Sketchup Workbook

7/30/2019 Sketchup Workbook

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By Bo nnie Ro ske s, P.E.

w ith Bo b d eW it t, M FA , M A

Exe rc ise s, t ip s, and tric ks that w ill te ac h yo u

every th ing there is to kno w ab o ut Sketc hUp .


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Every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained within this book is complete andaccurate. However, the authors assume no responsibility for the use of this information, nor for anyinfringement upon the intellectual property rights of third parties which would result from such use.

First Edition.

Copyright 2004, Bonnie Roskes

No part of this publication may be stored in a system, reproduced, or transmitted in any way or by anymeans, including but not limited to photography, photocopy, electronic, magnetic, or optical, withoutthe prior agreement and written permission of the publisher.

Manufactured in the United States of America

SketchUp is a registered trademark of @Last Software, Inc.

All technical illustrations and models in this book were produced using SketchUp.

Cover design by Bob deWitt.


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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The BasicsSketchUp Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Viewing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Hotkeys (Keyboard Shortcuts). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Drawing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Rectangle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Square and Golden Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Push/Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Circle and Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Arc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Freehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Manipulation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Taking Off Quantities Using Select and Entity Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Measure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Protractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Move and Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Autofold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Autofold with Curved Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Using Move to Resize Curves and Curved Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Rotate and Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Rotate - Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Scaling with the Axis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Displaying and Smoothing Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Annotation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Creating Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Dimension Display and Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Dimensioning Using the Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Using the Axis Tool with Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Chapter 2: Making Multiple CopiesBasic Move and Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Multiple Linear Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Multiple Rotated Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82


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Chapter 3: Intersect and Follow MeFollow Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Basic Follow Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85Follow Me with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92Round Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Intersect with Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Cutting and Embossing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Project: Intersecting Arches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Arch Cutouts Using Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Cutting Using Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99Hiding Intersection Edges with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Combining Follow Me and Intersect with Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Project: Intersecting Moldings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Project - Creating a Wall Niche. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106Project - Creating a Faucet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Chapter 4: Working with RoofsSimple Roof and Dormers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111Using Offset for Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113Project: Resolving Sloping Roofs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Method 1: Set Slope and Double Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Method 2 - Delete and Recreate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118Method 3 - Roofing with Follow Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121Project - Overhangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Project - Overhangs with Autofold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Chapter 5: GroupsIntroduction to Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Breaking Connected Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127Disconnecting from Other Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Manipulating Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129Project - Using Groups for Cutting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132Unsticking Objects from a Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Chapter 6: Components

Components Versus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133Component Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133

Component Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134Mac Components Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136Inserting and Editing Predefined Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136Where to Find More Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140

Manipulating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .140Creating and Saving Components in the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143


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Alignment and Insertion Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Cutting Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

Cutting Method 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148Cutting Method 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Creating a Window Component Plus a Cutout Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149Nested Cutting Components - Specific Wall Thickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Nested Cutting Components - Any Wall Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Cutting Holes in a Curved Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155

Project - Using Components for Mirroring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Replacing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Review: Tips for Efficiency with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Chapter 7: Painting, Materials, and TexturesOverview of Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Windows Material Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Mac Materials Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Colors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Textures and Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Importing Images. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Where to Find More Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Applying Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

Using Shift and Ctrl/Option Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Material Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Double-Sided Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Project: Using Transparent Faces to Simulate Fog Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Materials of Groups and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Overview of Materials and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Using Groups to Separate Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Materials of Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Default Component Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Texture Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Fixed Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Free Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Using Pictures to Create Realistic Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Creating a Painted 2D Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Creating a Painted 3D Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Wrapping Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Projecting an Image onto a Non-Planar Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Review: Tips for Efficiency with Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202


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Chapter 8: SectioningSectioning Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203Using Sections for Interior Design and Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .206

Exporting Section Slices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Project: Copying Section Planes for Floor Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209Project: Using Section Planes for Mitering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210

Moulding 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210Molding 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211

Project: Section Planes with Model Intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212Workaround: Simultaneous Section Cuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Chapter 9: PresentationWalk Through Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .219

Try It Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222

Position Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223Tour Guide / Slideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .226

Chapter 10: Using Exact DimensionsCreating Exact Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229Entity Info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .233Exact Moving and Copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .234Measuring Length and Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243Scaling in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245

Chapter 11: In-Depth ProjectsDomed Apse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .247

Try it Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .248Smoothing Faces of Rotate-Copied Curved Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249

Aligning Any Two Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250Curvy Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251Steel Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255Log Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .258Spiral Staircase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Chapter 12: Program SettingsDisplay Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261Perspective Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264

Model Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264Model Info > Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .264Model Info > Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265Model Info > Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .265Model Info > Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266


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1 The Basics

SketchUp ScreenWhen you launch SketchUp, your screen looks like this (Windows above, Mac below):


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NOTE: To adjust what toolbars and icons are displayed, selectView / Toolbars(Mac: View / Customize Toolbar).

Viewing ToolsWhile drawing, you need to know how to change yourview and adjust what appears on the screen. You canfamiliarize yourself with these tools before starting todraw, or play with them after youve created somegeometry.

Orbit (Mac: Orbit Camera) (Camera / Orbit, hotkey: V)

Also known as dynamic rotation, this tool simulatesholding an object and turning it around. To rotateyour view, activate Orbit and hold and drag themouse. Pressing Shift while orbiting will pan theview. If you have a 3-button mouse, you can hold themiddle mouse button while moving the mouse torotate the view from within any other tool.

Pan (Mac:Move Camera) (Camera / Pan, hotkey: B)

Shifts the center of the drawing (up, down, left,right), while maintaining the models orientation. Topan the view, activate Pan and hold and drag themouse. If you have a 3-button mouse, you can pan bypressing Shift while orbiting (dragging the mousewith the middle button pressed).

Look Around (Camera / Look Around, hotkey:Shift+L)

Pivots the camera around a stationary point,representing a person standing still and looking sideto side or up and down. This tool is helpful whenviewing the interior of a model. To look around,activate the tool and drag the mouse from side toside, or up and down. You can specify the eye height

by typing it and pressing Enter; it will appear in theVCB.

Walk (Camera / Walk, hotkey: W)

Enables you to move around in a drawing as a

simulation of walking.

NOTE: Perspectivemode must be on forWalkto work. See"Perspective Mode" on page 264.

Zoom (Camera / Zoom, hotkey: Z)

In this tool, drag the mouse up to zoom in, down tozoom out. If you have a wheel mouse, you can scrollthe wheel up or down to zoom. In this case, zoomingis relative to the location of the cursor.

To change the camera lens (field of view), press Shiftwhile zooming. This is handy for adjusting theperspective of your image. You can also enter anexact value, such as 45 deg (for field of view) or 35mm (for focal length).

While in zoom, you can double-click on a point in thedrawing to make it the new drawing center. This isequivalent to a one-clickPan.


