Hey all.

Just wondering if anyone has used Google Sketchup. I just downloaded the free version and its great, really easy to use....but dont forget to save your work as the .skp aswell as just .jpg or you can't open it again. (chair) :(

Im wondering if anyone has the professional version with the extra features and if its any good? Thanks.

I downloaded it but haven't tried it yet. I've been stuck on Blender3d. Let us see some stuff you do with it.

I'll start another thread to show some of my stuff in blender.

Will do, but it might take a few days, as I mentioned I lost what I did today and I won't get back to it now until the weekend.

But seriously, its really easy to use, and I haven't used a CAD program in years. Might be a bit short on the features, but the full version would fix that I suppose. Hopefully someone will let us know.

Watch the included tutorials. Takes about 25min. Then your away! :)

L8rs.

Heres a few pics of a gate I did in sketchup today. Keep in mind that it was only the 2nd time I used it. This took about 40min taking my time and experimenting as I went. I think its excellent for quickly doing a 3D representation but I'd say it lacks some of the more powerful features and little fine detail editors of other programs, but I haven't delved deep into it yet. I have seen some free add-ons for advanced rendering and what not that might be useful. This was with the free version.

The nuts and bolts on the gate I made as a component in about 10min and then just clicked in the components window and dragged them in wherever I needed them. I just dragged two into a new model and rotated one so you could see them front and back (Pic below). I specified the sizes of everything in about 2 seconds while drawing so everythings to scale. The washers are 1/16 inch. The bolts are M8's and I just dragged the length to suit myself. I didnt need to do threads, I'll let you know about thread drawing when I try it. The wood is 7x1 & 6ft lengths on the gate face. The struts are 2x4.

Ok, here's another drawing I did with sketchup. This one took about 2&1/2 hours but thats mainly because I had to rotate and position every single nail into it. I should have slaved the nail component to the axis to avoid this. The pole in the background is there just to illustrate the transparency in the glass. The engravings in the glass took about 10 to 15min to draw with the two line tools. Note the detail in the shadow at the rear showing the engraving lines on the glass.

If anyone has sketchup pics to add to this thread please feel free.

Here are a couple of parts I was able to create by pulling in some DWG files, getting rid of everything but the top view, and then using the 'Create Face' command in the Utilities section of the Tools menu on each segment. Then all I had to do is use the 'Push Pull' tool to extrude the part...

Jay

Very nice. Did they take long to do, I imagine not using the extrude?

can anyone tell me how to draw to a specific size? i have just downloaded it recently my self, done the tutorials, but it does not tell me how to pull/push to a required size. also can you use construction lines? ive been using normal lines then deleting them after.

Very nice. Did they take long to do, I imagine not using the extrude?

Thanks!!!
The one on the right took about an hour because I did not know what I was doing...
The one on the left took less than 5 minutes because I kinda know what to do now... :rolleyes:

I really like this feature as a lot of enclosures and extrusions have DXF and DWG drawings, making it easy to import them into Google Sketchup .

I want to try this with a ballscrew DXF and twist the extrusion to get, I hope, a real looking part...

Jay

can anyone tell me how to draw to a specific size? i have just downloaded it recently my self, done the tutorials, but it does not tell me how to pull/push to a required size.

The video tells you how. After you pull the object (extrude) to any given length, just type the length you want. It should enter into the box in the bottom right corner automatically, and the part will change to the size you want.

You did watch the videos, right? ;)

The video tells you how. After you pull the object (extrude) to any given length, just type the length you want. It should enter into the box in the bottom right corner automatically, and the part will change to the size you want.

You did watch the videos, right? ;)

no. i didn't but i will now!

Here are a couple of parts I was able to create by pulling in some DWG files, getting rid of everything but the top view, and then using the 'Create Face' command in the Utilities section of the Tools menu on each segment.

Took me quite a while to figure this out. THe utilities menu is not there by default. You have to go to Window>Preferences, and choose Extensions and check the Utilities box to get the utilities menu. Thanks for the tip, btw.

Just save me the effort guys.

Can the output of this be loaded into CAM software and hence into G code?

Andy

Sure can. There is a link to a Ruby script that exports an .stl file from SketchUp here. http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpost.php?p=166899&postcount=124

Be sure to rename the file to su2stl.rb, and put it in the Plugins directory where Sketchup is installed. When you run Sketchup, it will create a "Plugin" menu which will contain the .stl export.

Here's a shot in Sketchup, and the .stl loaded into MeshCAM.

If you plan on using Sketchup to create parts for CNC, you'll probably want to increase the arc resolution. When you pick the Arc tool, it defaults to 12 segments. Just tyoe in a higher number for smoother curves. You can see the 12 segments in the curve on the model I posted in the previous post.

If someone hasn't found them yet, there are much more advanced video tutorials at sketchup.com that I didn't see at the google site.

