Graphic Design CoursesBuilding a model of a house in SketchUp follows the same simple process each time. If you’ve bought the Pro version of the software, you can import Autocad DWG files to assist in this. But if you only have a the free (Make) version, that’s ok – you can import a series of JPEGs and trace over them. We show you how in our SketchUp courses. 
In this unfinished model of an apartment block we started with some sketches and basic dimensions of the the floorplan and elevations. We created one floor of the building with window and door components, and the balcony with railings. This we saved as a new Component. Then we simply copied the floor upwards x 3. Any changes made to one floor will be automatically updated on all floors, since they are components.
However, on the ground floor we want to add a front door and different window style, therefore we right-click and Make Unique. Then we added the roof structures, again saving this as a Group. This makes it easier to enter & modify later on.
This completes half of the building – since it is symmetrical, we will now copy and right-click > Flip along Red Axis. The rest is cosmetic – adding materials, people components, foliage, and other site plan details. We cover these in other blog posts.
More useful tips and techniques can be found at the SketchUp website. And see many examples of our own clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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