And by intuitive I mean that when you use one of its tools and click on something, it understands what you want to do. What's fascinating about SketchUp is that it truly is intuitive to use.

The zoom, pan, and orbit tools are critical to operating SketchUp, and those are the things I didn't understand before. The download includes a PDF containing the complete transcript so you can jump around to find things easily.

Richards' video, 67 minutes, consists of 5 episodes that show basic navigation and usage, then go through the complete process for a hanging cabinet design. So you can watch a video and see SketchUp in action, then read about the process in detail. The combination of video and text makes it suited to all types of learning styles, whether you prefer to read it or watch it. Both books include information on creating a set of shop drawings and templates.Īn interesting feature, taking advantage of the electronic format, is that the second book has several videos embedded in the PDF. Like the first, it's packed with diagrams.

He also uses several other projects as examples. One of them shows how to work from scanned images. It includes some review of basic usage, then covers three cabinet projects in different traditional styles down to the last detail. His second book, 197 pages, consists of 7 chapters focusing on using SketchUp for cabinetmaking. It's copiously illustrated with step-by-step diagrams and is a fabulous example of written instruction. He uses a variety of different furniture projects for examples, including simple cabinets and tables and a Windsor chair. Killen's first book, 145 pages, consists of 16 chapters covering SketchUp tools and techniques, from basic navigation to creating original drawings to making drawings from imported photos.

Sketchup for carpenters