There are dozens of 3D modeling programs available, some are free while others cost thousands of dollars. Why use SketchUp?

SketchUp Make is free for non-commercial use, is easy to learn, has a great community of users that you can ask for personalized help, and is customizable through its extensions system. Concepts learned in SketchUp are transferrable if you decide to move on to another modeling program.

SketchUp works best on rectilinear and geometric-type models, but not as well on curvy, organic models. For these kinds of designs, there are tools better suited to the task.

This book is meant to instruct you in how to use SketchUp specifically for 3D printing, but will teach little general SketchUp modeling. If you're new to SketchUp, I recommend SketchUp's own video training series that are available at http://www.sketchup.com/learn/videos, or refer to Google SketchUp 8 for Dummies, Aidan Chopra, December, 2010, or the website http://www.go-2-school.com/, in addition to using this book for the specifics of 3D printing.