Getting Started With SketchUp

[dlu]

I'm thinking it would be fun to learn how to use SketchUp. Wondering if y'all have any suggestions for starting points, books, websites, etc. If it matters, I'll be working on a Mac and will be starting off on shop cabinets and jigs.

I'm especially interested in being able to generate cutting lists and work out joinery details - so I'd like to learn how to create models that are easy to modify.

Thanks!

 

[Michael Kellough]

SketchUp may be too limited to suit your long term goals.

Consider learning Fusion 360 instead so you don’t have to learn two programs with different ways of doing things.

 

[lwoirhaye]

I've forgotten some of the stuff I learned watching tutorials, but when I did watch some and drew the projects in them  my skills with the software got much better and more efficient. 

I think they were just the basic tutorials Sketchup support put out.  Whether it's the best software to learn depends on what your design goals are I think.  For furniture I think it's not bad but if I tried to draw some of the stuff I've built in it I'd have a hard time because at some point when fooling around with curves I just like to draw things out full size, make mockups and so forth.

 

[dlu]

SketchUp may be too limited to suit your long term goals.

Consider learning Fusion 360 instead so you don’t have to learn two programs with different ways of doing things.

Thanks! A few questions if you don't mind:

• Is it easy to summarize the limitations / problem areas in SketchUp?
• Any idea how similar Fusion 360 is to Autodesk Inventor? I've done some work in that.
• In terms of being part of a community and sharing work I'm wondering if Fusion 360 has the kind of support that SketchUp appears to - for example I was really happy to discover that someone has already made a set of models of various Systainers. It would be nice to both be to build on other people's work and also to be able to contribute back.

 

[Chance Beasley]

Search Youtube for Jay Bates Sketchup. He has some great tutorial videos that cover Sketchup. And, since he is a woodworker, they are geared towards what you are likely looking for.

 

[Dick Mahany]

I've used Sketchup for many years and have done many designs with the "free" version.  I'm now switching to Fusion 360 which is far more comprehensive and nearly the same level of difficulty to learn.  Fusion 360 uses parametric modeling which means one can design with nominal sheet and board thicknesses and then once the actual materials are obtained and the actual thicknesses entered in the parameter, the model will automatically adjust accordingly.  No recalculations or adjustments for well fitting parts.

The other thing I like is that it allows construction of joints that can be animated to pivot and fold.  This helps avoid surprises that may arise after a design is built.

If one is a student or a hobbyist, Fusion 360 is free and can be registered as such with Autodesk.  I have no experience with Inventor, Solid Works, Pro Engineer, to contrast it with, but it is a very powerful design program that I am really liking to put to use.

Sketchup is very handy and also worth learning and I'm glad that I did.  It also has the advantage of the 3D warehouse and many models that are freely and readily available for sharing.  Fusion 360 can open my sketchup files, however it treats them as mesh models and hasn't been particularly useful in that regard.

If I was starting over and was going to invest the time learning, I'd go with Fusion 360 as it is a true 3D modelling program.

 

[talk-tools]

I wonder if there are some good learning success stories with SketchUp or Fusion 360. Do you get more motivated by taking (and being accountable) in a real class? Every couple years I download whatever seems hot and then lose interest after a few maddening hours where I can't even get parts to snap to alignment.  It's crazy I know but I resort to using Powerpoint...and actually I miss drafting tables and drafting machines which I was very handy at as a teen - and for that matter AutoCAD in DOS.  [eek]

To make this even more embarrassing, I'm highly computer savvy with web programming and the whole Adobe suite. It just doesn't translate to CAD.

 

[Cheese]

I wonder if there are some good learning success stories with SketchUp or Fusion 360. Do you get more motivated by taking (and being accountable) in a real class?

Some on the FOG have used Udemy for Fushion. I purchased the Udemy class 6 months ago but haven’t started yet. That’ll be a good winter project.https://www.udemy.com/fusion360/

 

[magellan]

As for Sketch Up you might check out Bob Lang online.  He has books and videos and teaches Sketch Up.
http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos?playlist=58

 

[Michael Kellough]

I wonder if there are some good learning success stories with SketchUp or Fusion 360. Do you get more motivated by taking (and being accountable) in a real class? Every couple years I download whatever seems hot and then lose interest after a few maddening hours where I can't even get parts to snap to alignment.  It's crazy I know but I resort to using Powerpoint...and actually I miss drafting tables and drafting machines which I was very handy at as a teen - and for that matter AutoCAD in DOS.  [eek]

To make this even more embarrassing, I'm highly computer savvy with web programming and the whole Adobe suite. It just doesn't translate to CAD.

If you prefer an old school experience try ViaCAD 2D.
https://www.punchcad.com/consumer-cad

It’s only $40 to start and if you get comfortable with the interface and want more tools they have a generous multi step upgrade catalog going all the way to fully rendered 3D. I use SharkCAD (it was the logical progression from Ashlar Vellum) but if you think you’ll want to get into CNC or 3D printing etc. I’d recommend learning Fusion 360.

