6

Knowing What You Need Out of SketchUp

How can you learn what you don’t know until you know what you don’t know? This is the conundrum of the self-taught. It is impossible to know what you have left to learn until you know the things that you have not yet taught yourself!

In this chapter, we will run through and take inventory of the skills you have already developed and identify which ones need to be strengthened. By doing this, we will try to identify the new skill you want to develop and give you an idea of the things that you can do to customize SketchUp for your specific workflows.

In this chapter, we will be covering the following topics:

• Identifying what you are modeling now
• Discovering what you will be modeling next
• Establishing your leveling up goal

Technical requirements

In this chapter, you will need access to SketchUp Pro and the models you have created over the last year or so.

Identifying what you are modeling now

The first step in making a plan to get better at something is to figure out how good you are at it right now. Depending on your working environment, this may be easy to figure out or it could be a bit of a struggle. While there are quite a few SketchUp users who have had formal training and work in an office with other designers, many SketchUp users are self-taught and work on their own.

For this reason, it’s not a simple “Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced user?” question. Likewise, since SketchUp can be used across so many different industries, it is hard to identify what skills or competencies must be in place to establish a user as being a “good” SketchUp designer.

So, what do we do here? First off, let’s agree to drop simple labeling. I know that there is something in us that wants to categorize and rank our abilities, but the fact is that it does not matter. Who cares if you are a “level 32 furniture modeler” or an “advanced architectural modeler” in the grand scheme of things? What is important is knowing what you are capable of now and then using that information to identify your own personal opportunities for growth and making a plan to improve. If that sounds like a good idea, then read on!

Let’s break down your current modeling process by looking at four questions:

1. Why are you using SketchUp?
2. How are you using SketchUp?
3. What tools are you using in SketchUp?
4. What is your SketchUp workflow?

Once we have answered these four questions, you will have a better understanding of where you are currently with your SketchUp skills.

Outlining Where You Are at

While you are more than welcome to read through this chapter and treat it as “food for thought,” I do recommend getting more physical with it. Grab a piece of paper and write the answers down. Create a document on your computer and type in the answers. Being able to refer to them in future chapters will be important, and taking the time to stop, reflect, and actually write them out will be key to creating a real plan to get better at SketchUp. This will end up creating an outline of sorts, so make sure to give yourself extra space to add information, and don’t be afraid to edit or start over.

Why are you using SketchUp?

I don’t mean this question as “Why SketchUp instead of something else?” but rather “Are you using SketchUp to model buildings at work, or are you using SketchUp to make models to print on your 3D printer?” What you should look at here is everything you are currently using SketchUp for – business or pleasure, big or small.

Write Current on a piece of paper. This will be your list of how you are using SketchUp right now. List out all the ways you are using SketchUp at present. This should not be a list of specific models you have created but the type of work you have done in SketchUp.

This list should be very high level. That’s why I put “why” into the questions. What we are looking for here is the purpose of the models you are creating. Examples of possible answers could be something like these:

• Site plans for work
• Bedroom layout for my partner
• Scale train cars for 3D printing
• Models of flowers to learn subdivision modeling

On a piece of paper, list the reasons why you model in SketchUp. Put down the purpose you have found for using SketchUp. List the kind of modeling you are called upon to do for work. Put the modeling you have done while watching YouTube videos. Include the stuff you play around with at home or during your lunch hour. Write one reason per line, giving yourself plenty of space between points (five or six lines) to add detail in the next steps.

Do not be embarrassed or worried about the stuff you have tried and failed at either! Throw it on the list! If you wanted to try to get into modeling cars, just for fun, but gave up after a few attempts, write that down. At this point, you need an inventory of the reasons you have used SketchUp.

How are you using SketchUp?

