SketchUp: The Best Little Modeling App That Could

After mastering formZ (a 3D app with a leap of a learning curve), I discovered SketchUp in 2005 back when it was still under the auspices of @last software and before it was acquired by Google.

For many reasons SketchUp is the most addicting software program I have ever used.

• it's free http://sketchup.google.com/download/
• it's easy http://sketchup.google.com/training/
• it supports a multitude of file formats http://www.suwiki.org/suwiki/index.php?title=3DS
  
• it crosses disciplines (architecture, engineering, event planning, story-boarding)
  
• there are lots of resources, components & third party plugins (i.e. smustard)
  

links:
pushpullbar2
3dwarehouse
community
sketchUcation
smustard

I originally built the 3D model of Apex House in Silverlake by Make Architecture in formZ and exported it as a 3ds file. These images were created within SketchUp after importing the 3ds file. Post-work was done in Photoshop, which is standard practice for most 3D work.

Images:

1. East & West Elevations
2. North & South Elevations
3. Street View
4. View of Downtown LA to the East
5. A Steep Site
6. Aerial Perspective

Designed by Nathan Charris, Shook Kelley's (branding architects) vision for the Buell (Erik Buell Motorcycles) Boutique embodies the notion of a traveling TI (tenant improvement). A fabricated metal tube slides neatly into a commercial space... this one proposed for the famed Melrose Avenue in LA.

Images:

1. Entry
2. Exterior
   
3. Interior 1
4. Interior 2
5. Interior 3
6. Night View

The bikes, based on the actual Buell models (Blast, Firebolt, Lightning and Ulysses) were modeled by my gifted 3D artist friend Ivica Valjak.

Photoshop was used to add entourage (people elements) and composite the SketchUp images into the actual photos of the proposed site.

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