SketchUp for Set Design

Design a set for theatre or film in SketchUp Pro, and render detailed presentation and construction drawings with SU Podium and V-Ray.

The details of 3D modeling can be overwhelming when you design your first set. Using SketchUp frees the designer and builder from worrying about perspective and proportion. John Romeo guides you through the process of making each piece of scenery contained in the set and creating polished presentation and construction drawings using SketchUp Pro and the SU Podium and V-Ray renderers. Learn how to create a simple ground plan and start adding the walls, posts, beams, skylight, backdrop, and other construction details. Discover how to add furniture and props, and design a realistic lighting grid. By the end of the course, you should be able to put together a drawing package for a basic loft set.

Introduction

• Welcome
• Prerequisites
• Using the exercise files

1. Getting Started

• Theater or studio
• Set up the drawing
• 2D ground plan: Floor and walls
• 2D ground plan: Post and beams
• 2D ground plan: I-beam
• 2D ground plan: Counter

2. Scenic Element Objects

• Floor and walls
• Posts and beams
• I-beam
• Counter and base boards
• Skylight layout
• Draw skylight
• Skylight frame and adding glass
• Backdrop
• Jacks, part 1: Drawing a support jack
• Jacks, part 2: Adding corner blocks to the jack
• Jacks, part 3: Placing a jack on set
• Jacks, part 4: Jacks on set

3. Scenic Construction Details

• Wall elevation: Drawing a wall
• Wall elevation: Drawing a sloped wall
• Wall elevation: Fix
• Making walls 3D

4. Textures

• SketchUp textures
• SU Podium textures
• V-Ray textures

5. Props

• Add props and set dressing

6. SU Podium Lighting and Rendering

• SU Podium lighting
• SU Podium rendering

7. V-Ray Lighting and Rendering

• V-Ray lighting
• V-Ray rendering

8. LayOut Pages

• Prepare SketchUp model for LayOut
• Make pages in LayOut
• Import rendering
• Output drawing package

Conclusion

• Additional resources