Google Sketchup - Free 3D Software

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

backwater

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Waleska, GA
While looking for some (free!) software to make tutorial drawings, I stumbled into Google's Sketchup program. The professional version costs lots of money, but they have a simpler version that's free. My kind of software :lol: The site is here:

https://www.drawingcoach.com/free-drawing-software.html

There's more than one program on that site, but Sketchup caught my eye. The learning curve doesn't appear to be as insane as AutoCad and other cad programs; in fact, after about an hour taking the video tutorials, I was kinda up and running with it. There's a lot to learn, to be sure, but it seems to be user friendly.

To test it, I made a simple drawing of a 1448 jon (you can draw to scale with it). I quickly realized this would be a great tool not only for concept drawings but to obtain rough dimensions for planning purposes. Don't know what the system requirements are as far as processor speeds and memory go, but they don't mention it so it must run well on most computers.

Anyway, here's a couple of screenshots. Don't critique my design :mrgreen: I was just playing around with it for the first time in a general way to see if it would help in the preliminary design stage.

(I posted this here instead of in the computer forum because I thought it would be of general interest - you guys can move it if you think that would be best)
 

Attachments

  • Sketchup_TopView.jpg
    Sketchup_TopView.jpg
    18.9 KB · Views: 307
  • Sketchup_with_Notes.jpg
    Sketchup_with_Notes.jpg
    27.5 KB · Views: 307
  • SketchupShaded1.jpg
    SketchupShaded1.jpg
    25.6 KB · Views: 308
I looked into that a while back, didn't spend much time with it, but it looks pretty cool. I have Solidworks at work so I don't need anything like that, but for free software it is pretty popular.

designs look good for just goofing around. Keep going, pretty soon you'll have your own boat company. :D
 
First off, for just playing around, that's a nice drawing.

I took a landscape design class at a local college last year and my instructor said that Sketchup is quickly becoming the standard software for laying out landscapes. I've installed it, but haven't had any spare time to play with it. Looks pretty powerful. I'd love to have a very detailed version of my boat in there. Would be very cool to get a realistic visual of what different things would look like.

-- Poolie
 
Nice rendering.I been using the school addition(FREE) of Sketch Up since it's release and they keep improving it.It's not far from being commercial grade.
 

Latest posts

Top