TomE's N Gauge Modelling

Excellent, I notice you have already found the 'colour in' button too!

 

Any attempt at using Sketchup needs a simple task like this as an 'icebreaker'.. then you will fly as you realise it can do locomotives, griddle cars.... etc!

A good start...and another 'green' element for the layout

 

I dabbled with Sketch-up before Christmas for work use and by the end of an afternoon I had draw the new house we were working on in 3D and exported it to sit on the proposed site in Senegal...a great package...and I should look to use it more...

 

You have decided to include the footbridge as part of your context now then?

Excellent, I notice you have already found the 'colour in' button too!Any attempt at using Sketchup needs a simple task like this as an 'icebreaker'.. then you will fly as you realise it can do locomotives, griddle cars.... etc!

 

One step at a time I think Will! Although I might be tempted to have a go at some Griddle car sides once I've fully got the hang of it!

 

You have decided to include the footbridge as part of your context now then?

 

Thanks Pete.

 

I am going to include the bridge. I think it will very quickly become a key feature of the location and it also quite a nice feature to model!

 

Cheers,

 

Tom.

Great work there. Once I get a computer with a functioning graphics card I am going to get seriously into 3D design!

Thanks Stephen!

 

I'd never done any CAD work before the column above and if I can do it, then anyone can!! Google Sketchup seems more than adequate for simple things like this too, rather than having to learn a more complex program

 

Tom.

Tom,

 

Like you I have never done any 3D drawing work before. The only experience I have of even 2D drawing goes back an 'O' level in Technical Drawing 30 odd years ago!

 

However, I do find SketchUp an easy tool to master, and find that the ability to enter the size of an item manually really helps.

 

For example if I want a cuboid of 0.2mm x 0.6mm x 0.15mm, I would choose the rectangle tool to draw a rectangle of any size, then type "0.2mm,0.6mm<RETURN>", this can then be push/pulled to the depth of 0.15mm by pulling to say 0.3mm, then typing "0.15mm<RETURN>" which will reset the manually pulled depth to the entered figure (SketchUp doesn't unfortunately allow (unless someone knows different) setting the "snap" to a finer resolution than 0.1mm).

 

Ian

Thanks for that Ian. Scaling was the next thing to figure out, and along with a useful video that Will sent, it looks like it won't be too difficult. I just need to get the dimensions for the actual bridge now!

 

Tom.