Here, you'll find links to other great SketchUp resources to help take your SketchUp knowledge and skills to the next level:

• Educational Resources
• SketchUp Scripts and Plug-ins
• Renderers
• Other Modelers
• Component Sites
• Materials and Textures
• Fonts
• Ruby Code Stuff
• Research & Web Services
• More Useful Programs

An updated version of this page is on the SketchUp Sage.

---

The 'Search this group'  box/button, at the top of each SketchUp Help Group page, searches past discussions only.

To search both discussions and the FAQ pages, use the custom...

Google SketchUp Help Group Search Engine

---

Educational Resources

SketchUp (and LayOut) versions

• Release notes  SketchUp 6

SketchUp User's Guide

        

        SketchUp 7

• Help Center for Windows and Mac  The Online Manual
• Google SketchUp 7 Help  Downloadable PDF version 
• Google Layout 2 Help  Downloadable PDF version 
• Google Style Builder 1 Help Downloadable PDF version
• Dynamic Components
  • Help Center
  • DC Learning Examples
  • Dynamic Component Self-Paced Tutorials

    

        SketchUp 6

• SketchUp Windows version | downloadable PDF version
• Layout Windows version
• SketchUp Mac version | downloadable PDF version
• Layout Mac version

Video Tutorials

• SketchUpVideo channel  The YouTube home of SketchUp Video Tutorials
• Google SketchUp for Dummies  Videos to accompany the book (of the same name)
• SketchUp Videos  from the Google SketchUp website
• Another collection of Google videos  from the Google SketchUp website
• Go-2-School videos
• SketchUp Training  Kitchen design blog
• Sketchy Questions  ManofSkill blog with videos

Books

• Google SketchUp for Dummies  by Aidan Chopra, Google SketchUp Product Evanalist
• Bonnie Roskes' SketchUp books  SketchUp books since version 4 - and now with a new SU-based children's series: ModelMetriks
• Google SketchUp Cookbook  New book by Bonne Roske 
• Construction Books  Dennis Fukai, Insitebuilders - For owners, builders and contractors - BIM modeling approach

Authorized Training Centers

• Entourage Arts
• Go-2-School
• Official overview

3D Basecamp 2008

• Basecamp YouTube Channel  Main YouTube Channel (with high resolution viewing link)
• Basecamp After-Site  Session videos and additional downloadable material
• Podcasts  courtesy of River Valley Technology
• Promoting Your Work Using Google Resources  Posted information from this session on the Igloo Studios blog

Forums

• ConceptArt  Artist web community
• GSU*Para  Japanese SketchUp Paradise
• Old SketchUp Pro Group
• Push Pull Bar  Architecture and design forum
• SketchUcation  SketchUp Community Forum and information
• Wayback Machine  Alternative Google SketchUp forum archive

SU Job Groups

The old Pro Group Job site has been spun off to new places...

• SketchUp Jobs  The orginal group now managed by Jeff Lummis
• SketchUp Pro Jobs  A new group also managed by Jeff Lummis to network with people offering/requiring professional SketchUp services.

Other SketchUp Related Sites

• SketchUp Blog  The Google SketchUp Blog
• Google Earth Basics  The Google Earth Blog
• Go Green!  The Google site of Green professionals' projects and plugins
• 3D Construction Modeling  Dennis Fukai blog
• Airlag blog  Discussion in German  
• [as] SketchUp  Alex Schreyer SketchUp blog
• Chiefwoodworker's Blog  Cabinetmaking
• Come Along for the Ride  Woodworking blog
• Create 3d models from real objects easily  A Google Group to discuss 3d digitizer technology to create models
• Curso de SketchUp On-line Gratis  Español
• Design. Click. Build.  Taunton Press, Fine Woodworking, SU design blog
• GSU*Para  Japanese SketchUp Paradise
• Igloo Studios  Homebase for the Go-2-School franchise with additional resources
• Jim Leggitt's Drawing Workshops  Architectural tradigital Imaging methods
• Push Pull Bar  Architecture and design forum
• SketchUp2India
• SketchUp Graphics Blog  Craig Bickford's Blog
• SketchUp Plugins  SU news and plugins blog
• Sketchy Questions  ManofSkill blog - SU, Rhino, Photoshop and Vray tutorials
• SUWiki  The SketchUp wiki
• Timber Frame Design  Timberframing and related plugin
• Vray for SketchUp  Community for Vray renderer and SketchUp users
• Search Google 3D Warehouse and YouTube for other SU tutorials

