SketchUp - free*, and easy to learn

*For personal use, it's free.

SketchUp has been around from years.  Available from Trimble, this seemingly simple tool make creating 3D plans for construction projects, or even a little abstract art, easy once you master the basics.  Rather than put together a tutorial for SketchUp, I thought I would put a little gallery of my projects that I've used SketchUp to design here.  There are plenty of tutorials and videos already.

A set of timber stairs - integrated dead-man not shown.

What I like about SU is that it lets you extrude geometry, keeping things aligned. It has a very intuitive way of simplifying what amounts to basic CAD work with snap points and three axis, intelligent design guides. Sometimes I use it for detailed designs and drawing. Sometimes, just to layout the space in the shop with basic cubes to represent items.

Two different ways to arrange my shop equipment.

Occasionally, I want to build a tool or jig, and using SU to physically experiment with the design helps me think the structure through.  Where will I use screws or fasteners? What sort of materials will I need?

A simple sand and gravel sorter

But the usefulness of SU does not end with just figuring out an assembly.  You can create visual walk throughs for architectural models.  I'm planning to finish my basement, and have created several versions of the SU model, and have used POV screen shots to sell my wife on the idea.

Using the SU parallel projection view mode, I can take an exported image and use it to figure out my materials.  There are, I believe, paid plugins for this if you choose to spend money on the tools, but I have been estimating materials for jobs for my own projects for years and like my method.

Counting 2x4's to purchase (in red)

Thus far, my favorite use of SketchUp has been designing the ongoing landscaping project I've been working on behind my house for the past three years.  The project has been through 8 revisions, with the very early models looking, well, bland and unimaginative, compared to the latest revision.  Using SU to play with designs has saved a lot of time, money, and rework.

First Stab - blaaaah!

Version currently under construction.

It does take some time to get comfortable with SketchUp, and it can be frustrating at times. My biggest pro-tip is to always confirm your snap point is where you think it is.  Many times I've had to go back and fix geometry that was off just a tiny bit.  Creating components is also super handy, and I don't take advantage of it often enough, but it does make moving chunks of geometry around very easy.

Give it a shot. If you've been cooped up all summer and need a creative outlet, this is a pretty decent one to try.