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55K views 94 replies 44 participants last post by  donbee 
#1 ·
Current videos posted on Fine Woodworking

I wanted a way to share the Sketchup blog I've been doing at Fine Woodworking with my friends here at LJ. While I can't post the commentary because of contractual stuff with FWW (you should all subscibe anyway…it's a great resource) I can let you know when I've posted another video tutorial on brightcove.com. All you'll need to do is go to brightcove .com and either search for me…treefarmer…or sketchup…(there are lots of others there as well). You can also search woodworking for some other interesting tutorials

I'll also be happy to answer questions that folks have using Sketchup.

I do plan on continuing this blog here as well to answer any questions as best I can.
 
#2 ·
AWESOME!!! AWESOME!!! AWESOME!!! I love sketchup but I struggle with it. I can't wait to go there and look at those tutorials…why am I wasting time finishing typing this senten….......
 
#4 ·
Bob -

I like SketchUp as well. I am a subscriber to FFW online - do I just need to do an author search to find your tutorials?

Watch ou - I here Mot has a super power that allows him to reach out over the internet so that mind meld thing may not be a joke! LOL
 
#5 ·
Oooo…foreshadowing…a drop in the pond of what is to come, buried in the comments of another topic…a riddle wrapped in an enigma! LOL…Bob, we can suck the knowledge from others, but we have to buy a systainer to put it in first! LOL…I have enjoyed what I have seen so far. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
 
#6 ·
Bob
Thanks for your comments here and on FWW. I subscribe to FWW and the new Sketchup information there has been fantastic in helping me create plans. I would like to ask a general question here before I re-invent the wheel though…

Have you or anyone here ever seen a generic "drawer slide" component? I suppose that it seems like sacrilege to some, but I am planning a desk and credenza for my wife and I would love to be able to actually include the drawer slides in my exploded view to help her see exactly what she will be getting before I finalize the plans.

If I have to I suppose I can create the component, but since google and yahoo searches have proven fruitless I had to take a chance and ask here before I bite the bullet.

Again, your comments, advice, and expertise are greatly appreciated.
 
#7 ·
Hi Utah,

I haven't seen any. It's not the kind of thing you would normally see in a library of components unless the manufacturer has created them. You'll be seeing that happen (already started with many items) with almost everything. Most manufacturers already design in 3D. It would be simple for them to make a library available.

You might try the manufacturers website….you'll need exact dimensions anyway.
 
#11 ·
Bob, my friend,
Please do us left coasters a favor and observe the following . . .
"Drawing" as you will note from the spelling has only one "R"
"Start" HAS an "R"
Drawing not "DRaaaaaRRRRRRRRRRRRRng"
Start not "Stot"
I friggin stottid this drawerng in free dee . . .

Also, it is not o.k. to add an "R" to any word ending in an "A". It's AreA not areaR, ideA not ideaR. . .
this will save a lot of confusion in the areaner or understandering(er)

regards,
henry higgins
elocutionist
 
#12 ·
LOl…I've heard that before at times. I lived in Calif. for a short time in the 70's and heard no end of comments. In our defense the country did begin its path to independance here on the right (as in correct) coast so all others should follow our lead.

My brother tells a funny story of while he was in the Navy. A close friend of his was from Tennessee with his own version of an accent. One day they were discussing the difficulty they were have communicating. My brother says (in his best Boston accent)

Brother: What we need is a translatah!
Friend: A whuuuut?
Brother: A translatah!
Friend: A whuuuut?
Brother: Nevahmind!
 
#19 ·
About time I started doing these!

OK…I'm finally starting to produce some content for this. The first a simple tutorial on creating ellipses and another a simplified mortise and tenon joint.

I have a few tutorials on my to do list but I need some more suggestions. Any issues or concepts you would like illustrated?

Ellipses in Sketchup…..DOH! I forgot the CSS intro.
http://www.brightcove.com/playerswf

Mortise and Tenon from scratch
http://www.brightcove.com/playerswf

Oh well…can't sleep…might as well do another.

Natural Edge Slab
http://www.brightcove.com/playerswf
 
#44 ·
Natural slab revisited

In the previous post I created a natural edge slab using some existing wood grains and a bark texture I had edited in Photoshop. This time we'll create a representation of a real slab of cedar that I have.

1st…I took some photos of the slab grain and bark and edited them in Photoshop to crop out any extra.

Slab Grain
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Bark
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Here's how to use them in Sketchup
http://www.brightcove.com/playerswf
 
#52 ·
Basic Settings

I thought it would make sense to share how I have Sketchup setup for woodworking. The basic settings make a difference in how Sketchup works for different purposes.

One caveat…I use Sketchup Pro…the free version may not have all these settings. I think it does but I'm not positive. I'll be installing the free version on my other computer shortly so I can check these things.

There are two areas where you will likely want to make changes. The Preferences window and The Model Info window.

First Preferences.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

You'll want to set the Template that Sketchup uses for its default drawing setup
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

You'll also want to make sure your General settings are something like this. These are personal preferences that work well for me. I don't remember if I edited this or if these are the default.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

You can also set the Shortcut keys in the preferences. I have all the basic editing commands shortcut, for example to make a component I simply press the c key, g for group, s for scale, etc… Click on the command on the left, then enter the shortcut key in the Add Shortcut box, click the + sign to asign it.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Other settings are edited in Model Info
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I set my units to make sense for the precision I need…adjust as necessary.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I set my Location to the closest place listed. You can also give exact lat/lon in the custom location. These settings are used when you turn shadows on. Useful for siting landscaping features for shade studies and such.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

These are the basic settings that you will want to set 1st. You'll notice that there are a number of other settings that can be adjusted. We can get into those later. I can answer any specific questions you may have about them if you need to know now.

One other thing that many of you that are just starting with Sketchup will find helpful is the Instructor. It gives context sensitive help in the form of mini animations based on the tool you have selected. Wish they had it when I was just starting.
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Let me know if you have any questions.
 
#53 ·
Cool piece of information on the geo location. Shadows based on your relative position in the galaxy… nifty.

For the angle snapping, is the 15deg setting for snapping to an existing piece of geometry that is withing 15deg of whatever you are doing. Or is it for rotations?
 
#73 ·
Hi Bob,

When I open the post all I see is a square box underneath the text. Hovering over the box prompts with "Click to activate and use this control". When I click on it nothing happens.

Any ideas? It is the same on any of the tutoral posts.

Thank you,

TJ
 
#80 ·
4 new (old) tutorials

I've added a few of the tutorials that were originally on FWW. The contractual obligations have been met so I can post them here now.

Let me know if there are any sketchup operations that you are having problems with and I'll create tutorials as I have time.

Shaker Knob

http://i197.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid197.photobucket.com/albums/aa317/stoneaxe/shakerknob.flv

Associative dimensioning

http://i197.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid197.photobucket.com/albums/aa317/stoneaxe/chairleg-associative-dimensions.flv

Cabriolet leg

http://i197.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid197.photobucket.com/albums/aa317/stoneaxe/cabriolet.flv

Boxjoint

http://i197.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid197.photobucket.com/albums/aa317/stoneaxe/boxjoint.flv
 
#81 ·
Very nice information on the tutorials. I've been playing with sketchup and you make it look very easy. I will have to practice to get half as smooth. Thanks for illustrating some of the features. I didn't know about taking lines out of a piece.
 
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