# Google Sketch up books



## 9fingers (29 Nov 2009)

I want to teach myself to use Sketchup for woodworking projects.

To be of any use to me I have to be able to draw accurately to particular dimensions and constraints like material thicknesses and then to be able to infer other dimensions as a result. 
If I have to calculate everything in order to draw it then the program is not helping me - I might just as well use a 2-d drawing tool like Visio which I can drive easily

Eg I want to draw the external dimensions of a cupboard made with 22mm thick timber and then to be able to interrogate the drawing to find the size of the door and internal drawers say.

I've had a bit of a play with it and can get basic shapes etc but am struggling a bit (lots  ) with dimensions and accuracy.

I'd like to buy a book to help but want to get something focused on my particular needs.

What I *don't* need is the 'arty-farty' side of making it look nice. I don't have to sell my designs to clients or similar. In fact the usual way that engineering CAD packages have each component in lurid colours is ideal as each component is readily identifiable during 3D rotations 

I learn well by examples so something with exercises in would be good.

Would one of the 'dummies' series be helpful or are there better books targeted on my needs?

All help gratefully received. - Particularly if Sketchup won't do this properly and i can stop trying. :lol: 

TIA

Bob


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## mailee (29 Nov 2009)

Bob, I have a copy of Google Sketchup for dummies in PDF if it is any use to you. PM me with your e-mail and I can send it to you. :wink:


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## NeilO (29 Nov 2009)

Bob, I can only offer te same as mailee, in PDF format but it is the whole book ( though it is a 16Mb file )
It may help to check out DaveR`s blog , hes pretty clued up on sketchup.
HTH


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## brianhabby (29 Nov 2009)

I've found the Missing Manual series of books to be excellent on a number of topics, and they do one on Sketchup.

regards

Brian


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## oddsocks (29 Nov 2009)

Bob, have a look at the videos on this link
http://www.aidanchopra.com/tableofcontents

They accompany the sketchup 7 for dummies book and typically last about 5-8minutes each.

what you ask for is shown in the videos for ch1-4


Dave


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## 9fingers (29 Nov 2009)

NeilO":e0drn0ze said:


> Bob, I can only offer te same as mailee, in PDF format but it is the whole book ( though it is a 16Mb file )
> It may help to check out DaveR`s blog , hes pretty clued up on sketchup.
> HTH



Neil,

If I'm looking in the right place (?) then DaveR blog is empty.

Is there somewhere else?

Cheers

Bob


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## NeilO (29 Nov 2009)

Bob, sorry I didnt explain that too well,I was unaware DAveR had a blog tag on his signature and yes its empty ..
The one I was refering too is linked to the Taunton site I think, Ill see if I still have the official link in my favorites, and post it
sorry for the hiccup


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## Chris Knight (29 Nov 2009)

Here is Dave R on the Taunton site 

http://www.finewoodworking.com/profile/DaveRichards


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## NeilO (29 Nov 2009)

Cheers Chris, I couldnt find the link at present, but you have saved me the trouble.. :lol:


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## Graeme (29 Nov 2009)

I am sure you have looked already but spend some time going through the on-line videos that you can get from the help centre.  

It took me ages to really establish a way of working with sketchup. 

Type in your dimensions rather than rely on drag and release. Use grouping/components to make sides, tops so they can be moved into position. inferring things becomes second nature after doing some real world projects. 

I am sure that i am teaching you to suck eggs, but its a cracking package and free. Every client has been impressed with the output.


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## Shultzy (30 Nov 2009)

Bob, this school site has a lot of informative videos

http://www.go-2-school.com/podcasts

Don't forget there are plenty of good sketchup users on this forum :lol: .


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## RogerS (24 Mar 2010)

Bob

Did you ever get the answer to your question re auto-dimensioning?

I'm a Sketchup newbie and have just gone through looking at some of the tutorials available. I've looked at three of them and these are my personal views.

Google Sketchup Tutorials - if you can stand the grating female voice ( a cross between a gerbil being castrated and a rabid chipmunk) then these are pretty good and the chapters are well-indexed. However if you are reasonably IT literate and have used other drawing packages then you'll soon find yourself chafing at the bit as it doesn't seem to go anywhere near what a woodie would like to do. For example Bobs' dimensioning request.

Next up is the Aidanchopra series that links to the Dummy guide. Frequent readers will know that I am not a fan of the Dummy guides and this set of videos is done in exactly the same annoying vein. I will tell you once. I will tell you again. And I will tell you a third time.

Lastly we come to the go-2-school series and I went right back to the early tutorials. I looked at No.3 - design a table, cabinet and shelf in under ten minutes. I learned more about Sketchup and the right tools to use in this ten minutes then all the time spend on the other sites. Really is the DB's IMO. Highly recommended.


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## 9fingers (29 Mar 2010)

Hi Roger,

Just catching up after holidays. I've collected some sketchup info but to be honest not really put a lot of effort in yet.

I am starting to form the opinion that sketchup is not really much use to to me although others seem to make a lot of pretty pictures with it.
I too have used other 2D drawing programmes that seem to be more engineering orientated (Mac Draw (long time ago) similar to Claris Draw that has now died for PC and now Visio which has some nasty habits but does do dimensioning very well.

I will have to get into a 3D cad package soon for driving my metalworking CNC interests so i might go this route for wood too - who knows.

I'll have a look at the go 2 school stuff soon and see if it re-kindles my interest in sketch-up.

Bob


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## RogerS (29 Mar 2010)

Are you Mac or PC, Bob?


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## SketchUp Guru (29 Mar 2010)

Bob, perhaps I can help you and save a tree from becoming more books. A "live" session might be just the ticket to get you over the hump. PM or e-mail me and we can chat.


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## 9fingers (29 Mar 2010)

Dave, That is a very generous offer. I'm going through a metal phase at the moment but I may well contact you when I have a wood project to focus on.

Roger.

I'm solely PC these days I used to have an LC475 a good few years back when we used Macs at work.

Bob


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## SketchUp Guru (29 Mar 2010)

SketchUp is SketchUp though.

Anyway, the offer is open.


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