CAD Stage Design

[Enfield]

Good afternoon all,

I've got some ideas on the next set design, but I'm having a hard time describing the design, even when I use pictures I find to try and get the people to visualize what I'm thinking.

What resources are available that allow me to do that?
Would Sketchup work? is it worth it? Are there theater specific software?

thanks for you help

 

[TNasty]

Coming from an engineering background, you'll be better off working your rough idea out on paper. Once you have your idea down, you can start to put the stuff into some CAD program.

While Sketchup may be an appealing option due to it's ease of use, that's about all that's good about it. I suggest giving something like AutoCAD a try, since it's geared toward design and conceptualizing- Its got all the tools you'll need, unlike Sketchup which may heckle you when doing certain functions a certain way.
Trust me, I've used both before, and I've had classes on both too.

 

[sk8rsdad]

I use the free version of sketchup all the time for set designs. The files drop into Capture for visualization. There is better software for drawings and working with the rest of the industry but if that's not your need then go ahead and try it. It'll cost you time to get proficient though.

 

[Van]

I know professional, 'big time' designers that work specifically in SketchUp and AutoCAD or Vectorworks. SketchUp is GREAT when you want to throw some stuff together real quick and get your point across. It is also really useful for Visualization. If you want to get crazy like me you download Kerkythea, a free ray-tracing Visualizer, and go nuts making photo-realistic renderings of your designs on your dedicated SketchUp/Kerkythea rendering server...... That being said, when it come down to the building, the working drawings, AutoCAD or Vectorworks are what you want to be using for their precision, not that you can't be really precise with SketchUp. The paid version of SketchUp lets you import and export to DWG. If you can find a version of Google SketchUp 8 or earlier They will let you import DWG's in the Freeware version.

 

[kicknargel]

Sketchup is very common on all levels of professionalism. However, my two cents is paper and pencil. For me, the act of operating software is commanding a lot of my attention, and distracting me from creativity. I tend to make several very rough drawings that are only for me then move to a more detailed one that I'll share. There are as many techniques as designers, but one that works for me is to draw in pencil, then go over it in pen and erase the pencil. That lets me refine. The I shade or color.

Even if I was going to make a computer model (I use vectorworks), I would do the above process first.

 

[Mike R]

As we know, everyone has their different processes for designing.
Some people have drawing skills while others do not. If you do, sketching the set with paper and pencil is a great first step to express your design. After that it is good to move into a CAD program like Vectorworks or AutoCAD for the construction drawings and such.
However some people also operate better on a computer and can work very quickly in CAD programs. I happen to be one of these people. When working out scenic ideas, I create a model (or models of different ideas) in Vectorworks, assign some textures, add in some lights and create a rendering to show the Production Team conveying my ideas. It does take some time to learn the software, but once you know it, you can work quickly and efficiently.