Wiley Google SketchUp For Dummies 978-0-470-13744-4 User Manual
Product codes
978-0-470-13744-4
Chapter 1
Meeting Google SketchUp
In This Chapter
Finding out why it’s free from Google
Comparing SketchUp with other 3D software
Finding out what you can and can’t do with SketchUp
Looking around the application
O
nce upon a time, software for building three-dimensional (3D) models of
thing like buildings, cars, and other stuff was hard to use. I mean really
thing like buildings, cars, and other stuff was hard to use. I mean really
hard — people went to school for years to learn it. And if that wasn’t bad
enough, 3D modeling software was expensive. It was so expensive that the
only people who used it were professionals and software pirates (people who
stole it, basically). Then along came SketchUp.
enough, 3D modeling software was expensive. It was so expensive that the
only people who used it were professionals and software pirates (people who
stole it, basically). Then along came SketchUp.
Operating under the assumption that lots of people might want — and need —
to make 3D models, the folks who invented SketchUp decided to design a
program that worked more intuitively. Instead of making you think about 3D
models as complex mathematical constructs (the way computers think), they
created an interface that lets you build models using elements you’re already
familiar with: lines and shapes.
to make 3D models, the folks who invented SketchUp decided to design a
program that worked more intuitively. Instead of making you think about 3D
models as complex mathematical constructs (the way computers think), they
created an interface that lets you build models using elements you’re already
familiar with: lines and shapes.
So do you need to know how to draw to use SketchUp? In the latest version of
the software, not really. Traditional drawing is about translating what you see
onto a flat piece of paper: going from 3D to 2D, which is hard to do for most
people. In SketchUp, you’re always in 3D, so no translation is involved — you
just build, and SketchUp takes care of stuff like perspective and shading for you.
the software, not really. Traditional drawing is about translating what you see
onto a flat piece of paper: going from 3D to 2D, which is hard to do for most
people. In SketchUp, you’re always in 3D, so no translation is involved — you
just build, and SketchUp takes care of stuff like perspective and shading for you.
This first chapter is about putting SketchUp in context: why Google offers it
for free, how it compares to other 3D software, and what you can (and can’t)
use it to do. In the last part of the chapter, I give a quick tour of the program,
just to let you know where things are.
for free, how it compares to other 3D software, and what you can (and can’t)
use it to do. In the last part of the chapter, I give a quick tour of the program,
just to let you know where things are.
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