C2
Modelling
Drawing
In contrast to a typical CAD software in SketchUp you will always be modelling in a three dimensional environment.
The main drawing tools are basically lines and surfaces, whether these are standalone elements or together form a surface or a solid element.
In SketchUp you only draw edges and faces: 3 edges drawn in the same plane will create face -> faces create object -> objects create complex model
SketchUp’s approach to modelling is:
1. draw the basic shape to begin with
2. select the shape or face
3. modify the shape to achieve what you want in both 2D and 3D
Modelling in SketchUp starts with a basic shape that is then edited.
In the Toolbar you will find icons for (amongst others) the various drawing tools. Remember the geometry rules mentioned at the beginning of this chapter: In SketchUp you only draw edges and faces: 3 edges drawn in the same plane will create a face -> faces create an object -> objects create complex models.
The Drawing Tools are:
Line,Freehand, Square and Rotated Square, Circle, Polygon,Arc – 2 Point Arc – 3 Point Arc and Pie
There are no set rules when to use which tool as it depends on the situation and how efficiently you want to draw.
Selecting
You need to select an element first to be able to modify it. After activating the Select Tool from the Toolbar (or simply press the Space bar to activate the Select Tool) you can either select various elements manually one by one by clicking on every desired elements (this includes edges, faces, groups and components) or:
1. Double click a surface to select a surface and al attached edges;
2. Triple click an element to select all connected entities;
3. Selecting an element>Right-Click>Select… and choosing one of the options available;
Selection marquee
With the Select tool activated you can also click and drag a selection marquee:
1. Dragging selection marquee towards Left will select all elements completely or partially within the marquee = Crossing Window
2. Dragging selection marque towards Right will only select elements completely within the marquee = Selection Window
TIP > The Axis tool allows you to re-orient the default red, green and blue axis. This is helpful when you want to draw elements in different orientations, for example part of your model is rotated by a certain angle versus the rest of the model. Note that the Axis orientation within groups or components can be different to the axis orientation outside of groups or components.
Deselecting
Click outside of your selection in empty space or Shift+Click selected elements.
TIP > To Select All (no matter what Tool are you using) go: Edit > Select All or simply press Command+A.
Intro to the Selection Tool
4 minutes 43 seconds
video by @SketchUp
Modifying
There are usually several ways how to draw a three dimensional element. The long way is to model an element line by line or polygon by polygon, which in some cases might be necessaryfor more complex elements.
The easy way to model usually is by modifying a basic shape.
The modification tools are:
1. Push/Pull : Extrudes a surface.
a. select a surface
b. activate the Push/Pull tool (P-key)
c. click the surface
d. push or pull by moving the cursor into the right direction
e. snap to a point or surface or use numerical input
2. Follow Me : Extrudes a surface along a path. You will need both – a surface to extrude and an edge to follow
3. Move, Rotate, Offset and Scale : If you activate these tools with an element selected you will modify that element. Note that without having anything selected the Status bar will tell you whether you will edit a point, edge, surface, group or component while hovering over;
TIP > To move or rotate a copy of selected element, choose the Move or Rotate Tool and press the Option-key. A + symbol appears next to the cursor indicating that a new copy of an element will be created.
INFO > There is no Mirror command in SketchUp, however 2 workarounds to mirror elements exist:
1. Scale tool: Choose a centre grid and squash the object to the point where it reverses direction, you now have a perfect mirrored object once the scale value reaches -1.0.
2. Context click>Flip along>choose the axis to flip the object along
TIP > Autofold : Is a process that allows you to create chamfered edges with the Offset and Move tool. Apply the Offset tool to a selected surface and offset the surface inward, next pick the inner surface and with the Move tool (while pressing the Command-key) move the surface in a perpendicular direction. Folding edges will be automatically created.
Deleting
You have 2 options to delete elements from your model:
1. Select elements and press Delete-key.
2. Use the Erase tool + single click.
TIP > Autofold : Is a process that allows you to create chamfered edges with the Offset and Move tool. Apply the Offset tool to a selected surface and offset the surface inward, next pick the inner surface and with the Move tool (while pressing the Command-key) move the surface in a perpendicular direction. Folding edges will be automatically created.
Paste in place
Copy an entity into the clipboard (CMD+C) and Select Edit>Paste in Place to paste it in the exact same location but within a different context. For example you can copy groups from within one component to another component or group.
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