Sketchup Models of Shop Furniture for a Small Shop #3: Bench Top Carving Bench

Interesting models there, Jack. They look nice.

They are kind of large files though. Especially the Veritas pieces.

I also have a question about the carving bench.

Are the drawer sides supposed to be different heights? The right one measures at 4-1/8” while the left one is 4-3/8”.

I notice there are some issues with the materials on the carving bench too. They could be handled differently which would help to reduce the file size a bit.

They do look nice but if these models are to be used for doing shop layout, they are going to really load up the model and potentially bog down the computer.

Keeping file size down makes it much easier to work with the model. FWIW, one of my current projects is a full size workbench. Due to the client’s needs, it is heavily detailed with both a tail vise and front vise both of which have the Acme-threaded screws along with bolts and and other hardware. So far there’s also 37 scenes and about 18 layers. The file is still only about 1 Mb. I’m not bragging. Just pointing out that it is possible and it isn’t difficult to control file size.

Keep up the good work, Jack.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Hi Dave,

Nice to hear from you. I measure the drawer sides as 4 3/16” each. The front edges are chamfered which might account for measuring less than 4 3/16” but I’m not sure how the left side could be measured with an extra 3/16”.

Could you elaborate on how to better handle the materials on the carving bench?

As to the file size, how do you maintain detail while reducing the file size? On the Wonder Pup, I had considered just using cylinders without threads and without connecting pins or clips; which would have reduced the file size considerably but I like seeing the detail when start turning the model around and looking at it from every angle.

Unless I’m missing an important technique, file size vs. detail seems like a trade off depending on individual objectives. I’m not advocating large files, I just like details. I saw an SU model on line the other day that said it was a Harley-Davidson. I could tell it was supposed to be a motorcycle because of the two wheels but it was so crudely done and lacking in detail it could have been call any one of a number of different brands. The file size was small though.

Let me know if there is a way that I can keep the detail up while getting the file size down. This model set has relatively few elements to it. You can emagine the file size when I start populating my shop model with high-detail elements like these.

As always, thanks for your feed back.

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com

Jack,

Here’s a screen grab of the drawer as seen from the rear. There are no chamfers and I think it’s pretty clear they aren’t the same height even without the dimensions. The sides really ought to be instances of the same component but they aren’t.

As to materials, there’s no need to have a vertical and horizontal version of the same material. That results in increased file size. Use the same material and rotate it as needed so it appears correctly in the model. Except for the bench top and bottom (which for some reason are groups and not components like the rest of the parts) you’ve applied materials in a sort of erratic way. Look at the drawer front for example. the plywood material is applied to the faces on the edges but the maple material is applied to the component’s ‘wrapper’. Apply materials to faces only and not to component wrappers. Also, there’s no need to paint the back faces in the model. I doubt doing that affects file size but there’s no point in going to the trouble. The top and bottom parts are painted on the inside.

As to the details on the screw and other parts, yes, details normally add to file size unless you use strategies to minimize the effect. The easiest way to limit the impact of detail on file size is to use components. I’ve written about these strategies several times. One example that would apply in your case is here. I’ve also written about it in other Design. Click. Build. blog entries as well as here on LJ.

Keep in mind that while the threads on the Bench Pup look nice close up, they won’t show up nor will they add anything useful to a view of your shop. Think about the return on your investment of time doing the drawings. You could be AR about getting all the detail but what does it add in the overall model? And it’s not just the time spent drawing the detail that can’t be seen, it’s also the time wasted waiting for the screen to refresh as you orbit around in the huge model. Unless you’ve got a power graphics card in your computer, you may find that you spend a lot of time waiting as you orbit around.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Nice Sketchup work jack. What render engine did you use for the last two images?
Dave I have to disagree with you….I almost always have separate vertical and horizontal versions of the same texture. If I paint a texture on to several boards, then I need to rotate it on one of the boards all the textures rotate, so I make seperate vert. and hor. versions of the same texture. I always apply my textures to faces only not components….mostly due to my render engine of choice (Podium) would not recognize textures applied to groups or components, only faces…but in the last couple versions they have changed it so textures applied to groups/components will render. I have learned also that though Like Jack I love details…the more the better, but after painstakingly adding minute details then rendering them and seeing them disappear due to relative camera position, I now think things through better and only do details that will be seen. If I am doing details or close up scenes, then I would make a copy of the model and add the details but remove the other larger parts of the model that wont be seen in the detail shots.

