✦ Recently AddedFull Access Pre-Recorded Jun 4, 2026 6 Hours

SketchUp for Beginners 101

Name: SketchUp for Beginners 101
Price: 35.00 USD
Availability: InStock

This beginner-friendly course introduces the fundamentals of SketchUp, covering essential modeling tools and 3D design workflows.

Hamid Hassanzadeh

Verified Account

31 courses4.8

SketchUp

About this workshop

This course teaches the fundamental SketchUp workflow for architects, all built around a single project: modeling a modern cabin from a hand sketch.

We'll start with the basics, importing your references and setting your scale. Then, we'll cover the essential tools for massing, cutting openings, applying materials, and shaping the site. You'll learn how to organize your model and set up portfolio-ready scenes.

This is a project-first approach to learning the fundamentals. By the end, you'll have a clean, site-aware model and a repeatable process you can use on any design.

What you will learn

Set up SketchUp for beginners: toolbars, default settings, and personal preferences.
Work project-first: build a cabin house on a residential lot from the ground up.
Use reference material: import a reference image and align a provided hand sketch and floor plan.
Create the exterior shell and cut door/window openings with native tools.
Place doors and windows using Live Components
Learn how to do a material study
Build the site and grading, and introduce the Sandbox tools.
Add entourage for context (trees, people, etc.).
Compose shots: set up compositions and capture scenes/views for a clear visual.

Methodology

This course is perfect for architecture students, early-career designers, or anyone who wants to learn the fundamentals of the SketchUp workflow for a real project.

No major SketchUp experience is required, but you should be comfortable with 3D navigation (orbit, pan, zoom) and basic 2D drawing concepts (plans, elevations).

Start by setting up toolbars, default settings, and preferences; bring in and align the reference image, hand sketch, and/or floor plan. Build the exterior shell and site, keeping the interior light, and use it as a placeholder for further development.

Cut door and window openings, and place doors and windows as Live Components to maintain model flexibility. Run a material study for siding and roof variations. Model site and grading, add entourage (trees, people, etc.), then set up views and capture scenes. Use native tools first, with some extensions where needed.

Program:

Module 1 - Concept & references

Introduce toolbars, default settings, and my default preferences
Introduce and create a hand sketch from an existing floor plan
Import this image to scale in SketchUp

Module 2 - Exterior focus & basic structure

Build up the exterior of the site
Cut door and window openings
For the interior, include stabilizing walls only
- Highlight: Don’t get stuck in the weeds of the interior; focus on the exterior/site

Module 3 - Doors & windows

Use Live Components to place the actual doors and windows
Explain why Live Components are better than regular components

Module 4 - Materials & textures

Material study - variations for the siding and the roof

Module 5 - Site & grading

Showcase to the user: Because this is exterior, the site and gradings
Introduce Sandbox tools
Place trees, people, etc.

Module 6 - Composition, views & AI rendering

Start to put together the compositions
Capture scenes and views

Course Content

16 Lessons

Course gallery

Software & tools

SketchUp

Instructors

Hamid Hassanzadeh

31 Courses4.8

Hamid Hassanzadeh is a distinguished architect, entrepreneur, researcher, and speaker. Having earned his degree in architectural engineering in 2012, Hamid has since contributed to various architectural projects across multiple regions around the globe. In early 2016, he founded the ParametricArchitecture platform, initially launching on Instagram. Today, ParametricArchitecture, often abbreviated as PA, stands as a globally renowned hub for parametric, computational design, and AI lovers, boasting over 20 million monthly interactions on the internet. Hamid endeavors to demystify the intricacies of the parametric, computational, and AI realms through compelling articles, interviews, workshops, podcasts, and conferences disseminated across various digital platforms. Furthermore, he’s the visionary behind PAACADEMY, an educational entity under the aegis of PA, dedicated to propagating the concepts of computational architecture and design. The PAACADEMY, as an educational platform, educates and engages with its audience, introducing them to advanced techniques and algorithms employed by architects, designers, and coders alike. He highlights exemplary projects executed using state-of-the-art design software, ensuring that his audience not only witnesses but also comprehends the depth and philosophy of these avant-garde design practices. Moreover, as the esteemed host of the 'PA Talks' interview series, he engages in enriching conversations with architects, orchestrates numerous workshops, conferences, and events, and has had the privilege of interviewing myriad globally acclaimed architects, delving into their methodologies and foresighted visions for the architectural landscape.

Reviews

Purchase or enroll in this course to leave a review.

0 Reviews

0 Comments

No reviews yet. Be the first!