Unwrapping and unfolding correctly in SketchUp

Whether you are working with paper or sheet metal, unfolding is a crucial step in the manufacturing process when you are starting off with a digital model in SketchUp. If you want to build something exactly as designed on-screen, then you will need to unfold complex shapes and lay them out flat for cutting. Of […] Read more..

My new book is out! Schreyer authors fourth edition of ‘Fundamentals of Residential Construction’.

UMass Press Release: Alexander Schreyer, director of the building and construction technology (BCT) program, has revised and expanded “Fundamentals of Residential Construction” to produce the fourth edition of the guide to professional construction of single-family and multifamily homes. Schreyer joins Edward Allen, formerly of MIT, Yale University and the University of Oregon, and Robert Thallon […] Read more..

Dryer fix made easy with 3D printing

As you can see in the image below, our dryer had a broken knob. It was just a small plastic part but without it, starting the machine became a bit of a hassle. To fix this, I could have gone to a site like Sears PartsDirect or similar, looked up the dryer’s model number, find the […] Read more..

Sketchfab Uploader and SketchUp News extensions updated (again)

I just updated two of my SketchUp extensions: Sketchfab Uploader and SketchUp News. As always, you can get the updates directly from the Extension Warehouse or from the SketchUcation Plugin Store via the auto-update. Here’s what’s new: Sketchfab Uploader Version 2.4 (12/12/2016): – Added help menu item – Code cleanup SketchUp News Version 1.2 (12/12/2015): – […] Read more..

Merry Christmas, Joyful Holidays, and a Happy New Year 2017!

I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and joyous holiday season and a happy and successful new year 2017! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Cheers, Alex P.S. This year I had so many nice pictures from our stay in Scotland that I opted for a photo-based holiday image rather than my usual rendering. I took […] Read more..

How much abuse can Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) take?

Being about a month away from moving my office into a Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) building, I am of course interested in answers to this question. As it turns out, many recent research projects proved that CLT can evidently handle quite a bit of abuse (beyond regular day-to-day loading and use)! I may be biased, but […] Read more..

My [as] website is 10 years old today!

They grow up so fast, don’t they? As you may have noticed, I have completely redesigned my site. The older design – while nice – wasn’t a responsive design. It also wasn’t as flexible in terms of content placement as I would have liked it to be. So I completely overhauled it. The new design […] Read more..