Hi Mike,
I just checked out your upcoming Sketchup course at Heartwood and if it were closer to home I would be the first in line to sign up. Sketchup is an incredibly powerful tool and is now being used by professional designers to convey ideas to clients especially because it is free to download and install plus the client no longer needs to possess or have been trained in the use of 3D CAD to be able to open, manipulate or take a walk through their new timber frame design.
Whilst at the Heartwood site I checked out some of the other courses on offer as well. I was somewhat disappointed to discover that the course for cruck framing has employed drawings made by others without due and proper credit being afforded for their use. The cruck cross frame drawing shown is that of Leigh Court barn and the drawing was made by Freddie and Mary Charles for publication in their joint paper with Walter Horn " The Cruck Built Barn of Leigh Court - Worcestershire, England" made in 1970.
Intellectual property theft is just that !
Regards
Ken Hume
