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Part I: Getting Started with SketchUp
• With another computer file: SketchUp can import images that you
can use as a starting point for what you want to make. SketchUp
Pro can even import CAD (computer-aided drawing) files that give
you even more of a head start.
• From a geo-location snapshot: If you’ve ever used Google Earth, you
know that Google has amazing aerial imagery and 3D terrain data
for the whole world. In SketchUp 8, it’s easy to grab a geo-location
snapshot (a small chunk of the planet, basically) to use as a site for
your model; read all about it in Chapter 11.
• From Building Maker: Google has an easy-as-pie, super-specialized
tool for modeling real-world structures — Building Maker. You
can start a model in Building Maker and modify it in SketchUp 8.
If you’re modeling existing buildings, this is a great way to save
time — read more in Chapter 11.
✓ Work loose or work tight: One of my favorite things about SketchUp is
that you can model without worrying about exactly how big something
is. You can make models that are super-sketchy, but if you want, you can
also make models that are absolutely precise. SketchUp is just like paper
in that way; the amount of detail you add is entirely up to you.
✓ Build something real or make something up: What you build with
SketchUp really isn’t the issue. You work only with lines and shapes —
or in SketchUp, edges and faces — so how you arrange them is your busi-
ness. SketchUp isn’t intended for making buildings any more than it is
for creating other things. It’s just a tool for drawing in three dimensions.
✓ Share your models: After you make something you want to show off, you
can do a number of things, which you can discover in detail in Part IV:
• Print: Yep, you can print from SketchUp.
• Export images: If you want to generate an image file of a particular
view, you can export one in any of several popular formats.
• Export movies: Animations are a great way to present three-dimen-
sional information, and SketchUp can create them easily.
• Export other 3D model formats: With the Pro version of SketchUp,
you can share your model with other pieces of software to create
CAD drawings, generate photorealistic renderings, and more.
• Upload to the 3D Warehouse: This is a giant, online repository of
SketchUp models. Add (or take) all the models you want.
• Contribute to Google Earth: Models you make of actual buildings
that are efficient, accurate, and photo-textured (painted with photo-
graphs of the building itself) are welcome on Google Earth’s default
3D Buildings layer. If you like, you can submit your work for con-
sideration; if it’s accepted, it goes live in a place where millions of
people can see it.
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