I created two 3D images using Sketchup. It is a computer animated design (CAD) program to help you create images that can be printed on 3D machines. With this free program you design on the computer and you convert your images to a STL format. Like pdfs are a format for text to be displayed, a STL can be ‘read” by a 3D printer to enable your design to be ‘printed’ into a product. It is a universal file for all 3D printing and the standard for the industry.
The Process:
I was given a small block and my assignment was to sketch it first on paper in showing three different views. Next I was to use the tools in Sketchup to design a 3D model of the block. It is below.
My next assignment was to take my block and eight different images that had been created by other students to create an original design. I went to the 3D Warehouse, which is a location within Sketchup where we were able to save our design. I first started with the double cube block that I designed and uploaded all the other images.I had difficulty determining if I had all nine of the images because they looked alike in the 3D Warehouse.
The Challenges:
The difficulty I encountered was how to keep the images from moving when I needed them to remain in one location. Also, the tool used to rotate the images was difficult to control. To overcome this, I reviewed the video tutorials. Since I am not a designer, I was a little intimidated by the task of trying to figure how to use these shapes, cubes, triangles, rectangles and create something recognizable.
Results:
I have several rubber ducks on my desks that were gifts. Therefore, I decided I would try to make a duck. But, because I had the constraint of these geometric shapes, I knew I would have to make an abstract duck. I tried to show the image with the beaks and the tail to give it shape. The duck also has a rooster component indicated by the cylinder and the half cylinder crown. My figure is significant because it was the first time I used this software and any CAD design. (See below) What I now know is CAD design 101 at very rudimentary level.
Advice:
The first advice I would give someone is to study the Sketchup tutorials and watch the videos and go through the processes to learn how to use the tools. The first thing I did was to configure the tool bar to show the names of what each tool represented. This “cheat sheet” helped me to keep track of what each tool represented. I would advise someone to learn a few of the tools really well. The tools I used the most were : a) push/pull, b) arrow, c)eraser, d)move tool, e) rotation, f) paint, g) magnifier and h) hand tool. I found these were the tools that are used the most in order to get familiar with Sketchup.
