“… the book is wonderfully illustrated with full color and descriptive images that complement each tutorial or exercise. Alex’s teaching background really rings through as every item is nicely structured and very informative. Overall Alex’s book is a winner. Well structured, illustrated and most of all easy to read and understand. While the overall theme is based in architecture, the techniques can be applied to any discipline and the wide range of topics covered are excellently delivered.”
-Richard O’Brien, CatchUp Editor, the official Sketchucation newsletter
The one-stop guide to SketchUp for architects, designers, and builders
SketchUp is the tool of choice for architects, interior designers, and construction professionals. Though the basics are simple to understand, getting the most out of it requires deeper instruction and guidance. Architectural Design with Google SketchUp uses easy-to-understand tutorials to describe both common and advanced process, illustrated throughout with full-color renderings.
Acknowledgments ix
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
About This Book 1
3D for All 5
How Does SketchUp Fit into the Designer’s Toolbox? 6
Windows or Mac, Free or Pro? 7
How This Book Works 9
Let’s Go! 10
Chapter 2: A SketchUp Refresher 11
Let’s Get Started! 11
Interface and Program Setup 12
Adjusting Preferences 15
Working with Templates 17
Setting Units and Fonts 18
Adding Components 20
Views 20
Completed Template 21
SketchUp’s Tool Set 22
Navigating the 3D Model 22
Accurate Modeling 24
Groups and Components 29
Applying Materials 39
Other Tools 43
SketchUp Best Practices 45
Chapter 3: Using SketchUp to Inform Your Designs 48
Group- and Component-Based Modeling 48
Effective Use of Groups and Components 49
Modeling with Manufacture in Mind 54
Using Dynamic Components to Your Advantage 63
Where Does SketchUp Fit into the BIM Workflow? 71
Geo-Based Modeling 77
Chapter 4: Using Plugins Effectively 80
What Does a Plugin Do? 80
Getting Plugins 81
Installing Plugins 82
Uninstalling and Organizing Plugins 84
Plugin Overview 85
Plugins for General Modeling 86
Plugins for Architectural Modeling 99
Plugins for Digital Fabrication 103
Plugins for Data Integration and Exchange 114
Plugins for Animation and Presentation 116
Plugins for Analysis 120
Chapter 5: Rendering in SketchUp 129
Let’s Get Visual! 129
What Is Already in SketchUp? 129
Overview of Rendering Methods 135
What Is Photorealistic Rendering? 136
Rendering Techniques 141
Rendering Software 141
Set up Kerkythea and Create a Rendering 145
Setting Up Rendering Components 155
Modeling 155
Environment 160
Lighting 168
Materials 186
Objects 206
Rendering Tips 223
Making Renderings Presentable 224
Combining SketchUp Output and Rendered Output in Photoshop 225
Other Methods 227
Chapter 6: Creating Geometry Using Ruby Scripting 229
Why Computational Geometry? 229
Setting Up Your Computer 231
Installing the Ruby Code Editor Plugin 233
Other Options: More Plugins and External Editors 235
Intro to Ruby and the SketchUp API 235
How Does Ruby Work? 236
What’s in SketchUp’s Ruby API? 241
Links to Further Reading 244
Creating Geometry with Ruby 245
Lots of Boxes 246
Lots of Boxes with Color 248
Creating a Small City 250
Randomizing Extrusions 251
Using Formulas for Patterned Panels 252
Plotting Data from Text Files 254
Saving Vertices to a Text File 257
Transformations Change Things Up 258
Lots of Boxes Using Components 260
Building a Curved Wall 261
Placing Components on Faces 262
Randomizing Everything 265
Attracted to Attractors 266
Coloring Faces by Proximity 267
Scaling Objects by Proximity 269
Solar-Responsive Design 271
What Else Is Possible with This? 273
Some Pitfalls and Things to Watch Out For 274
Appendices
Appendix A: SketchUp Quick Reference Cards 275
Appendix B: Ruby Class and Method Reference 280
Appendix C: SketchUp API Class and Method Reference 282
Appendix D: Creating Your Own Plugins 291
RBZ Plugin File Structure 291
Plugin Template Structure 291
Appendix E: Dynamic Component Function Reference 294
Index 297
Overview
“… the book is wonderfully illustrated with full color and descriptive images that complement each tutorial or exercise. Alex’s teaching background really rings through as every item is nicely structured and very informative. Overall Alex’s book is a winner. Well structured, illustrated and most of all easy to read and understand. While the overall theme is based in architecture, the techniques can be applied to any discipline and the wide range of topics covered are excellently delivered.”
-Richard O’Brien, CatchUp Editor, the official