All - I'll be teaching a SketchUp class @ Heartwood in May.
Information is here.

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

Ken,
Thanks for the heads up. I don't know the provenance of the drawing, but will see it is removed immediately.

Ken -

I've toyed around with the concept of a webinar... but haven't had the time to research and test if it would work with SketchUp and my teaching style.

The fam is always up for a trip cross the pond. I almost registered for London-Edingburgh-London this year... I could have done a workshop after completing the ride.

-Mike

Hi Mike,

After riding a bike from London to Edinburgh you would not be fit to turn on your computer never mind teaching a Sketchup course !

What is a webinair ?

Regards

Ken Hume

Don't forget that I need to get back from Edinburgh!

Webinar is an online classroom kind of thing. Video camera or audio with the instructor and students (or IM screen) and a link to follow along on my desktop, and the ability for me to jump in and see your desktop.

The software is out there - I've had the HSB folks do this with me and some clients... just not sure how it would work.

-Mike

Well, hope you do go forward with a Webinar; I think you would be amazed at the number that would sign up.

Perhaps even me.

If I'm going to write about timber frames I'll need accompanying diagrams :-)

All - I'm researching the needed software and server side stuff this weekend.

I'll post any developments and perhaps we'll be able to have a test run, and then a formal class sometime this summer.

-Mike

I use gotomeeting all the time to show clients frames and drawings......
We use it at Dietrichs to host user meeting monthly, where our clients can see new features or learn about the program or it's modules.

And another design group I belong to uses it about every two months to hold online meeting so that they can share tips and tricks or methods to create building models or drawings.

If you have a headphone set and/or speakers and a table mic you can talk through the internet and not use the phone, thereby saving toll calls to the party line...