I've been around free software since day one, and what I found incredible about Sketchup is that even if it cost a lot, it is pretty incredible. There is not much I can think of a common wood worker could not do readily with this very free application. It may not work perfect for an architect designing the twin towers, or a design engineer drawing up the final specs of an atomic power plant, but for some guy building a deck, a barn, a kitchen cabinet, a night stand or any of the many things your every day wood worker builds, this is the perfect tool at the perfect price.
BTW, the stickiness is maddening until you use components.
One interesting thing is the "professional" $600 version works about exactly the same as the free version, with the main difference in ability to interact with other design software, not something that would plague your average wood worker.
On a different subject, sorta; I've been using TurboCad for many years (still a novice at it)and I was wondering if it gets any more intuitive as time goes on?? I am embarrassed to say that I still have V7 Pro. I upgraded about
3 times to get there and every time I DID upgrade, it seemed to take forever to get back all the screens and buttons that went somewhere else. Is it better now? Is 3D easier to work with than it was in V7? Turbocad had a "Solid Modeller" back then. It seemed to work pretty well, but was quite limited. But it sure seemed easier to use that this V7. Also, since you are messing with Sketchup: I downloaded an early version and went through the tutorial. It seemed really neat, until I tried a complete drawing. Then, all of a sudden all the neat "intuitive" stuff was over and I'd have to do all the rote learning that I have had to do with Turbocad if I wanted to make it my "default" CAD software. Is Sketchup better now?
It's Legoware. Cute, and somewhat functional. But I admit that when it comes to CAD, I'm a snob. I have become proficient with the package I use. In comparison, SU is awkward and limited.
I wouldn't call TurboCAD the most intuitive CAD program I've ever used. It does get better over time (a little), but some things just don't work when you think they ought to (hey, that just worked a minute ago on this other object, why won't it work HERE?!) and it can be pretty damn maddening.
Don't feel bad; I'm still on V8 Pro (the latest is V15) and I got there in pretty much the same way you did, so I can't really comment on whether it's any better now. Many times I've tried to find a way to upgrade, but they just make it too damn difficult and they want too much money for the Pro version. I've compared the features of Pro and Deluxe and concluded that I don't need any of the Pro features anyway, and since the Deluxe is much cheaper I've downloaded the trial version to attempt a migration. However, many of my V8 drawings won't transfer over because the Deluxe version claims I've used Pro features that aren't supported in Deluxe, even though I don't know exactly what those features are, I didn't use them knowingly, and IMSI support can't tell me how to get around it. Their "solution" was to suggest various vendors that offer the Pro version for a "reasonable" price...
I'm right there with ya; I'm still trying to decide if I can deal with its quirks and if it will have enough functionality to entice me to move, and right now it's looking pretty "iffy". For example, if I draw a line and bisect it with another line, Sketchup now thinks I have
*four* lines instead of two! I really don't like the way it transforms the things I draw into other things entirely. But perhaps that offers me advantages that I don't understand right now, and I want to stick with it and give it a chance; partly becomes it makes 3D design very easy (which I like), and also because I really dig Google's "public warehouse" model. Sketchup users have already built up an impressive collection of publicly accessible drawings, and it seems like the sky could be the limit...
I don't generally bother with components because I have no need to pull out components to be shown separately. The type of things I'm making I just don't need that kind of drawings. And even if I were doing something, say a mission style bench and I have rails with a bunch of mortises. Well, when I go to make those mortises I am probably going to use some kind of template that references from the center of the mortise. So what do I need a drawing of the mortises for? All I need is the location of the centers which I can get from the full drawing. And so I just don't even bother modeling the joint at all, I know what needs to happen there so I just don't see the point in modeling it. I'm the only one who needs to understand the drawing so it doesn't need to be complete, just enough for me to do the job, and possibly to show to a customer who only needs to know what it will look like not how to make it.
