Sketchup

[Wooden Skye]

I am sure Seth or Peter will move this topic.

I am having the hardest time learning Sketchup.  I have watched all the Sketchup for Woodworkers videos by Bob Lang and Popular Woodworking, and I just can't seem to do anything.  I am watching on 1 computer while working on another, been watching and tinkering for almost 7 hours the past couple days.  Is this normal?  Am I just that computer illiterate when it comes to computer design?  I installed an update to Sketchup 8, and it seems some of the tools just aren't the same as in the videos.  Before I get banned for life and really express my frustration, can someone point me to a class or other resources that might help me.  Woodcraft used to have a class, but all 3 times I registered, they were cancelled.  I tried Sketchlist 3D and after watching some videos and asking for help, I was able to design something.  I am just looking to avoid paying $500 for the Sketchlist Pro version, cause I feel the hobby version is limited.

 

[fritter63]

Haven't seen those vids, did u try the regular sketch up videos?

 

[Wooden Skye]

I did the last time I tried learning, then I found these and thought by woodworker for woodworker would be better.  Maybe I should try the others.

 

[rmwarren]

It is tricky to learn but don't give up. One tip is always work on layers and make each piece into a component. Is you don't do this everything just sticks together. For example make one table leg then save it as a component and move it to a layer named "finished parts" or similar. Always do your basic work with the default layer active the move stuff to other layers.

Good luck!

RMW

 

[fritter63]

I did the last time I tried learning, then I found these and thought by woodworker for woodworker would be better.  Maybe I should try the others.

Eh, I'd go to a woodworker to teach me woodworking, not 3d computer drawing...

 

[Wooden Skye]

I was searching on Lumberjocks and found a basic tutorial and it made sense.  Off to play around.  Hopefully this at least gets me going in a positive direction.

 

[Alan m]

if it makes you feel any better.
im good at inventer and autocad,alpha cam,etc but cant use sketch up. go figure. tried it a few times but could get nowhere.
i will have to learn because my access to inventer etc is gone now

 

[Wooden Skye]

I MADE A BOOKCASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Alan m]

bryan. are you sure you didnt just import it. lol.

im sure its easier than im making it out to be

 

[Wooden Skye]

Alan

Wouldn't know how to import it.  Baby Steps.  Maybe I should always have a couple of Guinness whenever I do Sketchup.  If I knew how to insert a link, I would send you the video link.  Maybe I can figure that out as well if I have couple more.  Guinness = Better Computer Learning!

 

[Brice Burrell]

I MADE A BOOKCASE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Was this the Gary Katz video?  I think his bookcase video is one of the best.  If it wasn't the one you are referring to check it out here, Gary Katz, Sketchup Tutorial: Drawing A Bookcase.

 

[Wooden Skye]

Brice,

It wasn't Gary's tutorial.  It was at sketchupforwoodworkers.com.  I will have to check out Gary's.  Thanks for more resources.  Sketchup for Woodworkers is very basic and somewhat limited, but it is getting me started.  I actually did a rough model for my MFT Cart I am planning.

 

[fritter63]

Alan

Wouldn't know how to import it.  Baby Steps.  Maybe I should always have a couple of Guinness whenever I do Sketchup.  If I knew how to insert a link, I would send you the video link.  Maybe I can figure that out as well if I have couple more.  Guinness = Better Computer Learning!

Ha! Back in 95 I taught myself to program in C++ while drinking tequila on a beach in Mexico.....

 

[mhch]

It is tricky to learn but don't give up. One tip is always work on layers and make each piece into a component. Is you don't do this everything just sticks together. For example make one table leg then save it as a component and move it to a layer named "finished parts" or similar. Always do your basic work with the default layer active the move stuff to other layers.

Good luck!

RMW

+1 !!  Creating components is key to avoiding all sorts of troubles. I use one separate component for each of the wood pieces appearing in a work piece. And components can be used to create other components (for instance a legs component contains four instances of a leg component, each instance orientated as required).

Using layers is also key to being able to view a selected subset of a designed object. It's also best to use separate layers for wood pieces and their dimensions. This avoids cluttered views.

Another recommendation is to quickly get the habit of using "keyboard shortcuts" instead of mouse clicks on the operation menu to select a particular operation (http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/google-sketchup-7-keyboard-shortcuts.html). Mouse is moved using one hand and shortcuts typed with the other hand. Drawing speed is significantly increased by doing so.

 

[Wooden Skye]

I don't understand the concept of layers, I will have to try and find some info on that.  I have been using groups for most things, but maybe should use components more.  Has anybody used the cutlist plugin? How do you get the boards in a basic model to look like an actual piece of wood?  Is there a place to find drawer slides and other hardware?

 

[RC]

You can think of layers as putting thin papers on top of each other like the stuff you draw clothe plans on. Then you draw different parts on each sheet of translucent paper an when you overlay them in a stack you see the whole. Remove a sheet and you see only the other parts. Or actually over head projector films would be a better parallel, come to think of it...

 

[rmwarren]

The major difference between components and groups is if you edit one component in a design the changes apply to all other instances of that component. Very handy in the case of table legs or similar items. You can also use an existing component as the basis for a new, different one by selecting it, right click and making it unique. This basically make a copy of the original component but any changes don't effect the original ones.

The guy who wrote the Dummies book has pretty good YouTube videos you should check out.

RMW

 

[rmwarren]

I don't understand the concept of layers, I will have to try and find some info on that.  I have been using groups for most things, but maybe should use components more.  Has anybody used the cutlist plugin? How do you get the boards in a basic model to look like an actual piece of wood?  Is there a place to find drawer slides and other hardware?

To get wood grain open the Materials pane and you can select finishes to "paint" onto any surface. You can download a lot of components from 3D warehouse thru sketchup.

RMW

 

[jonny round boy]

if it makes you feel any better.
im good at inventer and autocad,alpha cam,etc but cant use sketch up. go figure. tried it a few times but could get nowhere.
i will have to learn because my access to inventer etc is gone now

Alan,

I know what you mean. I think the problem is that if you know how to draw with autocad etc, you'll be used to using coordinates, ie everything relates to an origin point, 0,0,0. Sketchup doesn't have that. I think it was designed that way deliberately, for people who don't understand how most cad programs work.

Once you get your head around that, it's relatively straightforward.

I first learned autocad at college in 2001/2002. Then I used autocad in work, drawing 2d plans/elevations.

Then I left that job, and a couple of years later taught myself Sketchup, which I've used ever since. Recently however I've been running the CNC at work (glass machining), and so I've had to get used to the coordinate-based way of doing things again.

Now I use both systems simultaneously, and find it easy to switch between the two.

 

[jonny round boy]

The major difference between components and groups is if you edit one component in a design the changes apply to all other instances of that component. Very handy in the case of table legs or similar items. You can also use an existing component as the basis for a new, different one by selecting it, right click and making it unique. This basically make a copy of the original component but any changes don't effect the original ones.

The guy who wrote the Dummies book has pretty good YouTube videos you should check out.

RMW

I prefer to group everything, rather than create components. This is because I've had several instances where I've copied a component & forgotten to make it unique before altering it, doing lots of work before realising that something else had changed somewhere else in the model! Then you end up having to change the original back again, basically doubling your work!