Linux

• Wine Wiki  Running SketchUp on Wine
• SketchUp and Ruby on Linux (yes, it works)  SketchUcation Ruby Discussions thread on running SU on Wine and using scripts

Contests and Group Projects

• Minas tirith project  Some young modelers searching for other SU modelers to work on Minas Tirith as a group project, gratis 
• Google SketchUp 3D Challenge  Competition - models posted on the 3DWarehouse
• SketchUcation Competition Forum  Modeling challenges
• The $1000 Seastead Design Contest  May 1st, 2009 deadline 

---

SketchUp Scripts and Plug-ins

• Homepage SketchUp Plugins
• Ruby API  Old SketchUp Ruby forum archive
• SketchUcation Ruby Discussions  Ruby plug-in discussions and script archive

Plugin Collections

• Smustard  Free and Fee
• Ruby Library Depot  Didier Bur's script archive - Free
• SketchUp Plugins  (by Jim Foltz)  Free
• Script Spot  Archive
• OhYeah!CAD!  Free and Fee
• ArchSymb  Archive - Free
• Pixero  Jan Sandström's scripts in the Download section - Free
• Moris Papasmadov  Free
• Mario Pehle  Free
• Uri Tessel  Free

Specialty Sites

• CutList  The latest incarnation of this popular woodworker's tool
• DrawMetal  Plugin Suite for metal artists, but great for anyone lusting for tapered extrusions and more - Free
• Driving Dimensions  Edits dimensions and automatically update a dimensioned model - Win (Mac later in '09)
• FloMoCo  Generates a raw Bill of Materials from model that works in the FloMoCo 80/20 Aluminum Extrusion Instant Quote page.  This plugin has a companion component library.
• GetCentroid  Area and centroid finding script
• GML Texturizer  Textures 3D models for Google Earth
• LightUp  Real-time SU lighting
• Phlatboyz.com  DIY Foam-cutting CNC machine from SU models via plugin - utilizes Mach3
• Photoshop CS3 Extended Plug-In for Google 3D Warehouse
• Render Plus  Several professional add-ons Win
  • RpTreeMaker  Make editable fractal, Face Me component trees - Free - Win
  • ProjectSketch  Component placement add-on geared for furniture layout design - Free - Win
  • RpEdits  Basic set of tool wizards - Free - Win
• sketchattributemanager  One of the attribute managers
• SimuTerra  Upcoming SU terrain plugin
• Soap, Skin & Bubble  (by Josef Leibinger) - Donationware Pro Group thread
• SketchyPhysics  Code page, Group Discussions and SketchUucation forum
• Waybe  Unfold models - a related papertoy network

Exporters/Importers

• ColladaMaya translator  Import COLLADA format models into Maya
• ColladaCGF  Export SU models to SandBox2 
• DarkBasic  Pro SU importer
• DirectX
• EnjShape  Imports ESRI Shapefiles
• IFC2SKP  Interaction with IFC extension
• OBJ
  • OBJ Exporter OBJ Importer  Jim Foltz's effort for the SU Free crowd
  • AdamB_obj_importer and objloader  Look in the Files - Converters - Misc section for these and other converters 
• PlayUp  Exporter to several 3D game engines
• STL
  • STL  SketchUp to STL available at the Ruby Library Depot's Files - Converters - Misc section
  • CADspan Plugin  Toolbar with several tools to make 3D-printable STL files
  • Cheetah 3D  Modeler/renderer converts to STL - Fee - Mac
  • Silo  Modeler/renderer converts to STL - imports OBJ, DXF, 3DS - Fee - Win Mac
• SU²CATT and SU²DDA  Exports SU models to accoustic formats CATT and DDA
• SU4AC  Exports and imports SU models from/to Duran Audio DDA and L-Acoustics SoundVision - Free - Windows
• SVG
  • 2D export to SVG  On the SketchUcation forum, deerwood figures out how to export a PDF from SU Pro or a PDF printer and open it  in Inkscape to get a SVG file.
  • CutList  This woodworker's plugin has a SVG export option.  Webdialog interface.
  • svg.rb  Imports Inkscape images
  • sketchup-svg-outine   Exports SU models to SVG file.
• SYCODE  3DM, DWG, DXF, IGES, OBJ, STEP, STL, VTK importers and exporters for SU.  SKP importers and exporters for Acrobat, Alibre Design, AutoCAD, IntelliCAD, Inventor, IRONCAD, Solid Edge, SolidWorks, SpaceClaim - Fee
• Zomadicam  SketchUp to Shopbot CNC router Pro forum thread

