SketchUp 2014 For Dummies

SketchUp 2014 For Dummies

Released June 2014
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781118822661

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Book description

Start building your 3D model today with a comprehensive guide to SketchUp 2014

SketchUp 2014 For Dummies is a user-friendly guide to creating 3D models, adding textures, creating animated walkthroughs, and more, using one of the most popular 3D modeling programs on the market. Fully updated to align with the release of SketchUp, the book guides you through the interface, tools, techniques, and tricks in SketchUp and SketchUp Pro, on both Windows and Mac platforms. Written for designers with no prior 3D modeling experience, the book provides beginner- to intermediate-level instruction in this powerful program.

With a strong emphasis on usability rather than features, SketchUp has found widespread success around the world. Available as a free download, the program allows you to get comfortable and develop your skills before investing in the Pro version's additional features. SketchUp 2014 For Dummies gets you up to speed fast, beginning with an overview of the basic concepts of 3D modeling before getting down to business with the software. Organized for easy navigation, the book can also serve as a handy desk reference for more experienced designers getting acquainted with the latest update. Topics include:

  • Using SketchUp 2014 to create 3D models

  • Printing on a plotter or 3D printer

  • Sharing designs via SketchUp 3D Warehouse

  • Exporting to another design package

    • The book also walks you through the creation of a detailed set of plans, and demonstrates how to give virtual "tours" of your design. A 16-page color insert illustrates the possibilities, and may just trigger your inspiration. Whether you're a designer, architect, engineer, or hobbyist, SketchUp 2014 For Dummies gets you started quickly.

