A Welcome Message to New SketchUcation Members

countryman · 28 Mar 2010, 10:12

Thanks for the welcome. Will check OpenGL although as it is a new Mac I'd have hoped that these issues were long sorted...I found posts about this going back to 2008.

Re reference manual...you've proved my point! Take X-Ray, for example. It doesn't appear anywhere obvious that I can see in that guide. I found it in the Google SketchUp 7 Quick Reference guide under Face Style. But Face Style doesn't appear in the Reference Guide either. Nor could I see Dynamic Components. They are probably there but filed away under something completely different and that is one of my gripes from a new users' perspective....the lack of consistency in presentation and naming/filing of information. I tried searching for X-Ray in Google but then you get many posts with questions that I don't even begin to comprehend.

Using the Search Bar in the Reference Guide does yield results but again proves my point re inconsistency. Putting in x-ray and clicking on the first link takes you to the Styles Browser Face panel. Now is that the same as Face Style? It is. So why not name it the same as the Quick Reference Card?

Gaieus · 28 Mar 2010, 13:44

Well, what i know that on my PC, I can activate a whole bunch of toolbars - including the face styles toolbar - from the View menu > Toolbars. Another place where you shopuld be able to access them is at View menu > Face styles.

Setting and modifying the styles instead of a quick toggle button for X-Ray may not be the best thing as that is always harder/slower than toggling it on/off.

What you can do in X-ray mode is to access edges behind faces, too. So it is not even only a simple "styling" tool but often needed when you want to access something deeply hidden/covered in a complex model.

Richard_ · 1 Apr 2010, 16:09

Hello Everyone. I am a new user and a new member...Richard

GoldenFrog · 3 Apr 2010, 17:42

Hi Richard!

pmolson · 22 Apr 2010, 19:06

Welcome Richard!

paul

Chechi Marquez · 24 Apr 2010, 16:46

Ah, to be a n00b again... wow, I feel young.

So hello everyone, I'm not that new to sketchup, been working on it for 2 years now. But for some reason it didn't occur to me that out there in the vast world of the internet there could be a forum for people like me, now I feel like I've been living under a rock! (a big one btw)

Been lurking around since yesterday, but decided to come out of the shadows to thank the people that have made such useful topics that have helped me realise that sketchup is as unlimited as human imagination is!

Gaieus · 24 Apr 2010, 17:06

Hi Cecilia and welcome!

Hope you find some bits useful here and also you'll show off with your works, too!

JPM · 25 Apr 2010, 15:24

Hello everyone
I am new here and have never used a forum before. I was a Architectural draftsman for round about 18 years. I changed to outside plant fiber optic design when the economy tanked. I started using Google Earth to do base sheets for my design work and ran across Sketch Up a few weeks ago and fell in love. I am out here now trying to soak up everything I can.

I am using the 7.1 free version
There two things I would like to find out.

What is the best way to print architecturally formated drawings,(Plans, Elevations and sections) and save these layouts for editing later?
How do I create a mesh to represent the ground to set my house model on?

Gaieus · 25 Apr 2010, 15:46

Hi John and first of all welcome!

As for architectural printing and presentation, the best choice would be to go Pro and use LayOut (an additional, 2D presentational tool interactively working with SU). Until you make up your mind, here are a couple of links how you can print to scale:
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=36227
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=114462
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=114459

As for terrain modelling, use the Sandbox tools:
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=38496
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=115432
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95050
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=95052
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=116694

(I'm not going to link every Help Center article here now as you can go on along the links there)

JPM · 25 Apr 2010, 15:56

Gaieus
Thanks for your help. I will check out all the links and be back soon.

John

GoldenFrog · 26 Apr 2010, 16:25

If you want I can make a tutorial for the smoove tool (The one you use to make terrain)

Fishin_Chip · 27 Apr 2010, 17:22

Hi!
I have been playing around with SketchUp for a couple of weeks now, mostly designing a utility rail, rack mount, and accessory system for my snowmobile. For such a simple program, the things you guys (and gals) are doing are amazing, far beyond anything I would likely ever attempt. My background is in carpentry and cabinetry, and most of my projects to this point were done in 2D drawing programs like CorelDraw. I hope to spend a little time surfing this site, learning about what I can do with this fantastic tool kit that is SketchUp. I will try to save most of my n00by questions until I have a better chance to look around.
Thanks in advance.
Chip

Gaieus · 27 Apr 2010, 17:38

Hi Dwayne and welcome!

@fishin_chip said:

My background is in carpentry and cabinetry...

...so I have added you to the Woodworker usergroup and now you can see (and post in) the Woodworking forum.

@fishin_chip said:

I will try to save most of my n00by questions until I have a better chance to look around.

Take your time to look around but don't hesitate to as if you feel stuck somewhere.

Nimagesang · 28 Apr 2010, 15:52

Hi, I've just registered an hour ago and a beginner for one month.

Kman · 30 Apr 2010, 23:21

Hey, I'm Kman. I just signed up, and I've been doing SketchUp since early '07. This site has great Plug-ins, and AMAZING tutorials. I'm going to go set up my ACC a bit more.

Gaieus · 1 May 2010, 00:11

Hi Kman and welcome!

whiteninja · 1 May 2010, 09:14

hi guys, i'm a student landscape architect. i just started studying sketchup a week ago. just wanna introduce myself.

Gaieus · 1 May 2010, 12:06

Hi licus and welcome!

There are a couple of landscape architects here so you will be advised when you have questions.

As a very first advice; always keep an eye on poly count in SU as its is easy to go very high with lots of entourage, plants etc. Organise your model always very carefully and use layers extensively.

omiKron · 3 May 2010, 11:10

Hello, just registered here and hello everyone

I use SketchUP since its first editions when I started to model 3D homes and garden developments or furnitures.

Gaieus · 3 May 2010, 11:15

Hi omiKron and welcome!

@omikron said:

I use SketchUP since its first editions...

Oh, you must have been some 10 years old back then (when version 1 came out)!