SketchUp 5 The Book by Bonnie Roskes

the SketchUp® Book
Version 5
By Bonnie Roskes, P.E.

with Bob deWitt, MFA, MA
A collection of exercises, tips and tricks that

will maximize your investment in SketchUp.
* * * Printed from PDF version. Not for external distribution.* * *

Every effort has been made to ensure that all information contained within this book is complete and
accurate. However, the authors assume no responsibility for the use of this information, nor for any
infringement upon the intellectual property rights of third parties which would result from such use.
Third Edition.
Copyright 2005, Bonnie Roskes
No part of this publication may be stored in a system, reproduced, or transmitted in any way or by any
means, including but not limited to photography, photocopy, electronic, magnetic, or optical, without
the 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.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
How this Book Came About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
How this Book is Set Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
What’s New in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2: The Basics

SketchUp Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Viewing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Shortcut Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Drawing Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rectangle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Square and Golden Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Push/Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Circle and Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Arc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Freehand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Manipulation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Select. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Taking Off Quantities Using Select and Entity Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Measure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Protractor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Move and Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Autofold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Autofold with Curved Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Using Move to Resize Curves and Curved Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Rotate and Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Rotate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Rotate - Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Defining the Rotation Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Using Rotate to Twist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Scaling with the Axis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Displaying and Smoothing Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Annotation Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
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Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Creating Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Dimension Display and Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
Dimensioning Using the Text Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92
Using the Axis Tool with Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93
Chapter 3: Intersect and Follow Me

Follow Me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Basic Follow Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Follow Me with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Round Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
Intersect with Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Cutting and Embossing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Intersecting Arches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
Arch Cutouts Using Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Cutting Using Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112
Hiding Intersection Edges with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
Combining Follow Me and Intersect with Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Creating a Wall Niche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Intersecting Moldings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Creating a Table Leg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Creating a Faucet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Chapter 4: Making Multiple Copies

Basic Move and Copy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Multiple Linear Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Multiple Rotated Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145
Chapter 5: Working with Roofs

Simple Roof and Dormers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Using Offset for Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
Resolving Sloping Roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Set Slope and Double Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .160
Delete and Recreate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
Roofing with Follow Me . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
Overhangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172
Overhangs by Moving Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176
Chapter 6: Groups and Components

Components Versus Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Introduction to Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179
Breaking Connected Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180
Disconnecting from Other Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181
Using Groups for Cutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
Unsticking Objects from a Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .184
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Introduction to Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Component Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Component Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Inserting and Editing Predefined Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Where to Find More Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Creating and Saving Components in the Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Component Source Files and Reloading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Alignment and Insertion Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
The Outliner: Manipulating Groups and Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Cutting Openings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Cutting Method 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Cutting Method 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Creating a Window Component Plus a Cutout Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Nested Cutting Components - Specific Wall Thickness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
Nested Cutting Components - Any Wall Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Cutting Holes in a Curved Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Using Components for Mirroring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Replacing Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Tips for Efficiency with Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Chapter 7: Painting, Materials, and Textures

Overview of Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Windows Material Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Mac Materials Browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Colors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Textures and Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Importing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Where to Find More Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Applying Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Using Shift and Ctrl/Option Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248
Material Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Double-Sided Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Materials of Groups and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Overview of Materials and Groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
Using Groups to Separate Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
Materials of Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Default Component Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Texture Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Fixed Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Free Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Using Pictures to Create Realistic Objects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Creating a Painted 2D Tree. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Creating a Painted 3D Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Creating a Clubhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Creating a Birdhouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
Wrapping Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Planar Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
Curved Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
Projecting an Image onto a Non-Planar Face (Topography) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
iii
Alpha Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296

Tips for Efficiency with Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .300
Chapter 8: Sectioning
Sectioning Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .301
Using Sections for Interior Design and Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .304
Exporting Section Slices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .308
Copying Section Planes for Floor Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Using Section Planes with Model Intersection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .312
Simultaneous Section Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .315
Chapter 9: Presentation
Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .317
Setting up the Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318
Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
Walk and Look Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321
Position Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325
Updating Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .328
Tourguide / Slideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
Chapter 10: Sandbox Tools

Creating a Sandbox (TIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
Sandbox from Scratch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335
Smoove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336
Sandbox from Contours. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339
Drape and Stamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341
Drape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .343
Stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344
Stamp in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346
Adding Detail to a Sandbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .347
Organic Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .350
Chapter 11: Using Exact Dimensions

