Inspired during argument with wife.

Need I say more?

Happy Sketching,

Brad

Hello,

Cleaning out my basement, I was delighted to find my old Soma cube puzzle.

I teach Engineering Drawing & Design to 9th through 12th grade students. I thought this game would be fun and challenging for most students who are learning how to use SketchUp.

There are seven pieces of the puzzle - each piece is unique - and the pieces can be positioned (rotated & moved) to create a 3 x 3 cube - as well as many other shapes. There are over a million different ways of putting the seven pieces together to make a 3 x 3 cube.

I think I'm going to give new students two assignments:

1 - create the seven shapes

• create a group for each shape
• create a component from each group (use component name of 1, 2, 3, . . . 7)

2 - using the components, manipulate the shapes to form a 3 x 3 cube

I hope this will be helpful - I really enjoy it and as a kid, I used to spend many hours creating the various shapes illustrated in the little book that came with the puzzle. It may be useful to change the color of the different shapes - have fun with it - make a cube!

Happy Sketching,

Brad

bw_soma_cube_puzzle.skp

@unknownuser said:

U have done ur cars diffrently lately?
Yes! It's easy to figure out if you look at the lines/meshes, how they're created, edited & so forth. What's not so obvious is the process I've started using. For example, I usually define the side of the car using a separate "transition profile" where side surfaces connect with geometry from the top surfaces.

Also, look at the "teardrop" shape of the top of the car - that's done using what I call "stretch and squeeze" technique (?) . . . but, now, I'm setting up the geometry to be stretched & squeezed along 3 axes instead of just 2 - gives much more flexibility not only when first creating the geometry but also when editing the geometry later on. And, who doesn't love flexibility, eh?

Sure, one could say I've come a long way since the beginning of this thread, but honestly - and I've said this before - I really feel like I'm just on the verge of getting a good grasp for what's going on, how to do what I really want. The more I do this, the more I learn, the more fun it is - sometimes I can now create stuff that I actually like.

Will I ever be as good at car modeling as this guy:

Thomas Suurland | Freelance 3D Artist

CG & Photo portfolio of freelance artist Thomas Suurland

(www.suurland.com)

No! Never! But, I'm happy to be "decent" with basic conceptual development using SketchUp. Not everyone can be an expert at something - I'm still having too much fun to worry about anything else.

Sorry to rant - happy Sketching,

Brad

Thanks Ray.

I'm working on some video tutorials - hopefully, these will be much better than my first ones. I hope to show how easy it is to create cars using SketchUp - as others have done before. Honestly, it seems like every time I do another car I learn something new or at least I try something different. Sometimes the results are great - sometimes, not so great - but it's all fun.

My problem is that I'm in the middle of moving to a new house and I really have to stop modeling and pack boxes and blah, blah, blah . . .

Hopefully, in a couple of weeks I'll be able to post a series of "much improved" video tutorials . . . maybe with sound, notes, blah, blah, blah . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

Okay - I edited the first post - let's see some clocks.

. . .

. . .

. . . had to finish the dishes so I could get in another sketch before making dinner tonight . . . something "so GreenToaster" . . . (yawn) . . .

The subject of the challenge: Design a clock using SketchUp

Time frame: one week, ending whenever Monday, 30-Jun-08 occurs where you post.

I suggest people only post their results and not comment (so the thread stays clean)

Please limit your responses to one hundred posts for this contest.

Thanks

. . .

I keep wondering, regardless of how sophisticated other CAD programs appear to be, do any of them allow such quick exploration of ideas?

Here's another ultra-quick sketch, just a generic form study wo/any details.

. . . really didn't like the rear window . . . so, blah, blah, blah . . . still on vacation . . . still having fun - is that obvious?

This is a car I'd like to drive - gimmie oh, I dunno, maybe 520 hp, 6 speed manual . . . can you dig it . . . ? . . . . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

. . . just playin' . . .

. . .

. . . was listening to Metallica when this little car popped into my head . . .

@unknownuser said:

. . . this topic has been moved to the Gallery where it is better suited.
Didn't this thread start out in the Gallery forum, then it got moved to the Tutorials forum, & now it's back? I say move it to the Dumpster forum and let's start all over again. I'm just now getting quasi-comfy with this stuff.

Andrew, if you're talking about "how do I create cars," then I posted some video tutorials here:

301 Moved Permanently

(www.sketchucation.com)

Maybe that will help - hope so - good luck, have fun.

I don't remember ever doing a hearse . . . not sure this would be a popular color with hearses . . . maybe for a festive funeral . . . if there ever was such a thing . . . I better change the color . . .

Happy Sketching,

Brad

I found these - did them about '85 or '86 during my college days while studying Industrial Design at Auburn University.

Does it count as "hand drawn" if I'm using ellipse templates and French curves?

. . .