Here is a link that starts the videos. There are over thirty that you can view in order or skip through - may take a while to download.
http://download.sketchup.com/downloads/training/tutorials50/Sketchup%20Video%20Tutorials.html

I think that they are from a different version of the program, but they were helpful for me.
-Jason

So, in short, you could do Sketchup > Export to STL, to MeshCAM?

I was thinking that you could go eMachineshop (Good CAD design, better than Sketchup) without any z-depths, export to DXF. Go to Sketchup, set z-depths, then Export to STL and into MeshCAM or whatever your popular CAM program is...Would that work?

So, in short, you could do Sketchup > Export to STL, to MeshCAM?


That's what I did in the pics above.

Be sure to learn how to use the "Follow Me" tool. It's not in the default toolbar, but I discovered it in the tutorial video's listed above.

I just realised that my Paint Shop Pro program could handle .dxf files. :) I only have the free Google Sketchup version so I cant save in .dxf. Do you see where this is going?....well then I checked to find that Paint Shop Pro cant handle .skp files :( Oh well, back to the drawing board. At least I can export 2D sketchup files as .jpg now and open them in Paint Shop Pro then save as .dxf. So I can kinda convert. :) Im not looking forward to forking out the $400+ for the full sketchup version (Sorry google) but I know Im gonna have to soon......oh well...

PS: My gates have started advancing to the level of nice marketable designs so Im a bit reluctant to put them up in case any future competitors see, at least until Im set up then they'll see anyway I suppose! :rolleyes: But I'm doing some other stuff with sketchup and I'll post that as its finished.

Keep putting up examples of your work in sketchup!! :)

I can export the files for you diarmaid.
The only thing i don`t like is that Sketchup is export in inches even if i use mm so i have to scale it.
Got a lot of drawings but mostly comuter related stuff
Here are some

Thanks for the offer but I'll have it sorted out anyway before I really need it :). Your two pics are really good, have you been using Gogskup long?

I didnt need to do threads, I'll let you know about thread drawing when I try it.

From the google sketchup group I found out that there is a tutorial for drawing threads and seemingly its not difficult but as I dont yet have the full version of the program I cant register and access it. Also there is lots and lots of bolts, screws, etc with threads and all in the google sketchup library for download so I probably dont need to do them myself anyway. Still good to know the capability exists.

I have used Pro Sketchup almost a year weary its easy to learn and make great drawings.
I am a toolmaker so i use UGS at work I have also tried Autodesk Inventor and Solidworks. If you guys are trying to learn a drawing program for your CNC hobby go for Solidworks it`s fast to learn and works with CAM programs

Thanks for the advice. I looked at solidworks site quickly. How much is solidworks office premium?

I'm trying the free version of sketchup, and I've been through the basic tutorials.
I would like to draw a compound curve for a fairing.
Is this possible in the free version, as the pro version is beyond my budget ?
Many thanks
John

I've just found my way through the index to terrain/sandbox, and it looks like the answer to my question is "no". These tools are only supported in the pro version.

Can anyone recommend a free 3d prog that does allow editing of compound curves like spherical surfaces ? Rendering would by nice, but not strictly necessary. I just want to be able to draw a wireframe model of a curved surface, and then be able to rotate it in 3d. (...just !! )
John

Have you tried Alibre Xpress? www.alibre.com/xpress

Im not sure exactly what type of curved surface you mean, but you can create a sphere in the free sketchup and then push and drag the sphere to alter its shape....

Im not sure exactly what type of curved surface you mean, but you can create a sphere in the free sketchup and then push and drag the sphere to alter its shape....

I looked for "sphere" in the help file, but not listed.
Can you check, and give me BDI for it. :)

Thanks,
John

Here is the info you need on sphere:
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39024&query=sphere&topic=0&type=f

Its a pain in the a*# having to do this instead of a sphere tool but it works. :)

Here is the info you need on sphere:

Its a pain in the a*# having to do this instead of a sphere tool but it works. :)

Good grief !

Many thanks Diarmaid. I have been thinking along those lines, and you're right about the position of the pain, but it will get me going(if you see what I mean).
I'm working on a fairing for a tandem trike for us oldies, so if I can draw it. I'll post it.

Regards
John

A little project I'll be starting on in the next week or two.

That looks very nice. What size will it be ger?

Almost 20 feet from end to end. There will also be cabinets and counters behind it.

ger, or anyone else, do you make up your own textures for using in sketchup? If so, do you use digital photos at all to get an accurate representation of a texture or would this even work?

Those are default Sketchup textures in the pic I posted.

I used to do a lot of 3D rendering with high end rendering software, and using photos for textures is very common. However, I haven't tried it with Sketchup, and I'm not sure how it handles the stretching and/or tiling of the image. Try it and see how it works.

