Have you ever wanted to a be able to do a 3d drawing but don’t have the skills (can you hear the infomercial voice now?).
Google purchased a company last year that offers a great product that makes design work easier (note that I said easier, not easy). There are some great applications for this CAD like program and it is fun to play around with. As with many cool products, there is a huge community around it with resources, examples and tutorials.
There are a few initial tutorials that allow you to do a side by side project. The completed version is on the screen next to the example that you are building.
If you are a contractor, this could be an invaluable tool in illustrating changes for your customers. The best part is that it is free.
In fact, you can even download your favorite sports stadium or the Eiffel tower.
Have fun with Google Sketchup
The 3d Warehouse is a collection of projects completed by Sketchup users. You can download and play with to your hearts content.
Some of my favorites:
- Sports Stadiums
- Well known buildings (even a couple of buildings at the Google Headquarters)
- Various Houses in Google Sketchup
- And, of course, a Handyman Workbench