Final Project: Experimenting with SketchUp

 After analysing a specific design, it was time to experiment with the two software's to ensure that SketchUp is the right one for me. I will comment on things such as time, end result, how easy it was to design and how easy the software was. Additionally, I will show the process for both software's.

I did a more in-depth analysis of the technical details of SketchUp and fusion360 in a previous blog post, but now I want to test them out. You can access that blog by clicking here. 

I drew inspiration from the product that I previously analysed and decided to attempt to draw a simple version of it on both software's and compare them. The design I was inspired by is the one in my previous blog, you can access that blog by clicking here. I didn't design the components in this experiment as I still didn't decide on what I will be including. Additionally, the designs created are very rough as I will only be experimenting with the different tools used and describe my process of creating it. 

The first thing I did was to open up the free version of Sketch Up. It doesn't have as many functions as SketchUp pro but the overall design of my product can be done using free SketchUp. I clicked on 'Start Modelling' and it opened up a new page. I deleted the figure so that I could start working. 

As I would form a table, I had to start out with two planks which are at right angle to each other. I clicked on the 'rectangle' tool and used the same measurements for both planks to ensure symmetry. The perspective lines shown are an easy way to make sure that you place your shapes in correct positions. 

It was time to start forming the borders of my product. I used the 'rectangle' tool again to form another one inside. I left a 2 1/4'' border on all sides to make sure that it is symmetrical again. 

I wanted to create smooth edges as it is something I consider doing in my final piece. I used the 'arc' tool and followed the horizontal line of the rectangle as seen in the first picture. I extended my arc to 2 1/4'' and then, using a circular motion, I formed my arc. I deleted the sharp edge and was left with the round edge. I applied the same process on the opposite edge.

In this step I noticed a small mistake that I didn't take into consideration before designing. I used the 'Push/Pull' tool to turn my 2D object into 3D by forming the top part of my desk. However, this overlapped with the base on the bottom; therefore I had to delete the bottom part and form it again. 

I really like sketch up as you can quickly fix small mistakes like this one. I quickly deleted the previous base and formed another one using the 'rectangle' tool in the same measurements (4'5 7/16'',~2'6 3/8'').

Once I had my base formed again, it was time to form rounded angles on this too as it had to match the top part when folding. I drew a small rectangle of measurements 2 1/4''. This rectangle was drawn as a guide of where the border is on the top. 

After having my guide, I drew another random rectangle and deleted the previous one. I used the 'arc' tool again and followed the horizontal line of the rectangle as a guide for the starting point of my arc. 

  

After I used the same technique as I did on the top part of the desk, I ended up with 2 more rounded edges. 

I used the 'Push/Pull' tool to extrude my surface and turn my flat surface into 3D.

I decided to not add many shelves as this was only a test design. I added a horizontal and a vertical one by using the 'rectangle' tool and the then 'Push/Pull' tool to extrude the surfaces. 

After the design of my product was complete, I used white paint to cover all surfaces. However, for the front and the rounded edges, I used a grey paint to make it more interesting and experiment with different colours. I was also going to include some plants and books from the warehouse but I wanted the focus to be on the product design and not the small details. 

Throughout this design I used the 'orbit', 'pan' and 'zoom' tools to change perspectives 

Overall, I really enjoyed using SketchUp. It is one of my favourite software to use as it is really easy to navigate through. This took me 23 minutes to complete which is a very short amount of time to design something. Even when I had an issue with one of the steps, it was really easy to fix and get back on track. I enjoy experimenting with different tools of SketchUp. 

After experimenting on SketchUp, it was time to experiment on Fusion360 and document my process. 

I will add another blog for my fusion360 experiment and then compare both of them at the end of it!