Specifying Precise Arc Values
The VCB displays the chord length of the of the arc after setting the starting point , then the bulge distance after setting the ending point . Use the VCB to enter exact lengths for the chord length, bulge distance, radius value, and number of segments. Note - SketchUp will use the current file units setting if you only type in a numerical value. You can also specify either Imperial 1'6 or Metric 3.652m units at any time, regardless the file's units setting. Units are set within the Units...
OBJ Export Options Dialog Box
The OBJ Export Options dialog box contains options for exporting OBJ files. Export only current selection The Export only current selection checkbox is used to export the currently selected geometry. The entire SketchUp model is exported when there is no selection. Additionally, the entire model is exported when this checkbox is not checked. Triangulate all faces The Triangulate all faces checkbox is used to break the output into triangles instead of multi-sided faces. Export two-sided faces...
Template
Use the Template preferences panel to designate a SketchUp file that you would want to use as a template for all of your subsequent models. A template file contains default settings from the Model Info dialog box and base geometry. To create a template 1. Select File gt New menu item to start a new SketchUp file. 2. Modify the Model Info settings to fit your particular needs. For example, you might want to set default units and snaps, activate a ground plane, and set a geographic location. 3....
Enabling the Sandbox Tools
The sandbox tools do not appear in SketchUp by default, but can easily be enabled using the Extensions Manager the Extensions panel of the Preferences dialog box . To enable the sandbox tools 1. Open the Extensions Manager Window gt Preferences gt Extensions 2. Click the check box next to the extension that you want to enable. V Functionality only available in SketchUp Pro 5
Editing an Arc Entity
You can edit the radius of an Arc entity by using the Move Tool. To edit an Arc entity 1. Select the Move Tool. The cursor will change to an four-way arrow. 2. Move over the Arc entity to locate the midpoint of the Arc entity. 3. Click and hold on the midpoint of the Arc entity. 4. Move the cursor to adjust the bulge of the Arc entity. 5. Click and hold on the starting or ending point of the Arc. 6. Move the mouse to adjust the radius and length of the arc entity. The radius attempts to stay...
D Section Slice Options Dialog Box
The 2D Section Slice Export Options dialog box contains options for exporting 2D section slice files. 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,...
Creating Construction Lines and Construction Points
Construction Line entities and Construction Point entities are useful for drawing precisely. To create an infinite parallel construction line using the Tape Measure Tool 1. Select the Tape Measure Tool. The cursor changes to a tape measure. 2. Click on a line that will be parallel to the construction line, to set the starting point of your measurement. You must click on an On Edge point between the start and end points in the line segment. Note - Start from an On Edge point inference and move...
Specifying Precise Offset Values
The VCB at the bottom right corner of the SketchUp window displays the length of the offset in the units as specified under the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box, while offsetting entities. You can also specify an exact offset during, or immediately after, an offset operation. Note - You can type values in the VCB using an alternate measuring system than the default system. SketchUp will convert the value to the default system. For example, you can type in 3' 6 even if you are using...
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...
D Polyline Entities
SketchUp's 3d Polyline entities are curve-like entities that do not generate inference snaps or affect geometry in any way. Freehand sketches are usually used for tracing imported drawings, 2D sketching, or for decorating your model. Draw 3D Polyline entities with the Freehand Tool. Note - You can explode a freehand sketch into regular edge segments using the Explode context menu item see the 3D Polyline Context Menu Items section later in this topic . Note - A 3D Polyline looks just like a...
Importing D graphics as Textures
To import a 2D graphic file as a texture 8. Select the File gt Import menu item from the File menu. The Import dialog box is displayed. 9. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list. 10. Locate the file you want to import 11. Click the Use As Texture check box if you want your image to be used as a texture upon import this will require you to paint the image on a an existing surface . See the following Importing 2D Graphics as Textures section for additional...
Layer Manager
The Layer Manager is used to apply and manage layers in your model. Activate the Layers Manager from the Window menu. m LayerC- 0 O House 0 O Landscaping 0 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...
General
Use the General preferences panel to define global save and user interface settings. Create Backup Click on the Create Backup checkbox to automatically create a backup file whenever you save a drawing. The backup file is the previously saved version of the file. This file will be saved to the same folder as the drawing file. For example, if your drawing is hotel.skp, the backup will be called hotel.skb. Click the Auto-Save checkbox to automatically save changes to your drawing into a temporary...
