In this video you're gonna
learn why design professionals in architecture, interior
design, and related fields need SketchUp Pro to do their jobs. In fact, I'll show you
how these professionals have been able to create
better presentations, streamline their workflow,
and do their jobs faster using SketchUp Pro. I'm Alex Oliver, founder
of SketchUp School. The place where professionals go when they're serious
about learning SketchUp. And in this video we'll
cover the ten features of SketchUp Pro that matter most to people using SketchUp professionally. Also stick around to the end of this video and I'll link you to a
page where we can help you decide if SketchUp Pro is right for you. Keep watching! Do you need SketchUp Pro? To help you answer that question, I've gone through our
entire video course library and I made a list of the SketchUp Pro only features that we teach. In total I came up with a
list of ten key features that professionals depend
on to get the job done. If you need any of the
features on this list, then you need SketchUp Pro. There's one thing that
will be helpful to know before we dive into this list. There's a paid version of SketchUp and there's a free version of SketchUp. The paid version is called SketchUp Pro and for a long time, the free version was called SketchUp Make but in November SketchUp released a brand new web-based version
called SketchUp Free. Now because SketchUp Free
will be the free version going forward, in this video we'll focus on the differences between
the web-based, SketchUp Free, and the desktop application, SketchUp Pro. Last thing before we move on, all versions of SketchUp share the same core toolset
for creating 3D models. So most of the SketchUp
Pro features we're covering are things that go above and beyond creating basic 3D models. If you're about to give SketchUp
a try for the first time, I recommend you watch
another one of our videos called "Watch This Before You
Get Started with SketchUp". You can find a link to
the video right here. Okay, let's dive into the ten key features that professionals depend
on to get the job done. We'll start by taking a
look at three features that help with design presentations. Then we'll jump into two
features that help you integrate SketchUp into your workflow and we'll finish by
looking at five features that I like to call the
SketchUp power tools. Let's jump into the
first group of features. Number one, renderings and
walkthrough animations. When you're trying to
sell your design idea, it helps to have a pretty picture and you can save a low-res
image out of SketchUp Free but if you step up to SketchUp Pro, you can export high-res images. And in Pro you can add
a rendering extension that helps you create more photorealistic or styled presentation images. Plus you can go beyond static pictures and use Pro to export high
res walkthrough animations that tour clients through your design. And again, you can use
a rendering extension to create animations
with realistic lighting and reflections. For rendering in SketchUp Pro, we created a whole video about it. So be sure to check that
out if realistic images are something that you need. You can find a link to
the video right here, Now, sometimes you need more
than just a single image or animation, which leads
us to our next feature. Number two, design presentations. To really sell your idea, you may need to create a more
complete design presentation. Now, if you're like most
designers I run into, that means you're trying
to take a graphics and drawing tool like illustrator and a drafting and
documentation tool like AutoCAD and a page design and
layout tool like InDesign and then use them all together
with the 3D model you get out of SketchUp to come up
with a design presentation. It can get pretty complicated. Now don't get me wrong, I use all of those tools from time to time but it's important to use the
right tool for the right job. And when the job is to
present your SketchUp model, LayOut really is just the better option. LayOut comes with SketchUp Pro and you can use the two together to create beautiful design presentations
for your clients. These can be things like early schematic design presentations, comparisons of different
product and material options, or detailed illustrations
that help explain how your design will work. Really you're only limited
by your imagination. Just keep in mind these things when you're setting up a
presentation in LayOut. Make sure to set up
scenes in SketchUp first. Then in LayOut, set each viewport to a specific SketchUp scene
and don't forget to lock it. You'll avoid some really huge
headaches later, trust me. Finally, import other files
and use LayOut's tools to add text, vector drawings, and any other graphics
and styling you need. While we're talking about LayOut, let's go ahead and talk
about our next feature. Number three, detailed
construction documents. Yes, you can use SketchUp
Pro and LayOut together to create detailed construction documents. I'm talking about properly
scaled plans, elevations, sections, alongside construction details, product schedules, bills of materials, and all documented using
custom line weights, symbols, dimensions, labels, text, and all of it pulled together
on the right size paper with custom title blocks
so you're ready to print or save as a PDF. You don't need to hassle with
another program like AutoCAD. It's so much easier to document your SketchUp model in LayOut. Here's how it works. You start by setting
up views of your plans, elevations, and sections
as scenes in SketchUp. Then you send your project to LayOut. In LayOut you have a viewport, which is like a live look
into your SketchUp model. You can make as many copies
of the viewport as you'd like and place them on as
many pages as you'd like but here's the key, you must
right click on each viewport and set your desired scene and scale. And make sure to lock the viewport. Then you're in full control
as you document the design with LayOut's powerful tools. Okay, we've covered the three
presentation focus features, now we'll move on to the
next group of features. Workflow integration. We'll start with number four,
start from as-built drawings. You don't always design
things from scratch. Sometimes you need to start
from an as-built drawing or a design sketch. With SketchUp Pro, you
can import those drawings as a starting point and even better, you can make sure they
come in at the right scale so your SketchUp model is dead accurate. Here's how. In your top menu, you can choose to import an image of a sketch or other drawing, a PDF of a floor plan
or technical drawing, or a DWG DXF if you're
starting from a CAD file. After importing an image or a PDF. you'll need to scale it. With CAD files they come
