SketchUp

[Cyberguy34000]

Recently, I found out about this very impressive CAD tool called Sketch-Up (now Google owned). I thought that the Chief Delphi community might be interested to know about this very powerful program. The SketchUp website has lots useful information on it, and does a very good job of explaining what's unique about the software.

While many different CAD programs have their pros and cons, one of the most impressive things to me about SketchUp was the sheer speed at which I can model things. The software is incredibly intuitive and easy to use. Want an example? Within an hour, my little 7 year old sister was making little houses with some pretty cool features with almost no help. But just because it's easy to use doesn't mean it isn't powerful. I've been using it for about 2 days now, and I've already been able to create some pretty convincing 3d mock-ups of a few robots modeled from pictures on Chief Delphi. Most of them were made in about an hour or less.

As far as I can tell, the software is completely cross-compatible with AutoCAD Inventor, which means that it could concievably be used side-by-side in robot design, if teams wanted to do so.

The website has a free 8 hour trial (no restrictions). But get this, the software is free for students and teachers! See this page for more information. The only catch as far as I can tell, is that the free version won't run over networks (see the page for more info).

Check it out, play around with it for a bit, and tell us what you think!

[AndyB]

looks like something we could use in the first week of building. It looks like an amazing designing program, but nothing that I would probably use in the Inventor Award itself. Ill definitly download this and give it a review.

[FourPenguins]

I'm not going to judge the software as a design tool because I've never used it, but as a sidenote, the AutoDesk design award docks points for non-AutoDesk software used in the creation of the entry.

[sanddrag]

Can you post some screenshots of what you made?

[Andy A.]

Sketchup is freely available for use here at VTC.

Make no mistake- it is not a real modeling program on the level of Inventor or Solidworks. You do not have anywhere near the control that you do in a 'real' program. The only people who use it here are the Arch students when they want to quickly look at the basic shape a building might take before spending all the time that AutoCad will suck up.

It is easy and fast to use though. It could be useful for those who do not like creating hand drawn sketches or who need to quickly see something in 3d before committing the time and effort to a full up model. It's the diffrence between Paint and Photoshop.

I am looking forward to what ever Google produces from the venture. Knowing Google, it will likely be a web based app that allows you to make quick models you can then send to anyone. That would be very nice, as it's difficult getting people to see your models right now as anything but screen shots.


-Andy A.

[AndyB]

its a great program for conceptual stages of the build. its a lot of just doing what it says: extruding sketches. It has some very nice features which are gerat for quick and easy shtuff.

Pros:
-Great for quick modeling
-Inventor Style Building (Sketching/Extruding)
-Very easy to use
-FREE

Cons:
-Zoom is reversed from inventor
-Only good for general framing and such. Your better off with inventor if you want to start throwing in parts
-Some of the options are just a bit basic and annoying

[wilshire]

I was impressed with this program when i tried it. It seems like it would be a very valuable tool for brainstorming phases of design.
This is by no means a substitute for solidworks or Inventor.
It seems like the programs main focus is towards architectural design modeling in a 3D environment.
Impressive program to say the least

[Madison]

I'm working with someone who uses SketchUp to mock up concepts that I will later design in a more full-functioned CAD program such as Solidworks. Sketchup offers very limited export functionality, limiting its usefulness. It cannot export as IGES or STEP. The only reasonably standard format that's available is 3DS -- something Solidworks cannot open.

[negfrequency]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Can you post some screenshots of what you made?

what he said^^^

[negfrequency]

I checked up on this program just today, and this is what i have to say.

I think it is a good program for your 7 year old, but thats about it. The program has very few tools to use, is missing a numerous number of options required in Xcore cad programs. i apologize for using that word. anyway, like i said it is a good starter tool in that yes, it is simple and cheap, and im sure it will get your daughter into the world of cad. It does a good job of stressing the main points of cad