One of the best parts about Sweet Onion Creations is having the freedom to work on interesting modeling challenges. Google Sketchup is available for free to download and has quickly become an invaluable tool for designers and architects everywhere.

Why?

It’s straight forward, insanely easy to learn, and FREE.  Sketchup is not necessarily replacing expensive CAD packages at big firms but rather being used in conjunction. Like the name implies, you can get a quick sketch of an idea and go forward with a design concept. Smaller boutique shops around Bozeman are using it to create plans and present to clients. There is also the slick way it can produce quality renderings with Google Earth.

Here is a screen shot of a skyscraper created in Sketchup…

We often get asked if we can take information like this and create a physical 3 dimensional architectural model from this data. The answer was usually “maybe”. The problem with the free version that is widely used has to do with the file export options. (The .skp file format is not easily read by the software used in 3D printing.) However, through the use of plug-ins with third party tools it is now possible to do this quickly with minimal cleanup on the computer.

Below is a picture of the finished model taken directly from the above Sketchup file.  At a rough scale of 1″ = 150′, this model was built in under an hour. We snapped a pic with the paper clip to get a sense for the finished scale.

We’ve had good luck working with topo models from Google Earth. However, working with actual architectural files can be a bit more difficult given the construction materials and surfaces.  This process looks to be free from such hassles.

Going forward this should make for interesting communication between clients and architects. As more and more people contribute to Google’s 3D Warehouse, entire city blocks can be modeled at the small scale shown above and printed out.

As cities grow proposed structures can be built with the surrounding topography from Google Earth and examined before planning boards. Imagine being able to quickly build multiple concept massing models through Sketchup and put together different design ideas for how a city should grow.

For example, a new community library design can be set down in front of a live audience and different proposed structures swapped out. People will get the designs much more quickly and also get a sense for how well each one integrates into the existing communities look and feel.

The ability to do this quickly and efficiently could make for an exciting way to communicate architecture visions.