PFH and Viewsion launch training courses

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Pictured: Drawing on experience: Viewsion’s Paul Lee and Alan O’Brien, back row, with PFH’s Sally Stone and Catherine O’Keeffe

PFH has teamed up with Cork-based Viewsion to launch Ireland’s first Google-authorised training centre (ATC). PFH and Viewsion have already started running courses in Google SketchUp at training centres in Cork, Galway and Dublin. Courses in Google Docs and Google Earth will be introduced shortly.

PFH training manager Catherine O’Keeffe describes SketchUp as program that delivers a completely new way to design in 3D. “It allows people to express their creativity in 3D and it appeals to all-comers, from architects and engineers to the hobbyist.”

Expanding on O’Keeffe’s description, Viewsion IT Consultant Alan O’Brien said: “Whether you want to design a new deck for your house, build models for Google Earth, or teach geometry to a class, you can use SketchUp to see your ideas in 3D. And when you’re done, you can export an image, make a movie, share a model on the web or in Google Earth, or print out a view of what you made.

“SketchUp is a tool for solving 3D problems quickly,” said O’Brien. “Nobody starts with construction drawings. Design is a process of iteration and discovery where you try something, test it then try something else.”

Paul Lee, a qualified architect and VEC teacher believes SketchUp represents a fundamental shift in the way people can now express their drawings in both 2D & 3D, with the potential to cut costs and time spent on projects for architectural and engineering professionals.

Lee said: “It is a very exciting time to be involved with Google in this sphere of business. The Pro version of SketchUp provides extra functionality for people who need to export their work into CAD, rendering and other professional software applications. SketchUp Pro 6 also includes LayOut, a completely new program that lets users create complete presentations – paper and digital – from their SketchUp models.”

Catherine O’Keeffe said it is possible to start creating models and drawings after a one-day course. The first courses began in October.

The next series of courses are slated for 27 November and 17 December.

More info: Fergal Keniry at PFH, 021-2303078 or 087-8279000.

Read More: Deals done