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ZoomWindow (Camera / Zoom Window hotkey:Ctrl/Option +Shift+W)

In this tool you simply click two points to define arectangle, and the zoom adjusts to fit the window intothe full screen. This is a good way to enlarge yourview of a specific small area of the drawing.

ZoomExtents (Camera / Zoom Extents, hotkey:Ctrl/Option+Shift+E)

Click this tool to fit the entire model onto the screen,while centering it as well.

Undo View Change

Returns the view to the previous view, before it waschanged.

Hotkeys (KeyboardShortcuts)Throughout this book, hotkeys are provided for sometools. Some of these are preset in SketchUp, and some aresuggested shortcuts you can add. You can change your

hotkeys at any time - select Window / Preferences (Mac:SketchUp / Preferences) and open the Shortcuts page. Ifyou set your own hotkeys that differ than those suggestedhere, be sure to remember them and not let whats writtenhere confuse you!

Drawing ToolsBefore you can create any forms in SketchUp, you need tofirst know how to draw a few things using 2D tools. Thesix basic drawing tools are Line, Rectangle, Polygon,Arc, Circle, and Freehand. While each of these creates a

2D object, you can use them in any 3D plane.LineThis tool creates lines that typically become edges. Whenlines (or other objects such as arcs, circles, or polygons)lie in the same plane and form a closed boundary, a face isautomatically created.

1. Open SketchUp, and an empty drawing appears inTop view. You are looking at the red-green plane,and the blue axis (vertical) is pointing toward you.

NOTE: If you dont see the axes displayed, selectView / Axesor press Alt+X.

2. To control the way lines are drawn, open thePreferences window (Window / Preferences,Mac:SketchUp / Preferences). Open the Drawing page.

Three setting here affect line creation:

Click-drag-release uses a mouse drag to createlines.

Click-move-click will define a line by two points.

Auto detect enables both methods, depending onhow you use your mouse.


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3. We want to enable both methods, so clickAutodetect.

4. Also, check Continue line drawing to automaticallystart a new line after completing a line. If this is notchecked, you create lines one at a time.

5. Close the Preferences.

6. Now open the Model Info window (if it is notalready open), either by selecting Window / ModelInfo or by clicking the icon.

Mac: You can add this icon to your toolbar via View

/ Customize Toolbar.

7. Open the Colors page and check the color for Edges.By default, edges are drawn in black, but you canchange this color if you like.

8. If you like to work with as much screen space aspossible, close the Model Info window. Some usersprefer to leave it open at all times.

9. Click Line, or select Draw / Line, or use hotkey: L.

10. Click to place the first point (not on the origin), andmove the cursor to the right. The On Red Axisinference tells you that the line will be parallel to thered axis. Click to locate the second point.

TIP: You could also click and hold the first point and drag themouse to the second point, then release. Most users prefer to

click-move-click, however.

11. Because you selected Continue line drawing, youimmediately start a new line. Locate the next point in

the green direction from the last point.

12. The next endpoint is to be located directly above themidpoint of the first line. Hover over this point; the

midpoint is indicated by a cyan dot. Do not click yet!

13. Move the cursor in the green direction from thispoint, and click to place the next point.


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14. Move the cursor until you see the Perpendicularinference (the preview line is magenta). Theperpendicular constraint is always available relativeto the last line you drew. Click for the next point,trying to maintain the general proportions shownbelow.

15. Make the next line perpendicular from the last line,with the red direction constraint shown.

16. Draw the next line in the green direction.

17. You can make new lines parallel or perpendicular toany existing line, not just the most recent line. Hoverover any point along the line shown . . .

18. . . . and move the cursor until you see the Parallelinference (be sure not to activate any otherinferences). Do not click yet.

19. Now we use a double inference. With the Parallelinference still showing, press Shift. This ensures thatno matter where you move the cursor, the line willalways have this parallel orientation. When you pressShift, the magenta inference line turns thicker,indicating that this constraint is locked.

20. With Shift pressed, hover over the corner pointshown to see the double inference. Click this point.

21. Similarly, press Shift when the next line isperpendicular to the previous one and constrain it tothe start point.


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22. Draw one more line to complete the face.

NOTE: Face colors are set in theColorpage of theModel Infowindow. Each face has a front and back, and these are typically

assigned different colors. You can always reverse a faces front

and back by right-clicking and selectingReverse.

23. Like all drawing tools,Line can be used just as easilyin 3D. ClickOrbit (Mac: Orbit Camera) and movethe mouse to spin the model around. (If you have athree-button or scroll wheel mouse, simply hold themiddle button / scroll wheel and drag - no need toactivate Orbit).

24. Orbit to the orientation shown below. Activate Line,anddraw a line from the point shown straight down,in the blue (vertical) direction.

25. To draw a rectangular vertical face, hover over thedesired corner point and move down (in blue) andclick when the double constraint appears.

26. Draw the third line to complete the face.

27. Use a parallel constraint to draw this vertical face.

28. Lines can also be used to divide faces. Draw avertical line connecting the midpoints of thehorizontal edges of the face you just completed.


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29. Both lines are now divided into two lines. To verifythis, hover over what was the midpoint, and now it isan endpoint.

30. This line also divided the original face into two faces.To verify this, activate Select (Tools / Select, hotkey:Spacebar).

31. Click either face to see it highlighted.

32. We will now see how lines can be used to heal faces.ClickErase (Tools / Erase, hotkey: E).

33. Erase one of the top edges. Because it no longer hasa closed boundary, the face disappears.

34. Recreate the face by simply replacing the line.

35. Erase the dividing line, and the two faces are healed- joined into one face.


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36. If you erase a line that is a boundary for more thanone face, all affected faces will be deleted. Erase thecommon edge shown.

Both faces sharing this edge disappear.

37. Redraw the line to recreate both faces.

38. Now open the Model Info to the Display page. Setthe edge display to By Axis.

NOTE: These options are also available viaWindow / DisplaySettings.

39. It doesnt appear so well in black and white, but onyour screen you can see that all edges parallel to oneof the axes take on the axis color.

Some prefer to work with By Axis on, and some findit distracting. For the purposes of this book, andbecause these graphics are in black and whiteanyway, black edges will be used.


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RectangleIf you need to draw a rectangular face, you dont need touse Line to draw four separate lines; Rectangle does it inone step.

1. Start a new file (Top view) and clickRectangle (or

select Draw / Rectangle,or use hotkey: R).

2. Draw a rectangle by clicking the two opposite points,or by clicking and dragging from the first point to thesecond.

NOTE: While sizing the rectangle, you may see two indicators -Square and Golden Section. These are explained in the next

section.

