The Phlatscript plugin created by Mark and Trish Carew of Phlatboyz, LLC is a plugin allowing you to turn SketchUp models into a real life physical model. The plugin converts the SketchUp project into gcode to be produced in a cnc (computer numerical control) plotter. It allows you to create inside and outside cuts, tabs, folds and more. We do not have much experience in CNC plotting but from what we can see, if you have one of these printers than this plugin works really well.

The great part about this plugin is the support community that comes along with. Phlatscript also has a forum called the Phlat Forum. Listed are many details on how to use the plugin and what’s new within the community. It has some amazing ready to print files to create your own models!

Overall, the Phlatscript plugin created by Mark and Trish Carew is a great tool for airplane hobbyists and model developers. At the time of this review this plugin is free. I give this plugin 4 out 5 stars.

The Flattery plugin created by Pumpkin Pirate is a great unfolding tool. This plugin is similar to the Unfold Tool but provides the user much more control. This plugin allows you to unfold an object, then edit the way the object unfolds, add connecting tabs to help with connecting the model, and exporting it as a svg file. The Flattery plugin is easy to use and works seamlessly with SketchUp and even allows you to export the model as an svg file that can be opened with such programs as Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape without the need to purchase the pro version of SketchUp. This plugin is especially useful for metal workers, prototypers, modelers and craft hobbyists.

There aren’t any major drawbacks to this plugin other than it takes a little bit of time to get used to how it works. But once you get the hang of it then there isn’t much to worry about. This plugin is discussed in more detail on Sketchucation.com.

Overall, the Flattery plugin created by Pumpkin Pirate is an exceptional plugin that can be lots of fun for the family and kids. At the time of this review this plugin is free and is available at PumpkinPirate.info. I give this plugin 5 out 5 stars.

The CADspan plugin created by LGM is a tool that prepares your 3D model for 3D printing or prototyping. To be honest I have not actually used this plugin as I do not have a 3D printer nor do I use them. But I think this plugin is important to mention regardless.

This plugin allows you to to unify the entire model into one “shrink wraped” surface and create a final .stl file. It also fixes any problematic areas automatically such as fixing co-planar and coincident faces. And it highlights areas that may give you issues so you can fix them without major modifications. But a drawback is that you might need to prep your file before using this plugin so that it works correctly but this process is still much faster than having to setup the entire file yourself.

Overall, the CADspan plugin created for Google SketchUp is a great solution for creating a 3D print file straight from SketchUp. As I mentioned, I have not actually used the plugin so I do not have a grade for it, but this is worth the mentioning. At the time of this review this plugin is free and is available at CADspan.com.