introduction to google sketchup

594 Pages·2012·21.77 MB·English

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INTRODUCTION
TO GOOGLE
SKETCHUP
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INTRODUCTION
TO GOOGLE
SKETCHUP
SECOND EDITION
AIDAN CHOPRA

with
LAURA TOWN AND CHRIS PICHEREAU
JohnWiley&Sons,Inc.
NewYork(cid:129)Chichester(cid:129)Weinheim(cid:129)Brisbane(cid:129)Toronto(cid:129)Singapore
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PUBLISHER Don Fowley
EXECUTIVE EDITOR John Kane
MARKETING MANAGER Christopher Ruel
SENIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tiara Kelly
SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER Janis Soo
ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION MANAGER Joel Balbin
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Harry Nolan
COVER DESIGNER Ngieng Seng Ping
Cover Image: Proposed student housing facility courtesy of Niles Bolton Associates, Architects, and The Clark Construction Group.
Modeling by Jeremy Fretts and Vicki Kuan. This image was exported directly from Google Sketchup. Foreground trees are 2D “face-me”
trees created from original images. Balcony railings and canopy struts modeled using “follow-me”. Roof structure composed of groups
and components. Windows were created using the “Windowizer” plug-in from Rick Wilson. In this image, style settings are set to
“display edges,” with no profi les, and shadows are turned on.
This book was set in Times New Roman by Aptara, and printed and bound by Courier Westford. The cover was printed by Courier
Westford.
Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted
under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authori-
zation through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923,
website www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, [phone], fax [phone], website http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
To order books or for customer service, please call 1-800-CALL WILEY (225-5945).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chopra, Aidan.
Introduction to Google Sketchup [electronic resource] / Aidan Chopra with Laura Town and Chris Pichereau. —
2nd ed.
1 online resource.
Includes index.
Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.
ISBN 978-1-118-21438-1 (adobe pdf) — ISBN 978-1-1180-7782-5 (pbk.) (print)
1. Computer graphics. 2. SketchUp. 3. Three-dimensional display systems. 4. Engineering graphics.
I. Town, Laura. II. Pichereau, Chris. III. Title. IV. Title: Introduction to Google Sketch Up.
T385
006.6'93—dc23
2011051656
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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PREFACE
Today’s students have different goals, different life experiences, and differ-
ent academic backgrounds, but they are all on the same path to success in
the real world. This diversity, coupled with the reality that these learners
often have jobs, families, and other commitments, requires a fl exibility that
our nation’s higher education system is addressing. Distance learning,
shorter course terms, new disciplines, evening courses, and certifi cation
programs are some of the approaches that colleges employ to reach as many
students as possible and to help them clarify and achieve their goals.
The second edition of Introduction to Google SketchUp, offers spe-
cially designed suite of services and content, which helps you address this
diversity and the need for fl exibility. Introduction to Google SketchUp, Second
Edition’s content puts a focus on the fundamentals to help students grasp the
subject, bringing them all to the same basic understanding. Content from
Introduction to Google SketchUp, Second Edition, has an emphasis on teach-
ing job-related skills and practical applications of concepts with clear and
professional language. The core competencies and skills help students succeed
in the classroom and beyond, whether in another course or in a professional
setting. A variety of built-in learning resources allow the students to prac-
tice what they need to perform and help instructors gauge students’ under-
standing of the content. These resources enable students to think critically
about their new knowledge and apply their skills in any situation.
Our goal with Introduction to Google SketchUp, Second Edition, is to
celebrate the many students in your courses, respect their needs, and help
you guide them on their way.
LEARNING SYSTEMS
To meet the needs of working college students, the second edition of Intro-
duction to Google SketchUp uses a learning system based on Bloom’s Tax-
onomy. Key topics are presented in easy-to-follow chapters. The text then
prompts analysis, evaluation, and creation with a variety of learning aids
and assessment tools. Students move effi ciently from reviewing what they
have learned, to acquiring new information and skills, to applying their new
knowledge and skills to real-life scenarios.
v
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vi Preface
Using this learning system, students not only achieve academic mastery
of concepts in the Google SketchUp software, but they also master real-
world skills related to that content. The learning system also helps students
become independent learners, giving them a distinct advantage in the fi eld,
whether they are just starting out or seeking to advance in their careers.
O RGANIZATION, DEPTH, AND
BREADTH OF THE TEXT
Modular Format
Research on college students shows that they access information from text-
books in a non-linear way. Instructors also often wish to reorder textbook
content to suit the needs of a particular class. Therefore, although Introduc-
tion to Google SketchUp, Second Edition proceeds logically from the basics
to increasingly more challenging material, chapters are further organized
into sections that are self-contained for maximum teaching and learning
fl exibility.
Numeric System of Headings
Introduction to Google SketchUp, Second Edition, uses a numeric system
for headings (for example., 2.3.4 identifi es the fourth subsection of Section 3
of Chapter 2). With this system, students and teachers can quickly and easily
pinpoint topics in the table of contents and the text, keeping class time and
study sessions focused.
Core Content
The topics in Introduction to Google SketchUp, Second Edition, are organized
into 16 chapters with an online bonus chapter.
Part I: Introduction to Google SketchUp