---

 

Architectural

The 2008 3DBasecamp session SketchUp and Green Design presents several energy analysis plugins listed below.

• 1001bit tools  Large collection of speciality architectural elements - academic Free, retail Fee
• BIMServer Open source Building Information Model server.  Requires IFC2SKP
• SketchUp and OPS
• EnergyPlus  Building energy analysis from within SU
• Demeter  Greenspace Research building energy analysis SU plugin
• Google Earth Connections  ArchiCAD plugin to import GE and 3DWarehouse models into ArchiCAD
• Land F/X  An AutoCAD application for landscape architects that's integrated with SketchUp
• Microstation and Bentley Architecture
• SpecifiCAD  A CAD/BIM plug-in to dynamically match building component data to manufacturer data
• SPIRIT  users can import SKP models into their BUILDING INFORMATION NETWORK
• IES  Plugin to do building energy analysis from within SU with their software

---

 

Presentation

• 3DXplorer  Create 3D virtural world online
• Antics  Animation package that imports SKP models - Fee
• Antics SketchUp Blog  (New sales have ended)
• Archvision  Viewer to place SU models in PowerPoint, IE and Word | Homepage
• ARPlug-in  Visualize SU models in real space.  SU plug-in for their Augmented Reality platform, ARmedia - Student and Educator licences available - Win 
• eDrawings
• Google SketchUp Web Exporter
• Hypercosm Teleporter for SketchUp  Web publishing SketchUp models - Win and Mac beta (new)
• iClone  Animation package that imports GE and SU models
• RPS 3D PDF  Turns SU documents into 3D PDFs
• WalkAbout3d   Real-time walkthrough application
• WireFusion  Uses a 3DX format to make a web presentation - Fee - Win Mac Linux Solaris

 

---

Renderers

Integrated add-ons within SketchUp

• IDX Renditioner  Free and Fee - Win Mac
• IRender nXt  Fully Integrated Rendering package - Fee - Win
• (LightUp  This is not a renderer.  It enhances SU only model rendering abilities by control lighting effects)
• Podium  Fee - Win Mac 
• V-Ray  Fee
  • VRay for SketchUp Manual
  • VRay: The Complete Guide
  • V-Ray Toys  A plug-in addressing issues with a floating license on a network
  • Remove_CG_material.rb  V-Ray specific material plug-in

External Programs

• 3DPaintBrush  Near photo-realistic images and animation.  Imports SKPs, GE integration - Fee - Win
• Artlantis  Fee  
• AutoDesk
  • 3DMax  Fee
  • Maya  Fee
• Cheetah 3D  Modeler/renderer - Fee - Mac
• Indigo  Free SKP exporter
• fryrender  with a SU plugin - Fee - Win 32 and 64-bit
• HyperShot  HyperShot for SketchUp Blog - Fee - Win Mac 
• Kerkythea  Free - SU2KT exporter (in the Files - Converters section)
• LightWave 3D  Fee - SU to LightWave book, Ready...Set...Render!
• Maxwell  Fee forum
• Piranesi  Non-photorealism - Fee  
• PovRay  Free - Win Mac su2pov exporter
• Silo  Modeler/renderer - Fee - Win Mac
• Yafray  Free

Educational and other stuff

• Evermotion  Rendering tutorials on several different programs, material downloads (some HDRI images in the Exclusive section), etc.