Creating Exact Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Entity Info. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .359
Exact Moving and Copying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360
Exact Rotated Copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .365
Symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371
Measuring Length and Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .373
Scaling in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .376
Chapter 12: Tips and Tricks

Healing a Divided Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377
Finding the Center of an Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377
iv
Table of Contents
Domed Apse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Smoothing Faces of Rotate-Copied Curved Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Hyperbolic Parabola (Saddle Shape) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
Using Inferences to Create Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Using Transparent Faces to Simulate Fog Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Creating a Spiral Staircase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
Aligning Any Two Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
Curvy Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
3D Geometric Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Starting from a Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Starting from a Golden Section. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
Starting from a Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Chapter 13: In-Depth Exercises

Creating a Steel Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Downloading Structural Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
Creating Your Own Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
W8x15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
C4x7.25 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414
TS8x6x1/2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
L1.5x1.5x1/4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Creating the Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Main Column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
Main Beam and Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Floor Joists and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
Completing the Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Creating a Log Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Creating Flat-Sided Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Creating Notches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
Building the Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
Door and Window Cutouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Chapter 14: Program Settings

Stacking Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Rendering Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
Displaying Edges and Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
Edge Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
Edge Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Face Display Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Perspective Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Model Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Model Info > Colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
Model Info > Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Model Info > Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Model Info > File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Model Info > Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Model Info > Section Planes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
v
Model Info > Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448

Model Info > Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Model Info > Tourguide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Model Info > Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .449
Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450
Preferences > Drawing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .450
Preferences > Extensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Preferences > Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Preferences > General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .451
Preferences > OpenGL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Preferences > Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .452
Shortcuts for UI Windows, Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453
Shortcuts for Render Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453
Shortcuts You Can Download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .453
Preferences > Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .454
Toolbars / Tool Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .454
Export and Import. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
Exporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
File / Export / 3D Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
File / Export / 2D Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
File / Export / Section Slice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
File / Export / Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .455
Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
File / Import / 3D Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
File / Import / 2D Graphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
Chapter 15: Ruby Script

