In case you haven’t noticed, there is an unbelievable number of Sketchup models that have been uploaded to the Sketchup 3D Warehouse, and more are being added every day. You could easily lose hours of your life searching through it all.
What’s really amazing about the Warehouse though is that its models have the potential for being more that just an image on a screen. If you’re a lucky owner of a CNC machine, a real life version is oftentimes well within the realm of possibility.
The models that have been uploaded are typically of a surprisingly good quality. Some of them have even been drawn to scale, which means that very little work is needed to adapt them for cutting out with a CNC. And for those models that haven’t been drawn to scale, they can still be made useful with a little bit of ingenuity, so don’t count them out.
A handful of models have even been designed with a CNC machine specifically in mind. With only a few clicks, they can be sent directly to it. Although at the time of this writing there is only a small number of them, it is my hope that CNC friendly Sketchup models will soon be readily available.
Ideally, I’ve brought to your attention that the Sketchup 3D Warehouse has great potential, but where exactly do you find good models and how do you send them to your CNC once you do?
CNC Friendly Sketchup Models
Like I said, there is only a handful of models that are CNC friendly at the time of this writing, but those few that do exist can be found simply by searching the warehouse for CNC. You will find several useful models by doing this, but it will also return several models that have nothing to do with CNC machines.
To narrow the search results down, you can include the authors name. For example, if you search for “CNC Gabriel” you will find all of my CNC Sketchup models.
Another couple of authors to try searching for would be “seaside” and “Zomad.” Both have uploaded some neat stuff.
Also, try searching for “phlatprinter” to find several more models. Those guys over there at www.phlatforum.com have really contributed a lot.
Finding Models that Have been Drawn to Scale
After exhausting the models that have been specifically designed to be cut out with a CNC, the next thing you can try is to look for models that are designed for woodworkers. These models are generally drawn to scale, so they should be easy to adapt. Many of them will likely be too big to fit on most hobby CNC machines, but the smaller ones should work.
You can easily find woodworking models simply by searching for “Popular Woodworking Magazine.” You can try the names of other woodworking magazines as well, but this one seems to have the most.
Miscellaneous Models
Don’t forget that there are thousands of other models out there that may be useful for CNC machines. They might take a little bit of searching to find as there isn’t a keyword I can give you, but they should be worth the extra trouble.
These models can be used as an excellent starting point for when you are designing your own. It is entirely possible that someone accidentally designed the perfect model for what your project. All you need to do is adapt it so that it can be cut out with a CNC.
Sending the Models to your CNC Machine
There are several ways to get the models out of Sketchup and into your CNC machine.
The first is to use the Sketchup to CamBam Plugin that I wrote. This is generally the most useful way to get the models out of Sketchup. ( I may be biased though 
The two other methods are here and here.
