This past week I’ve been playing with SketchUp, after learning how to use it during last week’s class. In class, we worked on recreating a block of Cheyenne, Wyoming using a 1912 Sanborn map from the Library of Congress. SketchUp’s fairly easy to use once you get a hang of how the tools operate, but I feel like there is so much more that the software can do that I haven’t explored yet.

I definitely want to include a 3D version of a Sanborn map in my final project, in order to visualize how the busy street of Erie Ave. in Renovo appeared in 1911, so I did some practice over the weekend with the map I had. I just focused on one block (3rd-4th Streets) and managed to get half of the block outlined and painted with either wood or brick paints. I’ll have to try to use old photographs to help with the details of the buildings, as Sanborn maps only have the outline of buildings, as well as how many stories tall they were, and their building material. I didn’t want to do too much to the Renovo map, as I am hoping we learn more tonight in class.

It would be great to learn more about using Natural Scene Designer as well, as I think using that software to recreate the topography of Renovo in addition to using SketchUp would make the final image more life like. I’m thinking I could use Photoshop to mesh the street view with the topographic view, as Renovo’s mountains are equally important as its streets.

This week I’ve commented on Dale’s and Kimberly’s blog posts.