Key details

Learn to create 2D drawings and plans from your SketchUp 3D models.

Provided with SketchUp Pro, the LayOut tool is used to create professional design documents, dimensioned drawings and presentations from your 3D models.

SketchUp LayOut training teaches everything you need to present your SketchUp models effectively in 2D. You’ll learn to:

• Create 2D designs from your 3D models.
• Draft accurately in 2D.
• Add title blocks, annotations, callouts and dimensions.
• Print to scale and export for digital distribution.

And much more.

SketchUp LayOut training is arranged on-request, i.e. one-to-one training or a ‘closed course’ for your group. We can provide your training in-class at one of our centres, at your venue, or online.

Your training can be tailored to take into account any existing knowledge you have, and the work you’re going to be doing.

In-class or online

In-class courses are proceeding as normal at all centres under local restriction tiers that start on 2 December 2020. To read more, see Training under restriction tiers.

We’re taking comprehensive measures to ensure your health and well-being – fewer people in-class, you won’t sit next to another person, comprehensive cleaning. To read more, see Covid-19 measures.

You can participate in this course online, from your place of work or home, at a discounted price. To read about how this works, see Live online training.

Who should attend?

This course is ideal for all users who need to present their SketchUp models in 2D. Typical delegates include architects, designers, builders and carpenters.

Expert trainers

SketchUp courses are hosted by experts in 3D design, CGI and the production of visualisations and rendered images. See Expert trainers.

Training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide for SketchUp, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher afterwards.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of SketchUp training. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following SketchUp training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their SketchUp trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

Prerequisites

Delegates should be familiar with the fundamentals of SketchUp, i.e. have attended our Introduction to SketchUp course or have equivalent knowledge.

SketchUp version

Training can be based on any recent version of SketchUp to suit you, running on Windows or Mac.

General information

Course times

Standard course times are 9.30am–4.30pm.

As we’d be hosting this as a ‘closed course’ for you/your group, there’s usually flexibility to change these times to suit you, e.g. start or end 30 minutes earlier or later.

Payment

Payment for SketchUp training can be made bank transfer or card.

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies and public sector organisations.

If you’re self-funding your training, you can pay in staged payments, interest-free, over 12 months.

For further details, see training course payment options.

Accommodation

See Accommodation local to our training centres.

Cancellations and postponements

If an on-request SketchUp LayOut course booking is cancelled giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If an on-request SketchUp LayOut course booking is postponed giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a postponement fee is payable. View postponement terms.

Terms and conditions

Expert trainers

SketchUp LayOut training courses are hosted by:

• Stewart Cobb
• Rod Cleasby

Stewart Cobb

Stewart began his working life as a junior draughtsman, and progressed through to Design Director leading a studio of designers working on both 2D and 3D projects.

He then worked for himself for over 25 years, completing around 100 design projects per year for a myriad of clients, including household names such as Vauxhall and McDonalds.

More recently, Stewart’s focus has been on training. He has been an Autodesk Certified Instructor since 2010, hosting courses in AutoCAD, Revit, 3ds Max, AutoCAD Plant 3D and SketchUp.

In between courses, Stewart uses these applications professionally when carrying out project work for clients. Using the applications regularly helps him to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies and practices. He also specialises in the production of photorealistic rendered images and visualisations using renderers including V-Ray.

Outside of work, Stewart enjoys music (he runs the sound desk for a number of local bands), reading and playing with any new piece of technology he can lay his hands on!

Rod Cleasby

Rod has over 25 years’ experience working as a designer, visualisation expert and artist. His specialist areas include architecture, interior design and the production of photorealistic 3d virtual environments. 

AutoCAD, 3ds Max and SketchUp have been the mainstay of Rod’s professional work for 20 years. He is also an expert in various related tools and technologies, including Photoshop, and he has expert knowledge of a wide range of renderers, including V-Ray, ART, Arnold and LightUp.

Rod has extensive experience training experience. He has worked as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Westminster on their Computer Visualisation course, and he is a long-established Autodesk Certified Instructor.

Away from his professional work, Rod is an accomplished artist and musician, and a prolific writer of novels, novella, poetry and prose.

Course content

Introduction to LayOut

• The SketchUp to LayOut workflow
• Navigating the LayOut 2D environment

Preparing your model in SketchUp Pro for LayOut

• Planning
• Groups and components
• SketchUp layers

SketchUp scenes for LayOut

• Creating scenes for LayOut
• Section cuts
• Clipping planes
• Fog

SketchUp styles

• Customising styles

LayOut Orientation

• New document
• Selecting /moving objects
• Model space

SketchUp Viewports

• Preset viewport perspectives
• Changing the style of your viewport
• Viewport render settings
• Background and Z-order

SketchUp and LayOut dynamic link

Organising in LayOut

• Tags
• Grid

Title blocks

• Title block border
• Project information area text

Annotation

• Labels
• Symbols and annotations
• Creating and aligning objects
• Creating groups

Scrapbooks

Live online training

Live online training lets you participate in a SketchUp course from your place of work or home.

We do everything possible to make your online training experience as close as possible to actually being in the classroom. You can:

• See and hear our trainer, and see the other delegates participating in the SketchUp training…
  
• Interact by speaking, using chat, or raising your ‘virtual hand’ if you need assistance.
• Share your screen with our trainer, and allow them to control it to demonstrate something.

We endeavour to provide you with the best online training experience…

• Online SketchUp LayOut courses are presented by expert instructors, following the same syllabus as our classroom-based courses.
• You receive comprehensive training materials.
• Your training is hands-on. You carry out assisted exercises using SketchUp.
• If you don’t have access to SketchUp software, we’ll send you a link to fully-functional trial software that you can download and install.
• You’re entitled to 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

When you attend live online training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time.

All you need is an internet-connected computer and a webcam – see Hardware recommendations for live online training. The setup is simple, but if there’s anything you’re not sure about we’re here to help.

For a limited time, we’re offering discounts for bookings on live online courses.