Up next, you are going to get more specific. For each of the “whys” listed, jot down as many examples of “how” you used SketchUp as you can think of. This is where we get a little more specific. You want to look at real examples of models you have created. If it helps, open SketchUp and look at some of the models you have worked on. What you want to end up with here is one or two actual examples of modeling you have done for each of the points from the previous Why are you using SketchUp section (with space between them for even more detail). At this point, your outline may look something like this:

• Site plans for work:
  • Fairground model
  • 1322 Blake Street
• Bedroom layout for my partner:
  • A model I made before we bought a new bedroom set
• Scale train cars for 3D printing:
  • A Flying Scotsman model
  • A red caboose model
• Models of flowers to learn subdivision modeling:
  • An attempt at modeling a rose
  • A daisy model

There is a very good chance that you may have more than two examples. If you have more examples of models, look for the ones that are different from others. What we want to do with this list is break down the things that you know how to do in SketchUp, currently. If you have two dozen models of sunrooms that you model for work, what is the one that was the gold standard for how it should be done? Then, what is the one that was done in a way that strayed furthest from your standard workflow?

What we need here is a list of models that shows the breadth and depth of your current modeling capability. Consider this to be the portfolio of your current SketchUp skills.

Remember in the Why are you using SketchUp section where I said to include those efforts that did not work out? The same goes for example models. Any time we try something, even if we do not achieve the result we were hoping for, we still succeed if we learn something. To that end, include the model that you were really hoping would turn out better than it did. Include the one that almost made it or the model that makes you proud, even though you don’t really want to show it to anybody else.

What tools are you using in SketchUp?

Time to dive into the details! Now, go back under each job and jot down the commands you primarily used to create each model. I know – there is a good chance that you used dozens of commands on each mode, but do your best. At the very least, try to identify the “big ones.” List out the main tools you used to create or edit when you were working on each model. You can probably skip commands such as Save or Select, as you cannot get by in SketchUp without using these, but try to think of the drawing commands you used the most often and the tools you used more than others. If you used any extensions in any models, go ahead and add those to the list as well.

The idea here is to be honest about what tools you are using in the hope that you will see a pattern in your work. Maybe as you create your list you will see a specific tool coming up too often or see a tool missing from the list. At this point, your outline should look something like this:

• Site plans for work:
  • Fairground model:
    • Rectangle, Eraser, Sandbox Tools, Import, Push/Pull, and Follow Me
  • 1322 Blake Street:
    • Rectangle, Circle, Eraser (Smooth), Sandbox Tools, Push/Pull, Follow Me, and Move (Array)
• Bedroom layout for my partner:
  • A model I made before we bought a new bedroom set:
    • Rectangle, Push/Pull, 3D Warehouse, Paint Bucket, and Dimensions
• Scale train cars for 3D printing:
  • A Flying Scotsman model:
    • Rectangle, Arc, Weld, Push/Pull, and Move (Stamp)
  • A red caboose model:
    • Line, Arc, Weld, Push/Pull, and Move (Stamp)
• Models of flowers to learn subdivision modeling:
  • An attempt at modeling a rose:
    • Polygon, Push/Pull, SubD, and Move
  • A daisy model:
    • Artisan, Move, Rotate, and Paint Bucket

Now, before we push on, look at your list. Can you find a favorite command? Is there something that you fall back on with most or all of your models? This may not be a bad thing. In the example list, Push/Pull shows up in almost every model. It is safe to say that Push/Pull is a command that most SketchUp users would use to create 3D geometry. It’s something worth noting, though.

My Own Opportunity For Growth

I have to admit that I have a habit of using the Line tool along with inferencing to draw rectangles, rather than using the Rectangle tool. It is a bit of a bad habit that I have developed over the years. I know that using Rectangle will save me time, and to improve as a modeler, using it is something that I need to be aware of so that I can add that tool to my workflow. If I were making a list, I would call attention to the fact that I lean on the Line tool a little too much.

Thinking back to the previous chapters, are there any commands that you read about that you do not see in your list? Think about the commands you have used and where you could save time modeling by implementing a tool that you already have available to you. It may seem silly to think that changing a command may only save you one or two mouse clicks to create the same geometry, but those mouse clicks add up!

How Much Does a Click Cost?

