Component Definitions and Instances
A Component Definition and a Component Instance are created when a component is created using the Create Component dialog box. Components Definitions define or provide a blueprint for how all components of a specific type, called instances, appear and behave within the drawing area whether they can be glued to faces, where insertion points appear, and so on . Component Definitions are represented by thumbnail images in the Component Browser. Component Instances are components definitions that...
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...
Section Slices
The term section slice refers to the edges that are highlighted after intersecting geometry with a section plane. The following image shows a section slice in red. These edges act as dynamic virtual edges in that they continually change as you move the section plane through your model with the Move Tool. You can create a group from these edges, such as when slicing horizontally through a house, to create a wire frame of the model such the outline of a floor plan . Then, export this section...
Edge Panel
SketchUp contains a variety of edge rendering styles allowing you to manipulate the edge appearance on the screen. Note - Endpoints and Jitter edge rendering styles are not available for NPR Edges. ' s Tip - Models with perfectly straight digitally drawn lines are often perceived to be in a finished state. Edge Rendering Styles are useful in conveying that a model is still in conceptual state and, therefore, is open for feedback.
The SketchUp Coordinate Systems
SketchUp uses a 3D coordinate system whereby points in space are identified by position along three drawing axes plus or minus X, Y, and Z above ground below ground values. In SketchUp, plus or minus X is represented by solid red and dotted red lines respectively plus or minus Y are represented by a solid green and dotted green axis lines respectively plus or minus Z above and below the ground plane are represented by solid blue and dotted blue lines respectively. The plane where the red and...
Section Lines 1
The Section Lines section of the DWG DXF Hidden Options Dialog box contains options for exporting section lines. Specify Section Line Width The Specify section line width option is used to adjust settings for Section Slice lines that are output. Match Screen Display Auto Width The Match screen display auto width automatically sets the width of section lines by matching the output to the proportions you see in the SketchUp drawing area. This option is only available when Specify section line...
Layer Manager
The Layer Manager is used to apply and manage layers in your model. Activate the Layers Manager from the Window menu. The Layers Manager displays all the layers and their associated visibility in the model. Every model has one layer, called Layer0, which will be visible the first time you activate the Layers dialog box. Note - You cannot delete Layer0. If you use any other layer as a drawing layer, all the entities that were created on that layer will become invisible when you hide that layer....
Insert a Component From an External SketchUp skp File
You can also insert a component from an external SketchUp file. To insert a component from an external SketchUp file 1. Select the File gt Import gt 3D Model menu item. The Open file dialog box appears. 2. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list .skp . 3. Click Open. The cursor changes to the Move Tool anchored to the component's insertion Tip - The component axes origin is the default insertion point for a Component. Change the location of the component's axes...
HSB Hue Saturation Brightness and HLS Hue Light and Saturation
The HSB and HLS Color Pickers allows you to pick colors from the HSB Hue Saturation and Brightness color range. HSB often gives you a more intuitive color model for selecting desaturated colors. Adjust the sliders for Hue, Saturation and Brightness until you see the color you want in the Active Color Well. Sometimes it is easier to mix desaturated colors using the HSB or HLS Color Picker in conjunction with one of the other color pickers. Switch to another color picker to make your rough color...
Editing Entities Within a Component Instance
Editing the entities within a component requires you to enter the component's context. Editing or modifying the entities within a component instance affects the component definition and other instances of the component. To edit the entities within a component 1. Select the Component Instance gt Edit Component command from the Edit Menu to edit the component. Alternatively, context-click on the currently selected component and select Edit Component from the context menu. An edit bounding box...
Creating a New TIN
1. Select the Sandbox From Scratch Tool. The cursor changes to a pencil with a grid. Note - The Sandbox from Scratch Tool defaults to 10' square grid sizes. You might want to zoom out or change the grid size Grid Spacing in the VCB to before creating your sandbox. Tip - You can optionally enter a value in the VCB for the size of each square in your grid at this time Grid Spacing . 2. Click to set the starting point of your TIN. 3. Move the mouse in the direction you want to be the length of the...
Color Wheel
The color wheel arranges color hue radially around the wheel, with the highest saturation at the outer edge of the wheel. To change the brightness of the color, slide the value slider to the right of the wheel up or down. To use the Color Wheel, select the color you want by clicking your mouse over that color in the wheel. You can also click and drag the cursor around the Color Wheel to quickly browse through many different colors which will dynamically appear in the Active Color Well.
Autofold
Faces must remain planar at all times in SketchUp. Therefore, SketchUp will Autofold, or score, faces as necessary to accommodate any operation that will result in warped faces. In the left-most image above, a six-sided polygon volume's top face created with the Polygon Tool followed by the Push Pull Tool was rotated using Rotate Tool. Because of SketchUp's sticky nature, the sides of the shape, which share common edges with the top face, twisted and folded with the rotate operation right-most...