3. Draw another rectangle from a point on the top edgeto the midpoint of the left edge.

4. So far the rectangles have been parallel to the red andgreen axes. To draw a skewed rectangle in thered-green plane, you need to change the axes. ClickAxes, select Tools / Axes, or press hotkey: X.

5. Locate the origin at Point 1, and click Point 2 todefine the red axis.

6. For the green axis direction, click any point abovethe new red axis.

Here are the new axes - red and green in thehorizontal plane, blue pointing up.


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NOTE: You can see the blue axis, even though you are in Topview. This is because you are working inPerspectivemode. If

you turn this off (Camera / Perspective) the blue axis will point

directly up and be invisible in this view.

7. Draw the next rectangle by clicking on Point 1 andhovering over Point 2. Then move the cursor fromPoint 2 and press Shift to lock this width. With Shiftpressed, click Point 3. You have now used a doubleconstraint to both lock the width and set the height toinclude a specific point.

8. Because the axis display can be distracting, turn it offby selecting View / Axes). You can also erase all theextra lines in the middle to heal the face into oneface.

9. Orbit so that you can create some vertical faces.Create the first rectangle by clicking Point 1 andhovering over Point 2.

10. Pull up in the blue direction and click to create therectangle.

11. Click and hover again using the points shown, andpress Shift to lock the width.

12. Click the midpoint shown to create thedouble-constrained vertical rectangle.

13. You do not need to use Shift in every case for adouble constraint. Start at Point 1, hover over Point2, and pull up to Point 3.


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Here is the final set of walls.

14. If you are planning to continue your work in the samefile, you should reset the axes. Display the axesagain, right-click on any axis, and select Reset.

Square and Golden SectionWhile using Rectangle, its easy to create two of the mostcommonly-used rectangles: squares and golden sections.

First the square. Simply activate Rectangle and startdrawing. SketchUp lets you know when the cursor is in aposition to create a square. If you click when you see theindicator, youll create a square.

Golden sections work the same way.

For those unfamiliar with the golden section, it is a ratioused since the earliest days of architectural design. As youcan see, it can be created automatically. But if yourecurious, heres how to create it:

1. Use Rectangle to create a square. Then use Line toconnect one of the corners to one of the midpoints.

2. Activate Circle and use Points 1 and 2 to draw thecircle.

3. Draw the line shown below. This is an extension ofthe original segment to where it meets the circle.

4. Erase the circle and complete the rectangle by adding2 lines.

5. To test the results, we can measure the dimensions ofthe rectangle. Use Measure, first clicking on onecorner point then hovering over the endpoint of thesegment you want to measure.


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6. The ratio of the longer segment to the shorter oneshould be 1.61803. The definition of a golden sectionis that the ratio of AB to BC equals AC to AB.

This value of 1.61803 is phi - a crucial number inarchitecture, art, and nature - including the human body. Ifyou divide this value into 1.0, you get 0.61803.

If you get slightly inaccurate results, it is probablybecause of the circle you used. In SketchUp, circles arecreated as a series of short line segments, and the fewersegments you have, the less accurate is the circle.

Depending on the scale, even a thousand-segment circlemay yield a slightly inaccurate golden section.

Here is a more accurate way to create a golden section:

7. Return to the square with diagonal line. ActivateSelect and select only the diagonal line (no faces).

8. Activate Rotate.

9. This line will be copied, so press Ctrl/Option andplace the protractor at the midpoint end of thediagonal line.

10. To set the zero angle, click the other endpoint of thediagonal line.

11. Finally, create the rotated copy by defining therotation angle as shown here:

12. Use this copied line to complete the rectangle. Nowif you measure these lengths, their ratio should be0.61803.

Push/PullWhile not exactly a 2D drawing tool, Push/Pull it is socrucial to working in SketchUp that its important to coverit before moving on to other tools.

Push/Pull is what makes SketchUp so unique and easy touse. Simply put, it takes a face and makes a 3D assemblyof faces. In CAD terms, its basically an extrude tool butmuch more flexible and intuitive.

1. Start in top view, and use Line to make a trapezoid.Orbit to an isometric view.


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2. Click Push/Pull (or select Tools / Push/Pull, or usehotkey: P).

3. To use this tool, you can either click on the face andthen click the point (above or below the face ) to setthe height, or you can hold and drag the face up ordown. Either way, the face updates dynamicallywhile you move the mouse.

Push/Pull always pushes or pulls a face in a directionperpendicular to the face. It also creates a prismaticform - the start and end faces are the same size.

4. Use Rectangle (or Line) to draw two rectangle fromthe bottom edge of the front face. (When you use a2D drawing tool on a face, the object automaticallyaligns to that face.) Constrain the second rectangle to

be the same height as the first.

5. Use Push/Pull to pull out one of the rectangles. Thendouble-click on the other rectangle - this pulls it outby the same distance you just used.

6. Now push the top of the trapezoid down. You canonly go as far as the top of the box forms.

7. Use another Push/Pull to continue pushing this facepast the boxes. You can use inferences while usingPush/Pull - stop at the midpoint of the edge shown.

TIP: When using an inference point to set aPush/Pulldistance,its easier to use two clicks (face and height point), rather than

dragging the face.

8. Draw two rectangles on the top of the trapezoid. Theshould be aligned to each other, and to the two boxesalong the front.

9. Use Push/Pull to push in one of the rectangles.

To push the other rectangle in by the same distance,you could double-click it. But this can only be donewhen you want to use the distance of the last


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Push/Pull. If you used Push/Pull somewhere else,then came back to the second rectangle, the distanceyou want is no longer stored.

10. To get the same Push/Pull distance, click theunpushed rectangle, then move the cursor to the onealready pushed. When the On Face constraint

appears, click to use this distance.

11. You can also use Push/Pull to create voids. Push therectangles all the way through the trapezoidal form -simply end the operation at the bottom face.

TIP: An easy way to push all the way through is to first click therectangular face you want to push through, then click anywhere

on any edge of the bottom face. This prevents you from pushing

too far or not far enough, and is very useful in cases where you

cannot see all the way to the bottom of the hole.

12. Now pull up the top trapezoidal face. Because of thebox forms, there are lines above the box corners,dividing the front into five separate faces.

13. Erase two of the lines, healing the face above one ofthe boxes.

14. Push in the vertical face above the other box.


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15. With one additional line and another Push/Pull, youcan add a small balcony.

There is an added feature ofPush/Pull that enablesyou to control how the adjacent faces act. Todemonstrate this, we will work on the back face.

16. Orbit to the back and pull out the face shown. This

leaves the neighboring faces in place, and addsvertical faces, between them and the pulled face.

17. Undo this operation (Ctrl+Z, Cmd+Z), and pull itagain, this time holding down the Ctrl/Option key.The pulled face remains the same size, but theneighboring faces move with it.

