Unless you're building something, it really doesn't have a point. But who cares? It's cool!
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The Internet knows almost anything. With the combined resources of millions upon millions of very bright people who apparently have a lot of time on their hands, the Internet produces an astounding array of Web-based services and products that don't cost you a cent to use. And if there's anything I love more than a cool gadget, it's a free cool gadget. So here are some of my favorite Internet goodies. They're all free, so try them out if you think you might like them. And if you know of any other free stuff that I don't have on here, shoot me an e-mail.
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SketchUp is a 3-D modeling program that lets you build genuinely three-dimensional models. The company was independent until a few months ago, when Google bought them out. They still offer a professional version of the software for serious designers, but it's about $500. However, since the company was purchased by Google, they began to offer a lite version of the program called Google SketchUp Free. You can download it here. If you played with Legos when you were little, you might like Google SketchUp. It is remarkably easy to use -- within seconds of installing the program I was pushing and pulling shapes around. It has a nice tutorial that shows you how to make more complex shapes. I made this house in about 5 minutes, including the time to learn how to make the shapes.
It's truly a three-dimensional house. I've even got a nice little patio in the back. My model is a little rough, of course. I didn't take the time to make the windows symmetrical or anything. But it looks really good for 5 minutes worth of work. SketchUp has many preloaded colors, patterns, and textures that you can use to render your model quickly. It even has a few prepackaged objects, like people, cars, and trees. The model below is a rough version of the house where I grew up, complete with the big pine tree to the right.
One cool thing about Google SketchUp is that you can build models and put them into Google Earth. Most people have heard of Google Earth, which is a fabulous satellite image program that lets you see all over the world. In the case of my parents' house, I could export it to a file that I could put in Google Earth, so I could zoom in on their house and see a real 3-D image of the home. I really can't think of a good reason for Google to buy this company and make this software, although I'm sure they have their reasons. It has some practical applications -- if you were putting an addition on your home, you could produce a good 3-D model in relatively short order. If you're not doing any building, it's probably just another free Internet toy. But that's not so bad, is it? |
