How easy/hard was it?
Making my house in SketchUp was easier than I initially thought it would be. The tutorial videos really helped me understand the SketchUp software.
What elements particularly bogged you down?
The only challenge I faced was trying to make the roof. Since the roof goes both directions (North to South and West to East) I found it a little difficult to join the roofs properly. After a few minutes of trial and error, I eventually managed to make it how I needed to.
What compromises did you have to make?
I initially planned to make real doors for the house but I wasn’t very successful. Instead, I compromised by painting the space where the doors were supposed to be a wooden color. I also disliked the limited options for windows so I settled for the only one that had the slightest resemblance to the real windows the actual house had.
What humanistic uses can you envision for this tool in the areas of research or teaching?
This tool could be used in humanistic research to record the geography of areas. The fairly simple mechanics of the software makes it easy for people at any stage of expertise, whether a novice or an expert, to create their surroundings. In addition, the software is extremely easy to access as long as someone has a device that is connected to the internet.
Tip
Something I wished I had done sooner was look up how to build different types of roofs on SketchUp. If I had done this I wouldn’t have struggled as much as I did when I was making the roof of my house. So my tip is whenever you get stuck and don’t know how to make something, don’t be afraid to look it up because there is bound to be someone who found the solution and posted it online.
