If you are an artist, engineer, architect or an aspiring one, then you might have heard of Google Sketchup. The program is free to download for home use and definitely very helpful when it comes to learning how to render various objects and structures needed for your particular course.
With this helpful program, it’s much easier to practice and learn 3D rendering and modelling. It can help you create houses, decks, rooms, floorplans or other objects in 3D. It’s certainly an easy and free way to find out whether creating 3D models is perfect for you.
The program is offered absolutely free but also has a Premium version. It contains plenty of features and is simple to use that almost any novice can master the program.
Plenty of versions of Sketchup have come out since its release back in 2000, it was initially developed by @Last Software; a small and startup company out of Colorado. The company was then bought by Google in 2006 and the program was offered as a free download. Of course, there’s a Pro version of the software that offers a bit more features but the free version is equally helpful and also packs plenty of punch.
The nice thing with Sketchup is that it provides a thorough Tutorial section for first time users. By hitting the Self-Paced tutorials, novice users can obtain a step by step guide in using the program. Essentially, you get a demo of what you need to do as you navigate through the system.
Learning Sketchup is quite easy. Creating a 3D image is as simple as choosing a shape that you want and bringing it to the screen. Once you have it there, you’ll need to use the Push/Pull tool and manipulate the object in order to create a 3D version of it.  The free version also offers other shapes or object packs that users can download so they can create various objects.
For version 8 of Sketchup, here are several additional features users can expect:
- Model Geo Location with Google Maps
- Match Photo Improvements
- Sketchup Building Maker
- Color Imagery and Accurate Terrain
Overall, the program is quite useful for anybody willing to learn how to render and create 3D models. Sketchup isn’t a difficult program to master and beginners can easily study it without much trouble. Even though the free version has its limitations, it’s still a great and useful software that almost anybody can use.
Related Links:
Sketchup Official Website
Sketchup on Wikipedia
Sketchup on CNET
Sketchup on BrightHub
Sketchup on PC PROUK