Sketchup goes "Minority Report" with Multitouch

If you've been a Sketchup user for any length of time at all, you'll know that you NEED to have a mouse with a wheel to navigate a Sketchup model.  Check out this older, but completely relevant video that Google has done on the subject.

When I am out on the road, I always have my MacBook Pro with me.  I use this for modeling in Sketchup on the go.  I always bring with me a three button mouse.  This can sometimes be a pain if I am in a place where there isn't adequate room for a mouse.  Sometimes I simply forget the mouse.  Its really time consuming to model without it though.  With the wheel mouse you can orbit, pan, and zoom while you are in the middle of a drawing operation.  This is essential to fast modeling.  If you don't have a wheel mouse, you have to stop every time you want to orbit, pan or zoom and click a command from the toolbar if you are using the trackpad.

Well just the other day I discovered that there is a better, multitouch way.  Its not as slick as this types of gestures you'd find on an iPad, but it certainly makes modeling faster.  Check out this video I did demonstrating the process.  Note that this method works only for MacBooks.

I am so happy I discovered this method.  Try it out for yourself, you can pretend that you are ">Tom Cruise from "Minority Report"

The Wild Wild 3D West

One of the things that makes Sketchup such a fast modeling tool is the 3D Warehouse. The 3D Warehouse is an online repository where anyone can upload and share their 3D models with anyone in the world. This makes Sketchup an even faster modeler, because sometimes it's just quicker to download a model then make it yourself!

Right now the 3D Warehouse is like the wild wild west. Anyone can post content to the 3D warehouse. From large companies to Hot Pocket fueled basement dwelling teenagers. This makes what you can find in the 3D warehouse a bit of a mixed bag. Here is some photographic evidence of the problem. (Note that my kitchen IS drawn to scale here)

This was the top hit for the search "Plate"

This was the top hit for the search "knife"

This was the top hit for the search "coffee maker"

As you can see, a LOT of these models aren't drawn to scale. That doesn't mean they aren't usuable though! A simple use of the scale tool will solve that.

Now, what you have seen so far are amateur efforts at creating models. Honestly, there are some great amateur attempts out there. The biggest mistake made is not drawing things to scale. Using the scale tool fixes this really quickly. If you can get over that, there is a lot of great stuff out there.

But what about real products, ones that are guaranteed to work, and are models of actual things that you might specify? Well a lot of companies have stepped up and created some wonderful models that I use on a daily basis.

Here are some links to some notables (in no particular order)

Brizo Faucets

These are great models. Contained in each model is a wealth of information. See this post to learn more.

Kraftmaid Cabinetry

This is a great collection of cabinets. What's nice is not only do they make the individual cabinet models, they also make available displays and other designers projects for download. It may look a little overwhelming when you first see this collection, but it's full of great models that you can download and explore. Use them for inspiration on your next project!

Jenn Air

I don't sell appliances, so unless I am trying to find the exact model a customer has, I use these. Why do I use these? This is the biggest collection of models of appliances on the 3D warehouse. They all match each other, and they are organized very well. Jenn Air is trying to get designer "Mind Share" by making these models really easy to use, and its worked!

I maintain a list of products that I think are great models. These are ones that I use frequently. Click here to see all of my collections.

If you are signed into Google when you go to these, you can add my collections to your collections. What's nice about this is that when I update my collections yours will be updated too. Not only do you not have to model, but you can let me maintain your collections as well!

Happy Sketching!

A table, the dynamic way

Hey folks, I just wanted to share this little gem I found in the 3D Warehouse with you...

A lot of times in kitchen design, the kitchen table plays a big part in the design.  I find myself often placing one in my designs. They are pain to draw, and its hard sometimes to find the right size one on the 3D Warehouse.

No more though!  With the advent of Dynamic Components, we can use one table for whatever we need in terms of size!

If you search for "dc table google" in the 3D Warehouse you'll come across one that looks like this:

There is more then meets the eye with the table.  Its dynamic, that means you have choices.

If you use the scale tool on this table, and stretch it out, it automagically gets longer without getting distorted, and it will throw in the correct amount of chairs.

If you right click on the table, and select the menu called "Dynamic Components" and then "Component Options" You are exposed to a menu that shows several different options for the table.  You can change the color of the cushions. You can select if you want the chairs at random angles, or if you have a touch of OCD, you can have them lined up perfectly.  

You can even use the "Interact" tool to hide certain chairs.

You can even make the largest table in the world with just using your scale tool. (You may want to NOT do this if you are using an underpowered machine!)

This table is really useful, and I use it all the time.  Its so easy to scale it to the size that you need, it sure beats drawing something from scratch.  Check out this great DC to save you time on your next design!

