8×20 Solar House Update… Free Plans Nearly Complete
For the past two weeks I’ve been test driving Google SketchUp Pro and have come to a simple conclusion. Unless you’re a professional I think you’ll be able to do much more than you’ve ever dreamed with the free version of SketchUp, including drawing house plans. Below is a quick video tour of my drawing of the 8×20 Solar House. It’s not quite finished but I wanted to give you a progress report.
More about my exploration with Google SketchUp Pro
My 8-hour free trial with Google SketchUp Pro and Google Layout must be almost at an end. I realized early on that I could continue to draw with the free 3D version on my laptop which allowed me to draw most of the 3D version without using the pro version. In installed SketchUp Pro on my desktop computer and it tool the place of the free version.
So far I’ve noticed very few features in the pro version of SketchUp worth paying $495 for except the ability to transfer images to Layout which is a real time saver. This feature alone would make this a must have program for a professional or serious amateur designer.
I’m still working through the details of how best to present the house plans in Layout like adding notes and dimensions. I’ll keep at it until my time runs out and will use the pro version only for making the final 2D drawings. In the mean time here are a few sample of what I have so far. Remember these 2D drawings took only minutes and a few mouse clicks to make once the 3D drawing was ready.
Test Driving Google SketchUp Pro
If you’ve been reading Tiny House Design for a while you’ve probably noticed that I’ve tried different drawing tools over time to draw my design concepts. Within the last few months I’ve been mostly using Google SketchUp, a free 3D drawing program.
The only problem with this free version is that it doesn’t include a 2D drafting program that would be needed to draw floor plans, elevations, and other schematics like the framing illustrations you’ll find in my free tiny house plans. In fact the reason I’ve been stalled on drawing my next free plan is that I’ve been looking for a better 2D drawing program.
The good news is that I’ve found one, it’s called Layout 2. The only problem is that it is bundled with Google SketchUp Pro which costs $495. Luckily they they give users an eight hour free trial. So I’ve downloaded the software and over the weekend I’ll fire it up and on Monday post what I draw with my eight hours.
I was planning on using my free trial to draw the next version of the Tiny Simple House but instead I think I’ll draw the next set of free plans, the 8×20 Tiny Solar House with Gables.
Here’s a video clip that describes why Google SketchUp Pro is worth $495. I may be a believer by Monday.
An Atypical Cube Shaped Tiny House
Steven sent me a note last night about his tiny house summer project, aptly named My Summer Project. I was immediately blown away with the creative way he is enclosing the space. It appears to be 6 almost identical boxes that form a cube. In earlier drawing on his blog he even shows a geodesic dome housing the entire thing.
Steven is also making great progress on the real house and appears to have a nice enclosed shop to work. Continue reading to see some large photos of his progress. It’s really incredible to see this 3D drawing become a real house. Continue Reading »
