Pro Accounts are for people who want all of the training we offer — for less. Here’s what Pro Members get:

Watch every one of the School-produced DVDs online. Over 10 hours of training is available now, and more is on the way. Pro Members get access to it all – that means when we add new DVDs, you’ll be able to watch them online at no additional cost…

…and much more – like live Q/A sessions. Read more on the School’s website.

This week “The Daily CatchUp” interviewed Paul Lee of Viewsion Google SketchUp Authorised Training Centre.

TDC: What made you become interested in SketchUp training?

Paul: I learned CAD the hard way (by asking everyone in the drawing office to help me) years ago and later had an opportunity to teach it. CAD courses didn’t at all prepare candidates for the workplace, and learning was a haphazard experience. I wanted to improve teaching in this area, and saw the opportunity this presented. I wrote a detailed CAD course in 2002 in a local Vocational school but got little support to continue it so it died.

In 2005 a colleague introduced me to SketchUp. The more I learned about the program, the more I became interested in it. I started this SketchUp training venture with a partner in 2008, (www.viewsion.ie) and its going pretty well so far, despite the recession.

TDC: What does Viewsion do that’s special?

Paul: Alongside the standard SketchUp courses we have produced the world’s first course for the production of CAD-free construction drawings using only SketchUp and Layout. We deliver this course worldwide through live instructor-led online training. (You can find our Youtube video under the “sketchupireland” banner.) We have also provided specialist training to landscape designers, building contractors, film set designers, and engineering  / architecture professionals.

TDC: Where do you see SketchUp going in the future?

Paul: In general terms that’s anybody’s guess, but it’s definitely on an upward and ever expanding trajectory. On one level, we see SketchUp becoming a serious BIM tool, ultimately replacing CAD. Most fields (possibly every field) of design will be very much affected by this technology. Open-source is key. The fact that anyone can write code for this is driving SU’s evolution at a phenomenal pace. Take for example Fredoscale and 1001bit tools. SketchUp’s own Dynamic Components are a massive step in the BIM direction.

The possibilities for product marketing through 3d Warehouse are something which have not yet taken hold of the commercial imagination. This will be a very exciting area to watch into the future. However, companies such as Velux and Kolbe Windows have made some progress in this area, which is encouraging.

TDC: What other areas interest you?

Paul: We aim to pursue the Google Earth modelling of our locality (Cork City) as well as country-wide. This will help to grow tourism in the country as well as being a great resource for ordinary people, local government, etc. We have been working on some models for upload to 3d warehouse that will be helpful to architects engineers and students locally and worldwide. Such models would include regulatory requirements for things like disabled toilets, staircases, windows etc. We are very interested in production of dynamic components for commercial use such as window manufacturers, concrete products etc. Secondary schools education (or K-12 institutions as they are called in the States) is another area that interests us greatly as we feel that SketchUp is the perfect tool for many areas: technical drawing, architectural / construction studies, woodworking, graphic design and tutorials just to name a few. We aim to get kids interested by running a competition this Autumn to model Project Spectrum- We will be providing free SU training to people involved with autism groups (please get in touch if interested – info@viewsion.ie)

Energy analysis from SketchUp models is an area of huge interest and though we don’t yet have experience in this area, we are very keen to get to grips with it. Cost analysis using SketchUp is something that we are pursuing for a client at the moment.

TDC: What is Beyoncé’s phone number?

Paul: I cannot reveal that information as I feel this would be a betrayal of her trust.

The folks from School have just a couple of seats left for their San Francisco classes this week. Bay Area Google SketchUp users: 3 Google SketchUp classes and 1 Google Earth class in San Francisco this week. Sign up here: http://bit.ly/QpdQZ.

Expand your knowledge and understanding about the most important American furniture styles – 18th Century, Shaker, Arts & Crafts and more – and build the joinery skills you need for each style. You’ll also get hands-on training with Google SketchUp, a popular FREE drafting program, to give your design skills a huge leap forward. Join our world-class line-up of speakers and become a better designer and builder in just three days.

August 14-16. Read more.

As we mentioned earlier, concept3D will be in Minneapolis next week (June 23-25) offering a range of SketchUp and Google Earth training solutions through 6 different classes. Registration information and details are at their website.

On this occasion, “The Daily CatchUp” made a short interview with Training Director Matt Chambers of Concept 3D

TDC: What differentiates concept3D SketchUp & Google Earth training from other Google Authorized Training Companies?

Matt: There is definitely a wealth of knowledge and a variety of training solutions with all the Google ATCs out there. The core strengths of concept3D’s training are that we have not only been teaching SketchUp & Google Earth since 2002, we use both applications on real-world projects daily. Our extensive library on the 3D Warehouse clearly illustrates that.

TDC: What is included in a typical class?

Matt: Each of the six, half-day classes are Google certified and AIA/ASLA accredited for 3 Continuing Education Units. As our classes have evolved, we have learned that dutifully going through the Google-authored material only provides so much value. Equally important are the curve-ball questions asked by the students. We have added an additional bonus hour to each of our classes to address these issues as well as offer unique solutions we have found in our own workflow.

TDC: What is the difference between a Brown Bag Session and a normal class?

Matt: Our Brown Bag Session is our way of staying in tune with the creative community. We visit firms over the lunch hour and share our SketchUp and Google Earth tips and tricks while learning about some really cool projects. Our public classes are certified, accredited and affordable training solutions offered over a three day period. Anyone interested in hosting a Brown Bag Session can email training@concept3d.com.

TDC: When are you coming to my city?

Matt: We are constantly exploring new markets to bring our unique training solutions to. If we are not in your market but you are interested, let us know at training@concept3d.com.

TDC: Do you do private training?

Matt: We sure do! Our trainers have administered custom training workshops to over a hundred private design firms, government planning agencies, famous resort and theme parks, and even academy-award winning animation studios. The key to our private training is communication. We work with private entities before each training to ensure that they learn exactly what they want to learn.

Here is the list of trainings for July from Entourage Arts.

To sign up for a class, please visit the Entourage Arts Training page.

“concept3D will be in Minneapolis June 23-25 offering the best value available for certified Google SketchUp and Google Earth training. A total of six classes will be offered over three days. Each class includes 3 hours of AIA and ASLA accredited material as well as a bonus hour of custom concept3D training and problem solving.  Our focus is on your learning while meeting earning credits.” Source: Concept 3D Blog.

May 26 & 27 the folks from School are in Chicago.
School is the premier source for Google SketchUp training in the U.S. But they have been known to fly to Timboektoe if asked.
An overview of all the classes and details can be found here.

Matt Chambers wrote us here at The Daily CatchUp to tell us about a new education initiative the company he works for – Concept3D – has set up. There is a press release here and the official education portal is here.
And here is a list of videos on YouTube you might want to check out. These are short 60 second clips made specially for those of us with the desire to learn yet not the time to watch long videos.

Concept3D is a company started in August 2006 that creates content for and in Google Earth.
Check out some of the great work they have already done in their extensive portfolio.

If you live in – or are visiting the San Jose area in California, you might want to check out the folks from School who are at ‘Where 2.0′ today (May 20) – teaching a Google SketchUp and Google Earth class. More information here.