It's
my lunch break and I just threw together a plan on Google Sketchup 7
for the desk that I'm going to build tonight. If you haven't ever used
Google Sketchup then you should definitely check it out. It's a whole
lot of fun and can be easily learned. I picked it up in about an hour
(months ago) after going through all of the tutorials that came with
it. The tutorials are especially easy because they're hands on. It
shows you something and then they have you do it before you can go on
to the next thing. It's pretty cool.
Another amazing thing they
have is the 3D Warehouse. While in the program (as long as you have an
Internet connection) you can import 3D models directly into your model.
These models are free to download because they're built by people like
me who waste their lunch period playing around with a computer program.
Anyone can upload a model they built and so there is a huge amount of
models just hanging out there. There are extravagant ones that are
highly detailed like house plans, antique cars, and skyscrapers as well
as simple ones like stick figures, soccer balls, and flowers.
It
can really prove to be quite useful, actually, if you want to build
something complex. I plan on doing it for the deck plans that I have
drawn up already. My drawn plans are pretty accurate, but my 3D version
will cover EVERYTHING. I'll be able to measure every board. My material
list can be extremely accurate. With this program, I can even have it
count the number of screws that I place in the model. How cool is that?
It can also be useful with the simple things, too, like this desk, for
instance. I didn't necessarily need to create a 3D model of this desk
in order to build it, but I did need to figure out the design of it in
my head and I do a lot better when I can actually see it come together
BEFORE I start cutting boards. Once a board is cut, it's cut. I've
learned this all too well over the years and kick myself every time I
find I've cut something too short. So, this is a way that I can put
something together and have it for sure be right. I like drafting plans
for projects. I always have. But nothing beats being able to draft a
3-dimensional project in 3 dimensions.
Well, my lunch is over,
so I gotta go. But, I uploaded two plans to the warehouse. My plans for
the desk and the one I drew up months ago for the house. I included a
material list for the desk so that maybe it will help someone out there
looking for a quick, cheap desk they can build themselves.
Once again, this is a free program available for download for anyone to use. Click
here to download the program. Click
here to see my house plans on Google or
here to see my desk plans on Google. Happy building!
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