Jason Wu & Brizo now in Sketchup!

If you aren't aware of Brizo faucets, you should be.  Brizo was started about eight years ago as a spinoff of from the Delta faucet company.  Brizo is quite the opposite of a mass production, engineering first, design second faucet company.

Much like Apple, Ferrari, and other boutique companies they focus on the design of their products above all else.  They apparently drive their engineers insane asking for the impossible.  A few years ago, to further their commitment to design they partnered with Jason Wu, a then up-and-coming fashion designer.  Since then, he's worked closely with Brizo developing the lastest design's in faucets.

Just recently, an entire line of Jason Wu bath products has been launched.  No longer do you just get a great faucet, you get towel bars, soap dishes, cabinet pulls, and even a trash bin.  All of these are made by Brizo, and designed by Jason Wu so they all look fantastic together.  Want to check them out?  Head over here to see them (and preorder)

How about this, do you want to see them in 3D?  Well you can!  Just fire up Sketchup and go to your components window (Window>Components) and punch in "Jason Wu" into the Google Search.  You can get this entire line in 3D to use on your next bath model!

I am working on a bath design right now, I will be posting it later in the week.

If you use these, I'd love to see what you come up with, so feel free to post your models in the comments!

Click here to see the Jason Wu models in the 3D warehouse!

Make your textures even better!

So obviously I am a huge Sketchup nerd, but I've never been that good at Photoshop or any other photo editing software for the computer.  Just because someone has a camera, doesn't mean their a photographer, and just because I have Photoshop doesn't mean I am a graphic artist.

There is hope however!  You can use Photoshop, or any other photo editing program on your computer to edit your textures.  That's right, beyond Sketchup's built in photo editing abilities, you can take things to the next level with a photo editor.

Even with my lack of photo editing skills, I can leverage Photoshop to clean up my textures, remove blemishes, and make nice repeating textures.

This demo will show you how to link Sketchup up with your favorite photo editor and start messing around with all of your textures.  Don't worry though, I won't show you how to use Photoshop, you'll have to find your nearest graphic artist or 14 year old for that.

Put your models on a diet!

In just a few days we are heading into what I like to call the "Eating Season".  Diets go out the window, people eat everything in sight, and then New Years resolutions usually are formulated based on this period of overeating.  While I am not going to offer you any diet advice, I can show you how to put your Sketchup models on a diet.  This is one New Years resolution that you'll be able to keep!

Did you know that when you model in Sketchup, every time you bring a new material, or a new component it's saved in your Sketchup model even if you delete it from your model?  That's right, even if you delete a material or a component from your model, it's still taking up space when you save your model.  Thankfully there is a really easy way to purge all of these left over materials and components.  Click past the jump to see a short and sweet video on how to do this.

Learn to use the Tape Measure tool

Over the past few weeks I have been doing posts suggested by my Twitter friends.  Corey Klassesn mentioned that he learned about the "Unglue" feature of Sketchup, so I did a post about that.  Last week, my friend Arne Salvesen asked me a question on Twitter about the Tape Measure tool.  I thought today would be a great time to do a little video on just that topic.  I use the Tape Measure tool constantly while modeling in Sketchup.  In it's basic form, it works just like any old tape measure.  You can also use it to draw construction lines too.  I use this feature to lay out windows, doors, and cabinets from my field dimensions.

Click past the jump to watch the video.

If you have a question on Sketchup, drop it in the comments, or ask me on Twitter!

RE RUN: Brizo VS Miami Vice

How can you compare Brizo to Miami Vice, and put a design software spin on it?  Read on past the break to find out!  If you have any questions, drop us a comment at the end of the post!

VS

Out with the old, and in with the new!

I am sure most kitchen designers out there have seen this in their designs, using their "favorite" design program:

There's an old TV show that comes to mind whenever I see this...

Well, with the help of Brizo Faucets, Igloo Studios, and Sketchup, you can now have cool faucets like this:

How much better does that look?  Even if you don't like that faucet, the beauty is in the utility, as that faucet ACTUALLY EXISTS!  Yes, its a Brizo Faucet that can be found right inside Sketchup from their 3D warehouse collection.  So whether or not you think its good looking or not, your client might love it!

Now, about that utility part....  This faucet does more then just put on a good show, it actually helps you out with your work...  Do remember what I have been saying in the past that Sketchup is becoming your one stop place for design information?  Well check out what you can get if you "right click" on this faucet and select "Dynamic Components" and then "Options":

Now this has got some important technical information in it, kinda boring, but necessary at times.  The really useful and cool part is the "Product page" link in there, that brings you to this page:

Thats right, without ever leaving Sketchup you can search for, and insert Delta and Brizo faucets right into your model!  Imagine doing a design with a client, and you are deciding on faucets, would you rather flip through a spec book, or show them their faucet, in their kitchen, live in 3D?!  The best part too is that with the website links, all the options, and prices are right there!

Sketchup can help sell kitchens, and now it can help sell faucets!  Miami Vice was good, but who really watches that show anymore?

Try these models out, open Sketchup's component browser, and search for "Brizo"