NOTE: You could get the same results using theMovetool, butPush/Pullensures that you are always moving perpendicular to

the face.

18. For another demonstration of this feature, undoagain, and pull out the side of the trapezoid.

19. Now use a normal Push/Pull - no Ctrl/Option - onthe face shown.

20. Undo, and pull the same face using the Ctrl/Optionkey. Quite a difference!


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Circle and PolygonThese two tools are grouped together because they arebasically the same. Both create multi-segmentedpolygons; a higher number of segments is a betterapproximation to a circle. The difference basically lies inthe appearance of the faces that result when you usePush/Pull.

1. Activate Circle (Draw / Circle, hotkey: C). Draw acircle in the red-green plane by clicking the centerpoint and then a point on the circumference. Youcould also click and drag from the center to thecircumference.

NOTE: Like with all 2D drawing tools, you can draw a circle inany of the three planes. Just orbit so that you are facing the

plane you want to draw in.

2. You can also create circles on existing faces. Create abox with a diagonal line on one of the faces - whenthe line turns magenta that means its endpoints are

equidistant from the corner.

3. Push the triangular portion of the face inward until itcuts all the way through. Create a circle on the sideface.

If you look closely at the circle, youll see that its notactually round, rather its comprised of many shortsegments.

4. Because the circle divided the vertical side into twofaces, you can use Push/Pull on the circular portionto pull out a cylinder.

Even though the circle is a series of lines, thecylinder face appears smooth and round. It is actuallycomprised of a series of flat faces, but looks and actsas one, curved face.

5. The next circle will be concentric with the front faceof the cylinder. To pick up the Center inference, firsthover over one of the endpoints, then move thecursor around the center until the green dot appears.


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6. Start to draw a concentric circle on this face, but donot click the second point to complete it.

7. Before the circle is complete, you can choose tospecify a radius or a different number of segments.Type 8s to change the sides to 8. You need the sbecause a number alone will be interpreted as adimension.

If you change segmentation this way, the segmentnumber stays active for future circles, until thenumber is changed again. The same applies forPolygon.

You can also change the number of sides after thecircle is completed. However, if the circle is locatedon an existing face (such as in this example), thecircle will sometimes be created on top of (notwithin) the face.

NOTE: You can also use the VCB to set the circle radius - simply

type in the radius and press Enter.

8. Complete the circle, which is actually an octagon,and Push/Pull this inner circle back to the verticalface of the box.

9. If not already displayed, show the Entity Infowindow (Window / Entity Info). With nothingselected, the window should be blank.

10. Activate Select and select the circle shown. EntityInfo displays the radius, number of segments, andlength (Windows only) of the circle. (If, in Windows,the length does not appear, click the right-facingarrow at the top of the window and select ShowDetails.)

Once a circle has been extruded, you can still changeits radius. (Before extruding you can also change itssegmentation.)

TIP: You could also have displayed this by right-clicking on thecircle and selectingEntity Infofrom the menu.

11. Assign a slightly smaller radius - remember tospecify your units. (For 1-8 you could type 18.)


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12. The hollow cylinder now has a draft angle.

13. Now draw a small circle on the sloped face (leaveroom for another circle next to it). Note that it has 8sides - this is the last segmentation value you used.

14. Activate Polygon (Draw / Polygon, hotkey: Shift +D)).

Polygons are drawn just like circles - center thenradius.

15. Before drawing the polygon, right-click on the circleand select Point at Center. This places a markingpoint at the center of any arc, circle, or polygon.

NOTE: This point is actually construction geometry, and can behidden or erased just like construction lines, which are created

using theMeasuretool.

16. Align the polygon center to this point. Create a

polygon with approximately the same radius as thecircle.

17. By default, the polygon should have 6 sides, unlessthis was already changed. Open the polygons Entity

Info and change the number of segments to 8, tomatch the circle. (If youre a perfectionist, you canalso use the Entity Infoto assign the exact sameradii to the circle and polygon.)

NOTE: The 8s method would also work for polygons. But onceyouPush/Pulla polygon (or circle), you can no longer change

its segmentation.

You should now have two adjacent octagons.


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18. To see how these are different, Push/Pull them both.(Remember, you can Push/Pull one face, thendouble-click the second face to extrude it the samedistance.) The circular face appears smooth, whilethe polygonal face is faceted.

19. In actuality, these objects are the same, only theirappearance is different. Circular faces are faceted aswell, but their edges are smoothed and hidden. To seethe edges of the circular faces, select View / HiddenGeometry, or press F4.

In Windows, the F keys are preset to implement display

commands such as wireframe, shaded, X-ray, etc. (see"Display

Settings" on page 261). On the Mac these shortcuts are not

preset, but you can add them yourself.

20. Press F4 again to hide the edges. Another differencein these faces is how they are selected. ActivateSelect, and click one of the polygonal facets. Each ofthese faces can be selected separately.

21. Select the circular face - it is selected as one face.

22. Activate Circle. You can change the number ofsegments before placing the first point by simplytyping the number (no s needed). Enter 12, and thevalue appears next to Sides in the VCB.

23. Locate the center at the midpoint of the edge shown(do not click yet). Depending on how you move thecursor, you can align the circle with either adjacentface. Click when the circle preview is vertical. Makethe circle vertical, and orient the radius straight down(or straight across) so that the box edge contains twosegment endpoints.

24. Because two of the segment endpoints lie on theedge, the edge divides the circle in half. Select thetop part of the circle and delete it. You are left with anarc that has bold lines, indicating that it is notconsidered properly aligned with the face.

NOTE: If you had placed the circle so that its segmentsoverlapped the edge, the circle would not have been divided.


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25. To resolve the arc to the face, simply use Line toconnect its endpoints. (You could also use Line torecreate any of the arcs segments.) The arc is nowthin-lined.

26. Push/Pull the arc face outward. Because this arc wascreated from a circle, its extruded face is smooth.

27. Undo the extrusion. (Ctrl/Cmd+Z). Right-click onthe arc (be sure not to right-click on a face) and selectConvert to Polygon. Push/Pull the arc face again,

and this time it is faceted.

28. Undo the extrusion, and right-click on the arc andselect Explode Curve. This breaks the curve into itsindividual segments. You can now select the top twosegments and delete them.

NOTE: In addition to usingEntity Info, theMovetool can alsobe used to resize circles and polygons. Movealso enables you

to resize curved extruded faces. This will be shown later in this

chapter.

ArcSimilar to Circle and Polygon, Arc createsmulti-segmented representations of arcs. You can drawarcs in any face, or in any of the three main planes.

