Google Sketchup

[audiophool]

Sketchup is a free 3D drawing package that is extremely easy to use and very useful for laying out amps, speakers, and other stuff that we do on this forum so I thought it would be valuable to start a thread about it.

Here's a couple of existing posts of sketchups:

...
The drawing is done in the very nice Sketchup program.



...

Here's a sketchup of an amp for an active speaker that I'm currently working on

Something that I find really useful is that you can easily do a scaled layout drawing. Here's a 2D dimensioned view of the same drawing which I used to mark out the baseplate prior to drillling.


Amp-sketchup sample meas.jpg

[krilli]

Something that I find really useful is that you can easily do a scaled layout drawing. Here's a 2D dimensioned view of the same drawing which I used to mark out the baseplate prior to drillling ...

!

I didn't know that - very useful. I just asked the internet about this and have a question - Did you do the dimensioned drawing in the Layout program from the Pro package?

[kifysara]

Good stuff.
I've been using for a while (before it was bought out by Google), at first for Computer case mods and now for DIY audio projects (planning case layout etc).

[Jan]

I should have a link collection where you could post favorite software...

[audiophool]

!

I didn't know that - very useful. I just asked the internet about this and have a question - Did you do the dimensioned drawing in the Layout program from the Pro package?

The dimensioned drawing is done with the free version of sketchup. I only have the free version.

[amix]

Though this is not about audio-components, some might be interesting to know, that there is a very high quality collection of computer-components for SketchUp here.

[krilli]

Hey nice, amix, thanks.

[amix]

Hey nice, amix, thanks.

You're welcome.

Maybe Audiophool could send them his components, so we could leach them ;-) ? May become good for PC and Audio DIYlers over time. The two worlds come closer anyway. There is some valves and audio-connetors, plugs, heatsinks etc. on the Google components library (3D Warehouse) as well.

[teflondon]

Great rec!

I have just done my first ever 3d sketch, and it's of my amp I am working on.

I felt pretty good about it until I saw the examples up top, but I see I have more work to do.

[audiophool]

...Maybe Audiophool could send them his components, so we could leach them ;-) ? May become good for PC and Audio DIYlers over time. The two worlds come closer anyway. There is some valves and audio-connetors, plugs, heatsinks etc. on the Google components library (3D Warehouse) as well.

Happy to do it. My plan is to have a 3D warehouse library of all the components on the maedos site so that people can easily lay out their amp designs. Sadly, my plans often materialize much more slowly than I would like them to...

Anyone who would like a copy of the sketchup I posted below is welcome to it, but sadly it's not in anything like a proper publishable form yet. What look like components are in fact just groups of primitives.