Links and Info For SketchUp

SketchUp Help and Learning SketchUp:

Extensive context-sensitive help is built into SketchUp. It is suggested that you review the help file as needed when learning the software.

Video tutorials are also available online from the manufacturer at http://www.sketchup.com/?sid=35 (There are also good tutorials for version 4 of SketchUp Here that  may be watched online or downloaded to your own machine).

Also, extensive support is available on the SketchUp web site in the form of User Forums. Learn from other users and ask questions of seasoned veterans at http://groups.google.com/group/sketchup.

Professor Deb's SketchUp Tip Sheet: Some useful pointers about getting started with SketchUp. Please read this...there are a few really fundamental principles to follow when learning  SketchUp that are very important to keep in mind. It's not AutoCAD and don't try to work like it is!

SketchUp Tutorials from the University of Liverpool, England

Getting SketchUp:

SketchUp Pro is installed on all of the lab computers. You can download a version with nearly as much functionality (limited resolution on image exports, no "sandbox" tools, and a few other features at the Google SketchUp web site.

Optionally, you can also purchase your own educational license good for one year for $49.00. Please refer to the SketchUp web site for details. The neat thing about their policy is that every dollar you pay for the software will go toward retail purchase if you ever decide to buy it after graduation.

SketchUp Components

An extensive variety of ready-made objects (plants, people, furniture, construction objects, vehicles, symbols, what have you) are available for insertion directly into your SketchUp models. On the lab computers, the Mac machines have these components already installed on the component browser. For Windows users, please directly browse to this ACRC network location from within SketchUp itself:  \\Acrc-server-2\Libraries\SketchUp\Components.

For use on your own computer you can install these components on your own machines. For Windows users, download and unzip This File into your SketchUp "Components" folder and you will have them always at hand. For Mac computer users (and optionally Windows users), you can download them individually from the SketchUp web site Here.

SketchUp Ruby Scripts (For Advanced Users)

Download and unzip This File into the "Plugins" folder of  the SketchUp program to get a wide array of add-on utilities that add functionality not included with the base program. Be aware that there is no documentation for the majority of these routines, mostly created by advanced SketchUp users and published on the Users' Forum. Many are extremely handy, but some are problematic, so experiment with "scratch" files first. These will appear variously on a new "Plugins" pulldown menu, some elsewhere in other menus, and still others on the context menu when you use the right mouse click.
 

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