Google SketchUp Pro 8 Windows
[SU70QW]

What makes SketchUp great?

Google SketchUp is a tool for creating, editing and sharing 3D models. The SketchUp "secret sauce" is a unique set of powerful tools that are designed to be easy to learn and use:

You might also like to view:
New features in SketchUp 7 and LayOut 2

Things that make SketchUp great

Edges and Faces: Thats all there is to it

EverySketchUp model is made up of just two things: edges and faces. Edgesare straight lines, and faces are the 2D shapes that are created whenseveral edges form a flat loop. For example, a rectangular face isbound by four edges that are connected together at right angles. Tobuild models in SketchUp, you draw edges and faces using a few simpletools that you can learn in a small amount of time. It's as simple asthat.

Push/Pull: Quickly go from 2D to 3D

Extrudeany flat surface into a three-dimensional form with SketchUp's patentedPush/Pull tool. Just click to start extruding, move your mouse, andclick again to stop. You can Push/Pull a rectangle into a box. Or drawthe outline of a staircase and Push/Pull it into 3D. Want to make awindow? Push/Pull a hole through your wall. SketchUp is known for beingeasy to use, and Push/Pull is the reason why.

Accurate measurements: Work with precision

SketchUpis great for working fast and loose in 3D, but it's more than just afancy electronic pencil. Because you're working on a computer,everything you create in SketchUp has a precise dimension. When you'reready, you can build models that are as accurate as you need them tobe. If you want, you can print scaled views of your model, and if youhave SketchUp Pro, you can even export your geometry into otherprograms like AutoCAD and 3ds MAX.

Follow Me: Create complex extrusions and lathed forms

Youuse SketchUp's innovative, do-everything Follow Me tool to create 3Dforms by extruding 2D surfaces along predetermined paths. Model a bentpipe by extruding a circle along an L-shaped line. Create a bottle bydrawing half of its outline, then using Follow Me to sweep it around acircle. You can even use Follow Me to round off (fillet) edges onthings like handrails, furniture and electronic gadgets.

Paint Bucket: Apply colors and textures

You can use SketchUp's Paint Bucket tool to paint your model with materials like colors and textures.

Groups and Components: Build smarter models

By"sticking together" parts of the geometry in your model to make Groups,you can create sub-objects that are easier to move, copy and hide.Components are a lot like Groups, but with a handy twist: copies ofComponents are related together, so changes you make to one areautomatically reflected in all the others. Windows, doors, trees,chairs and millions of other things benefit from this behavior.

Shadows: Perform shade studies and add realism

SketchUp's powerful, real-time Shadow Engine lets you perform accurate shade studies on your models.

Sections: See inside your models

Youcan use SketchUp's interactive Sections feature to temporarily cut awayparts of your design, enabling you to look inside. You can use Sectionsto create orthographic views (like floorplans), to export geometry toCAD programs using SketchUp Pro, or just to get a better view of yourmodel while you're working on it. Section Planes can be moved, rotatedand even animated using SketchUp's Scenes feature.

Scenes: Save views and create animations

Wecreated Scenes to enable you to easily save precise views of your modelso you can come back to them later. Need to create an animation? Justcreate a few Scenes and click a button.

Look Around and Walk: Explore your creations firsthand

SketchUplets you get inside your model with a set of simple navigation toolsdesigned to give you a first-person view. Click with Position Camera to"be standing" anywhere in your model. Use Look Around to turn yourvirtual head. Finally, switch to Walk to explore your creation on foot;you can even climb and descend stairs and ramps, just like you'replaying a video game.

Dimensions and Labels: Add information to your designs

Youcan use the super-intuitive Dimension and Label tools to adddimensions, annotations and other glorious detail to your work.

The Instructor: Catch on quickly

SketchUp's Instructor dialog box, which you can choose to activate at any time, provides context-sensitive help.

Layers and the Outliner: Stay organized

Whenyou're building a big, complicated model, things can get messy veryquickly. SketchUp provides two useful ways to keep your geometrymanageable:

Google Earth: See your models in context

SketchUpand Google Earth are part of the same product family, meaning you canexchange information between them easily. Need a building site for yourproject? Import a scaled aerial photograph, including topography,directly from Google Earth to SketchUp by clicking one button. Want tosee your SketchUp model in context in Google Earth? Click anotherbutton, and you can. Anyone can use SketchUp to build models which canbe seen by anyone in Google Earth.

Sandbox tools: Work on terrain

SketchUp'sSandbox tools let you create, optimize and alter 3D terrain. You cangenerate a smooth landscape from a set of imported contour lines, addberms and valleys for runoff, and create a building pad and driveway.

3D Warehouse: Find models of almost anything you need

TheGoogle 3D Warehouse is a huge, online repository of 3D models which youcan search through when you need something. Why build something whenyou can download it for free?

Import DXF, DWG and 3DS: Get a headstart on your modeling

Youcan import DXF, DWG and 3DS files directly into your SketchUp models,which makes it very easy to start with drawings and even other 3Dmodels. Have a floorplan of the space you need to model? Import it in,and start building right on top of it.

Import images: Paint walls with photos

WithSketchUp, you can import image files like JPGs, TIFFs, PNGs and PDFs.You can use them by themselves (kind of like posters), but you can alsostick them to surfaces to create photo-realistic models of buildings,package designs, and more.

Export TIFF, JPEG and PNG

SketchUplets you export raster images up to 10,000 pixels square, so generatingan image which you can send in an email, publish in a document, orproject on a wall is as easy as choosing a few options and clickingExport.

PRO Export DXF and DWG: 2D line drawings and 3D models

GoogleSketchUp Pro allows you to export DXFs and DWGs, giving you an easy wayto move plans, sections, elevations or even your whole model into yourfavorite CAD program. Exported geometry remains at 1:1 scale, andlayers are preserved.

PRO Export PDF and EPS: 2D vector images

Withthe Pro version of Google SketchUp, you can export views of your modelsin PDF and EPS format, allowing you to continue to work on them invector editing programs like Illustrator and Freehand. For 2D imagesthat need to be resolution-independent, nothing beats exporting tothese formats.

PRO Export 3DS, OBJ, XSI, FBX, VRML and DAE

Ifyou're using Google SketchUp Pro, you can export your models to anumber of useful 3D formats. Pros use a number of different tools, andthese exporters allow SketchUp to join most professional workflows byoffering interoperability with just about every popular 3D modelingapplication in existence.