So, do most of you use sketch up for your designs?

[Halo Jones]

I just had to get a new laptop and have lost the free desktop versions of SU I used. I think they were the 2016 or 2017 versions. I have now tried the online version and find it horrible and I'm not spending money on the pro version. I'm really tempted to just ditch it and go with Fusion 360 or Blender. My work also gives me free access to AutoCad and Revit. Which of these is worth learning?

 

[RogerS]

I just had to get a new laptop and have lost the free desktop versions of SU I used. I think they were the 2016 or 2017 versions. I have now tried the online version and find it horrible and I'm not spending money on the pro version. I'm really tempted to just ditch it and go with Fusion 360 or Blender. My work also gives me free access to AutoCad and Revit. Which of these is worth learning?

If you're a Mac-man then I have the early versions. Are you sure that they're not available for PCs squirrelled away online somewhere ?

 

[DBT85]

Sketch up is still available I think.

I've learned some fusion in the last few weeks and picked it up quite fast I feel.

 

[Just4Fun]

Can you get the version you need from https://help.sketchup.com/en/downloading-older-versions?

 

[LarryS.]

I downloaded an offline free version of sketchup just a couple of months ago


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[billw]

I recall trying to learn sketchup but it was using up so much of my time (and I'm not exactly computer illiterate) that I gave up and went back to pencil and paper.

 

[Lazurus]

Is there any similar programs suitable for an IPAD as i dont have a "pooter"?

 

[aspire53]

There’s an iPAD version of Fusion 360. I am in a learning mode so can’t comment on how it compares with the pooter version.

 

[RogerS]

I recall trying to learn sketchup but it was using up so much of my time (and I'm not exactly computer illiterate) that I gave up and went back to pencil and paper.

You needed to get a copy of Dave Richards' excellent DVD on Sketchup for woodworkers.

 

[billw]

Is it still relevant given it was released a few years back and there's been numerous versions of the software since? Maybe I should download a previous version because the web interface is frustrating?

 

[Deadeye]

This works for me: - Drawing board

Yes - I keep going back to it

 

[billw]

So I downloaded Make 2017, watched a beginner course on LinkedIn Learning, and it's SO easy to get the hang of. I still get confused occasionally and draw random lines but overall SU is fine. I am not sure why I didn't like the web version, but the desktop one is fantastic.

 

[Spectric]

Hi all

Have used many programs over the years from Autocad / Solidworks to Orcad and many others I find that with woodworking in a non production enviroment that simple sketches on paper & handling bits of wood to picture the joint or result desired are good enough and allows more time doing the job than producing pretty pictures on a computer. If I need to produce a technical drawing then 2D is adequate and I use Qcad for this purpose, ideal for floorplans and layouts as well as making a library of wood profiles that your router can produce.

 

[Retired]

Hi,

I too have tried to use a number of CAD programs over the years at first I couldn't even draw a straight line but then I wanted to draw spur gears to use as templates. I was truly amazed to find this;

Download FREE CAD Software | Custom Parts | eMachineShop

This CAD program is totally free and includes a spur gear wizard which was highly useful to me; there are many video tutorials too.

Kind regards, Colin.

I wanted to try an idea out; print out full sized paper patterns of the gears I needed; attach each pattern using double sided self adhesive tape to a cast iron gear blank then use the engineering lathe with a single point cutter mounted between centers using the paper template as an index; it worked a treat as seen here.

 

[Dr Al]

I've used pretty much every CAD application going over the years, but for home / hobby stuff I've pretty much settled on a mixture of:

• Pen & 5 mm square grid paper - can't be beaten for anything quick.
• Onshape (free for non-private projects and runs in a browser and works well even on low spec computers) - very powerful, professional standard CAD for free.
• ZW3D for stuff I don't want to be visible to (very determined) other web users. I doubt anyone would ever find any of my onshape projects from amongst the millions, but sometimes you've got to keep stuff private. It's not the cheapest, but it's way cheaper than the likes of Solidworks, way better than Fusion 360 and nearly up to Onshape's standard.
• cadquery - for when I want to do really complicated automated scripty stuff.

 

[MilesH]

I've been using Alibre for 17 years. There is a version called Alibre Atom which is very good value: Alibre Atom3D for hobbyists and model makers

 

[Dr Al]

I've been using Alibre for 17 years. There is a version called Alibre Atom which is very good value: Alibre Atom3D for hobbyists and model makers

Have they sorted out the lack of top-down design yet? When I tried Atom3D a year or two ago, it was impossible to design one part based on another in an assembly without permanently locking the two parts together (a fact that was confirmed by their customer support people). I quickly concluded that it was no more capable than FreeCAD (which as the name implies is free) and therefore not worth spending any money on. Given Onshape is free for hobbyist type use (as is Fusion 360), it seemed a bit daft to be paying a few hundred notes for something so basic.

 

[MilesH]

Alibre could be better for top-down modelling but I've never felt particularly restricted when using it in that way. I tend to avoid free stuff from commercial companies because there's no guarantee it will continue....

 

[Cooper]

I really enjoy using Sketchup and have found it very useful for calculating dimensions, if I want to alter proportions of an item that has lots of components. The last time I used it was to work out how to make a wooden land camera to fit on an old magic lantern. (I found making the camera much harder than drawing it!)
The drawback to using CAD is that some shapes are easier to draw with it and so that can direct the form the item takes. This is particularly true of the case with turned items.
I am fortunate that I find sketching quite easy and often make preliminary drawings before going to the computer.

 

[matkinitice]

For example, I had a shock recently when I realised that for the interior doors I'm planning to make, I can save about seven feet of stock by using dominoes instead of traditional mortice and tenon joints. That's per door, and I have a dozen of them to make. It means the dominoes will pay for themselves and the construction will be much simpler as a consequence. Of course, if I was more experienced I'd know this already (and I'd already have a story stick, too), but I'm not. Seeing it as 3D objects really helped in construction decisions.

This is brilliant. I plan to make a set of fitted wardrobes in the future and someone else said something very similar. The tool, plus the cost of the materials still comes in under at what it would cost for a professional fitting/company to do. This is how I can sell the purchase to the missus.

I wince at the cost of the Domino but actually sitting down and working out the numbers makes it viable. Plus once you have it I'm sure I'll find further use for it in the future.