Polygon Tool
The Polygon Tool is used to draw regular Polygon entities, inscribed within a circle, with 3 to 100 sides. Activate the Polygon Tool from either the Tool Palette, or by selecting Polygon from the Draw menu. Polygons can be placed on existing faces or separate from existing geometry aligned to an axes plane . To draw a polygon 1. Select the Polygon Tool. The cursor changes to a pencil with a polygon. 2. Click to place the center point of the polygon. You can also specify the number of sides for...
Identifying Entries in the Component Outliner Hierarchy
The Component Outliner uses a combination of icons and text to identify groups and component status in a hierarchy. Component - Four black squares Locked Component - Four grey squares with small lock in lower right corner Locked Group - One grey square with small lock in lower right corner Open Component - Four hollow squares Open Group - One hollow square Hidden Component or Group - Name of component or group is in italics
Face Painting Rules
There are several face painting rules that apply when painting multiple faces or edges at the same time. These rules follow The side of the faces that will be painted depends on the side initially painted when more than one face is selected. For example, if all faces are selected and you paint the front of one face, the front of all faces will be painted. Conversely, if all faces are selected and you paint the back of one face, all back faces will be painted. All selected edges will be painted...
Edge Extensions
The Edge Extensions section of the Export Options Dialog box contains options for exporting extension lines. Show extensions Some CAD applications might have problems recognizing endpoints and intersections of lines with SketchUp extensions. The show extensions option is used to toggle the export of line extensions. Length The Length field is used to specify an exact length for line extensions. This option is only available when Show extensions is checked and Automatic is unchecked. Automatic...
Entering Exact Angle Values 1
The degree of rotation you have indicated appears in angular degrees in the VCB while creating construction lines using the Protractor Tool. You can also manually enter in angular rotation or slope values directly into the VCB while measuring an angle and setting a construction line. To specify an exact angle in degrees, type a decimal value into the VCB while rotating the cursor around the protractor. For example, typing in 34.1 will give you an exact 34.1 degree angle. Negative values will...
Toolbar Context Menu
The Toolbar context menu is activated by Control or right-clicking on the Toolbar. This menu contains options for manipulating the appearance of your Toolbar. Icon amp Text The Icon amp Text option allow you to display both icons and names of controls in the Toolbar. The Toolbar shows both controls and their labels as a default. Icon Only The Icon Only option allows you to only display icons for controls in the Toolbar. Text Only The Text Only option allows you to only display the names of...
Snapping Dialog Boxes to Other User Interface Components
Some dialog boxes, such as the Display Settings dialog box, automatically snap to the outside edges of the application window, the outer edge of the screen, with the top and bottom of other dialog boxes to create a dialog stack. To snap a dialog box to another user interface component 1. Display a dialog box, such as the Window gt Display Settings dialog box. 2. Click and hold on the dialog box's title bar. 3. Move the dialog box to the outside edge of the application window, outside edge of...
Splitting a Face
Draw a line with starting and ending points on the face's edges to split a face. The following image shows a rectangle being split when a line is drawn from one edge of a face to another opposite edge. Occasionally, overlapping lines will not be split. Any lines that are not part of a face perimeter will be displayed with a thicker line when the Profile Edge rendering style is enabled in the Display Settings dialog box . Use the Line Tool to trace along an existing line to attempt to split...
Rotating a Component Using the Move Tool
Components can be rotated using either using the Move tool or Rotate tool. The first rotation method rotates the component about its center of mass and in the planes of the component bounding box. The second rotation method allows you to specify precise rotate planes and center of rotation. See the Rotate Tool for further information on this second rotation method. To rotate a component using the Move Tool 1. Select the Move Tool. The cursor will change to a four-way arrow. 2. Move the cursor...
Shadows
SketchUp allows you to cast shadows on your model as though the model were in a real-world environment. These shadows can be cast based on time of day and virtual location of the model in the real-world. For example, you can set shadows to see exactly what a model of a house would look like at 10 20 am, December 10, in Boulder, Colorado, which is the default location. Finally, SketchUp's shadows are designed to provide dynamic feedback as you change geometry and your camera viewpoint. The...