Let’s do a quick breakdown of my example about using Line instead of Rectangle – if I draw a square using the Line command, it will take me four mouse clicks at a minimum, while using Rectangle will allow me to create the same geometry in two clicks. If I have a model in which I need to draw 20 rectangles, that is the difference between clicking 80 times and 40 times.

I know that this seems like a simplistic example, but think about some of the other commands that are out there. What is the difference between using Cut and Paste to create an array of lights on a street versus using the Move command? How much work is it to cut and weld geometry together manually rather than using the Solid Tools? In some cases, using the proper tool for the job can mean hours of time saved over its lifetime.

What is your SketchUp workflow?

Okay, this is the big one. This is where you are going to dive in and really think about how you use SketchUp to create 3D models and take a look at your workflows.

When we talk about workflows, we are talking about a high-level overview of what you do in SketchUp to create your model. This is not a step-by-step list for a specific model but a more general overview of the process that you use. When thinking about workflows, you want to identify the most important steps in your process.

You do not need to do this for every example on your list, but maybe pick two or three that have distinct workflows. If all the models that you create for work are modeled more or less the same way, call that one workflow. Maybe your hobby modeling has a couple of different potential workflows; maybe see whether you can consolidate them into one master workflow.

An example of a high-level workflow might be something like this:

1. Import a site plan and scale.
2. Trace a building footprint, pull up, and group.
3. Create a landscape mesh.
4. Model concrete.
5. Add vegetation.
6. Create scenes for output.

This seems pretty simple, but if this is your workflow, each step in the preceding list should trigger you to think through all of the actual steps you use. When you model the concrete, are you using Line and Arc, or are you modeling a series of rectangles and circles? Does each step end with you tagging the new geometry? Are you searching 3D Warehouse for trees and bushes for each job, or are you pulling from a custom component library?

This is your opportunity to get introspective and see where you have ineffective modeling techniques. It is possible that you do not know any way to model other than what you are doing right now. That is fine, too! You should still spend some time looking at what you are doing and identifying the pain points in your process. Look for areas of your workflow that:

• Are monotonous or repetitive:
  • Anything that is done more than once can probably be sped up or consolidated into fewer commands.
• Require you to go back later to modify:
  • If you are modeling something knowing that you will be coming back later to fix it, what can you do to make it right the first time?
• Take more time than the final result is worth:
  • Remember to model at the level of detail the model requires. Do not spend hours modeling details that will not be seen in the final output.
• Could be done easier elsewhere:
  • Are you spending time in SketchUp adding details that are better off being added in LayOut? Are you spending time modifying textures that would be easier to clean up in a photo-editing program? Do your best to use all the tools available to you to get the job done.

The goal of this section was not to make you feel like you are not doing a good job or to prove to yourself that you can do better. The goal here was to stop modeling, step back, and look at what you are doing currently so that you can think about how you might be able to make some changes and level up your SketchUp skills.

By this point, you should have a good idea of what you are doing now. By looking at the models you have created, you know what sort of work you are currently capable of. By looking at the commands you are currently using, you now know where you might be able to take advantage of other tools in SketchUp. By walking through your workflows, you know where a change to your modeling process may lead to you becoming a more efficient modeler.

Now that you know where you are, we can start thinking about where you can go next.

Discovering what you will be modeling next

In this section, you will create another outline. This one will be all about what you want to do with SketchUp. I am making an assumption here – that, for sure, you have some sort of plans to go beyond what you are modeling now (if not, you probably wouldn’t have picked up this book).

Let’s take a look at the sort of work you want or plan to do in SketchUp and break it down into these questions:

1. Do you want to model something new?
2. What new skills or tools do you need to know?
3. What would a new workflow look like?

I know there is a little bit of fortune telling here, as you may not know exactly what you will be modeling in the future, or if you do, you may not know how to get that modeling done. Do your best, and remember that this is an exercise that can be done and redone as often as you like. If you do not know what type of model you will need to create for work tomorrow, do this exercise now and then do it again tomorrow!

Do you want to model something new?

One of the rules of brainstorming is that there are no bad ideas. Jot down your ideas on the types of models you would like to be creating but are not. This can be modeling you want to do for fun, or something you have needed to learn to do for work but have not had the time. If there is a project at home that needs a 3D model to help you visualize or if you saw something online that you want to try to model in SketchUp, write them down!

