SketchUp Training
Foundation (1 day)
This foundation day will teach you the fundamentals of SketchUp. Each 3D program has its own keys to using it and SketchUp is no exception! This course shows you core concepts such as inferencing (snapping), planar faces and understanding the basic building blocks of edges, faces, groups and components through to creating models that show the use of most of the tools and on to making visuals with correct lighting, texturing and field of view.
Skills Covered...
Modelling
- Basic 2D drawing with the pencil tool
- Basic snapping
- Understanding of edges and faces and importance of planarity
- 3D navigation using the mouse or 3D SpaceMouse from 3DConnexions
- Use of push-pull tool
- Use of move tool
- House example involving making 2 sloping faces coplanar - 'inference locking'
- Making groups and components
- Understanding the components browser
- Using the move tool, including moving multiple copies
- Using the rotate tool including rotating multiple copies
- Using the Follow Me tool with examples of roofs, lathed objects and rounding corners of surfaces
- Using Curves and polygons including filleting/chamfering corners
Organisation
- Use of Layers - what they do and don't do!
- Use of groups
- Use of the 'Outliner' to see structure and adjust if necessary
Texturing
- Applying materials
- Making new materials
- Adjusting material mapping on individual faces
- Copying/multiple change of materials
Lighting
- Setting of shadows according to time of day, time of year and location
- General light settings
Rendering
- Applying Styles
- Editing styles
- Storing Styles for later/group use
- Making/saving and editing scenes
- Making animations from scenes
- Making animations from live screen recording using the Space mouse
Presentation using Layout
- Transferring a SketchUp file to Layout
- Making new pages
- Use of Layers including separation of content to repeat and other
- Updating of models
Advanced (1 day)
If you want to take Sketchup to its limits then this is for you. Use Sandbox tools and others to make organic shapes, tented structures and terrains. Use Layout to make multiview CAD like sheets that link to your Sketchup model file. Use Photomatch to put your model into the context of a photograph or make a model from a photograph! Use advanced techniques with Components to split up a complicated file and reference it back together or make simple proxies of detailed objects while you set up views and animations...
Skills Covered...
- Modelling organic objects
- Use of Sandbox tools
- Adding plug-in tools
- Use of Google Warehouse
- Use of Google Earth
- Smoothing of faces using both soften smooth edges and the eraser tool
- Use of components for X-refs in project collaboration (ie more than one person working on the same file)
- Use of components to make a huge file workable.
- se of photographs to model objects and/or place your models within photographs
Techniques for hiding parts of model to enable easier modelling
- Hiding (together with use of scenes)
- Sections
