On 12/30/2009 2:54 PM, Steve Turner wrote:
On 12/30/2009 2:48 PM, Leon wrote:
wrote in message
The most beneficial tools that turned the light bulb on for me when
learning
Sketchup were the simple video tutorials.
Once you understand how Sketchup actually works you can easily learn the
program and then you can add which ever of the hundreds and hundreds of
available tools you may want to add.

(Still a hell of a lot of control buttons around the edges though :^})

The actual program comes with noticably few command icons and they
will do
everything you need to learn the program.

So I presume most of those icons are a result of installing various
"plugins":

http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/d...d/plugins.html

Any recommended "must haves" from this list?

There are NO icons that are unique to the Pro version.

Many of those icons are most likely from plug-ins, but it is ridiculous
to have that many, IMO.

I posted a picture of my plug-in directory a month or so back ... I'll
see if I can bump it up. None of mine have icons on the tool bar, the
few I do use are in a drop down list boxes under "Plug-ins".

I really don't use that many ... most just make it more convenient to do
something that some users simply haven't gotten around to learning how
to do ... a la training wheels on a bicycle.

That said, there are some plug-ins that are really handy for
construction projects, like plug-ins for drawing frame walls between two
points, with the ability to use either 2x6 or 2x4's, put in windows and
doors, with different parameters for headers. I use those when designing
structures, but for woodworking projects, except for the CutList plugin,
I most often use only the tools on the toolbar (same in both versions)
and no other plug-ins whatsoever.

AMMOF, using SketchUp, I just designed and built a $20,000 deck for a
client and used no plug-ins whatsoever. Didn't even need the Pro version
for "presentation" because I sent the client the .skp file as they had
the free version already loaded on their Mac.

FWIW, here is just the framing plan for that deck that I simply printed
out for RFQ's, and for the actual construction:

http://www.e-woodshop.net/files/Deck-Concept6PierBeam .zip

I did a much fancier version for the client, with the house and deck
together, but it is bit big to post on my server.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)