SketchUp started out as an architect’s digital mock-up software. With version 3, At Last delivered more robust 3D capabilities that went well beyond any architect;s needs. Version 4 builds on this expansion. SketchUp is now a full-blown 3D application with a focus on object modeling. The software can be used for creating complex 3D models.

Probably what most users will find SketchUp’s most innovative feature is its extraction feature. You draw a 2D square, hexagon or circle, and with a drag of the mouse these become a cube and a cylinder! If that isn’t 3D made easy, I don’t know what is. It’s also blazingly fast, which is of paramount importance to architects and industrial designers who must be able to create 3D presentations fast.

This “push/pull” feature is one of the areas where SketchUp shines. It shows the scale of innovation at At Last Software. Version 4 is no exception, and if you thought the push/pull tool was a time saver, wait until you’ve seen the new features. Two of those features are in the same league as the push/pull tool: Follow Me and Intersector. The other novelties are nice and interesting by themselves, but they are more “ordinary” enhancements.

Follow Me

Imagine drawing a cube or a series of cubes and then be able to draw a pipeline following the edges of that set of cubes by just dragging with your mouse along the paths of the cubes you want the pipe to follow. That is roughly what the Follow Me tool does.

All it requires is that you draw the model the profile should follow and the profile itself. Then dragging the mouse is all it takes to extract the profile along the path. It can’t be much simpler. But it can be much more powerful. The Follow Me tool is not just to layout pipelines. It can also be used to create a bevel, for example.

In that case, you just modify the tool’s behaviour (by holding down a modifier key on the keyboard when you start the drag) so it will actually cut along the edge. Creating a cube with rounded corners then starts with drawing an ordinary cube, drawing the curve that will cut through the sharp edges, select the Follow Me tool, and start the drag. At the end of the process, you just remove the cut-away edges and you have a beautifully rounded cube.

This simple and extremely fast way of working requires some getting used to, because you have the tendency (at least, I have) to move too fast, making the tool cut through unwanted edges or paths. It’s not that the tool doesn’t require some accuracy in dragging. It does. But it’s far more intuitive and faster than anything I’ve seen in other 3D packages where this sort of tricks usually means going through at least half a dozen complicated steps.

The result, by the way, looks extremely good. And with some colour or a nice material applied to the model, it all looks quite professional. To experience the best results with regards to colours and materials, Piranesi is a must-have, but even without it, you can create professional-looking models in short time periods.

Intersector

The Intersector is just such another great tool to use. It involves creating two objects, moving them in their right realtive position, selecting the Intersector, and removing the “debris” that is left behind as a result of the cutting operation. Very clean, very fast, very predictable, even to people who are used to drawing in 2D only.

One glitch, though. It could be a bug, but when I moved a cylinder into a cube, so that the cube could be cut by the cylinder, the display suddenly changed to a huge blow-up of my cylinder. The first time this happened, I thought I did something wrong, but no matter what I did, SketchUp kept doing this until I dragged further into the cube. Then everything went back to normal.

The intersection you create is just as predictable as the results of the Follow Me tool. It’s only easier, as you don’t have to coordinate your wrist motions with paths or think about where you should stop the cutting. It’s a one click operation, really.