If you don't already know about SketchUp, the free** tool from Google, temporarily stop reading this post and point your browser to the SketchUp site to download your favorite flavor.
(Once you start using SketchUp, their blog is well worth checking out as well.)
I know a fellow exhibit developer that calls SketchUp "AutoCAD for Dummies." While SketchUp may have a much more straightforward learning curve than other 3D programs, the results are beautiful and professional even for a clod like me. (The drawing above is a simple SketchUp rendering that I created for a museum project.) So download SketchUp and give it a whirl!
I'd be interested in setting up a network for sharing SketchUp models and projects related to exhibits and museums. Is anyone else interested?
**Once Google bought the original SketchUp company they started offering a free "basic" version, and charging for the "pro" version (although non-profits, like museums, can get the pro version at a reduced rate.)
Great stuff. I've been using Sketchup for the past year and a half to help plan our exhibits at the National Geographic Museum. I've found its a good tool for helping to visualize the flow of the exhibit much earlier and helps to get the rest of the deisgn team thinking along similar lines. Its really also useful for getting lots of people outside of the design team excited and onboard at a much earlier stage. With the animation feature, Sketchup provides a great way to create a virtual walkthough to send to interested parties well before anything goes into production. I'm a big fan1
ReplyDeleteHey Paul, Did you get any interest in a group for exhibit designers using Sketch up? Would love to be part of the group.
ReplyDeleteYes I agee with Mark. Would love a group for exhibit designers using SketchUp. I am currently doing freelance work and use SU exclusively now for design development. Then I import to AutoCad for technical drawings. Recently started fooling around with Podium to anenhance my renderings!
ReplyDeleteYou'll be happy to know there is a Museums and Exhibits SketchUp Group:
ReplyDeletehttp://groups.google.com/group/museum-and-exhibits-sketchup-group