While you want the items on this list to be attainable, you do not need to make a list that you are certain to complete. These should be models that will push the boundaries of what you are capable of and could be and that are beyond what you know to do right now. Do not list a couple of models that are just a little bit different from what you do now if you can help it. The whole purpose here is to level up, and you cannot do that if you do the same thing over and over!

Grab a fresh piece of paper and write New at the top. This will be your list of new skills and abilities.

Now, you should end up with a list that looks something like this:

• Model more architectural details (doors and windows gutters) for work models.
• Model and save custom Face Me components for entourage.
• Model some spaceships from Star Wars.
• Model building additions with material lists.

Not a bad list. All these things are likely things that I have thought about doing in the past but put off because it was beyond what I was capable of, or I did not have the time to learn. Each of these projects has something involved in their completion that is beyond what I can just sit down and do today. So, each one will require me to go beyond my current skill set.

The next step is to break these new models down and figure out what is needed to make them happen.

What new skills or tools do you need to know?

Making a list of the things that you do not know is always a hard task. How do you write down the things that you have yet to learn? For this step, you will need to do some research.

It is easy to think that something that is new to you is new to everyone and no one has ever done anything like this before. While that may be true in some cases, there is a very good chance that someone out there among the millions of SketchUp users has done something similar to what you want to learn.

It is also possible that you put a type of modeling on the list specifically because you know what skills it will take and they are ones that you want to develop. In this case, it will probably be easier to make a list of the skill or tools you need to learn but likely still worth reaching out for an idea on how to get started.

The question remains – how do I find out how to make these new types of models?

Unfortunately, as much as I want to, I cannot offer a comprehensive list of everything that can be modeled in SketchUp and what tools each one requires. I can, however, offer a few suggestions about where to get an idea:

• Coworkers – I know that not everyone works in an office with other SketchUp users, but if you do, you should take advantage of the knowledge there. Even if you and your coworkers learned SketchUp at the same time, there is a good chance that they have picked up a trick or found a way to use a tool that you are unaware of. If you do work in an office with other SketchUp users, try to absorb any information you can from them. In my experience, most designers who use SketchUp are happy to share their experience and knowledge.
• Books – I know that you were hoping that this would be the only SketchUp book that you would ever need, but there are always more books! If you are hoping to learn a new modeling technique and there is a well-reviewed book out there, it is probably worth looking into. You can keep it on the shelf next to this one!
• YouTube – There are a lot of videos on using SketchUp. I have even made a few myself. Odds are good that if you want to model something, someone somewhere has made a video that could help. A word of warning here – YouTube is like the Wild West. Anyone of any skill level can post anything. Just because someone recorded themselves modeling something and posted it does not mean it is the right way to model. As with any time you seek information on the internet, look at other videos from the person who posted the video, read the comments, and pay attention to how old the video is. While good videos can teach you an amazing amount in a short amount of time, poor videos can set you down a path of bad habits.
• Forums – One of the things that sets SketchUp apart from any other modeling software out there is the community of users that helps to support it. I am constantly amazed at the amount of time strangers will spend helping each other to learn new skills and overcome obstacles. It is honestly the best and most supportive software community I have ever experienced. There are two main forums that I would recommend using:
  • Official SketchUp forum – This is the forum that is hosted by Trimble. It is moderated by members alongside Trimble staff and is vibrant and active. Most questions posted on the forum are responded to minutes after posting. You will need to create a free account in order to post on the SketchUp Forum. You can go to this forum following this link: https://forums.sketchup.com.
  • SketchUcation – This is a third-party forum that is completely run and moderated by SketchUp users. In addition to the forum, SketchUcation has free and paid extensions, books, and access to modeling services. SketchUcation offers free or paid memberships to access their content. You can go to this forum by following this link: https://sketchucation.com.