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

David, I wonder what you’re doing to make the texture rotate on all faces. They don’t do that for me. Here’s a quick example. Tell me. How do you go about rotating materials?

There’s also only one version of the wood grain material on this bench

and these lamps

One version of the beech and another of the darker wood on these tables.

This clock has only one version of the oak material

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

David wrote: ” I now think things through better and only do details that will be seen. If I am doing details or close up scenes, then I would make a copy of the model and add the details but remove the other larger parts of the model that wont be seen in the detail shots.”

This is excellent practice. In fact, you could have a detailed version of a component and a not so detailed version in the in Model components library and swap them as needed. the lighter one could be used for placement and for more global views. Then if you need a detailed view, you can exchange them. This won’t make the file size smaller but while the lighter components are in the drawing space, your graphics card won’t have to work so hard to update the display.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

wow great stuff

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

It looks like that in the dim light of very early morning, I posted an older version pf the carving desk model. The drawer dimension are correct in my later version but, I will go through it to check the other areas that DaveR pointed out before reposting it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention Dave.

And, thanks to both Dave and David for the discussion on materials.

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com

These are some great Sketchup model.

DaveR and Jack – Where do you guys get the realistic wood grain to use is your Sketchup modelsl?

-- - Jim, Vancouver,WA

David,

The render engine that I am currently trying to get my mind around (and used on the two pictures referenced) is Kerkythea. It’s free, has more capabilities than I do and it seems to have a strong user community.

The renderings were done with a simple 3-light setup as you can probably tell from the shadows.

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com

jimp,

Since I am fairly new to this, I have been in serious resource acquisition mode gathering materials and plugins wherever I can find them and haven’t done a very good job of keeping track of where I found them. The SketchUcation forum is a good place to start. DaveR probably has a better handle on his materials sources.

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com

jimp, most of the woodgrain materials I have are based on found images. The best ones have little figure in the grain. It is tempting to want to show highly figured woods but because the image is of finite size, you end up getting unnaturally repeated details. Think of something simple like a knot. If it repeats along the length of a board, it won’t be very believable.

The white oak material I used on the mantle clock isn’t too bad for small things but on larger pieces the rays repeat too often to look proper. There are a few ways to utilize that repetition to good effect but it can be over done.

Hunt around on the web for images of the sorts of wood you want to use. You’ll probably find some that are useful. Keep in mind that the images need to be evenly lit and don’t use high resolution images. There’s no benefit and they just contribute to file bloat.

Plywood edge material is easily made in SU7. Look at the Design. Click. Build. blog on FineWoodworking.com. I wrote a blog entry to show how to do it.

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

Ok. I’ve replaced the Carving Bench model in the 3D Warehouse with a new, slimmed-down version. The new file is about half the size of the old one. I even made the drawer a dynamic component to slide out and in.

Thanks, DaveR for the nudge in the right direction. I got the file size down without loss of detail. I never thought of making the pup holes a component. I also figured out how to rotate the texture; which eliminated one.

When I get back to the computer next week after a short trip I will see about putting the Bench Pup and Wonder Pup on a diet as well.

Again, if you like this model, find it useful, or if it just means that you don’t have to spend the time to create your own model, please show your appreciation for my work by making a donation through PayPal to jabarnhi@pacbell.net. Thank you!

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com

Good work, Jack. Just out of curiosity, have you wondered why the bounding box for the component is so large?

-- Until you spread your wings, you'll have no idea how far you can walk.

I really need to put together a pre-publish checklist. Thanks again, Dave. I fixed it and uploaded the corrected model.

-- Best regards, Jack, www.PixelsandSawdust.com