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Roy M · 27-01-2010, 08:27

I'm intrigued with Sketchup, Google's free CAD program (http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/). Has anyone worked with it? I have some old boat files (electrical, lines drawings, etc.) that I'd like to transpose to Sketchup, when I get some time, to share with others.

SabreKai · 27-01-2010, 18:06

Not using it now but I'll give it a try. I need a cad program badly.

Sabre

**knottybuoyz** · 27-01-2010, 18:26

I use it quite a lot. It's a good program for 3D CAD and modeling. It takes some getting used to but it's a capable program as long as you understand it's limitations. I've seen some designers/architects who use it quite extensively in their work. One fella used it in the design of an oil refinery if you can imagine that. It's good for what it is and you can't beat the price.

Sorry these are a bit primitive and were my first attempts at using the software.

delmarrey · 27-01-2010, 18:46

I use it for mechanical drawings but yeah it has limitations.

pressuredrop · 27-01-2010, 18:57

thanks for the head up on this, cant beat a free cad program, i can always use solidworks at school, but this will be great for my laptop

delmarrey · 27-01-2010, 19:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by pressuredrop

thanks for the head up on this, cant beat a free cad program, i can always use solidworks at school, but this will be great for my laptop

It's only free for a short time (trial program), then you have to pay for the download.

bewitched · 27-01-2010, 19:04

It's a good programme, but takes a bit of getting used to - but worth taking the time. I'd agree that it does have it's limitations - I'm by no means an expert at it, but I found curved surfaces (such as a hull) a real pain.

Roy M · 28-01-2010, 08:59

Thanks, folks. I'm using AutoSketch9 at the moment for doing my design work on the boat. I scaled my lines drawing coordinates into Excel, then began making 2D lines drawings on Autosketch. I've seen some Youtube tutorials on transcribing 2D to 3D and I am trying to decide if it's worth the learning curve to model my boat in 3D. Since I'm still in the design phase of my hard dodger, this would be a terrific tool to help select the final shape. Also, does anyone know if one can use Sketchup to make 2D electrical schematics?

**s/v Jedi** · 28-01-2010, 10:20

I vote for TurboCAD... it's the CAD program for people who can't do (auto)CAD.

cheers,
Nick.

**hpeer** · 28-01-2010, 10:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I vote for TurboCAD... it's the CAD program for people who can't do (auto)CAD.

cheers,
Nick.

Right on there. I use TurboCAD a bunch. I tried Sketchup for about 15 minutes the other night and the up shot was I ordered a version of TurboCAD 14 from ebay.

I'm an engineer, but most of my drawings are diagrammatic in nature. I do the rough drawing and then give it to a CAD guy to clean up and make adhere to the clients standards. I really stumble when I have to use AutoCAD or MicroStation. I can do it but not effectively. And the learning curve is steep.

TurboCAD is by comparison much more intuitive.

Now all my work is 2D. If I was doing interior design then things might be different.

**Benjamaphone** · 04-03-2010, 08:56

I used google sketchup to design our boatshow booth, worked pretty well and was easy enough for me, a computer amataeur, to put together. It was a great way to demonstrate the way I wanted everything setup, then we could make changes without rebuilding the booth from scratch. It really helped me visualize the different options that I was playing with. I didn't realize that its only free for a limited time though...

Stillraining · 04-03-2010, 10:03

I found this out using the Google program as well:

I currently use the open HB2 program...its been around a long time and is slow but pretty intuitive..

Scales can be readily changed and curves are no problem..lots of tools to choose from, from the pull down menus...Saving your work is straight forward and the program has never permanently crashed..with only minor glitches, but I have lost work if your not programmed to archived properly from the start...Usually this only happens once..and you learn where best to "save to" for future retrieval.

Accidental erasure of your work is impossible as it is permanently saved automatically to your choice of location as work progresses....You can even make a duplicate copy of your work at the same time and send it to a different medium if you want, with little to no loss of information..but with some resolution loss.

Like any stand alone program though loss of usable data can occur by outside influences to the hardware...So optical readers such as Canon or Kodak are a good idea for off site archiving if the work is important and come in lots of different price points, many very reasonably priced.

I recommend this program highly .....it's pretty cheap as well.

Basic system can be found here...But a modular system can be had and upgrades are reasonably priced as well. Some examples of the available "go anywhere" off site back up Optical readers are shown here.

muskoka · 07-03-2010, 19:59

Sketchup is a great program for those with little or no experience of drafting or CAD systems. A lot of professionals use it for upfront presentations during the sketch design phases of a project.

For the uninitiated it should easily be possible to create 3D dimensioned drawings for:
1. Interior modifications & cabinetwork
2. Designing parts for fabrication (ie a stern arch, davits, chocks)

Even if it's a DIY project, starting with accurate dimensioned drawings is a real bonus. The time you take figuring out how to draw something usually informs you as to how to build it as well!

Plus - for amateur users it's free so what can go wrong.

Happy sketching!