We may receive a commission when you use our affiliate links. However, this does not impact our recommendations.
I’ve always felt a bit guilty about our collection of SketchUp models on Google’s 3D Warehouse. It is such a great resource for our readers (and us) that it doesn’t seem possible that it’s free. This resource is available to anyone with a web browser, we don’t have to pay for it and you don’t have to pay for it. SketchUp has changed the way we plan and illustrate our projects here at the magazine. The easiest projects to make are those you’ve made before, and the process of making a 3D model is almost the same as building in real life, except for the unloading lumber trucks and sanding part.
Because we have models anyway, and because many of our readers pitched in to help, we took the opportunity to use this resource as an exercise in community building, not a way to make a quick buck. I’m pleased that we’ve been able to turn woodworkers on to this program.
It also works the other way; folks are starting in SketchUp and becoming woodworkers. Shortly before the holidays, I received an E-mail from one of them, Steve who works for the SketchUp team. He was curious about our collection, and wrote about it recently in the “Official Google SketchUp Blog”. You can read his post by clicking here. Because he said nice things about us I won’t feel guilty any more. And I can let you know that we’re working on some new ways for woodworkers to learn to use SketchUp.
– Bob Lang