Editing Materials
Material editing in SketchUp is a dynamic process. If you edit a material that has been assigned to your model, changes you make to that material will automatically appear in the model. This interaction makes it easy to interactively experiment with color variations in your model. To edit a material 1. Double-click on the material's swatch in the Colors In Model library to edit the material. This action will open the material for editing in the Edit Material panel at the bottom of the Color...
Section Slice Export
SketchUp can save the active Section Slice as its own 2D file in the DWG and DXF formats. As with all vector information, section slice export has the advantage of preciseness. Export an a animation using the Export gt Section Slice menu item in the File Menu. d 1. Double-click on the Section Plane entity whose section slice you want to export. 2. Select File gt Export gt Section Slice. 3. Enter a file name for the exported file in the Save As field. 4. Select the export type from the Format...
Position Texture Tool
Materials within SketchUp are applied as tiled images meaning that the pattern or image will repeat both vertically and horizontally across any entities you paint. SketchUp's Position Texture Tool is used to adjust a material on a surface in a number of ways, including repositioning, resizing, and distorting. Additionally, this tool allows you to perform unique actions on images such as painting a picture around a corner or projecting it on a model. Activate the Position Texture Tool from the...
Divide Ski
The Divide menu item is used to divide an entity into any number of equal segments. This menu item is only available for entities that are not connected to other geometry. To divide an entity 1. Context click on the entity to invoke the entity's context menu 2. Select Divide. A string of red dots appears along the line segment. 3. Drag the cursor back and forth along the length of the entity to increase or decrease the number of divisions. A help tag displays the number and length of segments...
Utilities
The Utilities submenu contains various utilities and macros created using the Sketchup Ruby API. This menu item only appears after enabling the utilities tools using the Extensions panel of the Preferences dialog box. Note - Ruby scripts are contained in the Plugins directory under the installation directory. The Create Face menu item invokes the Create Face utility allowing you to troubleshoot face creation and, in most cases, create a face for three or more intersecting edges. Specifically,...
Drawing a D Polyline
3D polylines do not generate inference snaps or affect geometry in any way. 3D polylines are usually used for tracing imported drawings, 2D sketching, or for decorating your model. 3D polylines can be placed on existing faces or alone out in drawing space. To draw a 3D polyline entity 1. Select the Freehand Tool. The cursor will change to a pencil with a curve. 3. Click and hold to place the starting point of your freehand sketch. 5. Release the mouse button to stop drawing. Note - Select...
Soften Edges Dialog Box
SketchUp's edges can be softened and smoothed to achieve a real-world appearance. Edges are automatically hidden when softened. Softened edges can also be smoothed rendering the adjoining faces with a smooth tonal gradient. The following series of images contains a column lower part of each image that is first softened middle column and then smoothed rightmost column . r Note - Softened edges are hidden automatically but still exist in your model . Edges that are currently not visible will be...
Projection
The projection section contains options for selecting the type of exported file. True Section Orthographic This option outputs the section slice as a true orthographic drawing. This is useful for creating templates for CD drawings or any other time you want to generate accurate, measurable slices. Screen Projection WYSIWG This projects the section cut as you see it on your SketchUp screen, including any perspective distortion. This is most useful for diagrams that need not be measured.
Quick Reference Card
The SketchUp Quick Reference Card, available in the SketchUp Help Menu and on the Last Software web site, contains a list of all of tools and their modifier keys. Examine the SketchUp Quick Reference card to become familiar with using SketchUp's tools. This online user's guide contains a Concepts section for users who are new to working in three dimensions or new to SketchUp. This section is meant to be read sequentially before using o The remainder of the user's guide consists of reference...
AutoSave
The Auto-Save option is used to automatically save changes to your drawing into a temporary file at specific time interval. This temporary file is available on the file system should SketchUp abnormally exit. Type the auto-save interval, in minutes, into the minutes field. The temporary file's name will be a combination of the word AutoSave with the original filename, such as AutoSave_hotel.skp. This file is saved in the Autosave folder under lt user gt Library Application Support SketchUp...