Color
SketchUp also allows you to manipulate the edge color on the screen. Note - Edge Colors are only available when using Shaded and Shaded with Textures Face Rendering Styles. Inference alignments to edges are not available when edges are hidden. All Same Select the All Same drop-down list item to display all edges using the Edges color as defined in color swatch. This option does not actually change any edge color assignments you may have made, but preserves them if you choose to view them again....
Area 1
The Area sub-menu of the Face context menu is used to calculate the surface area in your SketchUp model. The results of the calculation are displayed in a Area dialog box. This menu item is available for the Face and Surface entities. Selection The Selection menu item is used to calculate the total surface area of the currently selected face. Layer The Layer menu item is used to calculate the total area for all faces in the layer of the currently selected face. Materials The Materials menu item...
Naming a Component Definition
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, components are identified in the outliner by a combination of their instance and definition names the definition name is enclosed in less-than and greater-than symbols . For example, Jim's Office lt Cubicle Style 1 gt . Where you may have several Cubicle Style 1 components in your model, but only one instance represents Jim's Office. The component definition name generally refers to type of component, such as a certain type of cubicle Cubicle Style 1 or...
Arc Deformation
If an Arc is deformed in a way that destroys its radial definition, such as with a non-uniform scale operation, it will become a non-parametric Curve entity. Polyline Curves can no longer be edited as arcs. Circle entities are a combination of multiple line segments that are connected together to form a circle. These entities act as a single line in that they can define the edge of a face and also divide a face. Additionally, selecting one segment of the arc selects the entire Circle entity....
Point size in inches
SketchUp places an X for points in a point feature class. Type the point size the size of the X for the points in a point feature class in this field. amp Tip - Each point in a point feature class is placed in a component when imported in SketchUp. Select all of these points in SketchUp and then context-click on a component in the component browser. Select the Replace selected menu item to replace the component in the component browser with all instances of the point X in SketchUp....
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 right-most column . Note - Softened edges are hidden automatically but still exist in your model . Edges that are currently not visible will be...
Moving the Insertion Point
The Component Browser switches the insertion point from the origin of the component's axes to another point on the component when you use the Move Tool to select a component, that is already in your model, using a different non-origin point. For example, if you have a 3d rectangle component, the origin and insertion point will be the lower left-hand corner. However, if you insert this component and then move it by a midpoint, the insertion point changes to the mid point while the origin remains...
Exporting Section Slices
1. Double-click on the Section Plane entity whose section slice you want to export. Select File gt Export gt Section Slice. The Export 2D Section Slice dialog box is displayed. Enter a file name for the exported file in the File name field. Select the export type from the Export type drop-down list. optional Click on the Options button. The Section Slice Export Options dialog box is displayed. optional Adjust the options in the Section Slice Export Options dialog box. optional Click the OK...
Manipulating Connected Faces
Geometry in SketchUp is sticky meaning that it can be manipulated skewed, distorted, or folded by selecting an edge or face and moving the edge or face with the Move Tool causing all entities attached or stuck to the edge or face to move too . Following are three examples of sticky geometry in SketchUp 1. The following image shows a line dividing the top face of a box being moved up with a Move Tool. The faces that were connected to the middle line followed the line as it was moved to create a...
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 2. Select Divide from the context menu. SketchUp will place points on the line to show where the line will be divided. 3. Move the cursor toward the center of the line to reduce the number of segments. Move cursor toward either end of the line to increase the number of segments. 4. Click on the line when the number of segments you would like is shown. The line will be divided into an equal...
Sandbox From Contours Tool
Use the Sandbox from Contours Tool to create a TIN from contour lines. You must create or import contour lines that are offset in their height prior to using this tool. Activate the Sandbox from Contours Tool from the Draw menu. Note - You must enable the sandbox tools before you can use them. See Enabling the Sandbox Tools for further information. The following image shows several contour lines offset in height from the ground plane. The following image shows the resulting terrain created when...
Importing KML or KMZ Files
KML and KMZ files can contain location data latitude and longitude along with other information such as SketchUp geometry . To import KML and KMZ files 1. Select the File gt Import menu item from the File menu. The Open dialog box is displayed. 2. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list. 3. Click OK to import the file. Note - It can take several minutes to import a large file because SketchUp's native geometry is very different from most CAD software and the...
Adobe Portable Document Format PDF is the open standard for worldwide electronic document distribution. PDF preserves all the fonts, formatting, graphics, and color of the source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create the document. Also, PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as intended by anyone with free Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Caution - Some graphic features of SketchUp, including textures, shadows, smooth shading,...