Use these resources to learn what you can about the models that you want to learn to create. Add any tools that you believe will be needed to complete these models to your outline, as follows:

• Model more architectural details (doors, windows gutters) for work models:
  • Import, Rectangle, Push/Pull, Follow Me, Paint Bucket, and Components
• Model and save custom Face Me components for entourage:
  • Line, Rectangle, Polygon, Component, Always Face Camera, and Adding to a Component Library
• Model some spaceships from Star Wars:
  • All the drawing commands, Follow Me, Move (Stamp), and Component Window
• Model building additions with material lists:
  • Rectangle, Move, Push/Pull, Rotate, component organization, and some material list extension

It is possible that, at this point, your list of new skills may be a list of things to learn more about or questions that need to be answered. This is perfectly fine! What we are looking for at this point is where you can possibly expand your abilities.

What would a new workflow look like?

Time to put what you learned in your research to work! Do your best to write out what a new workflow would be for the new modeling you plan to do. Remember that we are still brainstorming here, so don’t worry about getting this perfectly right on the first try.

You might be able to map out how something should be modeled based on a video you watched, or maybe you are tweaking an existing modeling workflow and feel pretty good that you know what changes need to be made off the top of your head. If you know that you want to model something but are unsure of what the process will be, start writing down the steps that you think you need to follow. If you hit a point where you are unsure what to do next, hop back online and ask a question on a forum or search for a video.

Learn by Doing

Failing everything else, you can always open up SketchUp and try the workflow you are developing. I know that sometimes people can be hesitant to just “jump in” and want instructions first, but exploratory modeling can be fun and a great way to learn.

Regardless of how you do it, you should have a few workflows documented on how to create these new models. Here is a potential workflow for creating custom Face Me entourage:

1. Import an image of a person.
2. Scale the image to the proper size.
3. Trace an outline of a figure.
4. Add details and then color with Paint Bucket.
5. Make a component.
6. Make the component a Face Me component.
7. Store the component in a custom collection of Face Me entourage.

I want to stress again that these do not need to be tested and refined workflows, but they need to be a place to start. They just need to exist at this point. Time and practice will help to refine them. For now, they will serve as a direction to move as you continue to level up your SketchUp skill set. Speaking of which, let’s start working on a plan to develop these new skills!

Establishing your goal

At this point, you have taken an inventory of the skills you currently employ and have made a list of the new skills you need to develop in order to level up. All we need to do now is to figure out the difference between the two and make a plan to start developing some new skills! We will do this in three steps:

1. Identify new skills.
2. Make a plan to learn new skills.
3. Implement your plan.

As is the custom in this book thus far, let’s start the list with the first step.

Identify new skills

Take your outline of existing models and lay it down right next to the outline you made for new models. Looks through the list and identify the tools or processes that are in the new models list but not in the existing models list. Grab a third piece of paper. Label this sheet To-dos and write out the skills, tools, or extensions that you will need to learn to level up your SketchUp skills.

Make this list absolute statements. Use “I will” statements! This is your chance to tell yourself exactly what it is that you are going to do, no matter what. Your list should look something like this:

• I will learn to import images as full-size references.
• I will get better at using Follow Me.
• I will learn how Face Me components work.
• I will master custom component collections.
• I will find out how to use movie screenshots as a reference.
• I will find out whether I can use components to add detail to a spaceship.
• I will find a material list extension.
• I will get better at naming and organizing components.

I know this feels like a self-help book with positive affirmations, but stating what you will do helps to solidify this as a goal that you will accomplish, rather than an idea that you may or may not pursue.

Note that the To-dos list does include a few investigative tasks. In many cases, I know that I can do something with SketchUp, but do not know how (yet). In other cases, it is OK to set a goal of learning about these skills. In the end, you may find that you cannot do something the way you thought but may end up finding another solution!

After all this, we now know what skills we need to develop in order to level up. The next step is to figure out how to develop those skills

Make a plan to learn new skills

Remember your New list from the Discovering what you will be modeling next section? Pull that out and set it next to your To-dos list. Do all of the items on your To-dos list exist in one or more of your workflows? If not, is there a place that you could fit them in?

