Apparently today is blog action day. I didn’t know that myself… Oh, well… The official SketchUp blog just published an environmental design feature with examples of green building design using SketchUp. It is always good to learn from how others are using a design tool like SketchUp – particularly in a commercial environment.
I very much like the UC Davis model for its exterior detail, but it seems to be yet another example where SketchUp was used as an “illustration modeler”. Look into the layers (and on the ground plane) and you’ll find the raw CAD data and the typical layer names. Some of the other ones look more like SketchUp was the conceptional modeler. I also like seeing renderings (using iRender, apparently) and the sketchy trees of the Mills GSB give a great hand-drawn appearance – especially when you turn some sketchy styles on. In any case, if you create a model for your clients, give them also one of the SpaceNavigators, my favorite CAD toy at the moment. And turn the tilt speed way down!!! Otherwise it can really make you sick if you flick your wrist the wrong way…