Chapter 1, “Meeting Google SketchUp,” provides a basic introduction to
the SketchUp software. Students evaluate the program’s limitations and ca-
pabilities, as well as learn how SketchUp compares to other available 3D
modeling software. The last part of the chapter provides a quick tour of the
program, which helps prepare users to create their own models.
Chapter 2, “Establishing the Modeling Mindset,” explores the basic con-
cepts related to modeling using Google SketchUp. Edges and faces, which
are the central components of all SketchUp models, are explained. The chap-
ter then examines the major differences between modeling in 2D and 3D.
Finally, it closes with a look at some of the tools within SketchUp that allow
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Preface vii
users to carry out essential tasks such as navigating around a model, drawing
lines, selecting objects, and working with accurate measurements.
Chapter 3, “Building Simple Models,” walks students through the en-
tire process of creating a basic 3D model—in this case, one of a doghouse.
Here, students not only learn how to create and view their model, but they
also discover how to alter that model by changing its color, texture, and
style and by adding shadows. Students are guided through the workfl ow of
creating and sharing a model.
Part II: Creating Models in Google SketchUp
In Chapter 4, “Modeling Buildings,” readers take these fundamentals even
further by discovering how to draft a fl oorplan of a simple, rectilinear
building and convert this 2D plan to a 3D model. The chapter then ex-
plains how to add elements such as stairs, doors, windows, and a roof to
the resulting model.
Chapter 5, “Keeping Your Model’s Appearance,” is about creating and
using SketchUp components. The chapter starts by addressing groups which
are a lot like small components. After that, component features like fi nding
them, managing them, making your own and fi nally Dynamic Components
are discussed.
Chapter 6, “Creating Everyday Objects,” explores SketchUp’s capabili-
ties for creating forms other than buildings. Learn how students, interior de-
signers and even archeologists use SketchUp tools and different techniques
for modeling terrain, characters, and other objects. Readers also learn how to
create symmetrical models and extrude various 2D shapes into 3D objects.
Chapter 7, “Keeping Your Model Organized,” describes SketchUp’s two
main tools that it provides for organizing your models: outliner and layers.
The chapter ends with a detailed example of how these tools can be used
together to make modeling easier through the modeling of a house.
Chapter 8, “Modeling with Photographs,” describes several methods
for incorporating digital photos into SketchUp models. Specifi cally, the
chapter explains how to paint the faces in a model with photographs, how
to model on top of photo-textured faces, and how to build a model from
scratch using a tool called Photo Match.
Part III: Designing and Viewing Your
Model in SketchUp
Chapter 9, “Changing Your Model’s Appearance,” provides a complete run-
down of styles, which are groups of settings that allow users to easily adjust
the appearance of their faces and edges. Readers learn how to prepare a
model that incorporates SketchUp’s built-in styles, as well as how to make
changes to various elements of these pre-made styles. Readers will learn
how to create new styles, save styles, construct styles libraries, and share
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viii Preface
styles with other SketchUp users. This chapter also provides a brief descrip-
tion of how the light and shadow controls work. It then moves on to show
how users can make their shadows more realistic, and it closes with a look
at how to animate shadows to see how they change over time.
Chapter 10, “Presenting Your Model Inside SketchUp,” explains three
methods for displaying a model without ever leaving SketchUp. First, it
shows how to “walk” around and through models of 3D buildings, just like
in a video game. Next, it describes how to create animated slide shows by
setting up scenes with different camera views, times of day, and even visual
styles. Last, it explores how to show what’s inside a model by cutting sec-
tions through it without taking it apart.
Part IV: Sharing Your SketchUp Design
Chapter 11, “Working with Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse,” focuses
on making SketchUp models that anyone can see on Google Earth. Students
learn how to navigate in Google Earth and how to build a model in SketchUp
for Google Earth. Readers also discover how they can contribute to the 3D
Warehouse, a large online repository of free 3D models that anyone can add
to or borrow from.
Chapter 12, “Printing Your Work,” explains how to print views of a
SketchUp model; methods for printing using both the Windows and Mac
versions of the software are also described. The fi nal portion of the chapter
is devoted to the topic of scaled printing, which is somewhat diffi cult in
SketchUp although it is still much easier than drawing things by hand.
Chapter 13, “Exporting Images and Animations,” focuses on the export
fi le formats that are common to both the Windows and Mac versions of
Google SketchUp. Various 2D formats, such as TIFS, JPEGS, and PNGs,
are explored, as is the process of exporting animations as movie fi les that
anyone can open and view.
Chapter 14, “Exporting to CAD,” Illustration, and Other Modeling Soft-
ware, applies to features that are only available in the Pro (for purchase) ver-
sion of SketchUp. The fi rst half of the chapter shows to use SketchUp Pro to
generate 2D fi les for CAD and illustration software. The second half describes
how to export a model to a number of different 3D modeling programs.
Chapter 15, “Creating Presentation Documents with LayOut,” also per-
tains to a feature that is only available in SketchUp Pro: a separate piece of
software called Google SketchUp LayOut. This is a program that lets users
create documents for presenting 3D models both on paper and on-screen.
In this chapter, readers learn about the different tasks LayOut can accom-
plish, how to navigate the LayOut user interface, and how to create a simple
presentation drawing set from a SketchUp model.
Finally, Chapter 16, “Troubleshooting and Using Additional Resources,”
closes out the book by describing some actions that may be helpful when
SketchUp is slow or crashes, as well as when faces, colors, and edges are not