Creating a TIN
There are several ways to obtain a starting TIN as the foundation of your model. These are Create or import contour lines and use the Sandbox From Contours Tool to create a TIN. Import an image of a site plan or contour map and trace its contours with the Freehand Tool. Then, adjust the contours to their proper elevation and use the Sandbox From Contours Tool to create a TIN. Import a TIN using the SketchUp ArcGIS Plug-in available at ArcGIS is an industry standard application suite or...
Modeling Terrain and Organic Shapes
SketchUp uses the concept of a sandbox which refers to a surface that can be generated and manipulated using sandbox tools. A sandbox in SketchUp and in other 3D modeling tools is commonly referred to as a triangulated irregular network or TIN in terrain modeling terminology. The following image shows a TIN sandbox in SketchUp. Note - This documentation uses the term TIN, sandbox, and terrain interchangeably. A TIN is like a sandbox because it has a boundary and contains a sculpted surface sand...
Active Color Well
drop color swatches from this color well into your model or into any other visible color well. l The contents of the Active Color Well are maintained as yoi allowing you to use different pickers to create your colors. The Active Color Well, below the toolbar, contains the current color selection. You can drag and d The contents of the Active Color Well are maintained as you switch between color pickers, e Note - Ensure that the Shaded or Shaded with Textures display style is selected to o gt...
Entity Info Dialog Box
The Entity Info dialog box displays information about selected entities, and allows you to view and change their properties. The Entity Info dialog box is context-sensitive, and will contain different options as you select different entities in your model. Activate the Entity Info dialog box from either the Window menu or through a context menu. Entity Info Properties for each type of entity are described in detail within each entity in this section.
Printing Standard Views in Perspective Mode
Traditional rules of perspective apply when you are in Perspective mode and want to print or export your model as a 2D vector drawing, the output will not be to scale as it is in the SketchUp drawing area . For example, the Top and Isometric views will reorient your view in a similar way, but cannot create a true plan or isometric drawing unless SketchUp is in Paraline mode. Note - You are in a perspective projection when the Camera gt Perspective menu item has a checkmark.
Planar Inference
A planar inference snaps to a plane in space. Drawing Planes SketchUp will snap to the planes defined by the Drawing Axes and your view when it cannot snap to geometry in the drawing area. For example, SketchUp will draw on the ground plane when the point of view is that of the ground plane. On Face A blue On Face inference identifies a point which lies on a face. Although initially a point inference, On Face can also serve as a planar alignment by using inference locking described below .
Refresh
The Refresh menu item is used to update the components in the Component Browser with any updated versions on the file system. The Add Folder menu item is used to add a new component library to the list of component d libraries in the Component Browser. You will be prompted to locate a directory within your file l system to create a new component library directory. You can copy new component files .skp or .skb files into this directory once this directory is created. t
Scaling Options
Upon activation, the Scale Tool displays all the grips you may use. Any grips hidden behind geometry will become visible whenever touched by the mouse cursor, and remain fully operable. Turn on X-ray Transparency mode to reveal any hidden grips. The Scale Tool allows you to perform both uniform scaling and nonuniform scaling stretching operations . The scaling grip that is used dictates the type of scaling you perform. Corner grips scale the selected geometry from the opposite corner. The...
Follow Me Tool
The Follow Me Tool is used to extrude faces along a path such as an edge or line drawn with the freehand pencil. This tool is especially useful when trying to add details to a model by allowing a you to draw the detail at one end of a path on the model and using the Follow Me Tool continue ti that detail along the path. You can manually and automatically extrude a face along a path o using the Follow Me Tool. Activate the Follow Me tool from the Tools menu or the Tool Palette. Video - A video...
Zooming In and Zooming Out of Your Model
To zoom in and out using the Zoom Tool 1. Select the Zoom Tool. The cursor changes to a magnifying glass with a plus and minus sign. 2. Click and hold the left mouse button anywhere in the drawing area. 3. Drag the mouse up and down to zoom in closer to the model and out farther from the model respectively. Rolling a wheel forward on a scroll wheel mouse zooms in on your model. Rolling the wheel backward on a scroll wheel mouse zooms out from your model. Note - The cursor position determines...