Related Plugins

• ColladaMaya translator  Import COLLADA format models into Maya
• GlobalMaterialChange 
• Grey Scale  Su render style
• GroupByMaterial
• layerbymaterial  located in the Selection - Layer section
• Remove_CG_material.rb  V-Ray specific material plug-in, but others may need it

---

Other Modelers

• 3ds Max  Fee - Win
• AC3D    
• Anim8or  Subdivision modeler - Free
• Blender  Open-Source - Model, shade, animate, render, Macromedia exporter 
• DAZ 3D  Modeling/rendering
• Delftship  Hull program - Free and Fee 
• gSculpt  open source, procedural subdivision modeler
• hamaPatch  Free nurbs modeler - Win
• MakeHuman 
• MarbleCLAY
• Metasequoia  Polygon modeler for 3DCG and game development
• Modo  Polygonal and subdivision surface 3D modeler - Fee - Win Mac
• MoI  N-Gon polygon meshes
• Quidam 
• Rhino  Fee
• Rheingold3D  3D modeling saved to many formats - small Fee
• ShapeShop
• SmoothTeddy
• Wings 3D  Subdivision modeler - Free - Mac Win LInux 
• Vue  Create, animate and render natural 3D environments - Fee - Win Mac

CAD

• AllyCAD  Free and Fee
• Ashampoo 3D CAD Architecture
• AutoCAD  OK, most everyone know this program, but they have a free viewer that can convert DWG files into other format versions to improve importability options into other programs.  Look for "DWG from Autodesk.  The Original" link on the homepage.
• Bricscad  2D/3D via IntelliCAD engine - Fee - Win Linux
• ProgeCAD  2D/3D via IntelliCAD engine
• PunchCAD   2D/3D modelling products - Modest Fee - Exports to common CAD formats IGES, STEP, SAT, and STL:
• QCad  2D - Multilingual - Win Mac Linux Unix
• Solid Edge  2D/3D - Fee and Free 2D version - Win
• SpaceClaim 
• TouchCAD  3D modeling and unfolding - Win Mac

---

Component Sites

• SketchUp Bonus Packs  from the Google SketchUp 'downloads' page
• Collections by Google  In the 3DWarehouse, a collection of generic objects to help you populate your 3D models.  Instructions on downloading 12 at a time via the Component browser within SketchUp.

2D

• Digital Nursery  Some Free mostly Fee
• Entourage Arts  Non photorealistic entourage elements
• Realworld Imagery  Alpha masked entourage

2D, 3D and Styles

• Form Fonts

3D

• Google 3D Warehouse  SKP - Free
• 3D Lapidary  Gem cuts DXF
• BIM World
• CBEN.NET  DWG CAD Block Exchange Network
• Christopher Picciano  SKP
• Design Connected SKP and other formats
  
• Enkeboll Designs  2D and 3D millwork line art
• FloMoCo 80/20 Aluminum Extrusion Library
• Gandoza.net  3D models in several formats - Fee
• Great Buildings  Famous buildings - 3DMF > DXF via DesignWorkshop - Free - Win  Mac Classic
• J-man  SKP
• LOWPOLYGON3D
• Model 3D  CAD symbols
• Objects Online  Assorted formats, including SKP - Fee
• PartFinder
• Planview  Neotraditional neighborhoods SKP
• Pittsburgh Corning  Develop glass block projects with their EZ Design Component Library
• Shop Models  Wood shop equipment SKP
• SketchUp Engineering Toolbox  Plumbing (flanges, elbows, bends) - Angle & channel iron, etc.
  (SketchUp plugin available - See description at Google SketchUp Blog)
• Sketch-Shop
• The SketchUp Component Collection  Components for custom-build PCs
• SketchUpModels  Free - Fee
• SteelSelect  SKP
• Sweets Network  Contruction network with 3DWarehouse building product models
• Toucan Virtual Museum  Fish, flowers, and insects. 3DS and BMP
• VBvisuals  2D and 3D, assorted formats entourage

---

Materials and Textures

Seamless textures

• 3dmd.net
• 3d-ressources
• BerneyBoy's  Photoreal textures
• CG Textures  Free
• Lemog  Free 2D textures and more
• Texture Library
• Texture, colour 
• Arroway  Free and Fee
• NOCTUA Graphics  Free and Fee 

Seamless Skies

• 1000 Skies 
• Continuum 3D  Skies, 3D models and stuff
• Hand Drawn Images  HDI - Free and Fee
• JHT's Planetary Pixel Emporium  Planet images to map on a sphere
• Philo's sky collection
• Skydome/Globe tutorials  Doubles as a tutorial on replacing a texture, mapped image on a SU through the Material palette (there is a related plug-in - UVTools.  A SU plugin for simple image mapping, like you need for a skydome.)