SketchUp Ruby Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Entering Code on the Ruby Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .459
Creating a Script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .460
Creating a Script that Requires User Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .460
Using the Help Files to Create Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .463
Provided Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .465
Ruby Script Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Estimating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .467
Point at Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
Utilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
Create Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .468
Query Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469
Other Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469
linetool.rb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469
examples.rb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
selection.rb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
sketchup.rb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .470
Where to Find More Ruby Scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471
Scripts for Film and Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .471
vi
1 Introduction
How this Book Came About 5. Roofs: Everyone works with them, and they can
sometimes get tricky. SketchUp enables you to
While SketchUp® has one of the most user-friendly
create, modify, and resolve roofs easily.
interfaces on the market today, there are still some things
users need a little help with. The program’s online help 6. Groups and Components: Groups are used to make
and the video tutorials on SketchUp’s website are gems of a collection of objects that act as one object. This is
information, but most people don’t learn easily from useful for isolating geometry, and to keep things
watching a movie. I’ve taken most of the basic from sticking to one another. Components enable
information from these tutorials and put them into printed you to insert external objects into your model and use
form, for those who like to work alongside text. These them multiple times. This is equivalent to external
exercises are designed to get you to perform the steps references used in other CAD packages.
yourself, which is the best way for information to stick. 7. Materials: Applying materials, colors, and textures
If you read this book from start to finish, some things may to faces to enhance the display of your model.
seem repetitive. For each exercise I have assumed that you 8. Sectioning: Using section planes to cut into your
may not have done all the previous exercises, so certain model, to look inside, create floor plans, or produce a
steps may be explained repeatedly. So, if you already drawing to export to CAD.
know how to use Offset and keep seeing reminders on 9. Presentation: Usage of the walk-through tools,
how to use this tool, just ignore them. layers, pages (views) tour guide (slide show) and
The “Tips and Tricks” chapter outlines some of the handy shadows.
methods devised by expert SketchUp users as well as 10. Sandbox: Tools for creating and modifying TIN
some SketchUp developers. This information can be surfaces, used in terrain modeling.
found by anyone on the SketchUp User Forum, but not 11. Exact Dimensions: While SketchUp’s strength lies
everyone has hours to spend combing through the reams is its simple, non-rigid modeling ability, you can also
of text and links. I’ve done this work for you - sifting use it like a standard CAD application by working
through all the posts, suggestions, links, and sample files, with known measurements. This chapter shows ways
to come up with the short exercises that demonstrate these to specify exact values when using any tool.
useful tidbits. 12. Tips and Tricks: Exercises that show handy ways to
solve typical problems.
How this Book is Set Up 13. In Depth Exercises: Two exercise that combine
I am not an architect by trade; I am a structural engineer many of the concepts presented throughout this
and software documentation writer. Therefore, this book book. One exercise results in a steel building frame
will not contain any guidance on design and planning of created from structural shapes that were saved as
your models - that is up to you (and there are other books components. The second exercise is to create a
on this subject). The exercises presented in the following simple log cabin.
chapters are designed to completely familiarize you with
14. Program Settings: General knowledge of the
every aspect of SketchUp itself.
display tools, preferences, keyboard shortcuts, and
Here is the chapter layout: import/export.
2. Basics: Short exercises on each of the drawing and 15. Ruby Script: Some basics on how to use Ruby
manipulation tools (Line, Arc, Push/Pull, Protractor, programming to create macros.
Axes, etc.)
3. Intersect and Follow Me: These tools are often used
together, so they get their own chapter.
4. Multiple Copy: Exercises on rows of copied objects,
linear arrays, and angular (rotated) arrays.
1
What’s New in This Book on the CAD/CAM application OneCNC. More books are
in the works, including one on Piranesi. Comments,
A lot has changed in SketchUp between Versions 4 and 5.
feedback, and suggestions are welcome -
The Mac and Windows versions have been brought closer
[email protected]. Also, see her company website -
together, though there are still some slight differences.
www.f1help.biz.
Here is a list of the major improvements implemented in
Bob deWitt got his start working for 15 years doing
Version 5:
freelance work in commercial art, illustration and film
• Sandbox: Tools for creating TIN surfaces, used to animation in Arizona, Utah, and California. After this, he
model terrain. You can create a flat surface from pursued one of his first loves when, 18 years ago, he
scratch and bump out hills and valleys, or you can began teaching Fine Arts at Utah Valley State College in
create a TIN from existing contours. Orem, Utah. He holds degrees from Brigham Young
University in both Studio Art and Art History. He long ago
• Component Outliner: Provides a branched outline
developed an abiding fascination for creating
of all components and groups in the model. You can
computerized imagery, and eagerly shares his enthusiasm
move, explode, edit, and rename objects directly in
for SketchUp through his participation in the preparation
the Outliner.
of this book. He also takes credit for the cover design,
• Component selecting and replacing: You can now including the model.
select all instances of the same component. Plus you
can select one or more components and replace them
all with another component.
• Stacking Windows: Windows you use often, like
Display Settings, Layers, Materials, etc. can be
stacked on top of one another, docked anywhere, and
minimized while leaving the title bar showing. This
gives you easy access to these windows while not
taking up too much space.
• Rotate: You can now set a rotation plane anywhere -
not just on the standard planes or on an existing face.
• Circle and Polygon: You can now Shift-align them
to a plane or face before selecting the center point.
• Walk: You can now walk up and down stairs, and are
prevented from walking through walls and doors.
• Non-photorealistic Rendering: For a sketchy look,
you can use depth cued edges and edge endpoints.
• Alpha Transparency: You can use a graphic
that has alpha transparency defined.
About the Authors
Bonnie Roskes, P.E. is a structural engineer by education
and training, and has worked for several years in the
software documentation arena, specializing in CAD,
CAM, CAE, and engineering applications. She has
written user guides, reference manuals, online help
systems, tutorials, training guides, and software demos for
a large client list. Her BSE and MSE are from Johns
Hopkins University. In addition to this SketchUp book,
there is one for Versions 2, 3, and 4 she has written books
2
2 The Basics
SketchUp Screen
When you launch SketchUp, your screen looks like this (shown in Windows, Mac is similar):
Value Control Box (VCB): This box is used either to

