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Chapter 1: Meeting Google SketchUp
Despite what I just said about SketchUp being only a surfaces modeler, one of
the niftiest new features in SketchUp Pro 8 (the non-free version of the software)
is a set of tools that lets you manipulate special solid objects in your models.
The Solid Tools feature offers a whole new way to work in SketchUp — you
can read all about it in Chapter 6.
Yet another caveat: When I said (a few paragraphs ago) that 3D modeling
programs come in two basic flavors, I sort of lied. The truth is, you can split
them into two groups another way: by the kind of math they use to pro-
duce 3D models. You can find polygonal modelers (of which SketchUp is an
example) and curves-based modelers. The former type uses straight lines and
flat surfaces to define everything — even things that look curvy, aren’t. The
latter kind of modeler uses true curves to define lines and surfaces. These
yield organic, flowing forms that are much more realistic than those produced
by polygonal modelers, but that put a lot more strain on the computers that
have to run them — and the people who have to figure out how to use them.
Ultimately, it’s a trade-off between simplicity and realism.
What You Should (And Shouldn’t)
Expect SketchUp to Do
Have you ever been to a hardware store and noticed the multitool gizmos on
the racks next to the checkout stands? I once saw one that was a combina-
tion screwdriver, pliers, saw, tape measure, and (I swear) hammer. I some-
times wonder whether the hardware store people put them there as a joke,
just to make you feel better about standing in line.
I generally don’t like tools that claim to do everything. I much prefer
specialists — tools that are designed for doing one thing really well. In the
case of SketchUp, that one thing is building 3D models.
Here’s a list of things (all model-building-related) that you can do with SketchUp:
✓ Start a model in lots of ways: With SketchUp, you can begin a model in
whatever way makes sense for what you’re building:
• From scratch: When you first launch SketchUp, you see nothing
except a little person standing in the middle of your screen. If you
want, you can even delete him, leaving you a completely blank
slate on which to model anything you want.
• From a photograph: The second part of Chapter 8 talks all about how
you can use SketchUp to build a model based on a photo of the thing
you want to build; it’s not really a beginner-level feature, but it’s there.
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