Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Communicating in 3D

So it goes like this.

The ones among us who love the shine and polish of a new technical idea, or the view from a new plateau -- we adore the possiblities of 3D.

Those among us who have struggled and won the battle to communicate in a real world using only a two-dimensional language and medium -- those folks despise 3D. (Well not all of them...)

The transition one makes into a world of using 3D tools for drawing, communicating, playing, and even creating art ... that transition is a one-way journey. You can't be happy on the cave wall when you've discovered a luxurious cotton bond stationery that absorbes your ink like the most incredibly faithful messenger.

And you cannot be happy drawing on a flat surface when you've learned to draw in the space of three dimensions.

If you don't believe this, then I invite you to learn just a little bit about SketchUp Make.

This free tool invites anyone, from elementary school students to frustrated civil engineers (and working ones for that matter) to easily draw and design in three dimensions.

There is a professional version of the software that can be used for serious design and planning. But Make is here to let any of us get a start in a rapid fashion.  By downloading the software (there are multiple versions) and spending just a short time with tutorials that demosntrate the principles of the design tool -- just about anyone can be off to an endless adventure in design and speculation.

Give it a try and then come back to tell us why 3D is just a fad and that our brains aren't quite meant for it. I dare you!



Reduce to Dashboard

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