1. Start with the same form you used in the Circleexercise

2. Activate Arc via the icon, or by selecting Draw / Arcor by using hotkey: A.


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3. An arc is started by first defining its chord. Selecttwo edge points on the side face. Like when drawinga line, the arc chord appears in magenta when bothends are equidistant from the corner.

4. Then move the cursor along the face to set the bulge.

NOTE: You can also specify exact dimensions for the bulge.

5. Start a second arc in the top corner, placing the firstchord point along the vertical edge and the secondpoint on the face. To define the bulge, move thecursor until the arc appears in cyan and the Tangentto Edge inference appears.

6. When you draw an arc starting from an existing arc,the new arc is tangent to the adjacent one by default,indicated by the Tangent at Vertex inference. To setthe arc bulge, double-click to keep it tangent.

TIP: If you are having trouble placing the starting point of thenew arc exactly on the endpoint of the previous one, try zooming

in closer.

7. Do the same for the third arc in the chain.

8. Arcs in a chain do not necessarily have to be tangentto their adjacent arcs. Start the next arc as before, and

locate the second chord point (single-click) on thetop edge. Move the cursor so that this arc becomestangent to the top edge, rather than the adjacent arc.


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NOTE: Be careful when making an arc tangent to an edge, ifboth chord points are located on edges. Unless the chord points

are equidistant from the corner point, there are two tangency

possibilities - one for each edge.

9. You can also find the center point of any arc. ActivateCircle, and place the center at the center of the lastarc. (If you have trouble locating the center, hoverover one of the arc endpoints first.)

10. Use Push/Pull on the arc, arc chain, and circle tocreate voids.

11. Draw a rectangle on the diagonal face, and draw anarc using the top edge of the rectangle. Move thecursor until the Half Circle inference appears.

12. Like with circles, one way to change the number ofsegments is to enter the new number after the arc iscreated. Type 4s, which appears in the VCB, andpress Enter.

The arc now has 4 segments.

NOTE: You can also change the number of segments whileselecting the chord points, or before you set the bulge. In these

cases, you also need to type 4s.

13. Once you create another object or activate anothertool, you can no longer change the arc this way (the4s method). But for another way to change the arc,open its Entity Info window. Both the radius andnumber of segments can be edited.

14. Change the segment number to 8, and enter a slightlysmaller radius (dont forget the units symbol ifnecessary).


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FreehandAnother self-explanatory tool name, Freehand is used tocreate freehand sketches.

1. Start with a box.

2. Click Freehand, or select Draw / Freehand, orpress hotkey: F.

3. Draw an open curve by clicking and dragging themouse. Because the mouse button remains pressed,inferences from other points are not displayed.

Like circles and arcs, this curve is approximated intosegments, though it is selected and manipulated asone object. The lines are thick because they are notedges of a face.

4. Orbit to the other side, and draw a closed freehandcurve. To make a curve closed, simply end it at itsstart point. If you do it right, the lines will be thin,indicating a face has been formed.

5. Push/Pull out the freehand face. Although the curveis segmented, the curved face is smooth.

6. Undo and use Convert to Polygon to create afaceted extrusion.

This smooth vs. faceted behavior works the sameway as for circles, arcs, and polygons.

7. Undo again, and use Explode Curve. Now the curveis broken into separate segments. Verify this by

erasing individual segments.8. Erase the rest of the curve to clear the face. Then

draw a similar closed curve, keeping the Shift keypressed.


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When you use Shift, the resulting curve does notintegrate with any other geometry. The lines are thin,but it has not divided the box face into two faces -you cannot erase the enclosed face.

9. To change this into a standard object (a curve thatwill affect neighboring objects), right-click on it andselect Explode. The lines are now thick, meaning itis not closed. Even though this was created as a

closed curve, it does not translate into a closed curvewhen exploded.

10. Use a line to close the curve. You will probably haveto zoom in closely to the start and end points to findthe break. Once closed, the lines are thin.

Manipulation ToolsThese are tools you can used once you have somegeometry in your model. Among other things, this sectionincludes tools for measuring, erasing, copying, moving,rotating, scaling, and making construction lines.

SelectYou need to understand this tool before getting into theother manipulation tools, because, in many cases, objectsneed to be selected before you can apply another tool tothem. Selecting is very straightforward, but this exercisemay show you some features you didnt know about.


2. Click Select, or select Tools / Select, or press hotkey:Spacebar.

3. When in Select mode, the cursor appears as an arrow.Click an edge to select it.


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The selected edge appears in the color specified forHighlight, located on the Color page of the ModelInfo window.

4. Now click a face to select it. The edge now isdeselected. Selected faces are covered with a dottedpattern, also in the Highlight color.

Keep in mind that edges and faces are consideredseparate objects, so be aware of what you need toselect for the tool you want to use!

5. Add another face to the set of selected objects, bypressing Ctrl/Option while selecting.

6. Use Ctrl/ Option to add two edges.

7. Pressing Shift+Ctrl/Option removes objects from theselection set. Remove one face and one edge.

8. Pressing Shift toggles objects between selected anddeselected. Press Shift and select a face . . .

9. . . . then click the face again (with Shift) to deselect it.

10. To deselect everything, select Edit / Deselect All, orpress hotkey: Ctrl/Option + T.

TIP: You can select everything by selectingEdit / Select All, orby pressing Ctrl+A (Cmd+A).


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11. Add a rectangle to one of the faces and Push/Pull itout. We will now use window (marquee) selections.Return to Select mode and drag a window from leftto right, enclosing the front face of the small box.

This type of window selects objects that arecompletely enclosed within it - the face and the foursurrounding edges.

12. Clear the selection (click anywhere in the blankspace), and draw the same window selection box,this time from right to left.

This window selects everything completely orpartially inside it - the front face, side and top faces,and surrounding edges.

13. Shift and Ctrl/Option keys can be used with windowselection. Press Shift to toggle selected objects anddrag a window that encloses both boxes.

Objects that were previously selected are deselected,and vice-versa.

14. Now orbit around so that the small box is behind thelarger one. Drag a right-to-left window to select threefaces of the large box (the two you can see plus thebottom face) plus the three edges.

15. The selection window affects all objects inside it,throughout the depth of the model into the screen.Therefore you need to be careful when using aright-to-left window, because you might selectobjects that are hidden behind objects.

In this case, the window has also selected some edgesand faces of the small box.


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16. Switching to wireframe can show you exactly whatsbeen selected. ClickWireframe, or press hotkey: F5.

In this view you can see the edges and faces of thesmall box that are selected.

17. To deselect the small box, orbit the view as shown,press Ctrl/Option + Shift, and drag a right-to-left boxaround it.

18. The small box is deselected, but the last selectionwindow also deselected the side face of the large box.

19. Switch back to Shaded mode by clicking the icon, orby pressing hotkey: F7.

20. Press Ctrl/Option or use Shift, and re-select the face.

21. Heres a neat feature that allows you to selectmultiple objects at once. While in Select,double-click on any face. This selects not only theface, but also all surrounding edges.