What we need to do now is develop workflows that you can start developing, which includes the skills you have identified in your To-dos list. If there are skills that you need to develop but they are not in any of your new workflows, you may need to add them.

Go through your workflow and mark the steps that connect to the items on your To-dos list. Highlight them, circle them, or underline them (I have shown these steps in italics). Identify these steps, as these are the skills that will help you to level up. These are the steps that you are going to need to focus on. If we take the example of a custom entourage, it may end up looking like this:

1. Import an image of a person.
2. Scale the image to the proper size.
3. Trace an outline of a figure.
4. Add details and color with Paint Bucket.
5. Make a component.
6. Make the component a Face Me component.
7. Store the component in a custom collection of Face Me entourage.

The idea at this point is to have an intention and a plan to start doing something that you do not currently do, or do not currently know how to do, on your list. Now that you know what you need to start doing to level up your game, you need to find a way to start doing it!

Implement your plan

Believe it or not, this is the hardest part of everything you have done in this chapter. In order to develop new skills, you have to push yourself outside of your current process. You need to come up with a plan to do something new on a regular basis in order to learn and develop new workflows.

Developing new skills really comes down to only two steps:

1. Learn to do something new.
2. Do it repeatedly.

That sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, anyone who has tried to learn to play an instrument by themselves, figure out how to paint a landscape, or teach themselves a foreign language knows that it is far from simple. Teaching yourself is a difficult process and requires dedication, focus, and time.

Time is often the toughest one. You are six chapters into this book, so I believe that you have the dedication you need to get better at SketchUp. You have made it most of the way through this chapter without any pictures or actual modeling, so that indicates a good level of focus. How do you find the time to level up your SketchUp skills?

In my own experience, time is rarely something that we can find. It is not lying around, ready to be used up for something new. Waiting to find the time you need to practice a new skill is a way to never learn that new skill. In order to learn your new workflows, you will need to be intentional and make the time.

Something that I have recommended to my students for years is to be very intentional about how you go about trying to practice something new. If you are modeling for fun, this may be as simple as putting your current project on hold and spending your fun modeling time trying something new. The trick, in this case, is to keep at it until you have developed the new workflows you have been thinking of into real processes that you can repeat and create 3D models with.

Finding time as a professional modeler

Since many of the people I have taught have been practicing professionals, they have had their plates full of paying work. I can tell you right now that a paying job is the last place you want to try to learn or implement new skills. Sure, something small like trying out a new tool that you rarely use could work, but a whole new workflow should not be used on a job that you are doing in order to pay the bills. The reason? You need to work on something where you can fail.

Developing a new workflow or learning to use a new tool is a process of experimentation. If you knew how to do this new thing, you would already have implemented it into your process! Since you do not know what you are doing, you need to attempt this new process in a place where you can fail, try again, and change how you go at it. Paying work is simply not the place for this to happen. Paying work should be set apart. Do your paying work the way that you have been. In fact, stick to doing it the quickest way you know so that you can finish ahead of schedule and have time left over to work on your new workflows!

So, if you are spending all of your work time modeling the way you used to, how do you ever develop new skills? This is the trick that will set master modelers apart from the rest. If you want to become a great 3D modeler, you will need to practice morning, noon, and night. No, I don’t mean practice SketchUp all day long! I mean look and find time during the morning, noon, and night to get more SketchUp time under your belt! Here are a few things to try.

Morning

I saw a post from a graphic designer I follow on Instagram that suggested you should get up 30 minutes earlier every morning to practice a new skill. If you did this, for the next year, just on weekdays, that would add up to 130 hours of practice time. Imagine how good you could become at modeling organic shapes, for example, if you dedicated 130 hours to learning that!

Try this – for the next two weeks, get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. Grab yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or cocoa (whatever you like to drink in the morning) and work on modeling something that you would not model for work – something fun, such as a spaceship, a boat, or your dream house. That’s it, though! You only get to work on it right when you wake up. When you finish your modeling time, save the model and close it, and do not work on it again until the next morning. If you picked a good model and are learning and getting better at SketchUp, you may find that it is easier to get up and get into that model. In fact, you may look forward to your morning modeling sessions!

