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SketchUp at the 2015 AIA National Convention

SketchUp at the 2015 AIA National ConventionThe SketchUp face me gang at the 2015 AIA National Convention

For those of you who made it to the 2015 AIA National Convention in Atlanta, it was great meeting and learning how you use SketchUp. Hopefully, you got your hands on an awesome pair of socks.

The annual AIA expo is a special event for us. We've been attending this show for over a decade now. In some ways, this event feels like where SketchUp was born. We met a lot of you who remembered seeing a SketchUp demo for the first time ten years ago at the expo, and who were impressed with how far we’ve come since then. Over and over again I heard:

“I thought SketchUp was just for conceptual design! I didn’t know you could create construction documents with it."

 

To demonstrate how SketchUp travels from conceptual to construction documentation, we invited architects and builders Duane Addy and John Brock to this year’s show. Duane and John gave several standing room only presentations on how to create the impressive construction documents you see below. If you didn’t get a chance to see Duane and John’s presentation, keep tabs on the SketchUp blog -- we’re hoping to produce an in-depth look at their collaborative workflow soon. In the meantime, it won’t hurt to brush up on Nick Sonder’s process for developing construction documents in SketchUp Pro and LayOut.

Spreading some SketchUp knowledge to an attentive crowd
Spreading some SketchUp knowledge to an attentive crowd

Duane and John are great examples of just how powerful SketchUp and LayOut can be. Extensions like Profile Builder 2Skalp, and Sefaira are a few examples of how SketchUp can transform from a simple-to-use conceptual design tool to a powerful platform for information modeling, reporting, and documentation. However, Duane and John’s experience are only one example of the great stories users tell us. As one AIA member said, “You guys are doing a great job. It’s really hard to make a product that is both simple and powerful at the same time.” We couldn’t agree more. The power of simplicity is at the heart of the promise we make to our customers.

“You guys are doing a great job. It’s really hard to make a product that is both simple and powerful.”

-A real non-make-believe SketchUp customer whose name has escaped us

Thanks for a great show, and please reach out and tell us your story of how you’ve created a SketchUp or Layout workflow incorporating the power of simplicity. Use our Forum Tutorial category to share your SketchUp process, or ask for help with something you’re trying to dial in. And if you’re a social bird, use the #simpleispowerful to share your work with the greater SketchUp community. Your stories keep us putting our best feet forward!

Spreading some SketchUp knowledge to an attentive crowd
Putting our best feet forward

About the Author

Tyler is the Senior Graphic Designer for all things SketchUp. With a background in architecture and thick spectacles, Tyler can be found studying the imperfections of everything.

Profile Photo of Tyler Barnard