Alex brings Brad from Antics Technologies into the studio to discuss how Antics 3D animation software can interface with SketchUp to bring your models to life.  If you know us, you know that we love case studies, and this episode is no different.  Production Designer Dave Blass narrates how SketchUp and Antics have transformed his profession and, more specifically, how it saved his life while he was designing the set for Bravo's "Shear Genius".

Diving into the granite bedrock below Part 1's model, Mike animates the fracture events that make geothermal energy extraction possible.  He visualizes spreadsheet data as a series of 3D point clouds representing the chronological development of these micro-fissures.  To do this, Mike uses a Ruby script from the Ruby Library Depot and a little bit more voodoo magic.Learn to import and visualize spreadsheet data in SketchUp.

Mike taps Sketchup to answer Google.org's call for animated models of the drilling and harvesting of geothermal energy.  Starting with just the geographic coordinates and .pdf files of the drilling rig, he outlines their transformation into a 3D model uploaded to Google Earth.  To be fair, he also used some voodoo.

Check out the first of two episodes covering the use of Photo Match to match the perspective of an image to an existing model.

Mike gives a live trade show demonstration that shows designers how to model a kitchen using PhotoMatch in SketchUp. In the episode, Mike uses a picture from his digital camera and the 3D Warehouse to come up with a SketchUp model of a show kitchen.

We're rounding out our series taking you through all you'll ever need to learn about the must-know tools in SketchUp. This episode on the Circle tool covers topics like editing the number of sides to a Circle, changing the radius and even using the Circle as a basis for creating spheres.

The very first time that you opened SketchUp, if you were anything like me, you probably started with the Pencil Tool. It was so easy to click and draw edge after edge. Your time together was innocent and fun. Pencil was as trusty as its namesake - always sharpened and ready to roll.

But then you hit the "big time" - you moved on to tools like Push Pull and Follow-me. And you neglected Pencil. You've probably thought, on more than one occasion, that there was nothing left to learn about your trusty pal... that Pencil was all washed up. Don't be ashamed, a great many of us Sketchuppers have made the same mistake.

Luckily for you, we've got Mike back in the studio and he has convinced Pencil that you are back and ready to love again. Mike's even offered to show you a few tips and tricks with the Pencil Tool that you may not know... to help rekindle your friendship. The Pencil Tool is actually much more handy than its name suggests, you just have to let Mike help you get to know it a little better. So please download the latest episode of The Sketchup Show and learn more about the first friend you ever met in SketchUp.



 

In this episode, Mike spills his guts on one of the essential drawing tools in SketchUp, and gives you a couple of really unique ideas for getting the most out of the Rectangle tool.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Select Tool in SketchUp.

Mike uses SketchUp to evaluate Light and Shadows.

Mike uses advanced Photoshop techniques to create tileable textures out of rigid materials.

Mike demonstrates how to quickly and easily create custom tileable textures using a Photoshop plug-in called imageSynth.

The Sketchup Show visits the West Coast Green Expo where we catch up with Architect Michelle Kaufmann.