me know in the comments below. Video https://youtu.be/Nv4jzMoY7y4...
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Attractor-Based Scaling with Scale By Tools

Attractor-Based Scaling with Scale By Tools

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
A new feature of my Scale By (Image/Attractors/Equation) Tools SketchUp extension is the ability to transform (scale/rotate/move) objects by proximity to other objects ("attractors"). Not sure what this means? Check out the tutorial video above that explains the basic functionality. You can learn more about this extension on its page and the reference manual. Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/QRle49KTceY...
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Random Tools for Rendering in SketchUp (with Enscape)

Random Tools for Rendering in SketchUp (with Enscape)

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
This video tutorial shows how the Random Tools SketchUp Extension makes it easy to improve renderings, especially when vegetation is involved. I am showing how the tools work in the context of the real-time Enscape rendering software, however the principles apply to any renderer. With this extension, you can place objects randomly, rearrange them randomly (including size, position, and rotation). and adjust their textures randomly. Tutorial Video https://youtu.be/f8QSU63o5zE?list=PL9BB9780934A68B41 Links Random Tools for Rendering in SketchUp (with Enscape) on YouTube Random Tools Extension...
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Creating an Undulating Wall with Scale By Tools in SketchUp

Creating an Undulating Wall with Scale By Tools in SketchUp

by Alex SchreyerNo Comments
This week's video tutorial shows an application of my recently published Scale By Tools SketchUp extension. Specifically, the Move Vertices by Image tool allows you to modify a mesh based on image data, which as a result embosses the image on that surface. This can then be used to create terrain, but it has many other applications, too. In this example, I am using this tool to deform a wood slatted wall with a ripple pattern. This would be manufactured using CNC cutting, for example. Tutorial Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFeHG2bbF_w Links Scale By Tools Extension A different approach: Creating an Organic Wall | Method 1 - From Spline Curves in SketchUp...
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