Datasheet

12
Part I: Getting Started with SketchUp
Things You Ought to Know Right Away
Before I continue, here’s some information you might need:
✓ You get SketchUp by downloading it from the Internet. Just type
http://sketchup.google.com into your Web browser and read
through the first page of the Google SketchUp Web site. Click the links
to download the application to your computer, and then follow the
installation instructions on the Web.
✓ SketchUp works in Windows and Mac OS X. Google SketchUp is
available for both operating systems, and it looks (and works) about
the same way on both.
✓ A Pro version is available. Google offers a Pro version of SketchUp
(called Google SketchUp Pro) that you can buy if you need it. It includes
a few terrific features that folks like architects, production designers,
and other design professionals need for exchanging files with other
software. SketchUp Pro also includes a whole separate application
for creating presentation documents with your SketchUp models. It’s
called LayOut, and it’s the subject of Chapter 14. If you think you might
need Pro, you can download a free trial version at http://sketchup.
google.com.
Where SketchUp Fits in Google’s World
A long time ago, somebody invented photography (hey — this isn’t a history
book), and all of a sudden there was a way to make pictures of things that
didn’t involve drawing, engraving, or painting. Nowadays, you can’t throw
a rock without hitting a photograph of something. Everything (it seems) can
take pictures, including people’s phones. Photography is the main way that
visual information is communicated.
But what comes after photography? Google (and just about every science-
fiction writer who ever lived) thinks it’s 3D, and here’s why: You live in 3D.
The furniture you buy (or build) is 3D, and so is the route you take to work.
Because so many of the decisions you need to make (buying a couch, finding
your way) involve 3D information, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to experience
that information in 3D?
Software like SketchUp lets you see 3D information on a 2D screen, which is
good, but affordable 3D printers and holography (yep, holograms) are just
over the horizon. All that’s left is to build a model of every single thing in the
world — and guess who’s going to do it?