NOTE: To adjust what toolbars and icons are displayed, select enter values or to display numerical information. If you
View / Toolbars (Mac: View / Customize Toolbar).
are using a tool that can take numerical input (usually
optional), such as line length or number of copies, all you
Drawing and Editing Tools: These tools create geometry have to do it type the number and press Enter, and the
(Line, Arc, Rectangle, etc.), construction objects value appears in the VCB. If you are using a tool such as
(Measure and Protractor), and enable object Measure or Protractor, the length or angle being
manipulation (Move, Rotate, Push/Pull, etc.) They are measures appears in the VCB.
all described in this chapter. Stacking Windows: These are windows you might want
Drawing Axes: When you open a file, the model contains to keep open as you work. They can be made to stick to
a set of red, green, and blue axes (you can see the blue axis one another, and you can keep them minimized while you
once you orbit the model out of the red-green plane). work. See "Stacking Windows" on page 437.
These are equivalent to the X, Y, Z axes used in traditional
CAD software. You can turn off their display by selecting
View / Axes, and the Axes tool can be used to relocate and
reorient the axes (see "Axes" on page 70).
Status / Prompts: This area serves two purposes. When
you hover the cursor over a tool, a description of the tool
appears here. When you are using a tool, this area displays
the relevant prompt such as “Select start point” or “Enter
value.”
3
Viewing Tools Pan (Mac: Move Camera) (Camera / Pan)

While creating objects, you need to know how to change
your view and adjust what appears on the screen. You can
familiarize yourself with these tools before starting to
draw, or play with them after you’ve created some
geometry.
Shifts the center of the model (up, down, left, right),

NOTE: For information on ways to display the model itself
(shaded, wireframe, etc.) see "Display Settings" on page 438. while maintaining the model’s orientation. To pan
For display of edges, see "Displaying and Smoothing Edges" on the view, activate Pan and hold and drag the mouse.
page 72. If you have a three-button mouse, you can pan by
pressing Shift while orbiting (dragging the mouse
with the middle button pressed).
Standard Views (Camera / Standard)
Look Around (Camera / Look Around)
SketchUp has five standard orthographic views (Top,

Front, Left, Right, Back) and one Isometric view. When
an orthographic view is activated, its description appears
in the top left corner of the display.
Pivots the camera around a stationary point,
representing a person standing still and looking side
NOTE: If you are working in Perspective mode, the isometric
view will not be a true isometric projection, although it may
to side or up and down. This tool is helpful when
appear pretty close. For a true isometric view, work in Paraline viewing the interior of a model. To look around,
mode. See "Perspective Mode" on page 444. activate the tool and drag the mouse from side to
side, or up and down. You can specify the eye height
by typing it and pressing Enter; it will appear in the
VCB.
Orbit (Mac: Orbit Camera) (Camera / Orbit)
Walk (Camera / Walk)
Also known as dynamic rotation, this tool simulates

holding an object and turning it around. To rotate Enables you to move around in a model as a
your view, activate Orbit and hold and drag the simulation of walking. For more information, see
mouse. Pressing Shift while orbiting will pan the "Walk and Look Around" on page 321.
view. If you have a three-button mouse, you can hold
the middle mouse button while moving the mouse to NOTE: Perspective mode must be on for Walk to work. See
rotate the view from within any other tool. "Perspective Mode" on page 444.
4
The Basics
Zoom (Camera / Zoom) Zoom Extents (Camera / Zoom Extents)
Click this tool to fit the entire model onto the screen,
In this tool, drag the mouse up to zoom in, down to
while centering it as well.
zoom out. If you have a wheel mouse, you can scroll
the wheel up or down to zoom. In this case, zooming
is relative to the location of the cursor. Previous (Camera / Previous)
To change the camera lens (field of view), press Shift
while zooming. This is handy for adjusting the
perspective of your image. You can also enter an
exact value, such as 45 deg (for field of view) or 35
mm (for focal length).
While in zoom, you can double-click on a point in the
Returns the view to the previous view.
model to make it the new viewing center. This is
equivalent to a one-click Pan. Shortcut Keys
Also knows as “hotkeys” or “accelerator keys,” keyboard
Zoom Window (Camera / Zoom Window) shortcuts can be set up for quick access to tools you use
often. A few shortcuts are provided for you (such as
Ctrl/Cmd+Z for Undo), but the rest need to be added. See
"Preferences > Shortcuts" on page 452.
In this tool you simply click two points to define a

