Posted By: Dave Fugiel, Design Director
Google SketchUp
Google SketchUp is a powerful, easy to use 3D program that almost anyone can learn in a few hours. Their self-paced tutorial provided under the Training tab get you going fast!
What's unique about SketchUp is it's not a CAD or rendering program but does overlaps in some of the things it can do, such as producing simple model perspective views and basic dimensioned drawings.
Google SketchUp works by allowing the user to drawing basic geometric shapes in 3D, then subtract and combine these shapes to make more complex shapes, such as taking a cylinder and punching a hole through a rectangular shape.
Check out a FREE trial of Google SketchUp! It has a wealth of free bonus pack of objects, as well as a 3D warehouse where other users shape their models.
For drawing up basic exhibit concepts -- SketchUp is an ideal tool.