absolutely my pleasure Bob.. thats why i put it up there..
plenty of people on this site have inspired me to try quite a few things, so im only paying it on..
here's the link http://sketchup.google.com/download/
you dont want sketch up pro, thats $500 !!
the free one is perfectly adequate..
there's plenty of tutorials up there just work through a couple and u'll be up and running
BTW.. if you download and install and then browse google's library, maybe download a tele or and ibanez jem model etc you will quickly see that models can be much much more detailed than what i have done so far here..
I am only a beginner at it myself, and i do not require my models to be ridiculously accurate, I just want to make sure angles work and strings come clean off the tuners without fouling on the next one etc..
there are models on there which someone has obviously spent days and days on..
theres a les one on there where some guy has even mapped out the flame in the maple cap, the mahogany behind, exact tuners with 'grover' engraved on each etc etc..
hehe not my thing, i just wanna build a steel that plays nice.. I just like being able to make perfect straight lines and circles, precise measurements from anywhere to anywhere etc.. I guess the other huge advantage is being able to exactly replicate the build, to send the plans to someone on the other side of the world in only a tiny file, to modify it in part etc..
there's also tuners and pickups etc etc already done you can download and use etc
Thanks mate..
once you get past that initial learning curve, this is actually much easier, straight lines and perfect circles, precise measurements etc..
before this i used to design on the wood blank itself with pencil, but yes, sketch up is awesome, you can print a full scale blueprint from above(or from any vantage at all) (even if you have to join up a dozen or so a4 pages), and glue them right onto the wood..
then follow the lines :) obviously it'll sand right off, whatever you haven't routed away..
anyway I only put it up there to share the idea u know, there's plenty of luthiers use autocad etc and there's more powerful 3d software out there, but i think this one is excellent because the free version is very powerful, yet reasonably easy to learn..
(incomplete) plan for a lap steel reso thing in googles excellent free 'sketch-up' 3d modelling software (available for windows and mac and probly linux too)
you need a couple of hours to play around with the software of course, but it is pretty easy and in no time you can build a model like this in only an hour or two..
models can be rotated and viewed from any angle etc...
another bonus is google already has a huge library of free models including les pauls, teles etc etc.. you can upload your own models to the library too, so it could be an excellent way to share blueprints etc (perhaps we could build a library on this network??), its only vector graphics so the files are tiny..
Comments
plenty of people on this site have inspired me to try quite a few things, so im only paying it on..
here's the link
http://sketchup.google.com/download/
you dont want sketch up pro, thats $500 !!
the free one is perfectly adequate..
there's plenty of tutorials up there just work through a couple and u'll be up and running
I am only a beginner at it myself, and i do not require my models to be ridiculously accurate, I just want to make sure angles work and strings come clean off the tuners without fouling on the next one etc..
there are models on there which someone has obviously spent days and days on..
theres a les one on there where some guy has even mapped out the flame in the maple cap, the mahogany behind, exact tuners with 'grover' engraved on each etc etc..
hehe not my thing, i just wanna build a steel that plays nice.. I just like being able to make perfect straight lines and circles, precise measurements from anywhere to anywhere etc.. I guess the other huge advantage is being able to exactly replicate the build, to send the plans to someone on the other side of the world in only a tiny file, to modify it in part etc..
there's also tuners and pickups etc etc already done you can download and use etc
once you get past that initial learning curve, this is actually much easier, straight lines and perfect circles, precise measurements etc..
before this i used to design on the wood blank itself with pencil, but yes, sketch up is awesome, you can print a full scale blueprint from above(or from any vantage at all) (even if you have to join up a dozen or so a4 pages), and glue them right onto the wood..
then follow the lines :) obviously it'll sand right off, whatever you haven't routed away..
anyway I only put it up there to share the idea u know, there's plenty of luthiers use autocad etc and there's more powerful 3d software out there, but i think this one is excellent because the free version is very powerful, yet reasonably easy to learn..
you need a couple of hours to play around with the software of course, but it is pretty easy and in no time you can build a model like this in only an hour or two..
models can be rotated and viewed from any angle etc...
another bonus is google already has a huge library of free models including les pauls, teles etc etc.. you can upload your own models to the library too, so it could be an excellent way to share blueprints etc (perhaps we could build a library on this network??), its only vector graphics so the files are tiny..