Penny Arcade Forums› Games and Technology› Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern
The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

Google Sketchup

halkunhalkun Registered User regular
edited February 2009 in Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern
sketchup.jpg

I don't know if you guys have played with this thing yet, but as someone who is heavy into 3D as a hobby, you have to give this a shot.

Sketchup is a 3D architecture visualization tool that Google bought to make assets in Google Earth. The application is free and the program itself is crazy-simple to use. You can also make anything with it, Houses are the easiest, but it can be extended to pretty much any building, or anything really. I've even started to draw out Balumb Garden using the Photosnap tool (Oh god, I'm such a nerd!) and it's completely fantastic.

It can be a mindless timewaster if you don't watch it.

You can get Sketchup here

However, the tutorial to use it you can get for free online. There is even a free "for dummies" series. It starts at Chapter 2, but just follow along. It only took me a day to learn.

Have you guys tried it? What do you think?

halkun on

Posts

  • L*2*G*XL*2*G*X Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    How about Blender? It's an open source freeware application, which rocks. It's extremely hard to learn, which sucks. But it's not owned by the G-company, at least.

    I mean, Sketchup is a toy leased to you by a multinational that is intent of owning the entire digital sphere, and branching out into analog reality. Even if they are 'not evil' now, it's a bit too much power to leave in anbody's hands...

    L*2*G*X on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    L*2*G*X wrote: »
    How about Blender? It's an open source freeware application, which rocks. It's extremely hard to learn, which sucks. But it's not owned by the G-company, at least.

    I mean, Sketchup is a toy leased to you by a multinational that is intent of owning the entire digital sphere, and branching out into analog reality. Even if they are 'not evil' now, it's a bit too much power to leave in anbody's hands...

    Okay, that's a pretty bad reason not to use the software.

    A better reason is that I find it difficult to be precise in SketchUp... to get it to do what I want. Still, it's pretty nifty software, just for trying something different.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    I use Blender all the time. It's a good modeler. Sketchup is supposed to be used as part of a workflow, not an end product. As far as accuracy goes, Believe it or not, Sketchup wins much more so than Blender. Unlike blender, Sketchup defaults to real word measurements. If you draw a line, for example, you can directly type in the length via the VCD box in the lower right hand corner. If you are talking about the inference snaps, where where the pointer will "snap" to vertexes, edges, faces, and other inference marks, you simply zoom in and watch the VCD to the correct length. The cool thing is you can take a Sketchup file and impot it into Blender. (Or export it to a another 3D version in Sketchup Pro)

    It great for sketching out floor plans, but you can use it as part of a workflow to make things like source maps. (Sketchup -> Blender -> map -> hammer)

    halkun on
  • OremLKOremLK Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    Yes, it's the inference thing that gives me trouble. I often find it difficult to get lines started from where I want them/in the direction I want them. Makes me long for good old orthographic views. Which I might be able to have in SketchUp, I haven't used it extensively enough to dig through all the options--I just know the default setup tends to give me difficulties.

    OremLK on
    My zombie survival life simulator They Don't Sleep is out now on Steam if you want to check it out.
  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    It's under the "camera" menu, you can turn off perspective and make the camera go to top/side/front/ortho

    halkun on
  • VistiVisti Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    Everyone who's into Sketchup should look at this: Renowned (and furiously talented) concept art team Massive Black uses Sketchup to do concept art for games:

    Jebus!

    There's also a downloadable (although for monies) tutorial on exactly how they utilize it here: http://dvd.massiveblack.com/downloads.html#kemp


    EDIT: I'm not affiliated, but I will take any chance to pimp Massive Black, because they are seriously the shiz.

    Visti on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • 1ddqd1ddqd Registered User regular
    edited January 2009
    It's a great tool I use for quick little thoughts I have, that I want to visualize (like building shelves and getting a quick mental inventory for what I need). If you need evidence as to the power of sketchup firsthand, check out Bit-Tech's component collection here

    1ddqd on
  • halkunhalkun Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    I'm such a nerd!

    workjpgnx9.th.png

    halkun on
  • VistiVisti Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    halkun wrote: »
    I'm such a nerd!

    workjpgnx9.th.png

    That's both terrible and awesome.

    Visti on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • GihgehlsGihgehls Registered User regular
    edited February 2009
    This looks like it would be good for doodling Littlebigplanet ideas on my break.

    Gihgehls on
    PA-gihgehls-sig.jpg
Sign In or Register to comment.
Penny Arcade Forums› Games and Technology› Moe's Stupid Technology Tavern