I have been away for a while, I did lurk on the forum every now and then but SU7 would not longer function on my work PC. I do 2 weeks on 2 weeks off, then when I got home I was flat out doing other stuff. 6 weeks later I had lost my momentum and was no longer doing SU models.

Dave sent me a message the other day wondering where I was. Well since it was such a long time since using SU I did not miss the new and better features of SU7. I have been using SU6 on the work PC and have done this model from the Popular Woodworking site plans:

Shaker trestle table:

A model I did last month, Shaker Step stool:

@pkast said:

One thing that beginners, myself included, overlook is the use of groups and components. It is easy to get lazy and not stop to take the time to group items, and then the parts stick together and then you have a big uneditable mess.

I second this, esp for woodworkers where you want individual pieces that make the model so that you can resize, alter or measure them when you want to cut.

@unknownuser said:

I sent you a PM so that everyone didn't have to see how you act. Now it shows. From your first post to me to now its been NOTHING but negitive, but seeing you for what you are.

No you sent him a PM to hide how YOU act. He posted your PM to expose you as a sensitive prissy little git, do not expect anyone else to provide you with any feedback to improve your models in the future.

Add me to your foe list.... please.

@unknownuser said:

I just got a reply for Mr. Lang. If you are not drawing the units as components you will not get recognition for the drawings.

owwww...... that must sting, the requirements for the models are there on the blog entry though.

Nice, is the model available to look at?

@boblang said:

I'm also preparing to teach a class, and I'm curious as to what people struggled with as they first began using SketchUp.

How to stop the walls of my bird house from joining the floor and cutting bits off each other. Eventually I worked out I had to group them so they kept seperate. Later I worked out to use components so that a change in one was reflected in the other copies.

Now I make components of EVERYTHING, even if there is only piece in the model.

Really hammer home the "Use components" message..... actually this is starting to drift off topic... maybe start a seperate thread specific to woodworking models. Keep it in this forum, general starter tips is another thread that I started in the Newbie section. You could do a whole article from that thread alone

@boblang said:

Hi Everybody,

I have about seven or eight responsibilities that each take about a third of my time.

I have received more entries than I anticipated, but I am working through them in the order that I've received them.

We are working on adding a page on popularwoodworking.com dedicated to SketchUp and its use in woodworking.

Hi Bob, good to see you on the SketchuCation forum. It's the best forum related to SU on the entire interweb.

he he.... I think your maths is off... then again when I ran my own business I had the same sort of thing, sleep was for wimps, I still can't get more than 5-6 hours sleep a night.

I suspected as much, you either did expect that many people used SU or didn't expect your offer that good, either way you have learnt

It would be good to see published articles about using SU for woodworking. Get ideas from readers about things such as using dynamic components to make REALLY easy to alter the size of projects like beds.

@linea said:

@unknownuser said:

If they can use a mouse they can learn SU all by them little selves

This is really bad advice. Don't rely on students teaching themselves anything useful, they won't thank you for it and if the other teachers notice you won't have a job for long.

he he... I didn't mean to just walk in, sit down, put your feet up on the desk, pull your hat over your eyes and nod off.

The project I mentioned in my post would be something like a bird house or a rabbit hutch. If they already do woodworking then get one of the plans they have made already. The first thing I made in woodwork was a pencil box.

That way they already have a reference and measurements of what they are going to create in SU.

Unless someone is familiar with the site already then they won't know what exists already and what is proposed.

To seperate the 2 I would suggest fading the colours for everything but the new building/changes.

@fossa said:

Robert did get back with me about a week and a half after submitting them. He stated that one of the models I did already existed (so I'm assuming that duplicates don't count) and didn't say a word about the other one.

We'll see if a cd shows up in the mail.

The offer says nothing about doing models that have not been done yet. If it was me I would have worded it better OR give a CD to each and every model but only upload one of each plan.

I hope you get a CD for each model you did, everyone should.

@solo said:

Quick render;

That's not a render, I can see the photographers upside down reflection in the bulgy bit.

@fossa said:

I did two models for them and haven't heard anything. How long did it take them to get back to you after you did your models?

I was just reading the newsletter this morning in it Robert said that readers have been filling his Inbox with models. I think they had a better response than they though they would.

If they can use a mouse they can learn SU all by them little selves.

I think the most valuable thing you could do would have a projector setup so that when one student learns a cool trick they can demonstrate it to the others. Vice versa, if they get stuck they can demonstrate what they are having problems with and see if any other student knows how to do it.

Give them a "project" model, then let them at it. Give them the choice to get that model really really good or do a basic one and then allow them have their head. Some sort of recognition for good models would be in order.

They normally upload the models that are done to the Popular Woodworking collection. You can find all of their plans on their site.

You will have to compare them if you want to do one that is not done already. Although I don't think they care if they already have a model of that plan already.

The "file name" and "component name" are seperate. I could have a file called "Big fat horse head" that contains a component called "Little pony".

If I added the component from the "big fat horse head" file I would get a component called "Little pony". If I renamed the file "Stupid SU wish I could afford AutoCAD" then I would STILL get a component called "Little pony".

Did you upload them to the 3DWH or e-mail them to him?

All I did was upload them but if you have a look at some of the models in the collection it was uploaded by Robert but he gives credit to reader XYZ.

Let me know, if you meet the criteria of getting a CD it will most likely meet the requirements of being added to the SketchUcation Woodworking collection.

I did my models ages before I knew about the offer. I found the plans on their web site, made the models and let them know. Robert sent me an e-mail telling me that he would like to send me the CD, I was pleasantly surprised.

I did not know about the offer until yesterday. I followed a link from this forum to a blog by a guy that makes SU plug-ins. I saw the entry on the offer and followed a link to the PopWoodworking site blog.

Popular Woodworking magazine is giving away free CD's of it's back issues.

Create a SU model from one of their plans and you can choose which year of back issues you want. If you do more than 8 you get the entire back issue collection on CD. That CD retails for US$99

My CD is already on it's way to me. I didn't actually do the models for that, as I have posted in this forum before I was just after good woodworking plans to create models from.

The model requirements are VERY similar to the requirements for the SketchUcation Woodworking collection.

Read about the offer here.

Why not search the 3D Warehouse, I am sure someone somewhere has modeled what you want and uploaded it.