The three 1001bit tools I’ll discuss here are Build Vertical Walls, Create Rafters (framing), and Create Hip Roof. Once you can complete something like this, it’s not hard to continue onto interior plans as well. ( Part 2 will show how to make holes for windows and doors, and window framing.) This tutorial in Part 1 will demonstrate how to string together a series of 1001bit tools to generate an exterior floor plan for a house, including a parametric roof and corresponding framing. – allowing for highly customizable objects that would normally take a serious amount of modeling time to create. Even better, you can set specific parameters – thickness, slope, etc. Many of these tools enable you to perform complex functions with a single click. It’s only US$48, with reduced prices for students / teachers.) (There is also a Pro version, which includes more tools and editing features. Also included are about a dozen other utilities like fillets, extending edges, arrays, etc. This extension contains 39 separate tools that automate the creation of parametric (we love parametric!) objects such as walls, doors, roofs, stairs, and more.

We’ll have a series of posts in the near future about finding and installing extensions, but here’s the short version: in SketchUp click the Extension Warehouse icon, look for 1001bit, and click Install. Written by a smart guy named Goh Hun Chee, it’s a free script you can install directly from the Extension Warehouse. The 1001bit Tools extension has been around for a long time, and should be a household name (in your SketchUp house).

1001bit tools sketchup ramp