Datasheet

Chapter 1: Meeting Google SketchUp

You. By making SketchUp free for everyone, Google is leading the 3D charge.

Rather than relying on a small number of 3D nerds to get around to modeling

everything in the universe, Google made SketchUp available to anyone who

wants to participate. Sometimes the best way to solve a hard problem (like

modeling millions of buildings and other objects) is to get lots and lots of

people working on it.

Comparing SketchUp to Other

3D Modeling Programs

If you’re reading this book, I presume you’re at least interested in two things:

building 3D models and using SketchUp to do so. The following sections

tell you something about how SketchUp compares to other 3D modeling

programs — how long it takes to figure out how to use it and what kind of

models it produces.

Jumping right in

When it comes to widely available 3D modeling software, it really doesn’t get

any easier than SketchUp. This software has been successful for one reason:

People can get good enough at SketchUp to build something within a couple

hours of launching it for the first time. You have no thick manuals to read,

and no special geometric concepts to understand. Modeling in SketchUp is

about grabbing your mouse and making something.

So how long should it take you to discover how SketchUp works? That

depends on your background and experience, but in general, you can expect

to make something recognizable in less than four hours. That’s not to say

you’ll be a whiz — it just means that SketchUp’s learning curve is extremely

favorable. You don’t need to know much to get started, and you’ll still pick

up things years from now. In fact, I’ve discovered a couple things just writing

this book.

But is SketchUp easy? Lots of people say so, but I think it’s all relative.

SketchUp is without a doubt easier than any other modeling program I’ve

tried, but 3D modeling itself can be tricky. Some people catch on right away,

and some folks take longer. But I can say this for sure: If you want to build 3D

models and you have an afternoon to spare, there’s no better place to start

than SketchUp (and this book of course). Chapter 3 walks you through the

basics to help you start modeling in SketchUp quickly.

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