Final Comments on Sketchup

[Marty]

The light finally went on!!!!

Last week I posted my comments on Sketchup about the inability of using Sketchup to provide drawings to build from.

From that posting I received many useful and helpful comments.

Most suggested I learn to use scenes and layers to detail the components used in my projects. Sooooo... I have spent the last few days coming to terms with with scenes and layer and have triumphed!!!!

As my first sentence indicates the light came on and now I have a good understanding of how to use S's and L's.

I want to thank all of you for your helpful comments. I suspect I could not have done it without you!!

My new mantra is Scenes and Layers, Scenes and Layers ooommm. The spouse thinks I have gone over the hill but not so.

Marty Kovacs Very Happy Vermont Woodworker

[Swingman]

LOL ... the program is like a deep, placid lake ... deceptively shallow looking, but with a depth that defies all those preconceived notions when you jump in with both feet. :)

One of the most productive things I've done with the app is to master Scenes, Layers, and Hide ... can be powerful tools for both design and presentation when used in combination.

On that same note: Joe Zeh at Swamp Road Wood Works reworked a handy layers.rb with added functionality and tool bar icons that makes adding visible and hidden layers much easier to use without risking having to update all project scenes.

You should find it for download in his Sketchup section under his "my favorite ruby scripts" at

[Bob La Londe]

Once you get over the hill you start to pick up speed.

[SonomaProducts.com]

Fantastico!

Sounds like you have leaped ahead of many of the posters who tried to help. I am inspired to look into this now myself.

Sketchup is surely pulling from the state-of-the-art in mid to high- end 3D CAD systems. They have all moved towards building parts in context with associated views as drawings, hiding all the other parts and auto updating any changes because the apparent 2D drawing is really just some live view of the model.

The next evolving concept is showing "in process" parts where you can see the part blank and then each stage of the process as material is milled away a process at a time.

[Leon]

Snip

With the push pull and follow me tool you do sorta see the part being milled or unmilled. ;~)