SketchUp for Set Design

You took the bait from the Introduction to SketchUp product page, or maybe you even downloaded the Intro package and survived to tell the tale. ‘So’, I hear you say, ‘What now smarty pants?’ Well, if you want to learn SketchUp, impress your friends, and intimidate your enemies, you buy this tutorial. 

This is a three-part, twenty-five-hour (yes, you read that right) tutorial series, with supporting materials. It covers all the tools and windows in SketchUp. It will teach you a rapid and efficient workflow to make a Craftsman interior set. You will learn to shoot the interior for presentation, create an animation, and section the set for Trimble Layout, or another CAD program. It is exactly what I teach graduate students at Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. So there!

SU1 covers all of the tools in the Large Toolset. You will lay out a floorplan, raise walls and punch window and door openings in them. Included is a complete model file of the finished project and white papers. There is also a short slideshow concerning designing for the camera.

SU2 covers the basic camera tool, dimensioning tools, and all the windows and properties. We will explore SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse. Using your set walls from SU1 you will fill its openings with doors and windows which you will make from scratch (oh, stop whining, it’s easy). We will also cover cabinets and wall moldings (you will learn how all the bits and pieces work while you learn to make them, at no extra charge). The SU2 package has a complete model file of the finished project and white papers. There is also a component library of the entire Paramount Studios Molding Catalog.  Research images are included for those unfamiliar with the craftsman style of architecture.

SU3 covers the Advanced Camera Tools plugin, the Super Section plugin, the Add SectionCutFace plugin, and the section toolbar/tool pallet. We will explore SketchUp’s Extension Warehouse. You will use your finished model from SU2 to tag walls, ceilings, and doors for control of the drawing process. Then you will cut sections through your model for use in working drawings using the Super Section and SectionCutFace plugins. The SU3 package has a complete model file of the finished project and white papers.

You should use SketchUp Pro if you plan to use these tutorials. SketchUp Free will work for a while, but it will not be adequate as we progress. You can use any version of SketchUp Pro, back to SUPro 2018, but Trimble only supports versions 2021, 2022, and 2023, so the more current you are the better.