rectangle, and the zoom adjusts to fit the window into
the full screen. This is a good way to enlarge your
view of a specific small area of the model.
5
Drawing Tools 3. We want to enable both methods, so click Auto

detect.
Before you can create any forms in SketchUp, you need to
first know how to draw a few things using 2D tools. The 4. Also, be sure Continue line drawing is checked, in
six basic drawing tools are Line, Rectangle, Polygon, order to automatically start a new line after
Arc, Circle, and Freehand. While each of these creates a completing a line. If this is not checked, you create
2D object, you can use them in any 3D plane. lines one at a time.
Line
This tool creates lines that typically become edges. When
lines (or other objects such as arcs, circles, or polygons)
lie in the same plane and form a closed boundary, a face is
automatically created.
1. Open SketchUp, and an empty file appears in Top 5. Close the Preferences.
view. You are looking at the red-green plane, and the 6. Now open the Model Info window (if it is not
blue axis (vertical) is pointing toward you. By already open), either by selecting Window / Model
default, you are in the Line tool, as indicated by the Info or by clicking the icon.
pencil-shaped cursor.
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 can
change this color if you like.
NOTE: If you don’t see the axes displayed, select View / Axes.
This is a toggle function - it can also turns the axes off.
2. To control the way lines are drawn, open the

Preferences window (Window / Preferences, Mac:
SketchUp / Preferences). Open the Drawing page.
8. If you like to work with as much screen space as
possible, close the Model Info window.
NOTE: Model Info is one of SketchUp’s stacking windows,

which means you can leave it open but minimized. See
"Stacking Windows" on page 437.
Three setting here affect line creation:

• Click-drag-release uses a mouse drag to create
lines.
• Click-move-click will define a line by two points.
• Auto detect enables both methods, depending on
how you use your mouse.
6
The Basics
9. Line should already be active, but if it isn’t, click 13. Move the cursor up in the green direction from this
Line, or select Draw / Line. point, and click to place the next point.
10. Click to place the first point (not on the origin), and 14. Move the cursor until you see the Perpendicular
move the cursor to the right. The On Red Axis inference (the preview line is magenta). The
inference tells you that the line will be parallel to the perpendicular constraint is always available relative
red axis. Click to locate the second point. to the last line you drew. Click for the next point,
trying to maintain the general proportions shown
below.
TIP: You could also click the first point, hold the mouse button,
drag to the second point, and release.
11. Because you selected Continue line drawing, you

immediately start a new line. Locate the next point in
the green direction from the last point.
NOTE: You can also use the perpendicular and parallel
constraints relative to any line, not just the one you just drew, as
you will see in another few steps.
15. Make the next line perpendicular from the last line,
stopping when the red direction constraint appears.
12. The next endpoint is to be located directly above the

midpoint of the first line. Hover over this point; the
midpoint is indicated by a cyan dot. Do not click yet!
16. Draw the next line in the green direction.
7
17. You can make new lines parallel or perpendicular to 22. . . . and constrain it to the start point.
any existing line, not just the most recent line. Hover
over any point along the edge shown . . .
23. Draw one more line to complete the face.

18. . . . and move the cursor until you see the Parallel
inference (be sure not to activate any other
inferences). Do not click yet.
TIP: If you want to create an open shape, you can press Esc to
19. Now we use a double inference. With the Parallel end the chain.
inference still showing, press Shift. This ensures that
no matter where you move the cursor, the line will
NOTE: Face colors are set in the Color page of the Model Info
always have this parallel orientation. When you press
window. Each face has a front and back, and these are typically
Shift, the magenta inference line turns thicker, assigned different colors. You can reverse a face’s front and
indicating that this constraint is locked. back by right-clicking and selecting Reverse.
20. With Shift pressed, hover over the corner point
shown to see the double inference. Click this point. 24. Like all drawing tools, Line can be used just as easily
in 3D. Click Orbit (Mac: Orbit Camera) and move
the mouse to spin the model around. (If you have a
three-button or scroll wheel mouse, simply hold the
middle button / scroll wheel and drag - no need to
activate Orbit).
21. Similarly, press Shift when the next line is

