Real World SketchUp

It's no big secret that I am a user and a big fan of Google's SketchUp 3D modeling software. I've been using it successfully for a year-and-a-half already and I'm petty adept at it. At least I think I am. SketchUp's deceptively easy to use and just under the surface of that friendly interface lurks a software package of surprising complexity and strength.

I'm fortunate to have good mentors and friends who are pretty active in the SketchUp scene and sitting at the top of that pile is my friend Mike Tadros. Mike's one of the owners of LA-based Igloo Studios. Igloo makes SketchUp models for use in the SketchUp 3D Warehouse and in Google Earth. Igloo's also very active in the world of SketchUp training and having an in there is a real boon to me personally.

In addition to being an all-around great guy, Mike's now a published author and the cover of his new book, Real World SketchUp graces the top of this post.

Mike's book is not a beginner's guide and it's perfect for intermediate users like me. Chapter one starts with a thorough review of how to set up SketchUp's preferences and that's pretty important stuff. In a lot of ways, SketchUp's likea  Swiss army knife. The same tool can perform a host of tasks. SketchUp's software can be used to design shoes, tools, flower beds or kitchens for that matter. The key to getting the most out of it for a specific use is in the proper set up of SketchUp's preferences. Mike's easy to follow prose and ample illustrations and screen shots make this process painless.

Real World SketchUp goes on to cover such topics as creating templates, extensions, importing CAD files, importing images, mastering scenes and components and then wraps everything up with a chapter on exporting SketchUp images to other programs. It's a keeper and I'm glad I have a copy of Real World SketchUp in my library.

Again, Real World SketchUp is not a book for beginners, but you're not left out completely. Igloo Studios has a huge library of how to videos on YouTube and even more on their website, Go-2-School.

Step into the wayback machine and here's Mike's first episode of the SketchUp Show from 2007.




Here's a more recent episode.




And that's just what's on YouTube. The entire collection of SketchUp show training videos, DVDs, webinars, forums and one-on-one training are available through Igloo Studios' website Go-2-School.

So, if you're looking for a great, intermediate guide to SketchUp, Real World SketchUp is the best thing out there. If you're a newbie, then head over to School. And finally, if you're an industry type and you'd like to know more, look for the SketchUp Show LIVE from the floor of KBIS in April. My sources tell me that there's a designer/ blogger from St. Pete Florida who'll be appearing there as well. Bravo Mike and congratulations!

Alessi's Tonale has companion flatware

About a year ago, I wrote about Alessi's new tableware by David Chipperfield, Tonale. David Chipperfield is an English architect and Tonale is his homage to Giorgio Morandi's paintings. Giorgio was an Italian Cubist painter whose washed tones and simple shapes paved the way for the Minimalism that followed Cubism.

When you look at Morandi's Still Life above, it's pretty clear where Chipperfield drew his inspiration. Cubism was all about the exploration of shape and volume and how different objects' volumes interacted. Morandi washed everything in monotones and his still lifes have an easy grace to them. Chipperfield's Tonale for Alessi has that same easy grace.

The Tonale collection debuted in Milan last year and Alessi just unveiled Chipperfield's companion flatware for Tonale. It's a collection Chipperfield calls Santiago.

Good flatware is on my short list of things that make for a well-lived life. Good sheets, good pots and pans, good hand tools, good socks and a handful of other things round out my list. By good I mean quality and that rarely means cheap. In my book, good stuff is stuff you buy once and use for the rest of your life. This Santiago collection by Chipperfield for Alessi fits squarely into my list.

Santiago comes in two finishes; solid polished stainless and stainless with a gray handle. Though a full collection of serving pieces and everything else from hors d'oeuvres forks to dessert spoons is part of this Santiago collection, the proof is in the basics.

The fork.

The knife.

The spoon.

I love the idea of a three-tine fork and I really love how the knife appears to be all blade. It's wonderful stuff. What do you think? too modern? Too expensive? Or just right?

Look over the whole Santiago collection on Alessi's website.

Alessi has an ad on the right side of this page. Thank you Alessi. I have now fully disclosed any assumed but nonexistent conflicts of interest. I've been a fan of Alessi for as long as I can remember. That was true before they became an advertiser and will be true long after they leave.

Panem et circensis

Pollice Verso (Thumbs Down) by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872

… iam pridem, ex quo suffragia nulli uendimus, effudit curas; nam qui dabat olim imperium, fasces, legiones, omnia, nunc se continet atque duas tantum res anxius optat, panem et circenses.

… Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.

(Juvenal, Satire 10.77–81, 100 A.D.)

Happy Superbowl Sunday kids!

Papasan can you hear me?

How is this new? And how for that matter is this attractive?

By Fendi Casa as seen in Trendir.

Reader question: Why is my Ikea butcher block splitting?

Help! Exactly one month ago, my husband and I installed a Numerär oak countertop from Ikea. We brought it home, installed it and then sealed it with Ikea's Behandla wood sealer. I thought we were doing everything right, but last night I noticed a split in the wood on the end. Now what? Will it get worse? Should I get a new one?

Oh Lord. I just looked up Numerär on Ikea's website and you paid $89 for that counter. I have to ask, but what were you expecting for $89? Now yes, you spent $89 on a wooden counter and yes it should deliver as promised. But are you really surprised that it didn't? This certainly doesn't get Ikea off the hook. They have a warranty on that counter I'm sure and I would make it my life's work to have them deal with it. After all, $89 is $89. But still, the Numerär costs $89. A similar counter, made from real oak, from Boos will set you back somewhere around $500. Price disparities as wide as that ought to be enough to make anybody look twice.

I got smacked down here a couple of weeks ago for disparaging Ikea's cabinetry. Just ask Becky at Eco-Modernism. Hah! I'll admit, everything Ikea sells isn't automatically crap. So even though it's not crap, it's also not a substitute for the premium products Ikea's imitating either. Wood counters that cost $89 are a case in point.

So the answer your question, you need to look up the warranty on the counter you have and Ikea needs to replace it. They may be a little hesitant to do so if you've attached it to the cabinetry its sitting on, so be prepared to make your case.

If they won't replace it, your crack can be repaired, probably. If it were me, I'd shoot some wood glue into the crack and then get a band clamp and put the squeeze on for a day or so. Then oil that top and keep it oiled. Wood splits when it dries out, so don't let it dry out.

Then I'd think long and hard about what low prices really get you. I love saving a buck as much as anybody, believe me. But you'll end up a happier customer if you start looking for value instead of prices. Sometimes, the value is in a lower-priced product. Sometimes, it's not.