Materials - use web screen color pickers listed below when downloadable palettes are not available

• Benjamin Moore  Download color paleltte to AutoCAD®, LightWorks®, or Photoshop®
• Benjamin Moore personal color viewer
• Sherwin Williams  Color visualizer and Photoshop color download site

Web resources

• Easy RGB  Color search engine
• Colorjack
• Colorchart  Online color database
• EyePilot  Color helper (colorblind assistance) Digital Tutorials
• Techonic Studio  Designer products resource

Digital Image Tutorials and Editors

• Material Tiling Tutorials +
  • Janee's Photoshop Tutorials  Texture tiling (manually make a seamless texture) tutorials and more
  • Mike's Sketchpad  Tutorials and stuff
• Cut-out images for Face-Me components
  • GrowCut  Makes image cutouts - Fee
  • Fluid Mask  Cut-out Photoshop plugin - Fee
  • GML Matting  Cut-out Photoshop plugin - Free
  • How to Cut around Objects Quickly in Photoshop etc  SketchUcation tutorial 
• Spiral Graphics  Seamless texture editors
• Acme Brick  Design your own brick pattern 
• StoneCAD  Design your own cultured stone textures
• imageSynth  Seamless texture maker - Fee
• Seamless Texture Generator  Fee
• Spiral Graphics  Free textures - Free Wood Workshop, Wood texture editor - Fee Genetica texture editor - Win 
• Sky Panorama Generator  Free 
• SPRAY vector generator  Generates random circles for vector illustration software - Free - Win
• TextureViewer and Bricks 'n' Tiles  Seamless Texture makers - Free and Fee 

Color Pickers

• Color Cop  Color picker - Free, Donationware - Win
• ColorLab  Color picker, lots of features - Free - Win
• ColorPic  Picks color from monitor - Free - Win  
• ColorPix  Color picker - Free - Same developer has some other, Pro color pickers
• Color Selector - Color picker - Free
• Colour Detector  Pick screen color and get RGB, HEX, HTML & Long values - Free - Win
• CPick  Color picker - Free
• eyeDropper  Color picker - Free
• Pixie  Color picker - Free - Win
• Pixel Pick  Color picker - Free
• pkColorPicker  Free
• CBN Selector  Multi-function - colors digital images, create real material color specs, access manufacturers' standard colors - Fee - Win

Plugins/Programs

• Autostitch  Automatic 2D image stitcher licensed by 3 commerial products - Fee - Win Mac Linux
• PTLens Program that corrects lens pincushion/barrel distortion, vignetting, chromatic aberration, and perspective - Win Mac 
• GML Image Undistorter  Corrects lens distortion - Free
• CrazyBump  Bump map creator for photoreal renderers
• Squiggle  Converts DWGs to squiggly linework
• GIMP  Image manipulation program - Win - free
• Optix XR  Color calibrate the screen
• Trimoon  Photoshop black/white eliminator/tranparency plugin - Free
• AmphiSoft  Photoshop-compatible plugins - Free and Fee - Win
• Auto FX  Photoshop-compatible plugins - Free and Fee - Win Mac
• Xero  Photoshop-compatible plugins - Free and Fee - Win
• Little Ink Pot  Photoshop-compatible plugins - Free and Fee - Win
• Paint.NET  Image and photo editing program - Free - Win
• The Plugin Site  Photoshop-compatible - Free and Fee
• ProjecTile   Preview images as a tiled image - Free - Win 
• Power Retouche  Photoshop-compatible plugins and tutorials - especially nice is the transparency editor IMHO
• Hidden Elements  Power tools for Photoshop Elements (comes with a very useful, informative book on mastering digital image manipulation)
• Jay Arraich's Photoshop Elements Tips  Photoshop Elements education
• UVTools  A SU plugin for simple image mapping, like you need for a skydome 
• Ultimate Unwrap 3D  Image mapping program - Fee - Win
• Grafnet: Photoshop Filters  large, comprehensive, PS filter listing
• GrowCut  Makes image cutouts - Fee