    Table of contents

      1. Introduction
        1. About This Book
        2. Foolish Assumptions
        3. Icons Used in This Book
        4. Beyond the Book
        5. Where to Go from Here
      2. Part I: Getting Started with SketchUp 2014
        1. Chapter 1: Meeting SketchUp
          1. Things You Ought to Know Right Away
          2. Comparing SketchUp to Other 3D Modeling Programs
            1. Jumping right in
            2. Understanding the difference between paper and clay
          3. What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Expect SketchUp to Do
          4. Taking the Ten-Minute SketchUp Tour
            1. Hanging out at the menu bar
            2. Checking the status bar
            3. Taking a peek at the dialog boxes
        2. Chapter 2: Establishing the Modeling Mind-Set
          1. All about Edges and Faces
            1. Living on (with, actually) the edge
            2. Facing the facts about faces
            3. Understanding the relationship between edges and faces
          2. Drawing in 3D on a 2D Screen
            1. Giving instructions with the drawing axes
            2. Keeping an eye out for inferences
            3. Using inferences to help you model
          3. Warming Up Your SketchUp Muscles
            1. Getting the best view of what you’re doing
            2. Drawing and erasing edges with ease
            3. Injecting accuracy into your model
            4. Selecting what you mean to select
            5. Moving and copying like a champ
            6. Rotating the right way
            7. Making and using guides
            8. Painting your faces with color and texture
        3. Chapter 3: Getting a Running Start
          1. Setting Things Up
          2. Making a Quick Model
          3. Slapping on Some Paint
          4. Giving Your Model Some Style
          5. Switching on the Sun
          6. Sharing Your Masterpiece
      3. Part II: Modeling in SketchUp
        1. Chapter 4: Building Buildings
          1. Drawing Floors and Walls
            1. Starting out in 2D
            2. Coming up with a simple plan
            3. Going from 2D to 3D
            4. Adding floors to your building
            5. Inserting doors and windows
          2. Staring Down Stairs
            1. The Subdivided Rectangles method
            2. The Copied Profile method
          3. Raising the Roof
            1. Building flat roofs with parapets
            2. Creating eaves for buildings with pitched roofs
            3. Constructing gabled roofs
            4. Making hip roofs
            5. Sticking your roof together
        2. Chapter 5: Falling in Love with Components
          1. Grouping Things Together
          2. Working with Components
            1. What makes components so great?
            2. Exploring the Components dialog box
            3. Creating your own components
            4. Discovering Dynamic Components
          3. Taking Advantage of Components to Build Better Models
            1. Modeling symmetrically: Good news for lazy people
            2. Modeling with repeated elements
        3. Chapter 6: Going Beyond Buildings
          1. Extruding with Purpose: Follow Me
            1. Using Follow Me
            2. Making lathed forms like spheres and bottles
            3. Creating extruded shapes like gutters and handrails
            4. Subtracting from a model with Follow Me
          2. Modeling with the Scale tool
            1. Getting the hang of Scale
            2. Scaling profiles to make organic forms
          3. Making and Modifying Terrain
            1. Creating a new terrain model
            2. Editing an existing terrain model
          4. Building a Solid Tools Foundation
            1. Understanding solids
            2. Checking out the Solid Tools
            3. Putting the Solid Tools to work
        4. Chapter 7: Keeping Your Model Organized
          1. Taking Stock of Your Organization Options
          2. Seeing the Big Picture: The Outliner
            1. Taking a good look at the Outliner
            2. Making good use of the Outliner
          3. Discovering the Ins and Outs of Layers
            1. What layers are — and what they’re not
            2. Using layers in SketchUp
            3. Staying out of trouble
          4. Putting It All Together
        5. Chapter 8: Modeling with Photos and Other Resources
          1. Painting Faces with Photos
            1. Adding photos to flat faces
            2. Editing your textures
            3. Adding photo textures to curved surfaces
          2. Modeling Directly from a Photo: Introducing Photo-Matching
            1. Looking at all the pretty colors
            2. Getting set up for photo-matching
            3. Modeling by photo-matching
          3. Modeling on Top of Photo Textures
            1. Making a texture projected
            2. Modeling with projected textures: A basic workflow
          4. Adding Geographic Data from Google
            1. Geo-locating your model
            2. Viewing your model in Google Earth
          5. Working with Imported CAD files
            1. Importing a CAD file into SketchUp Pro
            2. Cleaning up imported CAD data
            3. Modeling on top of imported CAD data
        6. Chapter 9: 3D Printing with SketchUp Models
          1. Building Up a View of 3D Printing
          2. Building a Model in Layers
            1. Supporting layers from below
            2. Designing to avoid support material
            3. Bridging
          3. Preparing a SketchUp Model for 3D Printing
            1. The Section Plane tool, your secret cleanup weapon
            2. Solid objects and 3D printing
            3. Groups and components
            4. Using Solid Tools to combine groups
            5. CleanUp3 and Solid Inspector
            6. Using the Intersect tool to combine groups
            7. What about the normals?
          4. Sizes Matter
            1. Too small to print
            2. Too big to print
          5. Breaking Your Model into Parts
            1. Where to cut
            2. How to cut
          6. Exporting Your SketchUp File
          7. Knowing Your 3D Printers
            1. Desktop 3D printers
            2. Professional 3D printers
            3. 3D printing services
          8. Using Your 3D Printer
            1. Print early, print often
            2. Inside your model
          9. Going beyond Basic 3D Printing
            1. Designing parts that connect
            2. Testing your model’s moving parts
          10. Designing Things That Move
            1. Captive joints
            2. Pins
            3. Gears
      4. Part III: Viewing Your Model in Different Ways
        1. Chapter 10: Working with Styles and Shadows
          1. Styling Your Model’s Appearance
            1. Choosing how and where to apply styles
            2. Applying styles to your models
            3. Editing your styles
            4. Creating a new style
            5. Saving and sharing styles you make
          2. Working with Shadows
            1. Discovering the shadow settings
            2. Adding depth and realism
            3. Creating accurate shadow studies
        2. Chapter 11: Presenting Your Model inside SketchUp
          1. Exploring Your Creation on Foot
            1. These tools were made for walking
            2. Stopping to look around
            3. Setting your field of view
          2. Taking the Scenic Route
            1. Creating scenes
            2. Moving from scene to scene
            3. Modifying scenes after you make ’em
          3. Mastering the Sectional Approach
            1. Cutting plans and sections
            2. Creating section animations with scenes
      5. Part IV: Sharing What You've Made
        1. Chapter 12: Paper or Cloud? Printing and Uploading Your Work
          1. Printing Your Work
            1. Printing from a Windows Computer
            2. Printing from a Mac
            3. Printing to a Particular Scale
          2. Working with the 3D Warehouse
            1. Why Warehouse?
            2. Getting to the 3D Warehouse
            3. Uploading a model
            4. Managing models online
        2. Chapter 13: Exporting Images and Animations
          1. Exporting 2D Images of Your Model
            1. Exporting a raster image from SketchUp
            2. Looking at SketchUp’s raster formats
            3. Making sure you export enough pixels
          2. Making Movies with Animation Export
            1. Getting ready for prime time
            2. Exporting a movie
            3. Figuring out the Animation Export options settings
        3. Chapter 14: Creating Presentations with LayOut
          1. Getting Your Bearings
            1. Some menu bar minutiae
            2. Perusing LayOut’s panels
          2. Building a Quick LayOut Document
            1. Starting with a template
            2. Inserting SketchUp model views
            3. Adding images and other graphics
            4. Annotating with text and dimensions
          3. Getting Your Document Out the Door
            1. Printing your work
            2. Exporting a PDF
            3. Exporting an image file
            4. Exporting a DWG or DXF file
            5. Going full-screen
        4. Chapter 15: Diving Deeper into LayOut
          1. Staying Organized with Layers and Pages
            1. Using layers to maintain your sanity
            2. Making layers and pages work together
          2. Working with Inserted Model Views
            1. Framing exactly the right view
            2. Making your models look their best
          3. Simplifying Your Life with Auto-Text
            1. Using Auto-Text tags
            2. Customizing Auto-Text tags
          4. Discovering More about Dimensions
            1. Editing your dimensions
            2. Keeping track of model space and paper space
          5. Drawing with LayOut’s Vector Tools
          6. Customizing LayOut with Templates and Scrapbooks
            1. Creating your own templates
            2. Putting together your own scrapbooks
      6. Part V: The Part of Tens
        1. Chapter 16: Ten SketchUp Traps and Their Work-arounds
          1. SketchUp Won’t Create a Face Where You Want It To
          2. Your Faces Are Two Different Colors
          3. Edges on a Face Won’t Sink In
          4. SketchUp Crashed, and You Lost Your Model
          5. SketchUp Is Sooooo Slooooooooow
          6. You Can’t Get a Good View of the Inside of Your Model
          7. A Face Flashes When You Orbit
          8. You Can’t Move Your Component the Way You Want
          9. Bad Stuff Happens Every Time You Use the Eraser
          10. All Your Edges and Faces Are on Different Layers
        2. Chapter 17: Ten Ways to Discover Even More
          1. Put Away Your Wallet
          2. Now Get Out Your Wallet
      7. About the Author
      8. Cheat Sheet
      9. Supplemental Images
      10. More Dummies Products

    Product information

    • Title: SketchUp 2014 For Dummies
    • Author(s):
    • Release date: June 2014
    • Publisher(s): For Dummies
    • ISBN: 9781118822661