sketch up

[arc_net]

anyboddy use sketch up?
its realy help full?
and tell me hand drafting skill is more help full or computer work??????

[Tomek]

It's shitt. Don't know what the hypes about it looks so tacky.

When you see an image done in sketch-up, all you see is sketch up and not the scheme. Muti-media please.

[Sapillon]

Here is a question: some of the architects, of course the oldest ones, think that computerised way of working is faster, but it's not that faster. It's more exact. I wonder if you have that problem with deadlines and frases like - come on, it so easy with compters...
Or am I mistaking...

[AP]

Tomek: FINALLY, someone who can see the truth. Its a truly annoying excuse for a programme, with just one useful function not anywhere else [why?] - namely the ability to give the intersection of a line through a 3d plane.

In terms of technical stuff (visuals are seperate), the advantage of computers is not really in the initial drawing, its in the ability to make significant changes to a design quickly as it develops/needs altering. But often because each change needs a new set of *drawing sheets* (autocad term) created for printing to reflect the new stuff, it can end up taking a lot longer than the clients appreciate the work to take, which is why old*er* architects hold mixed opinions. Also, i have heard from several sources that the ability to share drawings has resulted in many other members of the design team drastically reducing their workload (but not their fees) since most of the drawing is already done.

Computers are also hated because oiks like *kitchen designers* (e.g.) can show off to clients with them, and earn a fortune producing rubbish that looks whizzy, wheras architects earn less producing far more complex stuff that looks dull (e.g. building regs), and normally end up fixing said crappy *kitchen designs* anyway. I'll stop ranting now.

[jrhartley]

sketchup is definitely not shit - its a very useful tool for the initial design process - its not cad, but given the choice of wasting a day making a really crap card model or spending an hour pulling forms, extruding walls, etc on sketchup, and then doing shadow analysis, i know where i'm going to be. it is a very plastic way of working, and you can really experiment quickly with things. i know a lot of architects who work with proper cad only and not sketchup and their designs seem so boring and rigid - sketchup is a really easy and quick way to try out "what if" scenarios. plus you can export to cad (you'll need to work on tidying it up - but its a good start). The point about the images being non-photo realistc - well, that's not what sketchup is designed to produce, so its not really a fair criticism. but if you do want to produce renderings, you can import sketcup models in artlantis and get that to radiance render it for you. so i would say it is a very useful tool to have in your armory, and more and more firms are recognising its value. also, given there is a free version courtesy of google, there's no downside to playing around with it.

[Architorture]

i think its a great program for quick development of massings and such and the shadow tool is definitely not matched by any other program in its simplicity, accuracy and quickness...

[studio]

i personally like to develop my design by using sketch up.... of couse, the basic plan must be there.. then testing the massing... this also helps and build those bad hand drawing skill

[acg]

i agree that sketchup may look tacky, but so dont put it up on a board if youre not satsified with its appeal, i would however suggest using it for quick design thoughts that can be (sketched) and stretched and extruded quickly...i dont think i would ever trust bringing a sketch up into cad or viz and workign with it in great detail, but its awesome for my studio students to bang out design ideas...its the virtual rip and tear model and in my opinion shouldnt be thought of as a final graphic image, because it does look like you used a cheap program to get 800lb gorilla graphics...but then again, i use rhino for the same things...as far as final image, i can do better by my designs if i take cad and bring it into photoshop, or even photos of a physical model and photoshop look more realistic if one has the know how..just thoughts and rants.

so..the old cad versus drawing, i love this topic. I think that they are both valid and both have their respective qualities and time periods. definitely for changes to a set, you want to be holding cad in your hand. my students were told prior to my course that it was more important to learn hand drawing then cad to understand the technique of drafting. I learned the contrary, by starting with cad for a few years i got fast and efficient, then worked at a firm where all we did was toil over hand drawings, which i really enjoyed, but had that background of cad to fall back on. I think what is most important is that you develop a sense of how to set up and arrange a set of drawings, but by all means learn both skills, and more if they exist, you will need them!

[keyserni]

I just got Sketch Up and compared to the other programs I use I think it is rubbish. Mu tutors like to see hand drawn plans even though they take longer and are harder to change. They dislike CAD but when somebody knocks up a shitty ArchiCAD walkthrough they think it took them ages instead of the 5 minutes it actually took. I can solid model a building in less than an hour and render it in Viz in the same time I could have a crappy Sketch Up walkthrough. The only plus side i see to Sketch Up is I like the colours but why use it when I can make realistic professional looking video's and scenes with Viz? On the plus side Architects with CAD experience and qualifications tend to earn a bit more.

[jrhartley]

maybe if you've just got it you're not in the best position to assess if its crap or not, as you probably can only do 1% of the things it is capable of? I'm not denying there are loads of other fast 3d modelling programs out there that are good, but sketchup is used by a lot of offices, so its helpful to know, and its odd to think so many firms are adopting something that is shit. but ultimately work with what you're happy with - it might not be for you, but its not shit. a lot of people on our course used to use blender3d and have moved to sketchup. the trick in sketchup is not to try to produce a really photo realistic model, its about playing around with ideas. you can render it in photoshop afterwards, but i'd challenge anyone to build a card model faster than i could knock it up in sketchup. plus the shadow analysis is a lot more accurate than you're going to get putting you crap card model in a heliodom and trying to assess where shadows will be cast on the 5 august at 15h32.

i'm sure we'd all love to do nice hand renderings given the time, but is it the best use of our mental power to sit around for hours shading something in - couldn't that time be better used continuing to THINK about the project?

[acg]

well said..sketchup is certainly not sh!t, especially in the academic realm. It is great for students to use IN ADDITION to other methods. Many people get off on their superhuman patience with programs like viz or others, but i personally think that better ideas can be hashed out sooner with simpler means. I prefer to have my students come up with great work and thought process rather than spend their time waiting for a rendering. Use what you think is best for you, no one is right here its all personal preference. In some countries its against the law to pick up something this cheap, fast, and easy!

again on the hand versus computer...i think hand SKETCHING is invaluable and will never be replaced by a computer...sketch up or other, its not as easy to take pure thought and put on paper with a computer. You are limited by the capabilities of the machine which may force you down a different path. but for construction drawing, or any other technical work, put it in cad and forget the hand drafting.

[Architorture]

[gleearch]

We use sketch up for it's meant for. Quick conceptual models and studies.
It's fast and somewhat intuitive. It's plastic. You pull and push and move planes and massing around. Quick and dirty. Quick fast sketches in 3D.
Some who are more facile with this program have done some impressive modeling with it. There's a sketch up forum that showcases their work.
Use the right tool for the right job. If you don't know why you are using it, then don't blame the tool.