---

Fonts

• AllChars  Quickly creates accents and special chararcters - Free - Win
• High-Logic  Font creators and font manger programs - Win
• Fontlab  Font creator programs - Win Mac
• Font properties extension  Adds additional r-click TTF and OTF property tabs - XP
• Cleartype Tuner  XP PowerToy adjusts font clarity on LCD screens

Sites (If you collect many fonts, consider getting a font manager.  They allow easy font viewing and can temporarily load fonts so the system font directory doesn't get cluttered.  Go to Download.com for program reviews.)

• ABC Webworx  Over 3,800 fonts - All free
• dafont  Free and shareware
• High Fonts  Free and Fee
• Larabie Fonts  Free and Fee
• Simply the Best Fonts  Free
• Font Freak  Free and shareware
• Abstract Fonts  Free and shareware
• 1001 Free Fonts  Free and shareware
• Dingbats-UK  Lots o' dingbats which can become SU 3D Text Tool clipart shapes - Free, shareware and Fee

---

Ruby Code Stuff

• SketchUp Bridge  Allows external Ruby code to be executed inside SketchUp and more
• SU Ruby Documentation  Wiki-style documentation of the Google SketchUp Ruby API 
• SU API Blog  Google Ruby API blog
• Google SketchUp Ruby API and SDK group  New location of the Ruby API and SDK Groups.  If anyone is having trouble editing their old Ruby Group membership or joining the SDK group, contact one of the SketchUp Guides to fix the problem. 
• Old Ruby API Group  Retired discussion group 
• Google SketchUp Ruby API  Plugin developers' Guide
• Advanced Ruby Scripting  WebDialog discussion from Google I/O 2008
  • Prince IO Sketchup Game Demo  Scott finally releases his SU game created through Ruby WebDialogs
• Animating SketchUp Models in Ruby and Java  A research project

Developer Tools

• Observer Tests  A script to text SU observer function
• EventRelay  Developer functionality tool Win
• Smustard  Several developer scripts, like a Progress Bar
• wxSU  Use wxRuby for GUI dialogs SU API Blog

HTML and JavaScript

• ColorLab  Color picker, generates lists of HTLM code tags - Free - Win
• Some HTML code
• Yahoo! User Interface (YUI) Library
• JavaScript Source
• HTML-HTML  Codes, tutorials, help, tags
• GoToMy.com  Basic HTML code
• HTML color codes and names
• HTML color codes  Dynamic color charts to quickly choose custom HTML color codes
• Simple Viewer  Flash image viewer -  Free
• WOW-Engine 

Ruby

• RubyInstaller  Win - version 1.8.6-26 - includes the SciTE text editor and the full text of Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide as a help file.  
• Ruby
• (Other Ruby downloads are also available.)

Education

• Pragmatic Programmer  Publishes many programming books, including Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmer's Guide and it's free web edition.
  PDF edition is available.  Discussion thread, regarding "free" edition.
• The Ruby Way  Hal Fulton
• Learn to Program  Chris Pine
• Learning Ruby
• RubyLearning  Free online Ruby programming course
• Mr. Neighborly's Humble Little Ruby Book
• Ruby User's Guide
• RubyLearning.com
• PLEAC-Ruby
• Try Ruby!  A hands-on tutorial
• Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby
• RailTips.org  Ruby and Rails related tips
• OpenGL SuperBible  Tutorial
• Free Book Zone  Quaint nerd book resource
• Free Book Centre  Another free, technical ebook site

Text Editors  related Pro Group thread

• Notepad++
• FreeTextBox
• SciTE  Win
• Arachno Ruby IDE  Fee
• RDE  Win
• TextWrangler  Mac
• TexMate  Mac
• NetBeans  Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Solaris
• Metapad  Win
• Vim

3D Math

• Computer Graphics  via MIT OpenCourseWare
• Vector Math for 3D Computer Graphics
• Data Structures and Algorithms
  with Object-Oriented Design Patterns in Ruby

