The Many Creative Uses of SketchUp
In the last few blogs, we have shown how SketchUp is used in the workflows of architecture, interior and landscape designs and construction industries.
If you haven’t read them, check them out on our blog webpage.
However, the use of SketchUp is not limited to just the few key industries that it is more well-known for. Beyond architecture, interior design and construction, SketchUp offers just as many creative application opportunities. SketchUp’s versatility and ease of usage speak for themselves as many other industries such as engineering and entertainment, have discovered how SketchUp can contribute to their workflows.
Luke Whitelock, a Film Art Director and SketchUp user, standing in front of the finished set for Jasmine’s bedchamber, Aladdin. Credit: Disney
Engineering
Engineering teams use SketchUp in many aspects of their projects; from business development to plant design, collaboration to documentation. There are many use cases where SketchUp has been used successfully in the engineering industry.
Mechanical Engineering and Process Plant Design
Stangl Associates, a Mechanical Engineering and Plant Design Consultancy firm, uses SketchUp throughout their entire workflow including business development, plant design, project review and collaboration, and documentation.
Mitchel Stangl, the founder of Stangl Associates, discovered SketchUp in 2001 and has not looked back since. “ For the first time,” he says, “I could model electronically as fast as I could sketch by hand.”
“Computer 3D modeling with SketchUp is the foundation of our workflow. SketchUp’s deep tool set and simple design enables a rich representation of our clients’ projects”
Stangl Associates
Read more about Stangl Associates’ approach to using SketchUp.
Stangl Associates’ Plant Design
Environmental and Water Engineering
Brown and Caldwell, an Environmental and Water Management Engineering firm, has used SketchUp to :
- Produce graphics for their business development projects
- Develop 3D details of important elements in their projects
- Process flow graphics that help clients understand how their installations work.
Communicating the visual details in their design and collaboration is a big part of the company’s workflow. Using SketchUp, the engineering teams in Brown and Caldwell, can bring their ideas and design from concepts to presentation (to clients) through their workflows.
Water Treatment Facility designed by Brown and Caldwell
Air Filtration Engineering
Daniel Company, another Engineering firm specializing in Air Pollution Control and Filtration Systems, has also found success with SketchUp. It has used SketchUp for drafting, designing and analysing its air pollution control systems and water control cabinets.
“Sketchup Pro has helped us visualize potential problems in 3D, allowing us to find conflicts on the computer, rather than in the field. This prevents us from wasting material and resources and reduces our carbon footprint. In addition, we can share our drawings and models with anyone across the globe. They can make suggestions directly on the drawings without having to resort to awkward phone conversations about ‘what change needs to be implemented where’ ”.
Daniel Company
Read more about Daniel Company’s SketchUp User Story.
Layout drawing by Daniel Company
An air filtration system component in LayOut by Daniel Company.
Entertainment
Film and Stage
Besides Engineering, the Entertainment industry has also discovered the many uses of SketchUp for film and stage productions, animation and game design.
In the film and stage industry, the design and collaborative aspects of SketchUp play an important role in the workflows.
Production designers like Emmy award-winning Andy Walmsey and top TV show-producer David Blass have used SketchUp for many of their stage set developments. Their creations can be seen in popular shows such as American Idol and The Pitch.
The production designer is responsible for the development of the look and feel of the sets and they have to reflect the writer’s work, the director’s vision, and the producer’s plan.
Stage sets from the TV shows ‘American Idol’ and ‘The Pitch’.
Jim Bissell, another film production designer, used SketchUp to help create scenes that match the director’s vision, such as in the movie 300.
Stage set developed by the production designer, Jim Bissell, for the movie ‘300’.
Similar to its uses in Architecture and Construction, Sketchup can be used from the initial stage of visualizing a concept , producing the design, to constructing the structure.
Luke Whitelock, an Art Director in the film industry, develops the designers’ creations into constructible sets. With SketchUp, he produces more detailed visuals and documentation for builders to construct the sets. Some of Luke’s set creations can be seen in major feature films including the “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Avengers: Infinity War”, and “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”.
Testing out different angles in Jasmine’s Chamber and Balcony, Aladdin. Credit: Disney
Artwork designs using SketchUp from the movie Aladdin, by Luke Whitelock.
Animation and Game Design
Apart from film and stage set productions, Art Directors also use SketchUp primarily to create a visual style for a game or animated film. They determine how the characters, props and environments are going to look and provide a basis for the art department’s illustrators or animators to work from. The SketchUp model itself is not used in the animated film or game.
One example where SketchUp was used for its development was the award-winning game ,“Uncharted”.
Artwork developed for the video game, ‘Unchartered’.
As you can see from these case studies, SketchUp offers a wide range of use cases across many industries and professions. SketchUp has found its way into the hearts of many creatives and professionals, regardless of their backgrounds. No matter which industry they’re from, they have discovered a connection with SketchUp through their desires to visualize their design and create their visual story, to communicate and collaborate, and to progress confidently from one stage of their projects to the next.
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