Dividing a Line into Equal Segments
Line segments can be divided into any number of equal line segments. To divide a line into equal segments 1. Right or Control-click on an edge 2. Select Divide from the context menu. SketchUp will place points on the line to show where the line will be divided. 3. Move your mouse toward the center of the line to reduce the number of divisions. Move your mouse toward either end of the line to increase the number of divisions. 4. Click on the line when the number of divisions you would like is...
Scale 1
Some CAD formats, such as DXF, save data in generic units. Units Select the unit type used in the original CAD file to import geometry at the correct scale. Caution - SketchUp only recognizes faces of .001 square inches and larger. It is possible to have create very small faces on import if you select millimeters as your SketchUp units but the model was originally intended to be displayed in feet. Therefore, use a large unit type, such as feet or meters, if you do not know the units used in the...
Using SketchUp Material Libraries
SketchUp stores materials in the cross-platform .SKM file format. Following are some details about materials files .SKM files are also created every time you use the Texture Palette Picker to create a new material library. .SKM files are stored in the directory Library Application Support SketchUp. Place a .SKM file in this directory to add a new materials library to SketchUp. .SKM files created on Mac OS X are identical to those created under Windows and can be shared transparently between...
Splitting a Line
SketchUp automatically splits line segments when new lines are drawn perpendicular to a line. For example, draw a new line to the midpoint identified by a cyan square of another line to split a line in half. The following example shows one line being intersected at the midpoint, resulting in two lines. You will see that it has been split into two equal segment when you select the original line again.
The Color Picker
SketchUp on OS X uses the Apple System Color Picker, with some enhancements for SketchUp, for all operations in which you create, modify and apply color. However, SketchUp's Color Picker has been enhanced. Activate the Color Picker by clicking on any color well in SketchUp's interface such as in the Material Browser , by clicking on the Colors control in the Toolbar, or by selecting the Paint Bucket Tool. Note - SketchUp supports the new system-wide Color Picker in OS X 10.2 called Jaguar .
Entering Exact Scale Values
The VCB at the bottom right corner of the SketchUp window displays the axis dimensions that are being scaled, and the value of the scale itself, in the default units as specified under the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box during a scaling operation. Type a scale value into the VCB to directly scale geometry during or immediately after a scaling operation. You can specify a new dimensional length value during or directly following an scaling operation. To enter a dimensional length value...
Dividing and Healing Geometry
Some tools speed up design dramatically by allowing you to perform modifications on existing geometry. For example, the Line Tool allows you to split faces and edges to create additional independent faces and edges. Simply divide the face or edge with another edge. This concept is similar to cutting a piece of wood in half and having two separate remaining pieces. The following image shows how two faces are created when dividing the face with a line. Notice the image on the left has one solid...
Creating Copies at an Equal Distance Apart
You can divide the distance between the copy and the original by typing in a divisor value. For example, typing 5 or 5 will create five copies evenly distributed between the original and the first copy. You can keep typing in distances and multipliers until you perform another operation. Tip - This feature is particularly useful in creating models of items such as fences, bridges, and decks, where you might want several posts or beams an equal distance apart.
What is OpenGL
OpenGL is the industry-standard, used in numerous software applications and games, to draw 3D geometry. Most Microsoft Windows and Apple OS X operating systems come with a software-based OpenGL driver. However, these drivers rely heavily on the CPU to perform the rendering calculations of OpenGL a task that is not done efficiently by most CPUs . Many graphics card manufacturers have also built cards that support the OpenGL standard. These cards perform the rendering calculations using a...
Soften Coplanar
The Soften Coplaner option is used to soften edges, essentially deleting edges, between coplanar surfaces. b Tip - Create a three dimensional multi-sided polygon with more than 5 sides and experiment with these options to become familiar with softening and smoothing models. For example, create a 6-sided polygon, expand the polygon using the Push Pull Tool, select the entire 3D polygon, click on Smooth Normals, and move the Angle Between Normals to 61 degrees. Notice that each edge of the...
