A SketchUp love story

Happy Valentine’s Day! The holiday is here, whether you love it or hate it.  Ditch the flowers and chocolate.  Show your love to your partner, kids, friends, or favorite pooch in an unconventional way — create a Valentine’s Day gift with SketchUp! 

Need inspiration? Here’s one story of a techy cupid's unique gift idea. 

Making Moves

Daniel and his partner were preparing to move out of their beloved San Francisco apartment. Leaving was hard — their apartment held cherished memories; it was the first place they created a home together. 

“Her birthday was around the corner, and I wanted to commemorate the memory of the beautiful space we shared before moving onto a new chapter in our lives. Talking with one of my friends, I stumbled upon the idea for a perfect gift: an artsy blueprint of the apartment.”

To get started creating the surprise, Daniel signed up for a SketchUp trial; he had heard he could use it to produce a high-quality blueprint in a short amount of time. Although a first-time SketchUp user, Daniel mastered the program’s fundamentals with aplomb. 

“As a software engineer, my brain loved the mathematical accuracy of SketchUp. I went around the soon-to-be-vacated apartment, inputting door and wall measurements, excited to watch my project unfold in 3D.” 

A couple of days before his partner’s birthday, Daniel finished designing the blueprint, feeling accomplished about the gift she was sure to love. Unfortunately, when Daniel hit print — kapow — his meticulously created masterpiece was missing lines and other vital elements.

Needing a lifeline, Daniel contacted customer support at SketchUp. Katya, who has been a SketchUp Product Support Technician since 2017 and a SketchUp user since 2009, was the first to be captured by his love story. Once Daniel explained the printing dilemma, Katya realized he needed LayOut — the tool architects, interior designers, and others use to take 3D models into 2D documents. Katya introduced Daniel to LayOut and worked through some initial onboarding details, and before you knew it, Daniel’s gift had come to life. 

“It was a rare customer support moment in a seemingly otherwise uncaring tech world full of bots and lackluster support.” 

From 3D models to 2D art

The aesthetic of his drawing resembled a time when blueprints were drawn painstakingly by hand. To achieve this nostalgic look, Daniel used SketchUp’s Blueprint Style, which mimics the all-caps handwriting of an architect. Instead of writing dimensions, Daniel got creative by detailing cherished memories and humorous, everyday life moments;

 “You eventually become impervious to this sunshine alarm clock”; 

 “Gigantic bookcase that your mom madly drove through a storm to bring us.”;

and;

“Earth, your oasis in space: where the air is free, and the breathing is easy.”

- Written on the “Our San Francisco Apartment” blueprint

Thanks for the romantic inspiration and for sharing your story, Daniel.

Don’t forget to tag your dreamy 3D models on Instagram. Use #3Dromance for a chance to be featured on our account. 

And, hey, you budding romantic, don’t forget to use a free SketchUp trial or purchase SketchUp to bring those love stories to life.