My sister was wondering if I could build her a solid oak door for her house to match the other ones she already has. Its an unusual width and will take €600 and until October to get it built by the people who made her other ones originally, so I priced the wood today at €221 and drew these up in sketchup.
The routering is not shown as I didn't bother since I dont need any 3D representations for doing that, and its not going to be done until a later date since I dont own a router yet! Tomorrow Im going to get a digital photo of her current doors and try to put it in as a texture before I show her so I'll post how that turns out. Anyway, thats the background, here are the pics.

I just tried to also upload the .skp extension file, but it says its invalid. Do you think the zone might add '.skp' to their list of accepted extensions so we can share our files?

I just tried to also upload the .skp extension file, but it says its invalid. Do you think the zone might add '.skp' to their list of accepted extensions so we can share our files?

Just .zip it.

Ok, here we go. I hope this worked, I dont zip much stuff. When you open it its the broken view but it should all fit together...! Hopefully people will start including their .skp files now along with their pics. :) I'd love to see servoguy's .skp file from post no.7. Likewise jakarro from post no.22.

The sketchup tutorials at the link below have good details about textures, among others. I saw them today. There seems to be a lot of flexibility with the digital photo route.

http://download.sketchup.com/downloads/training/tutorials50/Sketchup%20Video%20Tutorials.html

Ok, heres a new x-Ray view, pic, and the sketchup file with the Oak texture. I took a photo and pasted it in. It worked very well I think and quite easily. When your aligning the texture to a flat surface I found moving the pins in the order Red - Green - Blue - Yellow works best.

Hi. I noticed that some of the sections in above door are out by 1/16th of an inch. This is very strange as I actually used the typing feature to enter most of the dimensions when drawing. This is not the first time I have noticed parts randomly changing size, or parts that should fit due to centuries of mathematical logic not fitting.....hmmm.....goblins in the program?

Also, after more critical examination, the digital photo texture route needs a bit more effort than I put in. As you can see (Or maybe not but take my word for it!) the oak texture is more dark than it should have been. I suppose this is due to the lighting when I took the photo, not sketchups fault.

Im wondering if anyone downloaded the above zip file of this door, and if so did you get the texture ok? It'd be great if we could share texture photos like this.

Hi. I noticed that some of the sections in above door are out by 1/16th of an inch. This is very strange as I actually used the typing feature to enter most of the dimensions when drawing. This is not the first time I have noticed parts randomly changing size, or parts that should fit due to centuries of mathematical logic not fitting.....hmmm.....goblins in the program?


I doubt it's a problem with the program. More likely you not being careful enough. I see CAD drawings every day with plenty of discrepancies that shouldn't be there, but are due to operator error. ;)

Thanks!!.....nah, your probably right, I should be more careful. :)

Hi. I noticed that some of the sections in above door are out by 1/16th of an inch. This is very strange as I actually used the typing feature to enter most of the dimensions when drawing. This is not the first time I have noticed parts randomly changing size, or parts that should fit due to centuries of mathematical logic not fitting.....hmmm.....goblins in the program?


Found there is a "snap to length" parameter and a "Precision" setting that could be the cause of your issue.
Select Window, Model Info, Units.
You can set the precision to 1/64 in Architectural format or points of feet in Engineering Format and turn the length snapping off.
It looks best of all in decimal, where you can select thousandths or even millionths of inch or mm.
Paul

Thanks paul, I hadn't seen that. I'm gonna mess around with it later and see what difference it makes. If I could even get it to 1/64 inch it would be accurate enough for what Im doing.

Can someone download the door in post No. 43 and see if you can get the oak digital photo texture ok please?

Then we could share textures.

Thanks.

Hi folks. This is something I have to build in the next few weeks time permitting. Drawing it up in sp helped me avoid having to do all the maths to figure out the total lengths of 2x1 needed....I know, Not 'that' complicated but anyway, I just drew them until the space was used up then counted them.....I love drawing to scale! :D
I took a photo of some rough untreated white deal I had lying around for the texture. It'll be built out of pressure treated but didn't have any of that at the moment. Anyone who downloads the .skp will see that I didn't position the textures on the rear....its late....Im tired....nobody will need textures on the rear of the pic for this job. Theres a small single gate to match that I'll post when I have it done up.
L8rs.
PS: Someone let me know about the textures....ref post 49.
Thanks :)
....Also...thanks Paul. Playing around with the Model Units has solved my rogue measurements problems.

"Build it and they will come" Cudo's to Google's marketing , give away a funtional tool, provide online storage for completed designs and models. CADsoft has done the same with Eagle, users grow, libraries grow, tool matures............

