Taken from a recent lesson --
Where and how to source things you found on the 3D warehouse - demonstration
vendors will create models of their own FF&E and upload them to the SketchUp 3d warehouse to scale. If you search vendors like Knoll, Herman Miller, and Allsteel in the SketchUp 3d warehouse you can get actual models of their furniture that is available to buy to use in your renderings
If the vendor that you want to use doesn't have their product in the 3d warehouse you will need to find the FF&E that you are using either from their showroom or website and use the exact dimensions and measurements from their specifications sheet to build your own model of the vendor sourced item in Sketchup.
Why we create source lists and why we need vendors - vendors only sell to interior designers at a wholesale price and their products are not available to the general public. using vendors ensures that the client couldn't have just gone to home depot and did a DIY and it also ensures that your design cannot be easily copied or replicated - this is why people hire interior designers. we source and create custom products and materials for each project.
For every SketchUp model you make you will need to keep a source list with thumbnails of the product from the vendor website as well as color and style numbers, shipping time, and any other notes - so when a client sees your rendering and model if they really love a light fixture int he model and they ask you where it is from or what its called you have specific answers - you have a real-life vendor with a showroom to order their product from for everything you have put in your model from the 3D warehouse.
Finishes - wall coverings, floor coverings, ceiling coverings - anything that is used to cover the core and shell (flooring covers the subfloor, wallcoverings cover the drywall)
FF&E - furniture, fixtures, and equipment (fixed but movable when needed) such as appliances
Materials - stone, textile, wood, tile, carpet etc.
Why did you select this material? - we help them prepare by knowing the specifications of each material they have used in their project along with vendor and sourcing information so they can answer this question appropriately
Where did you source this from?
What was the budget for this project? - our students work on every kind of project from nonprofit and government work (for example jails, homeless shelters, section 8 multi-family - to luxury high-end residential and hospitality) so they are prepared to answer questions about budgets and understand every type of material from all spectrums
Your portfolio thumbnails should include - finishes, tile/slab/hardwood samples, lighting, furniture, etc.