Landscape Architecture

Park Pergola Design 13

In Part 1 of this series, I showed how to begin the park pergola design, by modeling the curved horizontal beam that follows the pergola path.   In this post, I’ll show how to model the vertical supports for the beam.   Design One Support Draw the cross section of the support like this:      The extension I used for […]

Park Pergola Design Curved-Canopy

In a previous series, I showed how to model a few kinds of sails in SketchUp. These aesthetic landscape design elements are shade-providing canopies – very popular these days. See Part 1: Sail Canopy, Part 2: Canopy Support, and Part 3: Fluid Sail Canopy. In this three-part series, I’ll show how to create another element of […]

Community Center Rendering FINAL small

Before you ask, no – this is not an interview with this guy:   I met Ryan Seacrist when he attended one of my classes. During one of the tutorials, Ryan came up with a different approach to getting 3D modeling work completed faster. I was impressed and have kept in touch with him. Ryan has a […]

SketchUp Skelion Extension

Building SketchUp models in context, a.k.a. geo-location, requires reference information. Whether working on bridges, residences, commercial development, or parks, including the surrounding area is crucial for accuracy. This post is about Skelion, available in the Extension Warehouse. If you haven’t yet installed an extension from there, see our post on how to do it.   Add […]

Modeling A Sail Canopy

In the first two parts of this series, I showed how to create a simple sail canopy. In Part 1 I modeled the surface of the canopy, and in Part 2 I modeled the tower supports. In this post, I’ll show how to make another popular landscape architecture model in SketchUp: a fluid sail canopy. There […]

Modern Canopies in SketchUp: Part 2- Sail Canopy Support

In Part 1 of this series, I demonstrated how to model the surface of a sail canopy in SketchUp. In this post, I’ll model the sail canopy supports – the three tall, tapered truss structures in the three corners of the sail:   Extensions You’ll Need From the Extension Warehouse, you’ll need these three: Profile […]

Modern Canopies in SketchUp: Part 1- Sail Canopy Surface

As a landscape architect, I work and design in the urban environment, focusing on the 3 P’s: Parks, Plazas, Pedestrians. My goal is to provide ergonomic and aesthetic design elements, encouraging the use of open spaces. Shaded gathering areas are growing quite popular, and tensile structures such as sail canopies are a beautiful way to […]