Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

BB.
BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
in Solar Information links & sources, event announcements #1
A couple in Tennessee used Google Schetch Up to design their own home.

I know a few people here already use it--Need to take a look at it and figure out how to run it.

-Bill
Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    I've used it for years. If you're patient you can do fairly detailed drawings. It is not like a real CAD program; it lacks certain "advanced" features like snap-to-grid and layers. But you can do some good DIY plans with it.

    Haven't used the latest version, but here's a "sketch-up" of proposed cabin enhancements:
    http://kaleidopsyche.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=240#/d1wromm
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  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    A great feature is that once you tell it the location of your sketch, it can model the shadows for anytime in the year. Nice for working out overhangs over windows or exactly where to mount those PV panels.
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  • westbranch
    westbranch Solar Expert Posts: 5,183 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    You can also use Google Earth and look at the exact site and have it 'cast' the shadows over the whole day.

    Did it for our cabin site and it is amazingly accurate.
     
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  • russ
    russ Solar Expert Posts: 593 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    I guess if you live in the US google is accurate enough for that type of thing - here it is kind of a general reference.
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  • AntronX
    AntronX Solar Expert Posts: 462 ✭✭
    #6
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    Great article. A while ago I used SketchUp to draw solar panels on my house.
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #7
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    as to google earth i can't get the time of day slider to appear from street view as this is needed for detail as the newer versions zoom to street view rather than focus on to the roof tops. i also find that there is not an early morning shadow being cast from trees to my east. this is not a good indicator as to what will actually be.
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  • mr.radon
    mr.radon Solar Expert Posts: 158 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    I did my house awhile back, even put it in Google Earth. I was abvle to also sketch in my trees to the east. The shadow was only off by about 8" from where sketchup calculated it would be.
    Wonderful program.
    If you pay for the full features you have all the bells and whistles. however, it is expensive.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsbKqr_SPrE
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  • MichiganOffGrid
    MichiganOffGrid Registered Users Posts: 11 ✭
    #9
    Re: Google Sketch Up--Design your own home...

    I've been using SketchUp to draw the framing plan of my cabin. It is a very easy program to use. The best resource that I have found to learn how to use it has been youtube. There are a lot of good how-to videos on there.
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