Plugins

chao_27

guys, i wanna know what are the best plugins for sketchup. There's a lot of Plugins in the Index and i don't know what to choose. please help me. Thanks.

numbthumb

Hi,

There are really no such things as "best plugins for sketchup".
It all depends on what are you using SU for - if you´re interested in organic modeling, go for Artisan, and so on.
Of course, getting a grip on SU native tools first would be a good start

charly2008

Hi Wilfritz,

@numbthumb said:

Hi,

There are really no such things as "best plugins for sketchup".
It all depends on what are you using SU for - if you´re interested in organic modeling, go for Artisan, and so on.
Of course, getting a grip on SU native tools first would be a good start

Look at the forum, as there are many threads dealing with plugins, So you will have an idea about the different plugins and their use. Just enter "plugin" into the search and you'll find a lot of threads.

Charly

pbacot

Places to start:

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=16909
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=39504

I know it's hard knowing what they are all for, but just browsing in the Plugins Index will give you an idea of the breadth of offerings. People could list their favorites but that changes according to the task at hand.

Ones I use a regularly are Joint push pull, front face tool, and default layer geometry, Fredoscale, Extrusion Tools, Profile builder, Weld (or Recurve), CleanUp. But some of these are utilities for fixing up just about any project , while others are the fun powerful tools that you pull out for a task, then don't touch for a while again. So what's best?

I think most people just work for a while then come up to a difficult task or wonder if there's a better way, search the forum for an answer, then if none is found, ask if there's a specific plugin. Others invent new plugins, bless them.

cotty

You know that you have enough plugins if the start of SketchUp takes longer than 60 seconds (like mine)
(A simple solution is not to close it, except sometimes by bugsplats ...)
A big advantage is that you then discover a new plugin almost every day.

pilou

My own list of
Indispensables

But as There are something like more 2 000 plugins that is a drastic selection!

Extrude Line http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=1523 by Didier Bur
Joint Push Pull http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=6708 By Fredo6
SmartPushPull http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=23341 by a4chitect
Tools on surface http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=11212 By Fredo6
Bezier http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=13563&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=bezier By Fredo6
Extrude edges toolsExtrude tools by TIG

Selection Toys by Thomthom
Subdive and Smoth (basic free) http://www.smustard.com/script/Subdivide by Ricks Wilson
not free http://www.smustard.com/script/SubdivideAndSmooth by Whaat

Funny
SketchyPhysics http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=17324&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=SketchyPhysics#p138266 by CPhillips
Protrude by Jim Folz http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=13095&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=protrude#p95818
Zorro2 http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=16038&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=zorro2#p124862 by Whaat
Soap Skin Bubble & Tensile structures (free) http://www.tensile-structures.de/help.html by Josef Leibinger
Ferrari

Gaieus

@numbthumb said:

There are really no such things as "best plugins for sketchup". It all depends on what are you using SU for...

Indeed. When I look at Pilou' list for instance, I see a lot there that I do not use. Those are his picks while I have different ones I work with.

Trogluddite

I think the best way to choose plugins is to let practical work make the decision for you. (for any app' with plugin facilities).

Just get cracking on with some models using the standard tools, and identify..
A) Things you need to do, but the standard tools can't manage it.
B) Complex actions that you need to repeat a lot, and really want a quicker way to do it.
C) Recommendations from other forum users who are trying to solve the same problem as you.
...then do a targeted search for a plugin to fit exactly what you need.

I find this much better than just loading lots of plugins "just to try them"; no matter how clever they are, they will just become HDD clutter if they are not truly useful to your models - and that clutter can be a real pain, as plugin file management (one big folder!) is a totally "manual" experience, and you will be glad that you have only a "slim" collection if you ever need to diagnose slow-boots or bugsplats!

There also comes a point when you can have so many plugin, that going back to the standard tools becomes faster than looking for some tutorial videos, to remind yourself how a rarely-used plugin actually works! So my big tip is this - consider carefully which plugins you DO NOT need, and eliminate them from your HDD mercilessly so that SU boots fast, and you are not swamped by extra toobars/menu items etc. that are no longer meaningful.
That will leave you enough (tidy!) room in your plugin folder for an occasional "experiment" with a new crazy plugin when you need inspiration to break out of "designer's block".