Follow Me Tool
Use the Follow Me Tool to duplicate the profile of a face along a path. This tool is especially useful when trying to add details to a model, such as a crown molding, because you can draw the profile of the molding at one end of a path on the model and using the Follow Me Tool continue that detail along the path. You can manually and automatically extrude a face along a path using the Follow Me Tool. Activate the Follow Me Tool from the Tools menu or the Modification Toolbar. Note - The path...
Styles Browser Controls
Use the Styles Browser controls to navigate among styles in your styles libraries. Style Thumbnail The style thumbnail displays the style currently applied to your model. Style Name Field The style name field displays the name of the currently active style. Style Description Field The style description field displays a description of the currently active style. Display Secondary Selection Pane Button The Display Secondary Selection Pane button displays a second select panel below the primary...
The VCB and Keyboard Shortcuts
Temporary focus is given to the VCB when you type a number while in the drawing area. Therefore, numbers cannot be used as shortcut keys. The letters S, R, X, and the symbols and can be used within keyboard shortcuts and as you enter values in the VCB. Prepend any of these letters with a number in the VCB to ensure that a command with a corresponding keyboard shortcut letter is not invoked. For example, 7s would be the correct entry to redefine a segmentation in the VCB. However, s7 will...
Editing a Polygon Entity
You can edit the radius of a circle in which the polygon is inscribed, that does not yet bound a face, by using the Move Tool. To edit a Polygon entity 1. Select the Move Tool. The cursor will change to a four-way arrow. 2. Move over the Polygon entity to locate the midpoint of a side. At least one midpoint of the polygon will allow you to resize the entity. 3. Click and hold on the midpoint of the Polygon entity. 4. Move the cursor to adjust the radius of the Polygon entity. Click and hold on...
Transparency Quality
The Transparency Quality options allow you to select the quality of transparency display between faster, medium, and nicer. Each option differs in its speed and quality of transparency sorting. The Faster display sacrifices sorting accuracy to provide a faster rendering update rate. Conversely, the Nicer display performs additional calculations to correctly sort transparent surfaces. Because SketchUp's transparency system is designed for real-time feedback and display, it may sometimes display...
Perspective and Paraline Projections
In addition to your point of view, you can view items in SketchUp in a paraline also called axonometric projection or in a perspective projection. Axonometric means measurable from the axes and an axonometric projection is a view of a model in which lines appear parallel in both 3 dimensional and 2 dimensional space. Also, lines have a length that is to some scale in an axonometric projection when printed for example 4' in SketchUp 1 on paper . The following image shows a axonometric or...
Importing Shape Files
1. Select the File gt Import menu item from the File menu. The Open dialog box is displayed. 2. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list. 3. Click OK to import the file. The Options dialog box is displayed. Note - It can take several minutes to import a large file because SketchUp's native geometry is very different from most CAD software and the conversion process is calculation-intensive. 4. optional Adjust the options in the KMZ Export Options dialog box. 5....
Triangulation errors
SketchUp will export one face entity as one polygon in an OBJ file. This ratio of faces to polygons can create some problems for some OBJ importers polygons might appear missing or reversed . Use the Triangulate faces option to create additional polygons for importers that seem to have problems with the OBJ file exported from SketchUp. Additionally, you can import the OBJ file into an application that does not have problems with the SketchUp faces-to-polygons ratio and then export that file as...
Taking Digital Photos for Use with Photo Match
Your success with Photo Match depends highly on the quality of photographs taken of your building or structure. Following are a few tips regarding Photo Match photographs. Sketch Over Image works best on pictures of structures composed of predominantly right angles and taken at a roughly a 45 degree angle from a corner. The images should not be distorted and should be of a reasonable resolution. Barrel distortion typically comes from wide angle lens cameras, and users should use a third party...
Fog Sliders
The left-most fog slider determines where you want the fog to start relative to the camera your view . Fog can begin right in front of the camera which is zero on the scale or further away from the camera. Move the left-most slider to the right to start fog somewhere beyond the camera. The right-most slider determines where you want the fog to be at 100 strength known as zero visibility . Move the right-most slider to the left to establish 100 percent strength closer to the camera your view ....
Creating D Text
3D text is text that has been extruded push pulled . To create 3D text 1. Select the 3D Text Tool. The 3D Text dialog box appears. 2. Type text in the text field. 3. optional Modify settings in the Place 3D Text dialog box. See The 3D Text Dialog Box for further information. 4. Click on the Place button. You are placed in a move operation with the 3D text and the Move Tool. 5. Move the 3D text to the desired location. Refer to the Move Tool for further information. Note - Press the Esc key at...
Adding a Background to Your Model
SketchUp allows you add image files to your model and position those images such that they act as a background. For example, you can have a single image placed vertically behind a house so that you can study what will be seen from certain angles within the house. See Importing 2D Graphic Images for further information. There are two ways to copy geometry in SketchUp 1. Use the Copy, and Paste commands Use the Copy and Paste commands to copy geometry. See Copy and Paste for further information....