TourGuide
The Tourguide submenu contains several menu items related to pages and TourGuide. See the Pages and TourGuide topic for further information. Use the Add Page menu item to add a new page to the current file. Update Page Use the Update Page menu item to update a page if you have made changes to the page. Delete Page Use the Delete Page menu item to delete a page from the current model. Previous Page Use the Previous Page menu item to transition to the previous page. Next Page The Next Page menu...
Section Plane Entities
Section Planes are special entities that control the SketchUp section cutting effect. Their position in space and in relation to groups and components determine the nature of the section cut effect. The following image shows a rectangular section plane creating a section cut effect in a model of a cup. Surface entities are a number of faces joined together to give the impression of roundness using soft edges . Although the individual planar faces that make up a curved face set are still...
Toggling Terrain
1. Get the current view from Google Earth using the Get Current View button. A 2D Google Earth image will appear by default. 2. Click on the Toggle Terrain button. The 2D Google Earth image will toggle to a 3D Google Earth image with terrain . with terrain and one without terrain. Each image is assigned to a different layer in SketchUp whose visibility is toggled using the Toggle Terrain button. with terrain and one without terrain. Each image is assigned to a different layer in SketchUp whose...
Calculating Material Surface Area
SketchUp allows you to calculate a total surface area covered by a particular material. This feature is useful in determining the actual amount of material costs for a portion of a model. To calculate a surface area covered by a specific material in your model 1. Select the In Model tab of the Materials Browser. 2. Context-click on the material whose usage you want to calculate. The area used by that material is displayed in the units designated in the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box.
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...
Getting the Current View From Google Earth To get the current view
1. Google Earth Find the location where you want your 3D model to appear. For example, type street and city where a new building will be built. 2. Google Earth Zoom in on this location until you have a fairly detailed view of a building that you want to model. Note - Ensure terrain is turned on in Google Earth. Click on the Terrain check box toward the bottom middle of Google Earth to turn on terrain. 3. SketchUp Click on the Get Current View button to capture an image of the current Google...
Components 1
The Components panel allows you to modify the visual appearance of your model while editing groups and components. SketchUp allows you to fade or hide other similar components or fade or hide the rest of the model to make it easier to concentrate on modifications to the edited component. The Component Group Editing portion of the Components panel allows you to define how geometry outside a component appears when editing a component. Fade Similar Components Slide the Fade similar components...
OpenGL
Use the OpenGL preferences panel to define how the OpenGL standard should be applied within SketchUp. Note - You might notice intermittent streaks or small spots of light within face shadows. A minimal amount of these artifacts is to be expected on most systems, and can vary greatly with the quality of your OpenGL driver. Caution - Certain OpenGL drivers do not fully support casting shadows on faces. Caution - SketchUp's Shadow feature can have a severe performance impact on slower computers or...
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...
Creating Complex Geometry
To create complex geometry using the Intersect With Model Tool 1. Create two distinct geometries, such as a box and a tube. 2. Select the Select Tool. The changes to an arrow. 3. Triple-click on the tube to select all of the entities of the tube 4. Select the Move Tool. The cursor will change to an four-way arrow. 5. Move the tube such that it intersects the box completely in any way you like. Notice that no edges exist where the tube meets the faces of the box on the box's top face. The tube...
License
The License submenu includes several options allowing you to view and manage your SketchUp license. The License Info menu item displays information about your SketchUp license, including the type of license and serial number. Use the Authorize menu item to authorize your SketchUp licence to extend the use of SketchUp beyond the 8 hour trial period. Click on this menu item to display the SketchUp Authorization Screen. Type in the authorization number, provided by Google when you buy SketchUp, to...
Face Rendering
SketchUp contains a variety of face rendering styles allowing you to manipulate the amount of material and textures displayed on the screen. Click on the Wireframe face rendering style button to display the model as a collection of lines. Faces are not displayed in Wireframe mode. Click on the Hidden Line button to display faces in the model without any shading or textures. Tip - Use this face rendering style when creating black and white printouts which you might want to modify further with...
