Google SketchUp For Dummies

Google SketchUp For Dummies

Book author: Aidan Chopra
ISBN: 978-0470137444
Publisher: -
Release Date: -

Remember when your high school English teacher explained that every word in the sentences you write needs to carry some meaning? While the rest of us missed that point, Aidan Chopra was paying attention. Google Sketchup for Dummies is a tightly written, fun to read book that gives a lot of byte for your buck. Aidan Chopra works at Google as the product evangelist for Google SketchUp and he's the editor of the monthly SketchUpdate email newsletter. He knows SketchUp inside and out and uses plain English to show you the ropes.

Google SketchUp is a 3D drawing program that defies easy description. It's fun, playful and at the same time very powerful. The free version of the program is very feature rich. The $495 version of the program is popular with architects. SketchUp's special charm is that the program seems to know what you want to do next in your drawing. Using inference points and inference lines -- and drawing tools found in no other drawing program -- it guides you to create the structures and objects you want to design.

When the free version of SketchUp was announced in the summer of 2006, I downloaded the program to check it out. I can tell you honestly I have little talent at creating computer graphics, but Google SketchUp grabbed my interest. Within15 minutes I was creating simple 3D models -- and having fun in the process. I found myself giggling the first time I used the program because of its low learning curve.

I showed Google SketchUp to some middle school students and they caught on even faster. I was intrigued to watch them explore the program -- and wished that I had a guidebook that could help me guide them. Google SketchUp for Dummies is that guidebook. Unlike other Dummies series books, this book goes beyond beginner level topics. "Comprehensive" is perhaps the best ways to describe this book.

Here is where I found the most value in the book. Chapter 16 of the book is titled: Ten SketchUp Traps and Their Work-arounds. Bingo. A jackpot of usetul tips.

Another very useful part of the book is on YouTube. YouTube? Yes, the book comes with a bunch of well-made screencasts that are freely available for anyone to view. These screencasts, created by the author of the book, make most sense when viewed in conjunction with the book. Here are some of the best screencasts.

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Google SketchUp For Dummies