Sketch it Up!

A 3D model is important to designers for design development and presentation. Drawing perspectives, however, is not one of my strengths. I have no patience for the graphical method and I have no confidence in doing ‘tsamba’ perspectives. The only time I tried modeling a whole house in AutoCad was during the time I took lessons.

When I encountered Sketchup, I was relieved. Finally here was a 3D program I could rely on. Compared to other 3D software, doing models in it is faster and easier. My officemate, a mechanical engineer, learned it and was able to model his own house from the interior to the exterior in the span of a few days. I was supposed to do it for him, but he decided to do it himself, seeing how easy it was.

It’s easy because you only need to learn less than ten commands to be able to do a decent model. Objects are built through constructing surfaces, which are extruded or divided to produce objects. Accuracy is possible because you can type in measurements. There is also a ‘snap to axis’ or ‘snap to parallel/perpendicular’ feature that enables you to keep your lines in the right direction.

The 3D view is versatile – you can rotate, pan and zoom by using the mouse. Drawing and editing are all done inside the perspective view. Colors and textures can be applied through a simple ‘fill’ command. Shadows can be applied by specifying the month and time of day. Basic components like doors and windows, furniture, cars and people are available for easy retrieval.

Sketch Up is best for design development. Because of the above mentioned features, it is easy to manipulate a model based on the ideas that come out. In a few minutes, you can see how the massing of a structure can look like, or what the effect of a color scheme will be. It is also good for presentation, because Sketch Up can produce a ‘sketchy’ effect that looks less computer-generated than AutoCad. You can produce multiple spot perspectives through the same model, whether it is a man’s eye view or a bird’s eye view. These ‘shots’ can be imported as JPEG files to image editing applications like PhotoShop for more sophisticated rendering.

Sketchup 2.0., the version I’m using, has its limitations. It is difficult to produce complicated curved surfaces. You can’t put in any lighting. If you’re looking for photo realistic perspectives, then this isn’t the program you want to use. But if you want a quick and easy to learn program that will give you the results you want in half the time, then try this.

You can learn more about Sketchup in their site www.sketchup.com. A trial version is also available for downloading.

(note: drawing above was taken from sketchup.com, gallery section. design by Dennis Nikolaev)