I have always wanted to learn how to use SketchUp. As someone interested in 3D modeling, it seemed like an incredible tool capable of building complex and realistic structures. Now that I have actually used SketchUp, I can confess that I am not too eager to be using it any time soon again.
Even before I started my model, I found the user interface to be intimidating and not super intuitive. It was unclear what a lot of the icons meant and the ‘parent-child’ system of tools, where some were hidden under others, made it even more confusing.
Once I started building, I found the program to be rather finnicky. I spent fifteen minutes trying to pull a rectangle from the side of my house that refused to extend outwards for some reason. I would move something and random lines would appear in places I did not want. When I tried to erase those lines, it would delete an entire surface.
To be fair to SketchUp, I went into this assignment with only a reference sheet and a handful of tutorial videos that I had watched to prepare. I wish that I had spent more time watching other people use SketchUp instead of jumping in with a “trial-and-error” mindset and, as a hands-on learner, I think I would have benefited from having a teacher show me the ropes in a lab setting.
One of my regrets is that I did not familiarize myself at first with the organizational tools. One of my greatest initial frustrations was that I would try to move an individual face and accidentally end up changing my entire structure. After a few quick Google searches, I soon discovered the utility of “Groups” and “Components”. I would recommend any SketchUp novice to study the organizational structure of SketchUp before diving right into their creation; it saves a lot of time in the long-run to begin a project with a well-ordered set of tags.
In the end, I was able to throw together a 3D model that somewhat resembles my house (perhaps if the viewer is squinting). My own limitations and lack of SkechUp knowledge did force me to make quite a few concessions: the proportions of the windows are slightly off and misaligned and the top window for some reason refused to show the glass material. That being said, I feel that I learned a lot and have a renewed appreciation for 3D modelers.
Grace, I was similarly frustrated with the interface of SketchUp; your experience of trying to push/pull the rectangle and it not budging sounds all too familiar (I used the ctrl key to copy the surface as I pushed/pulled and it worked one time — that might be a possible solution?). I also found that getting the right proportions was really tricky, especially because the only points where the lines lock into place are the midpoint and endpoints. There is still so much of SketchUp that I wish I understood better — I felt like it required a different way of thinking and of interacting with the program.
Grace, I also was annoyed with the hiding of important icons within other icons. It was almost purposefully making learning the software more confusing. It was quite difficult to find the right proportions and I found myself having to rewatch the tutorial videos in order to make sense of what to do. I think the SketchUp would be much easier to navigate if there was a more straightforward organizational system. I was actually trying to add trees and other vegetation to my house as well, but I could only manage to add grass so I was wondering if you could share some insight on how you were able to do that.