SketchUp was developed by startup company @Last Software, Boulder, Colorado which was formed in 1999.[2] SketchUp was first released in August 2000[3] as a general purpose 3D content creation tool. It won a Community Choice Award at its first tradeshow in 2000.(A/E/C SYSTEMS Fall 2000)[4] It quickly found a market in architecture and building design industries, however, and was revised to suit the needs of working professionals. The key to its early success was in its fast learning curve, allowing for a shorter learning period than other commercially available 3D tools.

As of SketchUp 5, features were added to allow the user to extrude and widen as well as the ability for a face to "follow" the cursor around an object.

On March 14, 2006, Google acquired @Last Software,[5] attracted by their plugin for Google Earth.

On January 9, 2007, SketchUp 6 was released, featuring a handful of new tools as well as a beta version of Google SketchUp LayOut. LayOut includes a handful of 2D vector tools, as well as page layout tools making it easier for professionals to create presentations without jumping to a third-party presentation program.

On February 9, 2007, a maintenance update was released. It corrects a number of bugs, but brings no new features.

[edit]Add-Ons

Add-ons can be downloaded from the SketchUp Web Site's Plugins page.

[edit]Google Earth

One such add-on allows the user to export the 3D model as a .kmz file which can then be opened in Google Earth. This allows accurate geo-referencing of SketchUp models and accurate placement of those models in Google Earth. It also allows SketchUp to import modeling context (photographic + terrain model) from Google Earth for modeling reference.

[edit]Other Add-ons

Other add-ons are provided for export to:

• 3D Text — for creating 3D text.
• 3ds Max
• IDX-Renditioner Photo Realistic Rendering Plugin for SketchUp PC and SketchUp Mac
• IRender — fully integrated Ray Trace Renderer for SketchUp using the AccuRender engine.
• Kerkythea
• RPS 3D PDF for interactive 3D PDF documents.
• RpReports — for assigning attributes and reporting on components.
• RpTools — for wizard based manipulation of components.

User-friendly tools facilitate the creation of 3D models.

Many different 3D and 2D exporters are available in SketchUp for uses such as rendering. This model was made in SketchUp and rendered in Kerkythea.

[edit]Tools

Some basic tools used in SketchUp are:

[edit]Drawing tools

• Line

This is used to draw a regular straight line.

• Arc

This tool can create an arc from two points and a drag.

• Freehand

This allows the user to scribble and create a freehand figure.

• Circle

The user can make circles by clicking a point and dragging out the radius.

• Polygon

Polygons are constructed in much the same way as circles; they are clicked and dragged.

• Rectangle

This tool is used to make rectangles, by clicking and dragging to adjust the length and width.

• Follow me

This tool makes a polygon be extruded along a set path.

• 3D Text

This tool allows the user to create 3D text, with customizable fonts, sizes, and formatting.

[edit]Editing tools

• Push/pull

The push/pull is a tool that grabs a two-dimensional surface and pushes or pulls it into three dimensions. This, Google claims in the tutorial, is the main idea of Google SketchUp. U.S. patent #6,628,279 is a patent for this technology.

• Rotate

A protractor is used to angle selected geometrical pieces.

• Move

The user's mouse can select and move pieces on the three different axes or on some combination of the three.

• Link

Other useful tools can be found at SketchUp's wiki.

[edit]Patents

SketchUp holds a Patent U.S. Patent 6,628,279  on its Push/Pull technology:

"System and method for three-dimensional modeling: A three-dimensional design and modeling environment allows users to draw the outlines, or perimeters, of objects in a two-dimensional manner, similar to pencil and paper, already familiar to them. The two-dimensional, planar faces created by a user can then be pushed and pulled by editing tools within the environment to easily and intuitively model three-dimensional volumes and geometries."

The patent was applied for in November 2000, and awarded in September 2003 (U.S. Patent 6,628,279 ).

[edit]Google SketchUp

On April 27, 2006, Google announced Google SketchUp, a freely-downloadable version of SketchUp.[6] The free version is not as capable as SketchUp Pro 6, but it includes integrated tools for uploading content to Google Earth and to the Google 3D Warehouse,[7] a repository of models created in SketchUp.

The free version of Google Sketchup exports to a number of 3D formats, including Google Earth .kmz files, while the Pro version extends support to include .3ds, .dwg, .dxf, .fbx, .obj, .xsi, and .wrl file formats. Google SketchUp can also save "screenshots" of the model as .bmp,.png, .jpg, .tif, with the Pro version also supporting .pdf, .eps, .epx, .dwg, and .dxf.

[edit]Ruby Application Programming Interface (API)

Ruby is a scripting language whose use in SketchUp was first introduced in SketchUp 4. Since its introduction SketchUp users have shown their creativity by creating hundreds of useful tools using SketchUp Ruby.

There is a Hello World Tutorial for Google SketchUp about creating dialog boxes.

about sketch

A sketch (from Ancient Greek σχέδιος - schedios, “‘made suddenly, off-hand’”, from σχεδιάζω - schediazo, “‘to do a thing off-hand’”)is a rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not intended as a finished work, often consisting of a multitude of overlapping lines. If in oil paint it is called an oil sketch. Sketches usually serve to quickly record ideas for later use. Sketches are inexpensive and allow the artist to try out different ideas and establish a composition before committing to an expensive and time consuming painting or fresco. Sketching sharpens an artist's ability to focus and has often been a prescribed part of artistic development for student.

Dry media such as pencil or pastel are often preferred due to time constraints, but a quickly done watercolor study or even quickly modeled clay or soft wax can also be considered a 'sketch' in the broader sense of the term. Graphite pencils being a relatively new invention, the artists of the Renaissance could make sketches using the expensive method of a silver stylus on specially prepared paper (known as silverpoint), with results similar to a modern pencil sketch, or, more cheaply, used charcoal, chalk, or pen-and-ink.

Contrary to popular belief, artists often use erasers when drawing; the eraser may be used to remove rough construction lines, or to soften lines for visual effect. The most commonly used eraser for pencil drawing is the kneaded eraser, which has a soft, sticky surface that enables the artist to lift the graphite or charcoal from the drawing surface without smudging. White plastic erasers can cleanly erase line work, but tend to smudge heavy shading.

The sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci and Edgar Degas are two examples of many done by famous artists which have become art objects in their own right, although many pages show more thoughtful studies rather than true sketches.

The ability to quickly record impressions through sketching has found varied purposes in today's culture. Courtroom artists are usually sketchers. Sketches drawn to help authorities find or identify wanted people are called composite sketches. Street performers in popular tourist areas often include artists who sketch portraits within minutes.

A sketch method of reproducing photographs is done with a photographic enlarger in a dark room. The negative image is projected on the paper where the sketch is to be done. All the light shades are penciled until the paper is all the same shade.