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.
[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.
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