A couple of months ago I discovered Google Sketchup, a free 3D modeling program. I found it when I stumbled across some great 3D models of the White House on WhiteHouseMuseum.org. I’d always wanted to try 3D modeling, but I never realized I could do it for free.

So intermittently over the last couple of months I’ve been working on my own model of the second floor of the White House. I started by tracing this floor plan. I’ve primarily been working on the West Sitting Hall [Wikipedia]. It’s the room where Michelle Obama and Laura Bush sat when the Obamas visited the White house shortly after the election. I love that large fan/lunette window; it’s gorgeous.

The floor of my model isn’t accurate yet, and there are other details I still need to add (for instance, the molding doesn’t extend all the way to the lunette window yet) or play around with, but here’s my work on it so far.

Overhead view (click to embiggen):

Close-up of the lunette window:

Alternate angle:

And here it is with a few stock people and couches thrown in. I’m not positive I have the scale right yet.

I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to do with this, but it’s fun.