Interview |
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Rendevous with Bonnie Roskes, The SketchUp writer |
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- Hello Bonnie! Please tell us something about yourself.
- Hello Debarati and everyone else at SketchUp UR Space! Some personal details about me: I'm a professional engineer (lapsed, since I've been writing for 14 years now), and I used to design, inspect, and rehabilitate bridges. Since having kids I prefer writing for two reasons: no more outside work in the freezing cold, and I have more flexibility to spend time with my kids (I have five kids, ranging from age 10 to 4, including a set of twins). Plus it's a little rare to be an engineer who can actually write, so I'm glad to have a career that takes advantage of both skills!
I live in Washington DC - a great town with a lot of political noise and hot, humid summers.
- How did you find SketchUp?
- I found SketchUp in 2001 when it was owned by @Last Software, and Version 2 was current. Seems like ancient history! I had done some writing for several other CAD applications, helped along by my engineering background, and I was looking for more contract work producing CAD tutorials and training materials. When I contacted @Last, they said they didn't want to hire a full-time writer, but they did want someone to write a third-party book they could promote and recommend. So I wrote one, and I've been writing about SketchUp ever since.
I've gotten to know the SketchUp people over the years, and many of those I met in 2001 are still there. They are a warm, friendly, and fun bunch of people. And of course, very smart!
- You are with SketchUp since 2001. Till date how do you see the evolution of SketchUp?
- It's been quite amazing, actually. I think if SketchUp still only had the features from Version 5 or 6, it would still be hugely popular. Since their acquisition by Google; most of the new features are Google-related, which is great, but they've also managed to throw in great modeling tools as well, like the new solid modeling tools. I'm partial to LayOut as well, and not only because I have a book on it!
- How do you like to see SketchUp growing?
- As I imagine a lot of people would, I'd really like to see some of more popular plugins become part of SketchUp itself. The obvious problem is choosing which of the thousands of plugins would make it in. Plugins can boost SketchUp to the level of a very sophisticated modeling application, but a lot of people are intimidated by them - they don't know where to find them, how to install them, or how to use them.
Another wish is that Google would promote SketchUp for education as strongly as they promote many of their other products such as Blogger, Docs, Google Earth, etc. For each teacher that has found and fallen in love with SketchUp, there are 100 who have never heard of it. Between Google Earth and SketchUp, nearly every school subject can benefit from these applications: math, history, geography, art, even social studies. (Of course, this is somewhat of a selfish wish - the more teachers know about SketchUp, the more books I can sell!)
- What is your inspiration to write material on SketchUp?
- First, I write about SketchUp because it's fun and I can get creative - more creative than I probably would have been as a bridge engineer. Second, it's possible to write about every single tool and feature because of SketchUp's relatively small tool set, compared to programs like AutoCAD. Third, I write because I need to make some money :-)
- You are interactive with many kids and write for them. How is the popularity of SketchUp among the kids?
- My older kids have been using SketchUp since they were old enough to understand the tools - starting around age 6. It's been interesting to see how the sophistication of their designs has improved as they get older.
I also teach a weekly enrichment class on SketchUp for grades 2-5 at a local school, and I basically just walk around the room, offering tips and suggestions. I'm always amazed at what these kids come up with on their own. And it's not a quiet room - the kids are calling their friends over to show off what they've made - SketchUp helps their sense of pride and self-respect.
The 3D Warehouse is a huge boon with kids, since they can include whatever they want (a robot, sports car, dinosaur) in their models even if they don't yet have the skills to create these objects from scratch. And seeing what others have modeled inspires the kids to figure out how to do more!
- What is the specialty of your books in respect to other SketchUp books?
- Well so far nobody else has written SketchUp books for kids. My ModelMetricks Series shows how to create all sorts of 3D models, and GeomeTricks books focus on 2D and 3D geometry. (And not just geometry - these books are great for kids who like art, mosaics, patterns, etc.)