22. Double-click on any edge to select the edge plus alladjacent faces.

23. Finally, triple-click on any edge or face. This selectsall contiguous edges and faces. Unattached objectsremain unselected.

The context menu also provides these selection options. Ifyou right-click an edge, you can select all connectedfaces, or all connected geometry.


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If you right-click a face, you can select its boundingedges, connected faces, or all connected geometry.

Layers are described in Chapter 9. Materials are describedin Chapter 7.

Taking Off Quantities Using Selectand Entity InfoThe Entity Info window enables you to easily calculate

numbers of objects, total lengths of edges, and total areaof faces.

This section applies to both Windows and Mac users.However, at this time, Entity Info on the Mac does notgive quantities for more than one selected object; it givesquantities only for one object at a time. However, EntityInfo will tell you how many objects are selected.

1. When a face is selected, its area is listed in thewindow.

2. Select a few faces, and the total number of faces, aswell as total area, are listed.

3. Now select one edge; its length is listed. In addition,you have the options Soft and Smooth - these areoptions that control how the edges are displayed (see"Displaying and Smoothing Edges" on page 57).

4. Select a few edges (they dont have to becontiguous), and their total length is listed.

5. Length can be calculated for curves as well, whichmakes sense since arcs and circles are basicallycreated as a series of small edges. In this case, 4objects are selected - 2 circles with 24 segments

each, and 2 arcs with 8 segments each. The totalnumber of edges is 64, and the total length is alsolisted.


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6. If your selection set contains different types ofentities (edges plus faces, faces plus groups), thetotal number of entities will be listed, and nothingelse.

EraseAfter knowing how to select, the next important thing isknowing how to erase.

1. Start with a polygon, using around 24 sides, pulledinto a cylinder. Draw a rectangle that encloses thebottom of the cylinder.

2. Push/Pull the rectangle downward and Push/Pullthe polygon the same distance by double-clicking onit.

3. Use Explode Curve to break the bottom polygoninto its individual segments.

4. Activate Erase (Tools / Erase, hotkey: E).

5. The cursor is now an eraser symbol. Click on any ofthe polygon segments on the bottom face. Becausethis breaks the circular face, the remaining linesbecome thick. If you try to select this rectangularface, it has now become a single face.

NOTE: If you hadnt exploded the polygon, the entire polygonwould be erased with one click.

6. To erase multiple edges in one go, keep the mousebutton pressed and pass over the edges you want todelete. They will be highlighted in the select color,and will be deleted once you release the button. If theEntity Info window is open, you will see the numberand total length (Windows only) of the edges to beerased.

If you accidentally pass over an edge you dont wantto erase, press Esc to start over. And, of course, youcan always use Undo.

TIP: If you pass over edges too quickly, they might be missed. Ifyoure not picking up all the edges you want, move the mouse

more slowly.


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7. Erase the remaining circle segments on this face.

The Erase tool does not work on faces, only edges.To remove faces, you need to select them first.

8. Orbit to look down on the top face, draw a rectangleon it, and select it.

9. Right-click and select Erase. You could also useSelect to select the face and press the Delete key.

TIP: This menu also contains aHideoption - useful fortemporarily removing faces. The hotkey for hiding is H.

10. Erase one of the edges of the cutout. The face isrestored, and the remaining three edges arethick-lined.

11. Another way to erase is to select first, then pressDelete. Use a right-to-left selection window to selectall edges and faces of the base, except for the topface.

12. Press Delete, or right-click and select Erase. Onlythe top face of the base remains.

13. If you erase an edge of a face, all faces adjacent to itwill also disappear. Erase one of the vertical edges ofthe cylinder, and its two adjacent faces disappear.

14. Undo to restore these face. You could also recreatethese faces by manually redrawing the edge youerased.


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15. The last feature of the Erase tool is that it can alsohide edges (not faces). Just press Shift and click anedge, or keep Shift pressed while you pass overmultiple edges.

TIP: You can also hide edges and faces by selecting them first,then pressing H (or selectingHidefrom the popup menu, or

selectingEdit / Hide).

To hide all edges, you can set the edge color to Nonein the Display Settings window (Window / DisplaySettings).

In addition to hiding edges, Erase can also be used tosoften edges. Hiding and smoothing are two differentthings. As you saw above, hiding edges leaves surfaceslooking faceted, while smoothing creates a smooth look.Hiding also hides profile lines, while smoothed objectsstill have their profile lines displayed.

MeasureThis tool has three purposes: to measure distances, toscale an entire model, and to create construction lines.

1. Start with this form.

2. Activate Measure (Tools / Measure,Mac: Tools /Tape Measure, hotkey: D).

3. Measure the length of the base by clicking the twoendpoints.

The length is indicated in the VCB.

4. To change the length of this edge, type the desiredlength (such as 20) - dont forget the unit.

5. Using Measure this way enables you to scale yourentire model, according to the value you entered.

Click Yes to the following question:


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The model changes scale. You can verify this byusing Measure on the same two endpoints, andchecking the length in the VCB.

NOTE: If your model has components, they willnotbe scaled inthis operation. Components have set dimensions which would

be lost if they were scaled.

6. As youve already seen, you can also use Entity Infoto measure edges. In some cases, you also can useEntity Info to change an edges length, but this is notone of those cases. Enter a different length. Toimplement the change, click outside the Entity Infowindow.

This is the error message you get:

The edge could not resize because there are too manyfaces that would be affected; SketchUp wouldntknow which endpoint to keep in place. However, ifthe model looked like this (in which each adjacentface ends at the endpoint). . .

. . . the edge could be shortened.

But even when you can use Entity Info to change anedge, it will only affect the selected edge. To scale anentire model, Measure is what you need to use.

7. We now want to create a shape on the sloped face, butwe need construction lines to know where to locatepoints. Activate Measure and click two opposite

corners of the diagonal face. An infinite constructionline is created here.

8. Measure can also create construction lines offset toedges and other construction lines. Click theconstruction line you just drew and move the cursorto one side to see the offset line. Place it so that itintersects the midpoint of the edge shown.


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9. Create another offset construction line that intersectsthe midpoint of the other edge.

10. Now for the construction lines in the other direction- create one between the other opposite corners ofthis face.

11. Click this construction line and move the cursor toone side. Do not pick up any other inferences, and donot click yet.

12. You can enter the offset distance manually. Enter avalue like 7 (dont forget the foot symbol;otherwise, the value is assumed to be in inches).Press Enter.