in at the right scale but you do need to be sure
to turn them into a group if they aren't already. Then you can use your
imported file as a reference as you model right on top of it. So that's the importing
feature in SketchUp Pro. Next up, number five,
export to other software. I'm a big fan of using the
right tool for the right job and SketchUp's really great for most tasks but there are situations
where you'll need to get your SketchUp model into
another design software. The good news is SketchUp Pro plays nice with most of the other
tools you'll need to use. You can export 2D and 3D DWG or DXF files as well as a number of different 3D files that can be helpful for things like building information modeling
in applications like Revit, fabrication using CNC machining, or post production in other
3D applications like 3DS Max. Just know that when it comes to exporting, each situation will call
for a different recipe of SketchUp settings and
target application settings. So be prepared to experiment a bit or ask somebody who already knows a lot about your specific situation. Alright, we've made it more
than halfway through the list and now we're up to some
really cool features that you can find inside SketchUp Pro. Collectively, I call them the power tools. These are extra features
inside SketchUp Pro that help design
professionals with problems that they regularly face on the job. Let's take a look at these power tools. We'll start with number
6, the sandbox tools. If you need to model terrain
or other organic shapes, you need the sandbox tools. With the sandbox tools, you
can model terrain from scratch or create the terrain from
an imported site survey and then incorporate 3D
models into the terrain. Beyond terrain, you can
use the sandbox tools to create other undulating
or organic surfaces too, If you want to give these
tools a try, just know that by default the sandbox
tools' toolbar is disabled. So in order to see it, go to
your top menu and select view. On a PC go to toolbars. On a Mac go to tool palettes. Look for sandbox. On a PC check the box
to turn on the toolbar and on a Mac just click on the word. You should see the toolbar up here and you're ready to
give these tools a try. Okay, next up, number
seven, the solid tools. Often, the key to creating
more complex shapes in SketchUp is to figure out how to either
add or subtract geometry from a more simple shape. That's where the solid
tools come into play. So let's use a custom piece
of furniture as an example. To easily model the joinery, you can overlap one shape over another and use the solid tools to trim away what you don't need in just one click. In general, you can use the solid tools to add shapes together
into a more complex shape, use one shape to cut out
geometry from another shape, or overlap two shapes and keep
only the intersected part. Just like the sandbox
tools I mentioned earlier, you'll need to activate
the solid tools toolbar from the view menu and then keep in mind, that the solid tools only work on solids. So that's any component or
group that has a closed volume. Alright, next up we have number eight, the dynamic component tools. Let's say you need to work with something that comes in more than one flavor. So take a cabinet for example. Creating one in SketchUp
is pretty straightforward but creating a kitchen full of
cabinets takes a lot longer. This is the kind of situation where dynamic components
are really useful. So rather than creating
them all from scratch, you can search the 3D
Warehouse for cabinets that were made as dynamic components and download one into your model. Then activate the
dynamic component toolbar from the view menu. After that, open up the component options to see what a dynamic component really is. It's a component that has
been programmed with options for different sizes and
configurations of the cabinet. Make different selections and click apply and the component will
reconfigure on-the-fly. It's a huge time saver and if you have a special
situation in mind, you can create your
own dynamic components. Alright, just two more features left. Next, let's talk about number
9, the advanced camera tools. If you work in film or
TV and you need to know what your model will look like through a particular camera, then you need the advanced camera tools. Here's how they work. Start by enabling the
toolbar from your view menu. Then use SketchUp's navigation
tools to frame your shot. Next, add and name an advanced camera. Right-click and pick the type
of camera you'll be using and you'll see dark gray
bars that let you know what's out of frame but
here's an important tip. Before you navigate, be
sure to lock your camera. That way it'll stay, put rather
than following you around. Alright, I've saved the
best feature for last. Number 10, extensions. With SketchUp Pro you can go to a website like the Extension Warehouse and find free or paid
extensions that help you model almost anything you can
imagine in SketchUp. For example, you can find extensions that do simple useful things
like round or bevel corners or you can find ones that do harder things like create complex organic shapes. There are two ways to add extensions. One, you can go to the
Extension Warehouse. You'll need an account. Then browse or search for
the type of tool you need and then click on the red button and follow the steps to install. The second way, you can find extensions on other websites that can be downloaded. If you do that, to
install them in SketchUp, start by opening up
your extension manager. Then click the red install button and pick the downloaded
.RB or .RBZ extension file. Once you've installed a new extension, you'll have a new toolbar,
new menu items, or both. If you don't see the extension, you may need to enable
via the extension manager or even try restarting SketchUp. There you have it. The ten features of SketchUp Pro that design professionals rely on most. If you liked this video, be sure to subscribe to our
YouTube channel right now. That way you won't miss out on other SketchUp training videos like this one. Just click on the subscribe
button right here. If you're ready to invest in SketchUp Pro, then you'll want to invest in
knowing how to use it well. Our video course library is filled with $8,700 worth of SketchUp training exclusively for professionals. Head over to our SketchUp school web site and try it for free. If you still need help
deciding if SketchUp Pro is right for you, click
this link right here. Now, I want to turn it over to you. Which feature from this video are you most excited to try first? Are you planning to try LayOut? Or are you excited to add new extensions? Do me a quick favor and let me know in the comments below right now. Until next time, happy sketching.
