Sketchup

FeelixTC · August 05, 2013, 04:17:57 PM

Anyone ever used Google Sketchup before?

I have to create some plans for a planning application and was thinking of using Sketchup, but wondered if anyone had any feedback on it's use?

Thanks

Mitch

AndyGif · August 05, 2013, 04:27:14 PM

Quote from: FeelixTC on August 05, 2013, 04:17:57 PM
Anyone ever used Google Sketchup before?

I have to create some plans for a planning application and was thinking of using Sketchup, but wondered if anyone had any feedback on it's use?

Thanks

Mitch

its no longer Google Sketchup, its owned by Trimble now.

I couldn't get on with it.

moved onto Autocad 123D and when that terminally broke on my PC moved up the food chain to a student copy of Autodesk Inventor 2013. Get on a lot better with that than i ever did with Sketchup.

FeelixTC · August 05, 2013, 04:35:11 PM

Quote from: AndyGif on August 05, 2013, 04:27:14 PM
its no longer Google Sketchup, its owned by Trimble now.

I couldn't get on with it.

moved onto Autocad 123D and when that terminally broke on my PC moved up the food chain to a student copy of Autodesk Inventor 2013. Get on a lot better with that than i ever did with Sketchup.

Thanks - I'm not sure I'm gonna get on with it either!

Any suggestions for (free/cheap) software would be gratefully received

EtchedPixels · August 05, 2013, 04:52:08 PM

Sketchup is ok for basic stuff and with some of the plugins its usable for a bit more.

So it'll get you started if you want to play but IMHO you'll want to reach for something better if you start taking it seriously.

There are also other ways of approaching it - things like openscad are designed to programmatically build objects. Very useful if your background is computer programming as its basically a functional language to program real world objects. Probably going to do your head in otherwise

Alan

FeelixTC · August 05, 2013, 05:00:42 PM

I did create some plans using Publisher:

But these were rejected (on fairly minor grounds) I could alter these and 'try again' but wondered if it would be better to start from scratch with a more appropriate program.

Having looked at the alternatives, I think I'll do what I can with publisher and staple a fiver to it

Thanks for all the feedback & suggestions

Mitch

EtchedPixels · August 05, 2013, 05:17:18 PM

If the minor grounds seem dubious its also worth challenging them. The councils are all understaffed due to the cutbacks and they still have to meet deadlines and targets so the easy way to do that is systematically reject everything possible on every minor potential excuse.

AndyGif · August 06, 2013, 11:31:21 AM

Quote from: FeelixTC on August 05, 2013, 04:35:11 PM
Any suggestions for (free/cheap) software would be gratefully received

http://www.123dapp.com/create, this is the free to use end of the "eye wateringly" expensive AutoDesk suite of apps, They are similar in operation to there bigger brothers, just not so feature rich.

FeelixTC · August 06, 2013, 11:46:27 AM

I tried with Sketchup; even had a mate 'get things going' for me, but still couldn't get my head round it, I am after all, just a daft lad

In the end; I cranked up Publisher again and sweated it out. I think I've sorted it, but the only way to tell for sure is to pass it before the beurocrats again.

It's all 'Jobs for the boys' though......

Thanks for all the help and suggestions - appreciated

Mitch xx

Rabs · August 07, 2013, 09:43:18 AM

In my opinion Sketchup is the perfect thing for layout planning (but not track planning). Here's the outline I did for my Bath Spa layout: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/72424-bath-spa/page-2
Sketchup's benefit is that it's very quick to mock up buildings and fling them around and try different layouts. It's not so good for detail work.

FeelixTC · August 13, 2013, 12:05:40 PM

Thanks for all the help and advice, my re-submission was accepted.

...............Amateur Architect, me!

PostModN66 · August 13, 2013, 01:33:12 PM

Rabs,

That is a beautiful Skethchup rendition of your layout. If I had done that I don't think I would need to build the physical layout!

Cheers Jon

Rabs · August 13, 2013, 03:40:37 PM

Quote from: PostModN66 on August 13, 2013, 01:33:12 PM
Rabs,

That is a beautiful Skethchup rendition of your layout. If I had done that I don't think I would need to build the physical layout!

Cheers Jon

Thanks! I did consider a 'virtual' railway in one of the simulator programs but I like making things too much. I needed to make that plan because it's a pretty tight layout and I wanted to see exactly what would fit. As a benefit, anything I design in sketchup is easy to either 3D print or turn into a pattern to print onto card.