13. The construction line is created at the specifiedoffset.

14. Its not too late to change the offset. Type 2 (orwhatever makes sense in your case) and press Enter,to move the new construction line closer to thecenter.

15. Create another construction line at the same offset inthe other direction.


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16. Use the intersections of the construction lines tocreate the three lines and arc shown below. If drawncorrectly, the form should be thin-lined (closed andaligned to the sloped face).

17. Erase all construction lines by selecting Edit /Construction Geometry / Erase (or Hide).

18. The next construction line will use a doubleconstraint. Click the lower edge of the sloped face(not at an endpoint, and without picking up any other

inference), so that you can create an offsetconstruction line. Then hover on the upper edge topick up its inference.

19. Move out so that the construction line is along theaxis (red or green direction) from the upper edge, anddirectly above (blue direction) the lower edge.

(Heres another way to do the same thing: Click thelower edge and pull up in the blue direction. PressShift to lock the blue direction, then click any pointon the upper edge.)

20. Activate Push/Pull, click the inner portion of thesloped face, and click the construction line. Thisextends the face to the level of the construction line

21. Construction lines can also be used to infer pointsthat do not exist. Create a construction line along theedge shown by clicking any two points along it.

22. Do the same along the diagonal edge.


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23. From the point where these lines intersect, startanother construction line. Move in the red or greendirection (depending on where your axes are) butdont click yet.

24. Type an offset value, such as 25 and press Enter.

This creates a finite construction line, ending at aconstruction point.

TIP: There is a quicker way to do this, using inference locking.In theMeasuretool, first hover over one edge and press Shift,

then click the other edge. This places the first endpoint of the

construction line at the point where the two edges would meet.

You can then locate the second endpoint of the construction line.

25. Create an offset of the diagonal construction line byclicking on it (Line A), then clicking on the endpointof the finite construction line (Point B).


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26. We now have the necessary information to create thistriangular face.

27. Erase the construction lines, and Push/Pull thetriangle outward.

28. If you look from the side, you can see that the slopedfaces of both forms lie on the same plane.

ProtractorThis tool has two purposes: to create angled constructionlines and to measure angles.

1. Start with a box. Activate Protractor (Tools /Protractor, hotkey: Shift+D).

2. The protractor appears. Place it at the midpoint of theright vertical edge, aligned with the front face. Thenset the reference line horizontally along the frontface.

3. The final step is to define the angle, which ismeasured from the reference line. By default, theprotractor has ticks marking angles every 15 degrees.If you move the cursor two ticks above the referenceline, you will see 30 degrees listed in the VCB. Do

not click yet.

4. To change the default tick spacing, open the Model

Info window to the Units page. Enableanglesnapping should be checked, which enables you tosnap to the tick marks. Change the snap angle from15 to 10.


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5. Now the protractor has tick marks every 10 degrees.Place the cursor at the 40-degree tick, and click toplace the construction line.

6. Draw a line along the construction line on the frontface and Push/Pull the triangular face all the waythrough. Because the construction line is no longerneeded, you can erase it.

7. Activate Protractor again. This time we want tokeep the protractor flat (red-green plane) and centerit at a specific point. To do this, we need to set theorientation first.

8. Place the protractor anywhere outside the form andpress Shift to lock its orientation. (You can also usethe top horizontal face for orientation.)

9. With Shift still pressed, click the corner shown toplace the protractor center.

10. Define the reference line along the horizontal edge.Place the cursor to indicate the direction of the angle,and type the angle (such as 32.4) whichautomatically appears in the VCB. Press Enter to setthe construction line.

TIP: You can enter negative values as well. If the cursor had setthe angle direction the other way, you could type -32.4 to get the

same result.

11. Use this construction line to create this triangularform.

12. Erase the construction line.


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13. Activate Protractor again, which will now be usedto measure an angle. Place and orient the protractorfrom Point B to Point A. Hover (do not click) overPoint C. In the VCB you will see the measurement ofangle A-B-C. This measurement of 57.6 is thecomplement of the 32.4-degree angle you created

before.

14. Press Esc to free the protractor so it can be placedsomewhere else.

15. Place it at the corner of the front face, oriented alongits bottom edge. Move the cursor upward (do notclick yet) to set the angle direction.

16. You can enter a ratio instead of a degreemeasurement. Type 8:12 and press Enter.

TIP: Entering a ratio is a great way to set the rise:run of a roofslope.

17. Use this construction line to draw a line along thefront face. Erase and recreate some edges as neededto get this:

Move and CopyThe Move tool can be used in two ways - to move objectsto a different location, or to make one or more copies.Move can also be used to resize curves and curved faces.

MoveYou can modify your model by moving edges, faces,points, or a combination of selected objects.

1. Start with a box and add a line parallel to the backedge.

2. Activate Move (Tools / Move, hotkey: M).

3. Click the edge shown, and drag it downward (bluedirection). You can also click the edge, release themouse, and then click its new location.


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4. Move is still active. Move the point shown on the leftdown till it meets the point indicated on the right.

5. Move also works on faces. Move the face along thered (or green) axis to stretch the entire model.

This is a good place to show the different betweenMove and Push/Pull. If you use Push/Pull on thesame face, it only extends the selected face.

Move affects edges and faces adjacent to the selectedface, thereby stretching the model.

6. If you tried Push/Pull, undo that step.

So far weve used Move on single objects. Objectscan also be selected first, then moved. If you want tomove multiple objects, you mustdefine the selectionset before activating Move.

NOTE: Conversely, if you want to move a point, you mustactivateMovefirst, then move the point.

7. Use Select to select the two edges shown.

When moving this way, you need to define twopoints, a reference point and a destination point. Themove is applied based on the distance and directionbetween these two points.

8. Activate Move and click any point in space (Point A)and click or drag to Point B, following the axisdirection (red or green, depending on how you madeyour model). The two edges move accordingly.

9. Draw a rectangle on the large, front face. Make itoff-center.

10. Create a dormer frame over this rectangle, usingLine in axis directions and Shift-locking. Delete thefront face of the frame, and the cutout on the largeface.

11. Select the entire window and activate Move,dragging the window by its lower midpoint.Shift-lock the window to move parallel to the loweredge of the large face, and center the window alongthis edge.


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CopyWhen you use the Ctrl/Option key within a Moveoperation, you will create a copy.


2. Use Move to move the edge shown.

3. Right-click the edge shown and select Divide.

4. Move the cursor so that the edge is divided into threesegments, and click. Now the edge consists of threelines of equal length.

5. Draw two parallel lines from the new endpoints andpull the outer faces up. Create a small cylinder on oneof the top faces.

6. We now want to select this cylinder to copy it. Use aright-to-left selection window - everything inside ortouching the window will be selected. (You can alsodouble-click the top edge to select all the faces thattouch it.)

