# Google Sketchup



## bull (Jan 4, 2010)

Has anybody tried using Google SketchUp to preview set design concepts. How has it worked. I am considering trying it, but don't want to lug my laptop to the school tomorrow if it is crap. Who's got some war stories to share.


----------



## Footer (Jan 4, 2010)

I use it for every design I do. If you look at my website, all of the renderings were modeled in sketchup. The lighting renderings where done in WYSIWYG with sketchup models. Its a great tool for scene design.


----------



## bull (Jan 4, 2010)

Footer said:


> I use it for every design I do. If you look at my website, all of the renderings were modeled in sketchup. The lighting renderings where done in WYSIWYG with sketchup models. Its a great tool for scene design.


Is WYSIWYG free, I can't tell from the vast amount of random websites I found.


----------



## Les (Jan 4, 2010)

bull said:


> Is WYSIWYG free?



Nooo, far from it, unless you qualify for a student version or something (If there is such a thing).


----------



## Footer (Jan 4, 2010)

bull said:


> Is WYSIWYG free?



If you consider 2.5 to 5 grand free, yes, its free. 

https://www.cast-soft.com/cast/products/meetwysiwyg.php


----------



## bull (Jan 4, 2010)

Footer said:


> If you consider 2.5 to 5 grand free, yes, its free.
> 
> https://www.cast-soft.com/cast/products/meetwysiwyg.php


HA... I was confused...


----------



## bull (Jan 4, 2010)

It looks like I can get a Student edition of WYSIWYG Design for $200 and WYSIWYG Preform for $500


(sorry about that TOS Violation footer... didn't even notice it...)


----------



## Anvilx (Jan 5, 2010)

I love google Sketchup, its a pretty solid program. And I have seen it used for set design at my sisters middle school. Additionally some wood workers use it to generate cut lists for projects. Though I am more of the mindset that it sould just be used as a tool for mock up and not full on CAD.


----------



## zuixro (Jan 5, 2010)

Last year, I needed to cut a regular octagon out of one by (all angles and sides the same). Instead of spending 15 minutes doing the math and still probably getting it wrong, I just went into sketchup drew it out, and had all the cuts done in 5 minutes. (although the first time I accidentally took 5 off of all the angles and ended up making a septagon, it was quickly remedied though)


----------



## Van (Jan 5, 2010)

My resisdent designer and I use it all the time. If you check my blog on here you can see a ray-traced rendering I did of the front of our building recently. I used Google SketchUp <free> for the modeling and Kerkythea < a free program as well> for the ray-tracing. It's a rather indispensible tool around here for dealing with Directors and others that have a hard time visualizing some things.


----------



## bull (Jan 5, 2010)

yea... i'm really loving it so far... it's REALLLLY taking some getting used to though...

Another problem I have run in to is my lack of ability to use internet at my school... they won't let personal computers on the school network. But, I'm working around it... I'll just do it at home.


----------



## Van (Jan 5, 2010)

I feel Sketchup is much easier to use than a lot of 3d progs. the Inference Engine is weird at first, but it shouldn't take you very long to figure out how to best use it. Remeber that the Inference engine takes a lot of clues from you and where you put your cursor.


----------



## Jackalope (Jan 5, 2010)

How does Google sketch up relate to VW renderworks? I'm learning that as we speak, would I be better to switch at this point?


----------



## Van (Jan 5, 2010)

Jackalope said:


> How does Google sketch up relate to VW renderworks? I'm learning that as we speak, would I be better to switch at this point?


 
Not a VW user. I can tell you that SketchUp has a very gentle learning urve. But VW is a standard I would not shy away from, especially if you are currently learning it.


----------



## Footer (Jan 5, 2010)

Learn vectorworks. Sketchup you can master in an afternoon. However, its not nearly as powerful. 

I tried to learn vectorworks a few times and never really succeeded. Last time I tried was on 11.5. I am pretty much a die hard AutoCAD user. I won't even move off of AutoCAD2004. 

So, learn everything you can now before your mind and your hands wrap around a certain way of doing things.


----------



## Van (Jan 5, 2010)

Footer said:


> ...... I won't even move off of AutoCAD2004.
> 
> So, learn everything you can now before your mind and your hands wrap around a certain way of doing things.


 
I just got 2005 ! MmmmmEh !


----------



## Footer (Jan 5, 2010)

Van said:


> I just got 2005 ! MmmmmEh !



I used a copy of 2009 that my buddy had at work. I could not even start using it without throwing back into "classic" mode. Ya. It sucks. But I can do what I need to do with 04.


----------



## Van (Jan 5, 2010)

I have to admit the switch from r14 to 2005 was huge. At times I miss my right click repeat but i love having al the other options. Oh well. 
Back to GSU. Love it! Learn it! Learn AutoCAD and VW. Then you can work anywhere!


----------



## Jackalope (Jan 6, 2010)

Footer said:


> I used a copy of 2009 that my buddy had at work. I could not even start using it without throwing back into "classic" mode. Ya. It sucks. But I can do what I need to do with 04.



True, the Ribbon style is a real deviation in the GUI which has been really unchanged for several versions...until 2009. But ironically I do like it better after making myself use it for a production (and because our lab has this version and I look like a schmuck in front of students when I can't teach the new version).
Now I find I actually prefer it to the older versions and find the toolbars are easier to find and clutter the workspace a lot less.


----------



## shiben (Jan 6, 2010)

As for google sketchup, 2 major things. It is great for design visualization, because you can easily and quickly hammer stuff out that looks just as good as your painted perspective drawing, but this one can be rotated, etc. for the director to look like. Making a view of the stage from any extreme angle is not at all hard. As long as your set does not have compound curves (which any CADD program has trouble doing fast, imo), you can actually make pretty quick changes on the fly. Then you can toss it into Vectorworks (via export on sketchup and import on VW) to do a light plot on top of the set, or to make actual drafting of the set. During my scene design class, it made it so easy to make a perspective drawing, and to see if my design was actually buildable in real life. Thus, its a great visualisation tool. Second, though, it has serious lighting issues. You need to use some other program to do the lighting, because sketchup just wont do the trick. So if your the LD, and your director wants the scene lit, get a copy of WYSIWYG or VW to do that rendering. 

Overall, I love sketchup, and think that this kind of program is really great for sketches and rough plans. No substitute for drafting, but definately a great creative tool.


----------



## bull (Jan 6, 2010)

Ok, Seeing as I'm a student, and completely broke, with a lack of a stable job that will pay enough to get me anything except for lunch, a tad of gas, and occasionaly a phone bill... does anybody know of a free program that is at most decent for lighting design. I see I can get the student edition of Vectorworks for free, but I don't believe I can get spotlight for free too...


----------



## erosing (Jan 6, 2010)

You get the whole package buddy. Designer(machine, arch, spot, land,) plus renderworks. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bull (Jan 6, 2010)

Oh, I didn't know that Designer included everything. Awesome. Also, do you know if they give student editions to High School students? It says Higher Education, I think I am going to try anyway.


----------



## masterelectrician2112 (Jan 6, 2010)

I like sketchup because it's free and it's fun to mess around with. I have uploaded a few models to the "warehouse" They are very simple but that is about all that I am capable of at this point. 
These are all (6) of my models:
Google 3D Warehouse Search


----------

