Design
Build the Mantelpiece in 3D First
A free 3D drawing tool helps visualize difficult projects before you make your first cut
Contributing editor Gary M. Katz says that he first starts complicated projects with a drawing. When a flat-screen television complicated the building of an intricate mantel (Fine Homebuilding 186), he tried a new type of drawing tool.
Using SketchUp, a free software program from Google that simplifies 3D design, Katz said he was able to better visualize the dimensions and proportions of the mantelpiece. To illustrate this idea, we created a 3D animation from Katz’s original SketchUp file that shows the mantel from multiple angles.
To download SketchUp, visit www.sketchup.com.