What sets my pro-level books apart (The Google SketchUp Hands-On books) is that you don't just read them, you have to follow along and make the models in the book, step by step. The idea is "learning by doing" - you can only really learn modeling software by using it. Most other books are heavy on text; I rely more on the pictures illustrating each step, with concise, clear instructions.
- Please tell us something about your writing for kids.
- Until 2006 I had only been writing for design pros: architects, engineers, woodworkers, etc. Then when Google took over and made a free version, I heard from a huge number of teachers who had run across SketchUp (teachers love free things!) but weren't sure how to use it. So that's when I got started with the materials for kids.
One teacher I heard from was Jon Choate, a math teacher from Groton School, who discovered that SketchUp is a fantastic tool for teaching geometry. That's how the GeomeTricks Series of books was born, with projects on 2D and 3D geometry. Jon and I have shown off some SketchUp projects at math conferences, and there are always gasps in the crowd the first time these teachers see an Escher tiling or a spinning dodecahedron. My work with Jon has also led to a SketchUp page on Drexel's Math Forum website, where I post a free geometry project once a month (but I take summers off!)
- Can you share something about your latest project?
- In a departure from kids' stuff, my latest project is an interior design textbook, to be published later this year, or early next year, by Pearson Press. I'm no interior designer (I'm an engineer, remember - I can't put together a beautiful room to save my life), so I worked with my friend and designer extraordinaire Annie Elliott. The book is fabulous - there are chapters on creating furniture, working with colors and textures, using digital images, kitchen design, design presentation (layers, scenes, walk throughs), and a lot more. Once the book is out in textbook form, I'm hoping I can convince Pearson to publish a trade version, for all the do-it-yourself types out there. Wish me luck!
- Please tell us your opinion about SketchUp?
- Well obviously I'm among the millions of SketchUp addicts in the world. It's easy, fun, versatile and robust. And the small tool set is deceptively simple - people are often shocked at how powerful this free application is.
Sometimes when I'm finishing a model for a kids' project or a geometric object, I'll practice the modeling steps so many times (just because it's fun), that I go to sleep still seeing SketchUp models in my head.
- Please give some advice to the budding designers.
- Easy advice: download SketchUp, watch a few YouTube videos, and start making things. Kids pick up SketchUp (and anything else on the computer) amazingly fast.
What I try to accomplish with my instructional materials is to introduce good design practices that kids might not otherwise stumble upon on their own. Using groups and components, texture positioning, the Intersect tool: these are all features that aren't obvious at first, but once you get used to them and start using them as much as possible, your modeling skills will skyrocket. And once you can visualize and show things in 3D, you'll be well on your path to the career of your choice - architecture, game design, film production, mechanical engineering. The world is your oyster!
- You are a professional structural engineer, a website owner and writer. How do you manage all your avatars at a time?
- Well I don't spend much time on engineering anymore, unless I'm making a SketchUp model of a bridge! The website doesn't require much day-to-day work anymore, though it was a big effort to set up. It's the writing that takes time: coming up with new projects each month, updating old books, coming up with new books. I also do teacher training which I really enjoy. My kids are my biggest time investment, so I write when they're in school or asleep. I guess what's suffered in all of this is my cooking and housekeeping!
- According to you what is your favorite piece of writing? And what is so special about it?
- My favorite is my book on Optical Illusions - one of the ModelMetricks Advanced books. It has nothing to do with 3D modeling at all - it just shows how to make space and color illusions that are eye-popping on a computer monitor. I'm also really proud of the interior design book we just completed - I can't wait to see how Pearson produces it.
- What is your advice to the team of Sketchup ur Space?
- I've been so impressed with how much you produce each week. SketchUp UR Space appears to truly be a labor of love for Debarati and the staff. I guess my advice would be to keep looking for interesting material, but you already seem to be pretty good at that! It's great that you focus on so many different people, of different ages, industries, countries. It's broadened my horizons!
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