 

[rmhinden]

I use the free version (not online) of SketchUP.  I learned how to use it from online videos.  I approach it by watching something on the video, then pausing and do it myself.  I find it useful for doing simple models of what I am building.  It works pretty well, but I find it challenging as a lot of it is mode dependent (that is,  depends on what is selected).  I am getting more proficient the more I use it.  I guess that's true of all programs like this.

I have purchased a course for Fusion 360 and downloaded the free version of Fusion 360.  However, I discovered my Mac is too old to run it reliably.  I will probably upgrade later this year and give it another try.

 

[Cheese]

However, I discovered my Mac is too old to run it reliably.  I will probably upgrade later this year and give it another try.

Just curious, how old is your Mac?

 

[talk-tools]

I wonder if there are some good learning success stories with SketchUp or Fusion 360. Do you get more motivated by taking (and being accountable) in a real class?

Some on the FOG have used Udemy for Fushion. I purchased the Udemy class 6 months ago but haven’t started yet. That’ll be a good winter project.https://www.udemy.com/fusion360/

Thank you. Looking at the way this course is set up, with real woodworking projects, it looks good to me. I bought it and hopefully won't be waiting 6 months to get into it.

 

[talk-tools]

I wonder if there are some good learning success stories with SketchUp or Fusion 360. Do you get more motivated by taking (and being accountable) in a real class? Every couple years I download whatever seems hot and then lose interest after a few maddening hours where I can't even get parts to snap to alignment.  It's crazy I know but I resort to using Powerpoint...and actually I miss drafting tables and drafting machines which I was very handy at as a teen - and for that matter AutoCAD in DOS.  [eek]

To make this even more embarrassing, I'm highly computer savvy with web programming and the whole Adobe suite. It just doesn't translate to CAD.

If you prefer an old school experience try ViaCAD 2D.
https://www.punchcad.com/consumer-cad

It’s only $40 to start and if you get comfortable with the interface and want more tools they have a generous multi step upgrade catalog going all the way to fully rendered 3D. I use SharkCAD (it was the logical progression from Ashlar Vellum) but if you think you’ll want to get into CNC or 3D printing etc. I’d recommend learning Fusion 360.

Thanks. Decided to bite the bullet with Fusion 360.

 

[tazcubed]

So, I'm in the same boat - looking at SketchUp but now also intrigued with Fusion 360. With Fusion what I'm seeing, primarily as a hobbiest, is that you can use the software with restrictions (no Generative Design) for up to a year.  The contracts were updated on October 7th. Whether there is an ability to continue to use Fusion 360 for free is unclear after that year finishes.

It's still unclear what the differences are, which I am curious about, along with which might be the easiest to learn and exploit.

 

[rmhinden]

However, I discovered my Mac is too old to run it reliably.  I will probably upgrade later this year and give it another try.

Just curious, how old is your Mac?

It's an iMac (24-inch Mid 2007) with 256 MB of VRAM.  As I understand it, Fusion 360 needs more VRAM to run reliably. 

 

[sheperd80]

Search Youtube for Jay Bates Sketchup. He has some great tutorial videos that cover Sketchup. And, since he is a woodworker, they are geared towards what you are likely looking for.

I second this. Even his project vids where he quickly runs through making a sketchup drawing are extremely helpful. He calls out the commands as hes doing them. After a few vids and a few attempts on my own drawings it all clicked. Trafitional tutorials were too much of the wrong info for me.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[richk]

I've used Sketchup for a few years and gotten pretty functional with it, used it to design several projects from scratch using the tool. Based on this thread, I've started learning Fusion360, using the Udemy Fusion360 for woodworkers course, and finding it does a number of things much more easily than Sketchup. The class is $11.99 for now, not much of a commitment.

The new contract terms for hobbyists:

Transition for Current Customers
Is there a change to the entitlements for students, startups and hobbyists?

Students and Educators will not see any change in their product access or features included. For Fusion 360 Startup/Hobbyist subscribers, there is no change to the startup/hobby subscription for Fusion 360 at this time. All users will continue to have access to all features.

The key phrase may be "at this time." That said, this is a high powered tool for big corporations, which is where most of the revenue will come from, Hopefully, they won't try to squeeze hobbyists!

RichK

 

[Claimdude]

I looked over the Fusion360 website and couldn't tell what if anything is charged to hobby folks. I would like to give it a go but don't to invest the time only to get popped for a $495/yr license fee in a couple of years.

Thanks
Jack

 

[richk]

Fusion360 is free to hobbyists currently.

Since they just updated terms and conditions, it should be at least a year, maybe more, before they change them again.

The current change made a very comprehensive suite of tools available, of which what we need is a tiny piece, and a relatively unsophisticated one at that--compared to the rest of suite.

WRT software pricing, it seems you never are on stable ground. Even Sketchup went from paid to fully free to partially free but paid for pieces you'd really like to have... sketchup pricing

RichK