Entering Exact Radius and Segment Values
Entering the Number of Sides The VCB input is designed to accept a number polygon sides when you first activate the a Polygon Tool. The VCB will accept radius input, as described below, after you place your first shape. However, you can still enter the number of sides by typing in the desired number g followed by the letter V. For example, '8s' will yield an octagon. Any values you specify after a polygon is drawn will apply to the last polygon drawn, and will also set the tool to that value. o...
Units
SketchUp exports 3DS files at the units specified in the 3DS export options dialog box. This setting can affect the way geometry is described within the 3DS file. For example, a 1 meter cube in SketchUp will export to 3DS with sides of length 1 when units are set to meters. If you change the export units to centimeters, the same cube will export to 3DS with a length of 100. The 3DS format contains extra information that indicates the original units using a scale factor. This information allows...
Materials
In addition to components, SketchUp allows you to paint colors and materials on faces to add detail and realism to your models. Materials are essentially paints that have a color and optional texture defined within a image file . For example, a siding material with the color of grey and a appearance or texture simulating to real overlapped composite siding. Following is a building painted with grey composite siding and grey shingle roofing materials. A grass material is also used to the ground....
Paint Bucket Tool
The Paint Bucket Tool is used to assign materials and colors to entities in your model. You can use it to paint individual entities, fill a number of connected faces, or replace a material with another throughout your model. Note that the Paint Bucket Tool is separate from the Apple Color Picker used to select colors and materials. Activate the Paint Bucket Tool from the Tool Palette, or by choosing Paint Bucket from the Tools menu. Video - Various video tutorials on this topic are available at
Scale Hmd
Units The Units drop-down list is used to import 3DS geometry at the correct scale. A 3DS file has a field which indicates its units value. Sometimes this value is explicitly set in the 3DS file such as millimeters and sometimes it is missing and set to a generic value. The Model Units list item will import your 3DS file with the unit value it finds in your 3DS file. SketchUp will import your file using inches if a units value is not set in the 3DS file. SketchUp will import your 3DS file at...
Inference Locking
At times, geometry might interfere with your ability to infer points from other points, making it difficult to draw accurately. Use an inference lock, which tells SketchUp not to waver from the direction it is currently inferring from, to solve this problem. To use the inference lock, hold down the Shift key when SketchUp infers the desired alignment the inference line will bold . The alignment will remain locked, even as you move the mouse and or pick a secondary inference point. The following...
Texture Palette Picker
The Texture Palette Picker is unique to SketchUp and is the picker that you use to create, modify and manage SketchUp-specific materials. Swatch Browser The middle of the Texture Palettes Picker contains a Swatch Browser, in which thumbnail images for all available materials from the currently selected materials List are displayed. To use the Swatch Browser Drag your mouse over a swatch to see a tool tip with the texture's name. Click on a swatch to load it in the Active Color Well for use in...
Naming a Group
You can also name your groups for easy identification in the Component Outliner. To rename a group 1. Context-click on the group in the Component Outliner. The context menu for the Component entity is displayed. Notice that this is the same context menu as the context menu displayed when you context-click on an entity in the drawing area except this context menu has a Rename menu item . 3. Type the new component instance name in the Component Outliner. 4. Press Return to save your change.
Placing Diameter Dimensions
To place a diameter dimension on a Circle entity 1. Activate the Dimension Tool. The cursor changes to a arrow. 3. Move the cursor to pull a dimension string out form the model. 4. Click the mouse a third time to position the dimension string. Diameters to Radius, Radius to Diameter Right click on the dimension and choose Type gt Radius or Diameter, to change a radius dimension to a diameter dimension or a diameter dimension to a radius dimension .
Exporting a PDF or EPS File
To export a 2D PDF or EPS graphic file 1. Manipulate the view of the model so that it appears as you would like it to appear in the exported file. Note - SketchUp exports the model using the current point of view with the exception of unsupported features such as textures and shadows. 2. Select File gt Export gt 2D Graphic. 3. Enter a file name for the exported file in the Save As field. 4. Select the PDF or EPS export type from the Format drop-down list. 5. optional Click on the Options...