Blog: How to Create Virtual Model in SketchUp

In every sphere of life you may have to create a virtual model of any design. For a student, a virtual model can be useful for his or her school project. If you want to make a house of your own then a virtual model is important to see the floor plan and get a better understanding. For a designer, interior decorator or an architect always seek the help of the virtual model for the success of their profession. Though there are various tools for 3D designing. SketchUp is known as the most user friendly and easy to access 3D drawing tool from the house of the Google.

Making a free virtual model lays the foundation for creating entire scenes and environments, which you then use for games or simulations. With some simple tools you can easily draw a model in SketchUp. You can rotate and view the details of the model from all sides. SketchUp gives flexibility and freedom to make change in the model. You can add suitable color material and texture in the model according to your choice. In the following part there is a short guideline on how to make models on SketchUp.

Make a Model with Sketchup:

1. Open SketchUp, which is the easiest free CAD program to learn. SketchUp can create only simple animations for evaluating a model. In contrast, Blender and Art of Illusion can animate walking characters. Also, SketchUp lacks a full rendering engine; models you render with it don't look as realistic but there are some plug ins to fill up the void. You'll make a model house with SketchUp.

2. Click the top toolbar's square icon to enter the mode for drawing squares. A square forms the base of the model house.

3. Drag a square on the ground plane, then press "P" to run the "Push/Pull" tool.

4. Click the square and drag upward to turn the square into a box.

5. Press "Control-C," then "Control-V" to make a copy of the box, which will form the roof.

6. Click the second box's top face, then press "S" to run the scale tool. Drag any two opposing edges of the box's top face until they touch each other. This forms the wedge shape of the roof.

7. Press "M" to run the "Move" tool, then drag the roof atop the house to complete the house model.