Designing with Corian in Sketchup

Have you ever had that friend that broke up with their significant other, and started another relationship weeks, or even days after it ended?  That can be a tough transision, one that rarely ever works.  Usually the reasons for starting the new relationship aren't thought through, and it almost always end up not working out in the end...

When I teach people Sketchup, I tell them that they don't have to give up their current solution, no matter how bad it is!  Throwing away your current solution and jumping into another without learning it first can be a disaster, no matter how great the new system is.  A smooth transition is the way to go.

A great way to get started in Sketchup, without switching overnight is to draw small parts of your project in it.  I started in Sketchup using it for countertop quotes.  Countertop quotes are really easy to draw, and easy to understand.  Even if you start a Sketchup countertop and give up, one can draw a countertop quote in pencil in a matter of minutes.  The risk is very low to try it out, and the reward is some great Sketchup training.

A typical countertop quote for me looks like this:

With the introduction of the Corian Private collection, I had a customer that didn't understand the grain direction in Corian, and what that would look like.  If you aren't familiar with the Corian Private collection, take a look at this picture:

The "grain" on the Corian Private collection series typically runs in one direction.  This poses a problem when you get to joints, as that grain will have to change direction.  In this case, it's mitered.

In a typical "U" shaped kitchen, you could have two joints.  What do you do, do you mitre?  Do you do butt joints?  More to the point, even if you understand what this will look like, will your customer?

Enter my solution.  The picture below is a Sketchup model.  It was drawn to accurate dimensions, and the texture is an actual picture of a Corian Saffron slab.  I was able to draw the countertop, draw in the seams, place and rotate the textures, all in minutes.

To do this, first start by drawing your countertop in Sketchup.  You can draw in a backsplash, and you should also draw lines separating the deck where you would like the seam.  This separates the faces of your countertop so that you can put a texture on each face, and rotate it to you liking.  My drawing started out looking like this:

Notice I plan on doing two butt joints.  So I drew lines across the deck where those seams are going to be.  The next step is to apply your textures.  You can create Corian Private Collection texture like I did, or you can download this model at the end of the post and experiment with the texture that is already in the model.  Place the texture on the first leg of your countertop, like this:

Now, I want this "grain" to be running the long way.  Its really easy to do, just right click on the face with the texture, and select "Texture" and then select "Position"

Now, this will put the texture into a mode that will allow you to scale it, twist it, and distort it.  You can do this by grabbing and pulling the pins that are around the texture.  YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!  Using those pins is a great method for distorting textures, and getting them to fit on faces, but in this case, we want to maintain the scale of the texture.  I went to a lot of trouble photographing that texture so that it would be the right scale in the drawing, there is no need to ruin all that hard work!

So, if you right click again, and select "Rotate" and then "90" the texture will be rotated 90 degrees.  The scale won't be affected at all, and you didn't have to drag any of those pins around.  If you see the edge of a texture, you can just click and drag the texture around to place it where you want it on the face.  These textures are drawn the exact size of Corian slabs, so this can help you determine if you need another seam if you have a really long counter. (Always check with your favorite fabricator too!)

Right click again, and select "Done".  Now your "grain" should be running in this direction:

 Now, repeat this process for the other two faces.  Rotate as needed.

 Now, lastly you have those black lines across your seams, which I don't like personally.  Its really easy to get rid of them.  You can either right click on each line and select "Hide" or, you can use the Erase tool while holding shift.  When using the Erase tool WHILE holding shift, any lines that you go over this way will be hidden.  If you use the erase tool without holding shift, you will actually remove the line and the two adjacent faces will be connected, and your textures won't be rotated the right way.

So, while this may seem time consuming, its really not.  I can now create a drawing just like this in about 15 minutes or less.  Its a great way to show how Corian, and granite seams are going to look, and makes a really professional document for both your customer, and your fabricators. The dimensioned schematic that you see here was created in LayOut, which I will cover in a future post.

Search for "Corian Saffron" countertop in Sketchup's 3D warehouse, or download the model with the link below.

These instructions are a brief overview of how this process is done.  If you have any specific questions, please feel free to post in the comments below, or contact us directly.

Layers!

People love choices these days!  Us kitchen designers see that all the time.  With so many choices, how do you show all the options in Sketchup without doing multiple drawings?


Its easy really, you use layers.  Layers are collections of Sketchup geometry.  The beauty of layers is that they can be hidden and shown at anytime.


Basically what this means is that you can show any number of options in a kitchen, whether that be different appliances, cabinets, colors, or walls.  All you have to do is draw each option, and put it on a layer.  To show that option, simply enable that layer, and disable the others.


If you are using groups, which you should be, you can easily put groups on layers, this creating options...  I tell you what, just watch the video!