I spent a few hours on this today. Sorry guys Im not going to post the skp. file or show any of the dimensions only because this is someone elses plans. I might have missed this in the videos but to move a object to a certain point. Take and click a construction point that meets up with another construction point saves so much time of trying to line things up. If I figured this out in the beginning I would have save a few hours. Hope you enjoyhttp://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/Regnar_Russell/15.jpg http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c334/Regnar_Russell/12.jpg

Did up this drawing for my dads study conversion today in about an hour. Google skup gets really quick when you've used it for a while. Regular concrete texture. 15mm Plasterboard with plaster texture. Digital photos for the wood flooring and the wallpaper. Didn't colour the shelves yet because they're all 1inch and I have to change them to 3/4 inch.

PS: Nobody let me know yet if the textures in the above .zip files worked out ok? Im thinking maybe they're ok opened in the original file but cant be extracted in sketchup for use in other files.....let me know....thnx.

Free!!!!!!!!!! Filzip!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.filzip.com/ :p

Cool. Thankyou toby.

Did you just use the one image? Wood-oak.jpg? It appears to work on my end. The image is apprently emedded in the file.

Thanks ger. Yup just one image to the best of my recollection. Embedded in the file, that means you cant take it somehow and use it in another drawing?
Damn, I thought it might have been included as a seperate .jpg/texture file that split upon unzipping. Oh well. I suppose we can just upload the jpg pics directly. I'll do this with some of mine later.

Hello Diarmaid
Open the Library folder where your installed SketchUp and add a new file New.skm
Then there will be a New blank page in your Materials library open it and then In Model right click on the texture add to Library
The texture will be added to New.skm and you can upload the New.skm in sted of the pics.
Edit:
Try to putt this Brick2.skm in the Library I added 8 new Brick textures

That Brick2 didn't work for some reason. It kept saying Not Found, and even when I could see it copied into the folder, and it showed up as an option in the skup Materials Browser it said this and wouldn't load. I cant figure it out. Could you upload a different material for me to try? Thanks.

L8rs.

Does anyone know an accurate and easier way to do this in sketchup?

I want to draw a solid bendy tube with a second smaller solid bendy rod inside it.

I tried these steps:
1) Make a circle and offset it
2) Draw lots of normal bendy lines from each of the inner and outer circles to the end point.
3) Used 'follow me' on the inner first, then seperately on the outer.

But its quite a complex system of bends for piping and my bends never seem to line up perfectly for both tubes all the way around, with the inner tube sometimes even protruding out of the outer one.

Any ideas?

The problem whit the materials can be that I use the SketchUp 5 not the Google Sketchup

To draw a solid bendy tube with a second smaller solid bendy rod inside it.

trie these steps:
1) Make a circle and offset it
2) Draw normal bendy line from center circle to the center end point.
3) Used 'follow me' on the inner first, then seperately on the outer.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/thelords/Rrby01.jpghttp://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/thelords/Rrby.jpg

Thanks jakrro. Thats a simple solution to a pain in the as@ problem! Avoids two seperate lines that are hard to line up. Now why didn't I think of that! :)

Hi folks. Time to re-ignite this thread! :) Just in case anyone doesn't know, there's an update to Skp Free, and now you can do animations in the free version. :D It doesnt let you save the animations as a video file, but Im getting around this by using my Screen Recorder program to record a video while the animation is running. Anyone have anything new to show? :)

Hi folks. Time to re-ignite this thread! :) Just in case anyone doesn't know, there's an update to Skp Free, and now you can do animations in the free version. :D It doesnt let you save the animations as a video file, but Im getting around this by using my Screen Recorder program to record a video while the animation is running. Anyone have anything new to show? :)


Yep, I downloaded the latest version and was pretty impressed. They now support engineering units, inches, mils, mm's.

I went to the 3D warehouse and found a guy who is building a library of 8020 parts. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?clid=eadc1815869582749b798ae4ffbcdb8f
I think that kind of stuff is perfect for Sketchup. I also am hoping that someone like 10Bulls takes the bull by the horns, no pun intended, and creates a Sketchup friendly CAM tool...

Even a tightwad like me would pay for something like that...

ServoGuy, You can use a STL. Ruby Plugin for sketchup and import it into Meshcam or Freemill and use that. I dont know how much easier it can get (this also works for the free version) http://www.ohyeahcad.com/download/

You can also create all you models in Google Sketchup and open them with Sketchup Pro and save them as a dxf. file. You have 8 hours of free time on the Pro version with 1 email address. Coversion take seconds but counts as a minute.

Also if you are a teacher or know a teacher they can get you a free Pro lisc. for a year just promise to make them some bathroom passes or a name plate.

For $148 you can get the converter from the company above that will allow you to save your skp. file into any 3d format you like.http://www.ohyeahcad.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=211&osCsid=e2fac3440443bd558545471e55cfef2d

Here is a post that shows that it works in Meshcam http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22812

So as you can see you have multiple choices to choose from.