Just playing with some blocks…

SketchUp has a great modeling toolset. What had always been missing, though, was a toolbar with standard primitives such as a box, sphere, pyramid, etc. Of course many of those can easily be modeled and others can be found in the 3D Warehouse. However, searching around and having to learn the follow-me tool first can be quite […] Read more..

Unwrap and Flatten Faces Extension/Plugin Updated

I just updated my “Flatten Faces” SketchUp extension to include an unwrapping algorithm. This not only allows you to lay arbitrarily oriented faces flat on the ground but also to unwrap (or unfold) them first. Check out the video in this post to see how it works. As always, you can get or update this […] Read more..

Merry Christmas, Joyful Holidays, and a Happy New Year 2015!

As every year, let’s celebrate the season with a bit of digital “bling”! This time, it’s just a simple SketchUp model of a fractal tree that I enhanced a bit in Sketchfab’s editor. Yes, it is WebGL and you are allowed to play with it. Have fun! To you and your loved ones a peaceful […] Read more..

Amazing SketchUp Timber Frame Modeling

[sketchfab id=”xuRi1rQTziz4iJqDkjayjOaXq86″ start=”0″ spin=”” controls=”1″] I just came across this amazing 3D model of a round barn by Mike Beganyi, a timber framer and SketchUp modeler from Vermont. I know, it’s two years old, but check it out – and do it full-screen! It is such a great example of beautiful timberframing, excellent SketchUp modeling, and […] Read more..

SketchUp 2015 is out! What’s New?

64 Bit, better performance, more IFC, better Ruby, new tools, new licensing and much more! There are also quite a few new integrations of SketchUp with other Trimble services and tools. You can now read all about it on my SketchUp for Design blog: http://sketchupfordesign.com/news/whats-new-with-sketchup-2015/

Interesting paper: “Comparison of life cycle assessment databases: A case study on building assessment”

I am trying something new: From now on, whenever I come across an interesting publication, I’ll post a link to my blog. Abstract Comparability of life cycle assessment (LCA) results based on different background data has long been debated. This is one of the main issues in building LCAs since buildings are complex products, which […] Read more..

How Feasible is Tall Wood?

A recently-published report entitled “Summary Report: Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings” investigates various aspects related to the feasibility of tall wood buildings. This report, published by Forest Innovation Investment and the Bilateral Softwood Lumber Council, summarizes findings from surveys and interviews with key personnel involved in the creation of ten worldwide buildings, all of which are […] Read more..