---

Research & Web Services

• Download.com  Search through user reviewed, legal software via CNET
• FreeMacWare
• GPU Review  Graphics card comparison
• Bare Feats  Mac graphics card speed reports
• Windows terminology glossary

Troubleshooting - when bad things happen to good computers

• Annoyances.org  Windows problems
• aumha.net  Windows Support Center
• CCleaner  Nice utility to clean out accumulated file clutter.  Go to Options > Cookies, to keep good cookies - Free, Donationware
• Tack Tech
• MajorGeeks
• Error Forum  Windows Errors
• I am not a Geek  Many articles, etc., and for Hijack This! users, this useful, online HJT log interpreter

Tools

• Google Language Tools  Online translator
• Babel Fish  Online translator
• Google Sites  Build your own group web site
• Google Pages  Build you own web page
• Google Code  Code developers own web site
• Google Earth Basics  Official blog
• TinyURL  A way to truncate long URLs so they copy correctly in posts and email
• Windows Secrets  Formerly Gizmo's freeware utility list - Free and Donation
• Zamzar  Online file conversion - Free

Maps

• USGS  United States Geographical Survey map stuff
• National Map Seamless Server 
• EarthExplorer  Another powered by Google map thing
• California Spatial Information Library  MapSurfer and other raster images
• CGIAR-CSI GeoPortal  NASA Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission DEMs
• GIS Data Depot
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory  Shuttle DEM
• Trails.com  Topo Maps & Aerial Photos
• Topo Depot  GIS CAD
• Magellan  GPS survey system

Architectural

• ARCAT  Information on building materials for architects, spec writers, engineers and contractors
• CGarchitect  Online magazine for computer graphics related stuff for architecture
• BIMServer  Open source Building Information Model server.  Requires IFC2SKP
• MPI  Master Painter's Institute resource list
• Square One  Reference material on environmental design and building performance analysis SketchUp to EcoTect tutorial
• Igloo Studios  Homebase for the Go-2-School franchise with additional architectural-related stuff, like re:Sources Network 
• Insitebuilders  List of homebuilder's resources
• SPIRIT  users can import SKP models into their BUILDING INFORMATION NETWORK
• Sweets Network  Contruction network with 3DWarehouse building product models
• Techonic Studio  Designer products resource

---

More Useful Programs

• Elefont and Spiralizer  Elefont converts system fonts to 3D DWF.  Spiralizer spirals fonts - Free
• Irfanview  Great freeware multimedia viewer/editor/manager/converter - Win
• XnView  Multimedia viewer/editor/converter - Free - Win Mac Linus Irix Solaris HP-UX AJX
• ImageMagick  Open source image viewer/editor/convertor from an API or command line - Free - Win Unix Mac
• GraphicConverter  Multimedia viewer/editor/converter - Fee - Mac
• PhotoZoom Pro 2  Enhance/sharpen screen captures and other images
• Xara  Image editing
• Sqirlz Reflections  Adds animated water effect to images or AVI files
• Vitrite  Transparent screen overlay for Photomatch technique one Pro forum thread  and another Pro thread - Win
• Pepakura  Before SU unfolding plugins, this program was widely used instead
• ShapeCapture  3D measuring
• karpo  3D object converter - Win
• Deep Exploration  Among other things, a file format convertor - $$
• 3DWin  3D file format converter
• Delftship  Hull program - Free and Fee
• MojoPac  Portable PC settings
• WinTopo  Raster to vector imaging - Free and Fee
• sflender  Blender exported for Macromedia
• ShapeCapture  Accurate 3D measurement and modeling from stero matching
• Mach3  Converts a PC to a 6-axis CNC controller - Imports DXF - For the Do-It-Yourself crowd

Collections

• Free Structural Software  2006 updated list of free structural programs
• Tent and Structural Design Software  List by someone named Bruno
• TheBest3D  Lising of 3D design software