It didn't used to do that automatically, you had to tell it to intersect. The Intersect menu function is still there. The main thing is that if it doesn't do that then the intersection doesn't become a hot point that you can easily click on. The only time I really wouldn't want that is if I'm screwing around with something, but you can use undo instead of deleting. But it would be nice to have that as a mode you could turn on and off.
My main annoyance is when you have a hollow area and it insists on redrawing a surface across it every time you do anything along the edge.
It's less about what you need in the model or drawings as keeping things straight with Sketchup. Other CAD systems will manage a certain amount of information behind the scenes. For example, a part may be made up of some extrusions or sweeps, each with an associated sketch and other information. Sub-assemblies contain other assemblies as well as parts made from features of extrusions and such. The relevance here is that Sketchup doesn't do any of that organization for you by itself. Sketchup components are in many ways analogous to parts and sub-assemblies in the other systems. Everything that isn't grouped into a component is part of the global component.
If that's right for what you're doing, that's already more than you need to know. However, it's clear to me from your comments that this is the precisely the problem you're running into. In your mind, the box you're drawing is a board separate from the box already in the model. From Sketchup's point of view, you're trying to connect them together to make a compound shape. The way you tell Sketchup what you have in mind is to group them into separate components.
Draw them if you need them. Don't draw them if you don't. This is independent of the problems you described.
Sketchup is looking over your shoulder, and guessing wrong. Give it a clue.
I can understand what you are talking about here and I used to think that way. Most of what I build can be quite complex and for me the drawings help me to visualize if some thing is going to work or not. Basically the components are not used so that you can pull them out so to speak, you use components so that you can more easily modify a part that may be too long or too wide, etc,.. I recently designed a jewelry chest with sliding dado's for the drawer slides. I made every thing out of components and then assembled a drawer out of copies of the components. Then I grouped that assembly so that I could place it in the cabinet and see how it fit. If it were too long I could easily modify a component part outside the cabinet with out having to remove the drawer. The drawer components would automatically adjust while in place inside the chest.
Maybe! I have probably used 6 or 7 CAD programs since the mid 80's TurboCAD was absolutely the most difficult for me to "attempt" to master. AutoCAD LT eas infinatly easier for me to learn and I used it for about 12 years. Sketchup is as much easier for me to use compared to AutoCAD as AutoCAD ias to TurboCAD.
Sketchup 7 is better than 6 and as mentioned above has become my primary drawing program. Well worth learning to think a little differently as drawings are about 10 times faster using Sketchup 7. The learning curve is pretty shallow especially if you watch a few of the numerous short online tutorials.
It's Legoware. Cute, and somewhat functional. But I admit that when it comes to CAD, I'm a snob. I have become proficient with the package I use. In comparison, SU is awkward and limited.
I was a snob too. ;~) It's pretty much Sketchup 7 all the way for me now. Once you learn to tweak the programs so that the lines look the way you want it seems to be leaps and bounds better for relatively small drawings. I consider relatively small to include a complete set of plans for a house. Memory may become a problem with tall commercial buildings or large landscapes such as a city park.
You really have to learn the program to appreciate it.
Folks can't seem to grasp that SU is not CAD and doesn't claim to be ... it is "surface modeling" software. Comparison is misleading and a waste of time.
Actually there's a better way of doing it so you don't have to type that in. Go to Window -> Model Info -> Dimensions. Under Dimension set to "Align to dimension line" to either above or outside. 'Outside' appears to just be below.
The hide function I was talking about is under "expert dimension settings"
LOL Kidding aside, I think SU is a wonderful option for people to get into computerised design and SU appears to be a hit. And I'll stop with my Bob-The-Builder jokes, okay? And you're right, people should not compare SU with CAD because it is indeed misleading. What I did find really interesting, is that Google/SU immediately supported Macs. That was cool.
Incidentally, I use my CAD program as a surface modeller as well. Such is the world of NURBS.
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