Sketchup for Site Design - 2nd Edition by Daniel Tal (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

SketchUp for Site Design is the definitive guide to SketchUp for landscape architects and other site design professionals. Step-by-step tutorials walk you through basic to advanced processes, with expert guidance toward best practices, customization, organization, and presentation. This new second edition has been revised to align with the latest software updates, with detailed instruction on using the newest terrain modeling tools and the newly available extensions and plug-ins. All graphics have been updated to reflect the current SketchUp interface and menus, and the third part of the book includes all-new content featuring the use of new grade and terrain extensions. Developed around the needs of intermediate professional users and their workflows, this book provides practical all-around coaching on using SketchUp specifically for modeling site plans.

SketchUp was designed for usability, with the needs of the architect, industrial designer, and engineers at center stage. This book shows you how the software's powerful terrain and grade functions make it an ideal tool for site designers, and how to seamlessly integrate it into your workflow for more efficient design and comprehensive planning.

• Master the SketchUp basics, navigation, components, and scripts
• Turn 2D sketches into 3D models with volume, color, and material
• Create detailed site plans, custom furnishings, gradings, and architecture
• Learn sandbox tools, organization strategies, and model presentation tips

SketchUp has undergone major changes since the publication of this guide's first edition, with its sale to Trimble Navigation bringing about a number of revisions and the availability of more immediately useful features. SketchUp for Site Design shows you how to harness the power of this newly expanded feature set to smooth and optimize the site design workflow.

From the Back Cover

ENHANCE YOUR PROFESSIONAL SITE DESIGN PROJECTS WITH POWERFUL SKETCHUP TOOLS

Since its publication in 2009, SketchUp for Site Design has earned recognition as the premier guide to Google SketchUp for landscape architects and site design professionals. This fully revised Second Edition introduces you to numerous software updates as well as new terrain modeling tools and extensions, bringing you up to date on the look and feel of SketchUp and everything it offers.

With its powerful terrain and grade functions, SketchUp is ideally suited to the needs of professional site designers. Step-by-step tutorials in this book guide you through SketchUp basics and on to increasingly advanced techniques. With emphasis on best practices, customization, organization, and presentation, expert author Daniel Tal shows you how to

• Take advantage of new extensions that aid in generating terrains and grades
• Turn 2D sketches into 3D models with volume, color, and material
• Master sandbox tools, organization strategies, and the most effective ways to present your model
• Create detailed site plans and landscape architecture, custom furnishings, and gradings

This guide helps you master the necessary skills to harness the power of SketchUp's upgraded and expanded feature set. You will apply SketchUp Process Modeling, learn to integrate AutoCAD drafting with SketchUp, and explore all the new tools.

About the Author

DANIEL TAL, RLA, is a licensed landscape architect who freelances on a range of projects and consults on technology education and software development. He consults on SketchUp-related tools, conducts workshops and seminars on 3D modeling, and beta tests future software releases to assure that they meet the needs of professionals.