How a Village Miller Brought an Entire Windmill to Life in SketchUp

A windmill over 160 years old and a modern 3D modelling program like SketchUp may not seem like an obvious match, but for Gerard Ensink, it works perfectly. For the past four years, he has been working on an impressive project: meticulously reconstructing the grain mill in Reutum in 3D, where he volunteers at the De Vier Winden Mill Foundation. And he’s doing it using nothing but SketchUp – along with a healthy dose of enthusiasm and perseverance.

From Blueprint to Windmill Model

It all started ten years ago when Gerard was having a new house built. His younger brother, Eloy – an architect by profession – recommended SketchUp so Gerard could follow along with the construction plans. It worked so well that he continued using the program. By now, he has been working with it for nine years and is completely self-taught, partly with the help of the book 3D tekenen met SketchUp by Marian van Olst.

While many people use SketchUp for quick concepts or interior designs, Gerard took a different path. He wanted to fully understand every detail of the windmill, especially since he couldn’t follow a complete miller’s training. So, purely out of interest, he started working on a digital model of the windmill. Hundreds of hours later – and counting – he expects to spend many more before the 3D model is truly complete.

No Extensions, Just Patience

The model Gerard has built is a technical and visual masterpiece. Everything – truly everything – is hand-drawn in SketchUp, without the use of Extensions or automation. Even the thatched cap and the sails were entirely built from individual triangles. Only the toilet, the canteen table, and the fuse box came from the 3D Warehouse – the rest is 100% his work.

350 individual drawings, 230 scenes: every part of the windmill is included. From beams and mortise-and-tenon joints to gears and cams. Many of these components are usually barely visible, if at all, but in 3D, you can show them. And that’s exactly what Gerard does. To make individual elements more visible, he gives them slightly different colours. This way, viewers can see that these are separate parts working seamlessly together. “That’s also the power of 3D visualisation with SketchUp. I can now show things you normally can’t see – not from the outside and certainly not from the inside – to understand how a windmill works. By presenting each part and each scene in 3D, which suddenly becomes possible,” he explains the strength of SketchUp.

Every new component is drawn on a separate scene sheet, a sort of working scene. “This allows me to draw the part in detail and then add it to a new scene in the 3D model. This way, you can build the model part by part and visually present it to other volunteers of the foundation or to visitors who want to go beyond the standard guided tour,” he explains.

Education in Screen Format

His 3D model isn’t just a technical achievement; it’s also an educational tool. “When visitors want to dig deeper after touring the mill and have questions about how it works, I pull out my laptop,” says Gerard. “I hook it up to the TV and show exactly how everything turns, meshes, and works together.”

So, his model becomes a learning experience not just for himself, but also for colleagues, visitors, and aspiring millers. While the official miller training is fairly broad, Gerard has chosen to go deep with his model. And that makes it so valuable: his work fills a unique niche. “There probably isn’t a windmill on the 3D Warehouse as detailed as De Vier Winden in Reutum,” he concludes.

From Love of Technology to Digital Craftsmanship
What began as a personal learning journey has evolved into a digital tribute to windmill engineering. Gerard Ensink proves that SketchUp is not only suited to modern architecture but also to preserving and passing on centuries-old craftsmanship. And the best part? He’s doing it all by himself, driven by passion, curiosity, and a desire to share knowledge.