Google Sketchup - Where Do I Find Great Landscaping Components and What Types Are There? By Susan Schlenger At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Google Sketchup is software in which you can create 3D landscape designs. There are many tools to work with and once you get the hang of it, Sketchup is fun and easy.

Google components are objects or models that you can add to your design to make it exciting. You might add people standing on a patio. Do you want to see how an outdoor pergola looks, or perhaps an outdoor kitchen? How about a table and chairs to see how it fits?

The list of components that you can add is very extensive. Although there are those to use right in the software, it's possible you need something different or more unusual. Here are the places that I get components from for my 3D landscape designs.

1. Google Sketchup

Right in the software are free ones to use. There is a variety and there are various categories for different types. Landscape is a simple category and is limited. However, Landscape Architecture has sub folders with lots of choices. Furniture, Water Features, and Plant Material are just a few. Another category in components is Transportation. This is where you will find, among other things, snazzy cars to put in your design! And of course there is a folder for People.

2. Google Warehouse

This website has models submitted by various people. It is also free. You can enter a topic and search for what you are looking for.

3. Formfonts (www.formfonts.com)

Formfonts is another place to find components and it has a nice selection. There is a fee to use their components. Be sure you download a Sketchup style component which has 3D attributes. Otherwise your object will be flat without dimension.

4. Entourage Arts (www.entouragearts.com)

I love this company because in my opinion they have the most artistic plant selection. They look like they were artistically hand drawn with soft colors and sketchy type lines. If you look at any of my 3D designs, you will see what they look like. This may or may not be necessary for your purposes. You might just want to see a concept, whereas I use them for creative design presentation. As with Formfonts, be sure to choose the Sketchup type components. Entourage Arts also have other models, such as people.

If you find a component that you would like to use, but it is not quite right, you can make alterations. You can change the color ans size. It is also possible to make major changes by "exploding" the object. For example, I used an outdoor kitchen component in one of my designs. It had three sides, and what I designed was L-shaped. I exploded the model, which broke it into three parts. (That is because that is how it was originally put together). I removed a section, resized the other two, added a sink, and so on. So you see, you can get quite creative and have a lot of fun at the same time.

Make the models fit properly in your drawing by making sure they are the right size. You can use the Scale tool for this. Add materials to your components to see what it might look like with different materials or textures. Add tile to an kitchen island, change the color of a pergola, or see what a deck looks like with different wood patterns. There is so much you can do.

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