Elissa St. Clair, Andy Maloney, and Albert Schade III
Abstract: Crime scene investigators generally have two options when they need to create a three-dimensional (3D) model of a crime scene: enlist the services of an expert 3D modeller who specializes in graphic modelling or learn one of the full-fledged modelling tools to create the model themselves. Many modelling tools have a very steep learning curve, so the time required to invest in learning a tool to get even a simple result is often prohibitive. In this article, we introduce SketchUp (version 8 ) as a relatively easy-to-use tool for modelling crime scenes in 3D, give an example of how the software can be applied, and provide resources for further information.
An Introduction to Building 3D Crime Scene Models Using SketchUp
Supplemental Materials:
The supplemental materials can be downloaded HERE and consist of the following:
Example Scene.skp–the complete SketchUp model for the crime scene example used in this article.
Muryoung body–Posed.skp–the SketchUp file for the muryoung body model posed for the example crime scene in this article.
Schade body–Posed.skp–the SketchUp file for the new male body model, mentioned in the Resources section, posed for the example crime scene in this article.