Epix
Epix is the native format of Piranesi which is an architectural painting application designed to work with images generated from 3D models. See Piranesi Epix Export for more information. 2D vector file formats have advantages over bitmap image export in that they produce drawings that are resolution independent and can be easily imported and modified in many other programs. These file formats are useful for creating a set of 2D construction documents, plotting a perspective in a large format,...
Introduction to the SketchUp Interface
The SketchUp user interface is designed to be simple and easy to use. The main parts of the SketchUp user interface are the title bar, menus, toolbars, drawing area, status bar, and the value control box. amp Untitled - SketchUp jl jj amp Untitled - SketchUp jl jj File Edit View Camera Draw Teds Wind .- Plugins- Help Nothing selected, Use select tool, or pick one thing to move rotate. ' Note - The previous image contains a screenshot of the SketchUp Plus application. The SketchUp Mini...
Page Tab Context Menu Items
Page Tabs contain their own context menus. Context-click on a page tab to access its context menu. The Move Left and Move Right menu items are used to reposition a page in the series of pages. The Add menu item is used to add a new page to the current file. Update The Update menu item is used to update a page if you have made changes to the page. Delete The Delete menu item is used to delete the currently selected page. Slideshow The Slideshow menu item starts a TourGuide slideshow. See the...
SketchUp Tools
Most entities in SketchUp, including arcs and circles, are actually just a combination of small lines or edges. Thankfully, you do not have to use only the Line Tool to sketch your models. Instead, SketchUp provides many other tools to help you draw quickly. Some of these tools are for creating common entities such as a circle, arc, polygon, or freehand line. Other tools allow you to quickly draw complex models by modifying your models splitting, skewing, and even merging geometry together ....
Material Editor Options
The top-third of the Material Editor is used to apply a new color to the material. The middle third of the Material Editor is used to apply a new texture to the material. The final third of the Material Editor is used to control the transparency of the material. The material name is the name of the material currently being edited or created. This field appears in the upper left-hand corner of the Material Editor. Click on this field to edit the material name. The Material swatch contains a...
Wrapping Material Around Corners
The texture can be wrapped around a corner, just as you might wrap a package with wrapping paper. To wrap textures around corners 1. Create a three-dimensional cube. 2. Insert an image using File gt Insert gt Image. The cursor changes to the Select Tool with the image. 3. Click in the Drawing Area to place the starting point of the image. 4. Drag the cursor away from the starting point so that the image is resized. 5. Click again to place the image. 6. Context-click on the image. The Image...
Units
The Page Transitions section of the TourGuide panel allows you to determine the amount of time it takes to transition from one page in the Tourguide to another page. Enable Page transitions Click on the Enable page transitions checkbox to enable page transitions. Seconds Enter the number of seconds that should transpire before the next page appears. Page Delay The Page Delay section of the TourGuide panel allows you to determine the amount of time Tourguide will spend on each page before...
Specifying Precision Line Values
The VCB displays the length and width of your TIN while you are drawing a flat TIN. You can also specify a line length and width value using the VCB. Specify a length and width in the VCB by typing in the desired length after placing the starting point of the flat TIN. SketchUp will use the current document units setting if you only type in a numerical value. You can also specify either Imperial 1'6 or Metric 3.652m units at any time, regardless the model units setting. Specify a width and...
Colors
The Colors panel allows you to set default colors for several entities in the drawing area including default face and edge color. Click on any of the color wells to activate the Color Pickers and select a new default color for an entity. The Geometry portion of the Colors panel contains default colors for geometrical entities in the Drawing Area. Edges Click on the Edges button to set the default color for edges in SketchUp. You can force SketchUp to use this color for all edges instead of a...
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 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. As with components, SketchUp comes...
SketchUp Ruby API and Console
SketchUp contains a Ruby application programming interface API for users who are familiar with or want to learn Ruby scripting and want to extend the functionality of SketchUp. This interface allows users to create tools, menu items, and other macros, such as automated component generators, to be included in the menus within SketchUp. In addition to the API, SketchUp also includes a Ruby console which is an environment where you can experiment with Ruby commands or methods . For additional...
Stamp Tool
Use the Stamp Tool to create impressions in a TIN by pushing a duplicate of the base of geometry, such as a house, into a TIN. Activate the Stamp Tool from the Tools menu. Note - You must enable the sandbox tools before you can use them. See Enabling the Sandbox Tools for further information. Creating Impressions of Geometry in a TIN To create an impression of geometry in a TIN 1. Create your TIN, such as the terrain where a building might exist 2. Create the faces to be used as the stamp, such...