My Morning Routine

The truth is that most of this book was written at 6:00 in the morning. I found that the first hour of the morning was a great time to focus and learn to write (this is the first book that I have written like this) and get something done that I could not fit elsewhere into my schedule. I thought that I did not have extra time in my schedule, but it turned out to be the most productive time of my whole day!

Noon

Most of us take some sort of break from work in the middle of the day. Many of us eat something during this break. I know that there are a lot of people who go to lunch with coworkers or friends, but not the 3D modeling elite! They pack themselves a sandwich or leftovers and work on modeling light fixtures from product catalogs!

In all seriousness, giving yourself time at midday to stop modeling for work and model something that you enjoy is not only a great way to develop some new SketchUp skills but also a way to keep yourself from burning out on work modeling. Keeping a fun, rewarding model in the hopper to work on lets you step away from the day-to-day routine and is a great way to keep SketchUp enjoyable.

Lunch Modeling at Trimble

The truth is that when I started working at Trimble as a SketchUp sales engineer, most of the work I did involve me working with other people’s models or workflows. I did not really get to use SketchUp the way I wanted in my daily work. This was when I started fun modeling at lunch. I would pick something that I did not know how to model and commit 1 hour in the middle of the day to see how much I could model. It was a great way to push myself outside of my current skill set and keep SketchUp as something I could enjoy, rather than just a business tool.

Night

It can be very difficult to dedicate nighttime to extra 3D modeling. If you use SketchUp during the day, it can be hard to come home and do more modeling. If that works for you, that is great and will be time well spent. If you are feeling burnt out and do not want to jump back in, take this time to do some extra learning instead. Rather than watching The Simpsons, watch a couple of YouTube videos on modeling in SketchUp. Rather than reading a novel or magazine, crack open a book on SketchUp or LayOut. While getting your hands dirty in a 3D model will always be the best way to learn, there are opportunities when you can’t actually be in SketchUp!

Weekends

Okay, I know this may be controversial but hear me out. The last thing I want you to do is spend so much time in SketchUp that you are sick of it, so stepping away from the computer on the weekend is probably a healthy practice. However, if you want to be an amazing SketchUp modeler and cannot find the time to develop new skills during the week, you may want to set aside a little bit of time at the weekend. I am not saying that you should be spending 48 hours in a 3D modeling marathon, but a few hours set aside on a weekend can be a good way to find some uninterrupted modeling time.

Get it done

Alright, now you have the workflows and new skills that you need to practice. You have time set aside to make it happen. The only thing left is to do it! No matter what you are trying, there always comes that point where you just have to jump in and do it. Your plan will help you to develop the new skills or workflows that you have identified. Depending on your existing ability and the complexity of the new workflow, you will reach a point where you are ready to implement these new skills into your standard workflow.

At what point do you move from practicing to production? That is completely up to you. At some point, you will feel comfortable with what you are doing. You may not have the new workflow 100% down, have a few steps that are still a little clunky, or feel like you have a bit more polishing to do on a modeling process, but you can implement it when you think the time is right.

Before we wrap up this chapter, it is important that you see this process as a part of a self-improvement cycle. Try not to think of this as a one-time process that ends with you adding a new tool to your modeling toolbox but instead a consistent stream of skill development that will help you to become a better modeler each day. Improving your SketchUp abilities is not something you do once and then call it quits; instead, it is a mindset that has you always ready to add new skills, find new workflows, and regularly find a way to level up.

Summary

Hopefully, this chapter was helpful for you. It was a bit different from the previous chapters without any images and lacking hands-on practice. I do believe, though, that this may be one of the most important chapters as far as importance in your SketchUp growth. You now have an inventory of the SketchUp skills and tools you currently employ. You have an idea of the workflows that you want to develop. Most importantly, you have developed a plan to develop and implement those workflows.

In Chapter 7, Creating Custom Shortcuts, we will take a look at stock shortcuts and decide how to best customize your shortcuts to your current and future SketchUp workflows.