Resetting Component Axes
Context-click on the component in the component browser and select Reset Insert Point if you want to reset the insertion point to the origin of the component's axes. SketchUp's Curve entities are a combination of multiple line segments that are connected together. These entities act as a single line in that they can define the edge of a face and also divide a face. Additionally, selecting one segment of the curve selects the entire Curve entity. Note - You can explode a curve into regular edge...
VRML Export Options Dialog Box
The VRML Export Options dialog box contains options for exporting VRML files. Appearance Output Texture Maps If enabled, SketchUp will export texture information to the VRML file. When disabled, it will export colors only. When publishing VRML files to the web, you may want to edit the files so that textures read from the relative location rather than from your local hard drive. Also, VRML texture and material names cannot have blanks, so SketchUp will use the underscore character instead....
Importing DEM File
1. Select the File gt Import menu item from the File menu. The Open dialog box is displayed. 2. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list. Caution - You must add the .dem file extension to your DEM files to open these files. Additionally, you can select any file with the .ddf extension from your directory to open DDF files. 3. optional Click on the Options button to modify the import options, such as points, for the incoming file. See the following Import Options...
Exporting VRML Files
1. Select File gt Export gt 3D Model. The Export Model dialog box is displayed. 2. Enter a file name for the exported file in the File name field. 3. Select the VRML export type from the Export type drop-down list. 4. optional Click on the Options button. The VRML Export Options dialog box is displayed. 5. optional Adjust the options in the VRML Export Options dialog box. 6. optional Click the OK button.
Use Background Color
Check the Use background color checkbox to use the currently configured background color as the fog color. Refer to the Background Panel section of the Styles Browser topic for further information on setting the background color. Uncheck the Use background color and click on the color swatch to select a different color to be used as the fog color. Note - Use the QpenGL panel in the Application Preferences dialog box to set hardware acceleration before using fog. The Photo Match dialog box...
Assigning Keyboard Shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can dramatically speed up your drawing by allowing you to change tools while keeping the mouse cursor near the drawing area. To assign a keyboard shortcut 1. Select the command to which you will assign a keyboard shortcut within the Function list . Existing keyboard shortcuts for this command will display in the Assigned list. Note - The list of commands available in the Shortcuts panel is dynamically generated and includes all menu items and active context menu items. Some...
Wrapping Material Around a Cylinder
A texture can also be wrapped around a cylinder. To wrap a texture, such as an image texture, around a cylinder 2. Select the File gt Import menu item to insert an image. 3. Select an image format from the Files of type drop-down list. 5. Click the Open button. The cursor changes to the Select Tool with the image. 6. Click in the drawing area to place the starting point of the image. 7. Drag the cursor away from the starting point so that the image is resized. 8. Click again to place the image....
Unglue
The Unglue menu item is used to free a component from a face if you've attached a hole-cutting component to a face . This menu item is available for the Component, Group,and Image entities. Zoom Extents The Zoom Extents menu item is used to zoom your view to a distance where the whole entity is visible and centered in the drawing window. This menu item is available for the 3D Polyline, Circle, Component, Curve, Face, Group, Image, Line, Polygon, and Surface entities.
Materials
SketchUp allows you to paint 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 an appearance or texture simulating real overlapped composite siding. Following is a building painted with grey composite siding and grey shingle roofing materials. A grass material is also used on the ground. As with components, SketchUp comes with...
TIFF Tagged Image File Format
The TIFF file format is often used to exchanged files between applications and computer platforms Mac and Personal Computers . There are a large number of variations to the TIFF format available, and therefore TIFF might not be as universally accessible as other formats such as PNG and JPEG. SketchUp supports as wide a range of TIFF formats as possible, and you should test compatibility with other applications before exporting to TIFF file. 1-bit raster files, or TIFF files with gif encoding,...
Leader Lines 1
The Leader Lines options allow you to identify the type of leader line used with Text. Text might or might not have leader lines. End Point Click on the End Point drop-down menu to select the end point type for the leader line. Choose between None, Dot, Closed Arrow, and Open Arrow. Leader Click on the Leader drop-down menu to select between View Based and Pushpin leader types. A View Based leader will always retain its 2D screen orientation. A Pushpin leader is aligned in 3D space, and rotates...
Value Control Box VCB
The value control box VCB is located on the right side of the status bar. The VCB displays dimensional information while you draw. You can also enter values into the VCB to manipulate currently selected entities, such as creating elements of a specific dimension. Other behaviors of the VCB are as follows You can type a value in the VCB before or after an operation is complete as long as the value is entered prior to the start of a new operation. Detailed information on the VCB values accepted...