BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE via COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Feb 10, 2005--''Cooool.'' The spontaneous outcry is uttered in unison by a dozen, upper-level high school architecture students as Aidan Chopra demonstrates the abilities of SketchUp(R) software. Using the 3-dimensional visualization software`s ''follow-me'' tool, students watch as Chopra, the education program manager for @Last Software, draws a roofline ledge around the building he`s created using the conceptual design software.
Boulder High School has long offered architecture as an elective to students who have taken a pre-requisite drafting course. However, prior to this semester, the class largely relied on hand-drawn, 2-dimensional sketches when the time came for students to create architectural plans. With a new design and technology teacher, Dan Zahner, and a recent partnership with @Last Software, the maker of SketchUp, the class has gone high tech.
''SketchUp is the most versatile, easy-to-use 3-D software I`ve ever worked with. We`ve got a lot of different software packages in our applied technology lab, but SketchUp is by far superior to anything else in terms of ease of use,'' Zahner says. ''Both initial design and editing are a snap.''
Having spent the first weeks of the semester doing sketches and making practice models out of foam board and balsa wood, the students` final project will be to design their dream house on the computer. Zahner says the students will use SketchUp to do preliminary conceptual drawings that can then be imported into AutoCAD for the final drafting. SketchUp will then be used again to design the houses` interiors.
''Now instead of spending an entire semester designing a single project, we can use SketchUp to create several iterations based on the initial design -- instead of building one house, students can build 10, each one morphing from the previous version,'' enthuses Zahner.
About SketchUp
Developed for the conceptual stages of design, SketchUp is powerful yet easy-to-learn 3D software. SketchUp`s simple toolset and intuitive nature give the user the look, feel and freedom of drawing on paper. The award-winning software is powerful enough for professional design projects yet easy enough to be used by elementary school students. SketchUp for Windows(R) and Macintosh(R) OS X is available in 7 languages. A free trial download and more information are available at www.sketchup.com.
About @Last Software, Inc.
Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, @Last Software`s mission is to bring 3D modeling to the masses. @Last distributes SketchUp directly and through distributors worldwide.
All products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
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