Since I began using Google Sketch-up about a year ago, I can honestly say it has changed the way I approach my art, and how I plan my art. For example, before these tools existed, artists had to hand draw every single element on the page--that sometimes meant struggling with perspective on buildings, extremely detailed machines, etc. I have been working on a graphic novel, and one of the scenes takes place in a diner type restaurant. When I began drawing the pages, I had to draw the room, the booths where the characters sat, the windows, the tiles on the floor, and on and on. Each time I changed angles, I had to redraw those elements from a new perspective, and there were many times I wasn't happy with the way things looked. Now, I can just choose what type of building that I want my action to take place, and I can go into Sketch up and build that structure. Below is a Waffle House diner that I built for my comic. It took me 8 hours to get to this stage, and I have more work to do, and more pieces to add. But the fact that it gives me the ability to turn and twist the model around in a 3D environment, and export different angles into photoshop, is truly awesome! Now I can go into photoshop and place these shots of my "Waffle house set" into my pages, then I'm ready to draw my characters, put in lighting effects, and whatever other action is needed. It's like being a director of a movie---you dream up your story, build your sets, bring in the actors, and ACTION!
