After working a while with SketchUp, every 3D modeler will invariably find out that the best thing about this software is that it can easily be extended using free plugins. If a function is not available in plain (free) SketchUp, then chances are actually quite good that there is a plugin available on the internet to fill that void. Functionality that can be added to SketchUp in this manner includes curved shapes (like spheres or onion domes), physics simulation, otherwise unsupported file export (like OBJ or STL) and many others.

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Apparently today is blog action day. I didn't know that myself... Oh, well... The official SketchUp blog just published an environmental design feature with examples of green building design using SketchUp. It is always good to learn from how others are using a design tool like SketchUp - particularly in a commercial environment.

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(Or: Customizing AutoCAD in a computer lab with restrictive user permissions)

I am teaching several CAD classes and our computer labs are all set up with very restrictive (currently Windows XP) user rights. And that makes sense. After all, I don't want to find out at the beginning of class that half of the computers are not working or field questions like "How can I get the command line back - it's gone?". The downside to that practice is that students have no way to customize the user interface and therefore make their time with AutoCAD easier and more productive.

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