Be generic, then be specific

Posted by Bruce Polderman, Product Manager


Wouldn't it be great if you could build out your models with generic components—things like windows and doors—and then easily swap in "specific" versions, when it's time to write your specs? There's a new tool from CADalytic Media called SpecifiCAD that lets you do exactly that. Basically, SpecifiCAD is a plug-in (it's a free beta download for now) that works with SketchUp, and also AutoCAD, Revit, and Bentley Architecture (ArchiCAD is coming soon).

Once it's installed and activated, clicking on certain components in your model pops open a SpecifiCAD window that shows you all the content from the Sweets Network and the Google 3D Warehouse that matches. You can then choose a "specific" to replace the "generic" in your model. Check out the website for all the details.

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We'd like to know what you think

Posted by Nicole Lundblad, User Experience Researcher

Knowing how folks use our software is a big part of how we make decisions about what's working, and what isn't. If you'd like to weigh in, we invite you to participate in a user experience research study for Google SketchUp. Please sign up and we'll contact you. Thanks!

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Google SketchUp For Dummies is out

Posted by Aidan Chopra, Shameless Author


If you've ever written a book, you know what it feels like to see it sitting on a bookstore shelf for the first time. A few days ago, I got to feel that way, too -- I almost started dancing right in the middle of the aisle.

The book I wrote is called Google SketchUp For Dummies, and it's now available at bookstores all over the U.S., Canada and the UK (Amazon has it, too). It took me about five months to write, and it covers both the Windows and Mac versions of Google SketchUp 6 — Free and Pro (including LayOut). At 432 pages, with something like 260 illustrations and a 16-page color insert, it's about 422 pages longer than anything else I've written (excluding my Master's thesis, which doesn't count because no one's actually ever read it). All the same, I like to write, and I like SketchUp, so the book seemed like a worthwhile undertaking. I'm very happy with how it turned out.

I also built a companion website for the book that includes links to videos and other useful stuff I've put together. The videos themselves live on YouTube; I've recorded and uploaded 54 so far, and I plan to add another three dozen or so in the next couple of months. The videos are just me, talking and modeling, so don't be disappointed if you're expecting peppy music and bare midriffs — I'm just not that kind of YouTuber, I guess.

Update I changed the description of what's covered in the book.

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Build Your Campus in 3D winners announced

Posted by Allyson McDuffie, SketchUp for Education


The results are in for the winners of the Build Your Campus in 3D Competition. The judges chose 7 teams from among the dozens who submitted more than 4000 buildings from higher education institutions all over North America. Without further ado, the schools who will be joining us in Mountain View are:

University of Minnesota | Twin Cities, Minnesota
Purdue University | West Lafayette, Indiana
Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
Indiana University - Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering | Needham, Massachusetts
Dartmouth College | Hanover, New Hampshire
Stanford University | Stanford, California

Check out the competition website to see more details about the judges, the rules, the winners, and what they won. There, you can follow a link to see the winning campuses in your copy of Google Earth. Again, congratulations to the winning teams, and a big thank you to everyone who participated.

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Back to school, about a month early

Posted by Aidan Chopra, Product Evangelist

I want to make sure that everyone who gives a hoot about SketchUp knows about the terrific podcasts that the folks at School are putting together. Called The SketchUp Show, there are currently almost 30 episodes available. You can sign up for the podcast on iTunes (which delivers them directly to your computer), or just watch them on the School website. Either way, I defy you not to learn something from these guys. My favorite episode (though I have to admit that I haven't watched them all) is number 20, where they talk about (and demonstrate) how to build a model from an imported CAD file. Solid gold.

Incidentally, School is also giving away cool 3D Connexion Space Navigators to people who do any of five different things. If you'd like a new tool, check out the contest details.

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Make beautiful renderings, win glamorous prizes

Posted by Tom Wyman, Market Development Manager

The folks at Cadalog, who make a nifty photorealistic rendering plug-in for SketchUp called SU Podium, are having a contest. Basically, everyone starts with the same 3D model, and the people who make the nicest renderings (using SU Podium, of course) win. 3DConnexion hardware is available to the first, second and third prize winners. Read all about the contest details.

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Wrapping an image around a cylinder

Posted by Aidan Chopra, Product Evangelist

Earlier this week, I found myself answering an email question about how to apply an image to a cylinder. After I was done, it occurred to me that there were probably a lot of people who could use the tip.

To wrap an image (like a JPEG) around a cylindrical form, follow these steps:

1. Create a cylinder by extruding a circle with the Push/Pull tool. This technique only works for cylinders created in this way.
2. Select the side face of your cylinder.
3. Choose File > Import to open the Import dialog box.
4. Select the image you'd like to map to the cylinder.
5. Make sure "Use as Texture" is selected in the Import dialog box.
6. Click Import.
7. Click once on the bottom edge of your cylinder to position the lower-left corner edge of your image.
8. Click again on the top edge of your cylinder to position the top edge of your image.
9. The image will appear as a sliver of photo on the side of your cylinder – that's OK.
10. Open the Materials dialog box (from the Window menu), and click the In Model button to see the materials in your model. The In Model button looks like a little house.
11. A thumbnail of the image you imported in Step 5 should be visible; click on it to load it into your Paint Bucket as a texture.
12. Click on your cylinder. Your image should wrap around it completely.

Watch this video to see the steps in action:

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Using images for interiors

Posted by Aidan Chopra, Product Evangelist

One of our oldest friends, Bonnie Roskes, has written an excellent tutorial on using images to paint faces in SketchUp. It appears in the Tips and Tricks area of the AECbytes website, which is well worth checking out. In case you didn't know, Bonnie is the author of Google SketchUp 6: Basic and Advanced Exercises. Years ago, she also wrote the very first book about our software. We think you'll enjoy this new piece.

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A little history

Posted by Tyson Kartchner, Learning Guru












Recently, the Dominion Institute of Canada sponsored a unique challenge aimed at some of our younger users (14- to 25-year-olds were allowed to enter). Using SketchUp, Google Earth and the 3D Warehouse, participants were asked to do research about the Allied landings at Juno Beach during World War II. The challenge was to create 3D models related to this historic event. There were some outstanding entries created for the contest, and now that the modeling dust has settled the judges have chosen a winner. We'd like to extend our congratulations to Rahul Desai for his winning entry, the HMCS Haida (pictured above). We'd also like to congratulate all the other participants on their excellent work.

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SketchUp for film and stage revisited

Posted by Steve Dapkus, Market Development Guy

On June 9^th, we hosted Stu Maschwitz and Dan Jennings to round out our focus group for an updated Film and Stage Plugin. We started the show off here in Boulder, with a Cajun breakfast at Lucile's. John Bacus, (one of our Product Managers), mistook the jalapeno jelly for the strawberry rhubarb jam, which turned out to be a pleasantly hot surprise. It didn’t take long for our discussion to turn to how SketchUp and LayOut are used in the film industry, and how the current Film and Stage Plugin fits into that world. We also talked about how it can be enhanced to be more useful to those in our community who use SketchUp’s advanced camera capabilities. if you're interested, check out the video interview with Stu (below), and stay tuned for more in the near future.

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