Sandbox Tools
This section of the user's guide covers the sandbox tools within SketchUp. Sandbox tools are those tools used to create and manipulate large surfaces TINs in your models. These tools include the Sandbox From Scratch Tool, Sandbox From Contours Tool, Smoove Tool, Stamp Tool, and Drape Tool. Sandbox tools are not just for modeling terrain, they can also be used to model other organic shapes such as the curved portions of a hand-built wooden chair or a wooden bowl. Organic shapes are those that...
Specifying Precise PushPull Values
The displacement of a push pull operation is displayed in the Value Control Box. You can specify an exact push pull value either during or immediately after your push pull operation. Negative values will perform the push pull in the opposite direction. 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...
HidingErasing All Construction Points
Construction points are usually created as a temporary means to build a portion of your model. Keeping too many construction points in your model can decrease SketchUp's inference accuracy and display performance, so you might want to hide construction points as you work or delete all construction points at once when you have finished your model. Use the Edit gt Construction Geometry gt Hide, unhide, and erase to hide, unhide, and erase all construction geometry in the current context....
Projecting a Material
SketchUp's Texturing Positioning feature also lets you project materials or images onto faces as though projected using a slide projector. This feature is particularly useful if you wish to project a topographic image over a site model, or an image of a building onto a model representing the building. To project an image over a model 1. Create a model, such as a cone, topography, or building front. This model will receive the projected image. 2. Insert an image using File gt Import. The cursor...
Inserting Components
There are a variety of different ways to insert component instances in SketchUp. Inserting Components from Component Browser Pre-defined Components are most often inserted from the Components Browser into a model. See the Component Browser for further information. 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...
Additional Face Rendering Options
The Display Settings dialog box contains additional rendering options affecting the rendering of your model. Click on the Use Sun for shading checkbox to shade the faces of your model based on the position of the sun. SketchUp uses standard shading that follows the camera when Use Sun for Shading is not enabled. Click on the Enable transparency checkbox to enable or disable global material transparency. Quality The Quality options allow you to select the quality of transparency display between...
Moving the Drawing Axes
The drawing axes can be manipulated moved, moved and rotated, and hidden through their context menu. To move the drawing axes 1. Context-click on the Drawing Axes and select Place from the context menu. The cursor changes to a collection of axes. 2. Move your cursor to the point in your model to be the new coordinate origin. You will see the axes snap to inferred alignments and points as you move around your model. 3. Click to accept the new coordinate origin. 4. Drag your cursor away from the...
Google Earth and SketchUp Workflow
SketchUp can be used to create three-dimensional models for Google Earth. The workflow for creating and placing SketchUp models in Google Earth follows 1. Google Earth Navigate to the location where you want your model to appear. 2. SketchUp Click on the Get Current View button to get an image of the current view from Google Earth. This image contains the location information needed to properly place the model at the correct location in Google Earth. 3. SketchUp Create your model on top of the...
Modeling Terrain and Organic Shapes
SketchUp implements 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...
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 or integrate with a face. Any lines that are not part of a face perimeter will be displayed with a thicker line left-most image below . The Profile Edge rendering style must be enabled in the Display Settings dialog box to see this behavior. Use...
Measuring Distance
The Tape Measure Tool is primarily used to measure distances between two points. To measure a distance between two points 1. Select the Tape Measure Tool. The cursor changes to a tape measure. 2. Click at the starting point of your measurement. Use the inference ToolTip to make sure you click on the exact point. 3. Move the cursor in the direction you want to measure. A temporary measuring tape line, with arrows at each end, will stretch out from your starting point as you move the mouse. The...
DEM Import Options
DEM files can contain thousands of points yielding a very detailed, yet very slow, SketchUp model. The CAD files might contain non-standard units, coplanar faces, or inconsistently oriented faces. You can force SketchUp to automatically analyze and repair these issues during the import process. Points and Faces The Points and faces fields are used to identify the number of points, and subsequent faces, that will be created upon import. The fewer the points and subsequent faces, the better the...
Import Options
Some CAD files might contain non-standard units, coplanar faces, or inconsistently oriented faces. You can force SketchUp to automatically analyze and repair these issues during the import process. 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...