I’m delighted to announce a SketchUp Class to be held the weekend of November 11-12, 2017 at the Philadelphia Furniture Workshop in Philadelphia, PA. You can get detailed information and register for this class at the PFW website. While this … Continue reading →
About two months ago I floated the idea of offering online SketchUp classes and about one month ago I held some live practice sessions. It’s a simple idea; I can connect with students online, they can see my screen, I … Continue reading →
Space Available MASW July 22-23 SketchUp Class There are still a few seats available in the two-day SketchUp class I will be teaching on the weekend of July 22-23, 2017 at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Franklin, Indiana. … Continue reading →
UPDATE-Wednesday June 21: Last night’s session went well. There are still a few spots available for Saturday morning. Contact me by e-mail to reserve your spot. I’m getting closer to offering a series of live online classes for using SketchUp … Continue reading →
One of my favorite weekends of the year is teaching SketchUp at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana. There are still a few spots available in this years class on the weekend of July 22 & 23. Complete … Continue reading →
Teaching yourself how to use computer software is possible, (that’s how I learned to use SketchUp) but the drawback is you suffer for a while with an ignorant teacher (I know I did). The problem is you don’t know what … Continue reading →
In the almost 10 years that I’ve been teaching people how to 3D model with SketchUp, I’ve learned a lot about the many ways different people learn. Each of us is a little different in the way our brains absorb … Continue reading →
It’s now official! The class scheduled for May 6 & 7 in Pittsburgh, PA is set to go. There are still a limited number of spaces available, so if you’re ready to learn how to make 3D models with SketchUp, … Continue reading →
How far do you go with details in a SketchUp model? That’s a common question and the answer depends on what you’re making the model for versus how much time it will take to add the details. In my work, … Continue reading →
SCROLL DOWN FOR LIST OF AVAILABLE CLASSES Who needs to learn SketchUp? In my way of thinking everybody, or at least everybody who is involved with making things. I was trained to produce detailed drawings on a drafting board, then … Continue reading →
Thanks to the organizing efforts of one of my readers I will be teaching a two-day SketchUp Woodworking class this May 6-7, 2017 in the Pittsburgh, PA area. This class will focus on woodworking, but the 3D modeling techniques you … Continue reading →
UPDATE: MARCH 4, 2017 – THIS CLASS WILL BE HELD. AS OF TODAY, THERE ARE STILL A FEW SPOTS AVAILABLE. I will be teaching a two-day SketchUp class on March 18 & 19, 2017, at the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, … Continue reading →
Designers face two big challenges; the first is getting a client to visualize what is being proposed, and the second is achieving that without spending too much time working for free. SketchUp is the ideal solution to both of these … Continue reading →
CLASS IS SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 18 & 19, 2017 CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND SIGN UP TODAY I plan on hosting a SketchUp class this spring in the Cincinnati area. Where and when will depend on you! I’m leaning towards … Continue reading →
Dec. 10, 2016 – We Have a Winner! Leave a Comment to Enter Drawing Your kitchen is the most used room in your house, and quite often a source of aggravation. But remodeling a kitchen can be a risky endeavor. … Continue reading →
Marc Adams School of Woodworking is a special place and I’ve been invited to teach a few classes at MASW in 2017. It is the largest woodworking school in the country with an incredibly well-equipped shop and an experienced staff … Continue reading →
SketchUp 2017 has just been released and the new version is definitely a change for the better. Almost all of the changes are “under the hood”. Much like rebuilding the engine of a car, SketchUp has reworked their “graphics pipeline”. … Continue reading →
Woodworking is an interesting blend of the practical and the romantic. Like most woodworkers I swing back and forth; I love the artistic side but I also need to pay the bills or put something nice in my house that … Continue reading →
As an independent author/publisher I enjoy being free of corporate policies and rigamarole, so I can give stuff away if I think it makes a product better. While I was working on my new book “SketchUp For Kitchen Design” I … Continue reading →
I readily admit to being lazy, and that’s one of the reasons SketchUp is my favorite design software. I never have to model something a second time if I’m careful about where I put it. The Components window has some … Continue reading →