7. With the cylinder selected, activate Move. PressCtrl/Option, then click Point A. Release Ctrl/Option,then click Point B to make a copy of the cylinder,positioned in the same place relative to the edges ofthe top faces.

TIP: Selecting Point B can place the copy on either the top faceor front face. If youre having trouble getting the copy on the top

face, try to approach Point B slowly from a point on the top face


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8. The copy should still be selected. Make another copyusing the distance between Points A and B The copyis automatically aligned with the front face.

9. Erase as needed to get a circular window. Copy it,using any point on the front face as a reference point.Then hover over the bottom edge. For the secondpoint, make sure the copy is parallel to the bottomedge.

10. One copy is made, but you can make several copiesat the same spacing. Type 3x, which appears in theVCB. Press Enter.

Now there are three copies (four total windows).

11. Now select two of these windows, and copy them tothe side face.

NOTE: Automatic alignment, which you just saw, works only forcopies. Moving objects does not change their alignment.

Autofold

Autofold is a very useful enhancement of the Move tool,which enables you to create fold lines where there werentany before. Normally, Move keeps planes as planes,without dividing them into more planes. Autofold willcreate as many planes as needed to perform the move.

1. Start with this form, and Offset the edges inward(Select the face, activate Offset, and click two pointsto define the offset distance).

Heres the first instance when Autofold is useful.There are two ways you can do this:

2. With only the inside face selected, activate Move.Press Alt/Cmd, and click a reference point anywhere.Then release Alt/Cmdand click a second referencepoint, directly above the first one. The fold linesbetween the top and bottom faces are created

automatically.


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The other way to do this is to start with nothingselected, then activate Move. Press Alt/Cmd, clickthe inner face, release Alt/Cmd, and drag the faceupward.

Without Autofold, you would only be able to movethe inside face within the confines of its plane.

3. Now we will create a roof. Use midpoints andShift-locking to create the ridge lines.

4. Select both ridge lines, move them up without

Autofold. This works, though some cleanup wouldbe necessary.

5. Undo this move, and add two valley lines.

6. Now select the two ridge lines as before, and try tomove them upward without using Autofold. There isonly one direction the edges can be moved; you cantmove in the blue direction.

7. Try again, this time using Autofold. Now you canmove the edges in any direction - use the bluedirection.

8. The roof wasnt created perfectly, but it can easily becleaned up. .

9. Use Move with Shift-locking on the ridge lineintersection point, to get this result:


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Similarly, Autofold is useful when you want to createskewed cylinders and polygonal prisms.

Using Move to Resize Curves andCurved Surfaces

This section applies to arcs, circles, and polygons, and tothe surfaces created when these entities are extruded. Notethat the changes you can make in this exercise can only beperformed on curves and faces that have not been edited -they must still retain their original shape. For example,once you use Scale to change a circle into an oval, the ovalcannot be resized.

1. Create a small circle, and activate Move. Make surenothing else is selected, and move the cursor aroundthe circumference of the circle.

Along most of the circumference, the entire circle is

highlighted. But at the four quadrant points, only thepoint itself is highlighted in green, indicating that it isa point you can drag for resizing.

NOTE: If you have an even number of segments, thesedraggable quadrant points will be at segment endpoints or

midpoints. For an odd number of segments (something youwould probably never use), two of the four quadrant points will

be located elsewhere along their edges; play with the mouse to

find them.

2. Move one of the quadrant points, either by dragging,or by click-move-click. The center of the circleremains in place, but the radius changes. Watch theVCB to see the radius value update.

3. Make a cylinder from the circle. Activate Move andmove the mouse along the top edge until only a

quadrant point (and not the entire edge) ishighlighted. Drag the point inward to make a cone.

4. You can also resize the curved face itself. WhileMove is still active, move the cursor until a movableedge (and not the entire face) is highlighted as a bold,dotted line. These edges correspond to the locationsof the quadrant points. Move the edge outward tocreate a wide, flat cone.


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5. Now onto arcs. On the top face, create a tangent arcbetween an endpoint point on the circumference anda point near (not on) the circle center.

6. Create the next arc from the end of the first one. Bydefault it is tangent to its neighbor. Double-click toplace the endpoint somewhere on the other side of

the circle.

7. Activate Move again; now we will resize the arcs.Move the cursor to the midpoint of the second arc -only this point should be highlighted (not the entirearc). Drag this point downward to flatten the arc.

8. Do the same at the midpoint of the first arc.

9. Arc endpoints can also be moved. Pick the endpointshown and drag it toward the center of the circle.This not only changes the arc, but shrinks the circleas well.

10. Push/Pull up the rear face made by the arc chain.Using Move, highlight the moveable edge directlybelow the arc midpoint. Drag it back to make the facerounder.

11. Do the same for the other face to make it less flat.Dont extend it past the conical base below.


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12. Resize the arc at the bottom of the face by draggingits midpoint forward,

13. Change both arc faces by moving their commonendpoint to the left.

14. Finally, we will use a polygon, which is basically thesame as a circle. Draw a hexagon starting from thecenter of the arc where shown.

15. Like with a circle, activate Move and use one of themoveable quadrant points to shrink the polygon. Thelocation of these points depends on how manysegments you have, but there is always at least one ata segment endpoint.

16. Pull up the polygon. To resize the polygonal face,drag one of its moveable edges.

17. And resize the top polygon by dragging a quadrantpoint inward.


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Rotate and CopyLike Move, this tool can be used in two ways - to rotateobjects to a different position, and to make rotated copies.

Rotate

1. For a basic look at Rotate, start with following,right-angled form. We want to rotate one of thewings.

2. Once in Rotate, you need to select the objects torotate. But you cant select just the wing unless you

create a dividing line, on both the top and bottomfaces.

3. Activate Rotate (Tools / Rotate, hotkey: Shift+R).

4. Select the wing to rotate and press Enter. TheProtractor appears, which works the same way as theProtractor tool

Mac:Rotate only works if objects are selected first.

Therefore, select the wing first, and then activate

Rotate.

5. Place the center of the protractor on the top face,along the intersection with the other wing. The nextclick sets the rotation reference line. In this examplethe reference line is not so important; set it along oneof the axes.

6. The next step is to rotate. Move the cursor to activatethe rotation. You can use the tick marks on theprotractor, rotate by eye, or type an angle value.

The current rotation angle appears in the VCB.

7. Because the rotation has affected adjacent faces, thenon-rotated wing no longer consists of right angles.

Use some construction lines and the Move tool tocorrect this.

The next exercise explores alignment locking when usingRotate.


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1. Start with a long box with a line across the top. UseMove upward on the line to create a ridged roof.

2. The house is alig

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