Dave,
Thank you for all your contributions. I bought your Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers at Finewoodworking.http://www.tauntonstore.com/fine-woodworkings-google-sketchup-guide-for-woodworkers-basics-download-067125.html I went through it three times amd printed out the video Transcript. Very nicely done if I might add. What a great start to Google SketchUp. Next I bought Tim Killens 145 page Google SketchUp Guide for Woodworkers http://www.tauntonstore.com/sketchup-guide-for-woodworkers-tim-killen-ebook-077846.html. Wow. He covers it all. Then over at FineHomebuilding is TheTimberTailor geared to the carpenterhttp://www.finehomebuilding.com/profile/TheTimberTailor. If a guy can't find what he wants here well. Then join get more involved here. I love it.
I can tell you these gentleman do what they do because they love it. The and they do it so well. The people at Taunton are lucky to have you guys.

Here is my SHOVELER I finished and gave to my mom in a retirement home this Easter.
Maybe you can tell me how I can add other wood texturs in the list of Woods. I get how to use in my model seamless images but to add them to my own collection well..... It is clear as mud.

My name in Tom . I joined today as it snows outside and I really want to learn this fantastic program.
I am a retired U.S. Coast Guard Avionics Technician from the Vietnam era and retired U.S. Postal Worker. I did travel the world in the mining industry. My wife, also retired paints and we both are wood carvers. I will post a .jpg of my last two carvings if anyone would like to see them. Mr Bumbletoes and The Shoveler. I am in the process of installing a Clear Vue Cyclone dust collector for my wood working machinery in my shop and setting up a painting studio for my wife in her area of our basement. SketchUp seems to be just the tool to lay down all the ideas and get the wife to sign off so she does not change her mind as the design, drawings, cut list purchase of materials and project gets started only to find she changed her mind. Oh well. It happens. Who knows. I would like to learn SketchUp for rough carpentry and cabinet design. Before I got my draft number I had a number of comissions. You are allways wworking yourself out of a job. The quality of your work gets you your next.
Glad I found you.
Tom