Utilities

• 7-zip  Open source zip program - Win
• Convert  Unit converter - Win
• MB-Ruler  Transparent screen ruler and screen loupe - Win
• VMN Toolbox  Web tool (screen capture, ruler, sticky notes, color picker, magnifier)
• A suggestion:  Periodically, clone (exact copy) your harddrive onto an external harddrive and store it physically separate from your main computer.  Store that harddrive in a small fire-proof safe for good measure.  So in case of fire, theft, major crash, etc., there is a ready backup.  Casper and True Image are two harddrive cloning software.  Other scheduled, backup options include programs like APBackup and Genie
• QlIner  Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Supports international keyboards - Free - Win
• AutoHotkey  Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Free - Win
• KeyText3  Auto-phrase completer - Win
• PS Hot Launch  Hotkey / Macro Recorder Utility - Free - Win  
• Clipboards
  • PhraseExpress  Clipboard utility - access to common phrases, stuff - Free - Win
  • ClipX  Small clipboard, permanent clips - Free 
  • Climomatic  Small clipboard, permanent clips - Free 
  • ArcClip  Large clipboard, permanent clips (ie., thread post signatures) - Free
• tinySpell  form spell checker - Free, Fee - Win
• ieSpell  Spell checker for Internet Explorer - Free, Fee

Architectural

• SunAngle
• Ecotect  Energy analysis
• Energy Plus  Energy analysis - SU plugin - Free

Landscape

• SimuTerra  Real-time terrain modeler - Fee
• TreeGenerator  Free Scenery generator - Win Mac
• Point Cloud
• RpTreeMaker  Build Fractal Face-Me SU components - Free - Win
• World Machine  Free and Fee
• Quick Terrain Modeler
• Simmetry 3D
• Terragen  Scenery generator - Free and Fee - Win Mac  Group discussion on fixing a DEM import with Terragen

PDF

• GreenPrint  Banner-less, ad-less webpage printing - PDF too - Free and Fee - Win
• PrimoPDF  Free and Fee
• CutePDF  Free
• pdfFactory 
• Pdf995
• RPS 3D PDF - interactive PDF Documents from SketchUp 
• Aide CAD  PDF to DWG

Screen & Video Capture and Editing

• Fraps  Free
• CamStudio  Open Source, free screen recording software.  TaffGoch method  YouTube tutorial
• TechSmith  Several professional products - Camtasia (video capture/editing) and SnagIt (screen capture and editing/video recorder) - Fee - Win
• Gadwin PrintScreen  Screen capture - captures SU tool cursors - Free - Win
• ScreenHunter  Screen capture - 3 products, Fee to Free - Win
• Riva FLV Encoder  Transcode AVI, MPEG, Quicktime and WMV files to flash - Free
• SnapZ  Video capture - Mac - Fee
• Pinnacle  Video editing - Fee
• VideoSpin  Video editing - Free editor from Pinnacle, but the codecs will cost something
• VirtualDub  Video capture/processing - Win - Free
  • VirtualDub filters  Free filters - Reportedly, an Installion step for "PCVideo Image Processor" is missing.  Delete this filter once the package is installed.

Web Video Downloaders

Over time, browsers change how well they support these add-ons.  Many of the programs listed below work well in IE.  Other browers may require special downloaders.

• RealPlayer  Download web videos - like SU YouTube videos - Saves in FLV format unless you pay for the software.  But the free player does have a nice library organization system.  You can edit file information and add notes. 
• Free YouTube Download  Makes AVI files.  Colors seem muddier than RealPlayer downloads
• SavingYoutube  Downloads internet YouTube and Megacafe videos to a FLV file format
• YouTube Downloader  It can convert to AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid formats and comes with a small video editor - Free - Win
• Video DownloadHelper  A Firefox add-on
• Other YouTube downloaders  A download.com search list
• FLV Players
  • RealPlayer above records and plays FLV files
  • VLC Media Player  Plays FLV files - Windows Mac OS X  BeOS Syllable
  • IrfranView  Great freeware multimedia viewer/editor/manager/converter  - plays FLV - Win

Cool math stuff

• Geometricks  Study some Virtual 3D geometry online
• K3DSurf  Win Mac Linux
• KnotPlot  Knot program and lots o' links
• Poly Pro  Work with polyhedra - Fee - Win Mac
• ShapesFS  A plugin bringing Horn Shape from Shading to GIMP
• Spirals
• Stella  Polyhedron navigator - Fee - Win

---