The good thing about running an online business is extended reach; folks from the other side of the world purchase and download my book the “New Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” all the time, usually without a hitch. Once in a … Continue reading →
Of course I’m going to tell you that the “New Woodworker’s Guide to SketchUp” is the best resource available for woodworkers to get up to speed in 3D modeling – I wrote it and published it. An opinion from someone … Continue reading →
I will be teaching a two-day SketchUp class on June 2 & 3, 2016, at the Golden Lamb Inn in Lebanon, Ohio. This two-day class (Thursday and Friday) will cover how to use SketchUp to design, plan and problem solve … Continue reading →
Several readers have been in touch wanting to know when I will be having another SketchUp class in Cincinnati. If you’re in the area (or willing to travel) you can help me decide when to hold a class and how … Continue reading →
In a good SketchUp model anything that is a distinct piece of wood in real life is a component. (Click here to read about why components are so important). With components, you rarely need to draw anything more than once; … Continue reading →
If you’re learning how to use SketchUp you have a lot on your plate. As it is with any new software you need to remember what happens when you click on this or that, but SketchUp is more complex because … Continue reading →
Next weekend I will be in Birmingham, Alabama as a guest of the Alabama Woodworkers Guild. On Friday evening, April 8, 2016 from 6-9pm I will be conducting a Woodworking With SketchUp workshop. This special event is open to the … Continue reading →
Question from a reader: I’m trying to do a simple paneled door; 2 rails, 2 stiles, and a panel in a groove all the way around. I made stiles no problem, the rails have a groove and a little tenon, … Continue reading →
I think my books are pretty good; they mix text and video in a digital format (PDF). These different methods reinforce each other so no matter what your learning style is you “get it” faster than you would with just … Continue reading →
Knowing a traditional way of doing something is certainly valuable, but it’s easy to get trapped in thinking that the traditional way is the only way, or the best way to achieve a goal. Technical drawings and project plans are … Continue reading →
What do middle school students and amateur carpenters have in common? Neither group realizes how tricky and troublesome compound angles can be. Carpenters will have fits trying to run crown molding and one group of middle schoolers recently hit a … Continue reading →
One of the most popular posts on this blog is my “SketchUp Shortcuts Cheat Sheet”, a handy list of the shortcuts I use all the time. Those are all standard shortcuts that exist when you install SketchUp. A few years … Continue reading →
For efficient work in SketchUp, you should use keyboard shortcuts instead of clicking on the icons in the toolbars, at least for the most often used commands. One of the quirks of SketchUp is that the obvious way of doing … Continue reading →
Twitchy Index Fingers & the Move Tool When I teach SketchUp in person I get reminded of the basic issues that confront many people. If you can get past these hurdles you’ll be well on your way to mastering the … Continue reading →
Since the first post on this site in August, 2011 I’ve written about woodworking, the American Arts & Crafts period and SketchUp. My interest in SketchUp began with my own use and that led to teaching other woodworkers how to … Continue reading →
One of the most flattering things that can happen to an author is an inquiry asking “Can I use your book as a resource for my class?” It makes me feel a little proud and it also makes me want … Continue reading →
SketchUp is a program that tries to make things easy. There are inferences at the ends and midpoints of every line. When you get close to one with the mouse cursor a colored dot appears along with a yellow tag. … Continue reading →
Last week I spent a most interesting day in the tech lab at a Michigan middle school, showing a group of five (a middle school technology teacher, an 8th grade science teacher, a high school technology teacher, a high school … Continue reading →
The weekend of January 30-31 I will be conducting a two-day SketchUp class in Denver, Colorado at the Rockler Woodworking & Hardware store. COMPLETE DETAILS ABOUT THE CLASS ARE HERE If you would like to participate, you are not too … Continue reading →
At the Alabama Woodworkers Guild – April 8-10, 2016 In a few months I will be traveling to Maylene (just south of Birmingham), Alabama to present not one, but two workshops for the Alabama Woodworkers Guild. The main event will … Continue reading →
