where can i learn sketch up?

[justinmcf]

i know this sketch up program is pretty good.

but i have no idea how to use it!

i would like to know where can i learn to use this program in the gold coast.
i am happy to pay for some lessons.

regards, justin.

[wheelinround]

Google

[justinmcf]

hi wheel.

as much as i love reading robert louis stevenson.

can you tell me why i need to google robert louis stevenson?

regards, justin.

[wheelinround]

He used pencil and paper and thought about it in the kitchen :doh:

Google "Sketchup tutorials" :roll:

[watson]

When Sketchup was first released, a lot of forum members did a heap of research, and this thread contains a lot of what they discovered.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f112/sketchup-brain-trust-46736/

I hope it helps.

[jmk89]

There is a (not free) tutorial downloadable from the Popular Woodworking site:
ShopClass Series - Woodworker's BookShop - Save on woodworking magazines, books, projects and downloads (http://www.woodworkersbookshop.com/category/shop-class-series)

[justinmcf]

thanks for all the links guys but i am slow learner with these computer things.
i have spent/wasted thousands of dollars on software programs such as music software for my digital piano. it has been collecting dust for five years.
i have also wasted money on business programs.
for normal people these software programs would be a great investment.
for me, they end up being a waste of money as i really do need someone sitting beside me talking me through the process.
so once again, does anybody know where i can get help with sketchup on the gold coast.
i am happy to pay for their time.

thanks, justin.

[munruben]

i really do need someone sitting beside me talking me through the process.
.Sketcchup is not a program you can learn in 5 minutes so you would need to locate someone who has a lot of time on their hands. Hope you have success with that. Good luck with Sketchup.:2tsup:

[Mr Brush]

I'd have to agree - there really are no shortcuts, and SketchUp is more of a "learn by doing" sort of program. Paid tuition would be a very inefficient and hideously expensive way to get on top of things.

You just have to use it a LOT to get familiar with the features. I probably dip into SketchUp to doodle some design ideas a couple of times a month, and that isn't nearly enough to get good at it.

I started out with the book "Google Sketchup For Dummies" (yes, there is one), but that covers all aspects of the program rather than specifically furniture design. I ended up designing pretend houses just to get to grips with the software......which all takes time.

After that I'd go for the video tutorials (plenty to be found on Google) to cover some of the more furniture-specific aspects.

[justinmcf]

thanks john and mr brush.

[Rattrap]

Sketchup isn't that hard to use really. there are plenty of free tutorials about. All you have to do is go thru the tutorials & u'll pick it up pretty quickly. I don't know of any offical classes in sketchup, & i don't see a need to.

[Lamo]

Search for Sketchup in You Tube. Some of the video tutorials on there are really good.

Just like someone sitting beside you. ;-)

[kmthor]

there are courses out there try someone like karelcad, they might do it or know somebody i done a course in NZ before google brought it, perk of the trade!!

im north side Brisbane if you were closer i could have helped


km

[RossM]

Hey Justin,

The closest you can come to one-on-one without actually finding a tutor is with the Popular Woodworking tutorials mentioned by Jeremy. $50 will get you 4 hours or so of pretty good intro to the software, and you can "rewind" your tutor as many times as you like without him getting frustrated. Anyone with the skills to do one-on-one trainng is likey to charge out at north of $100/hr, and you would probably only cover quarter of what is in the 2 PopWood videos in the same time. Why not get the first one ($25) & see how it goes?

Otherwise, check your local TAFE college - I used to teach computer courses, including intro to CAD in NSW TAFE some years back.They may now cover SketchUp as a short course. Also, you might find a local community education college that does computer courses & suggest that they run something on SketchUp.

[justinmcf]

thanks for the info everybody.

regards, justin.