perpendicular to the previous one . . .
8
The Basics
25. Orbit to the orientation shown below. 30. We will use a parallel constraint again. Draw a line
up from the point shown.
26. If it’s not already active, activate Line, and draw a

line from the point shown straight down, in the blue
(vertical) direction.
31. Hover over any point on the edge shown . . .
27. To draw a rectangular vertical face, hover over the

desired corner point . . .
32. . . . move the cursor until the Parallel inference

appears. Press Shift to lock it and click the corner
point.
28. . . . and move down (in blue) and click when the
double constraint appears.
33. Complete the face.
29. Draw the third line to complete the face.
9
34. Lines can also be used to divide faces. Draw a 38. We will now see how lines can be used to heal faces.
vertical line connecting the midpoints of the Click Erase (Tools / Erase).
horizontal edges of the face you just completed.
39. Erase one of the top edges. Because it no longer has

a closed boundary, the face disappears.
35. Both lines are now divided into two lines. To verify
this, hover over what was the midpoint, and now it is
an endpoint.
40. Recreate the face by simply replacing the line.
36. This line also divided the original face into two faces.
To verify this, activate Select (Tools / Select).
41. Erase the dividing line, and the two faces are healed
- joined into one face.
37. Click either face to see it highlighted.
10
The Basics
42. If you erase a line that is a boundary for more than 45. All edges parallel to one of the axes take on the axis
one face, all affected faces will be deleted. Erase the color.
common edge shown, and both faces sharing this
edge disappear.
43. Redraw the line to recreate both faces. Some prefer to work with By Axis on, and some find
it distracting. For the purposes of this book, black
edges will be used.
Rectangle
If you need to draw a rectangular face, you don’t need to
use Line to draw four separate lines; Rectangle does it in
one step.
1. Start a new file (Top view) and click Rectangle (or
select Draw / Rectangle).
44. Now open the Display Settings (Window / Display

Settings) Set the edge display to By Axis.
2. Draw a rectangle by clicking the two opposite points,

or by clicking and dragging from the first point to the
second.
NOTE: Display Settings is one of SketchUp’s stacking

windows, which means you can leave it open but minimized. See
"Stacking Windows" on page 437. NOTE: While sizing the rectangle, you may see two indicators -
“Square” and “Golden Section.” See "Square and Golden
Section" on page 14.
11
3. Draw another rectangle from a point on the top edge Here are the new axes - red and green in the
to the midpoint of the left edge. horizontal plane, blue pointing up.
4. So far the rectangles have been parallel to the red and

green axes. To draw a skewed rectangle in the
red-green plane, you need to change the axes. Click NOTE: You can see the blue axis, even though you are in Top
Axes, or select Tools / Axes. view. This is because you are working in Perspective mode. If
you turn this off (Camera / Perspective) the blue axis will point
directly up and be invisible while in Top view. See "Perspective
Mode" on page 444.
7. Because the axis display can be distracting, turn it off

by selecting View / Axes). Exit the Axes tool by
pressing Esc. Rectangle is once again active.
5. Locate the origin at Point 1, and click Point 2 to
define the red axis. 8. Draw the next rectangle by clicking on Point 1 and
hovering over Point 2. Then move the cursor from
Point 2 and press Shift to lock this width.
6. For the green axis direction, click any point above

the new red axis.
9. With Shift pressed, click Point 3. You have now used

a double constraint to both lock the width and set the
height to include a specific point.
12
The Basics
10. Erase all the extra lines in the middle to heal the face 14. Click the midpoint shown to create the
into one face. double-constrained vertical rectangle.
11. Orbit so that you can create some vertical faces. 15. You do not need to use Shift in every case for a
Create the first rectangle by clicking Point 1 and double constraint. Start at Point 1, hover over Point
hovering over Point 2. 2, and pull up to Point 3.
12. Pull up in the blue direction and click to create the

rectangle.
Here is the final set of walls.
13. Click and hover again using the points shown, and
press Shift to lock the width. 16. If you are planning to continue your work in the same
file, you should reset the axes. Display the axes
again, right-click on any axis, and select Reset.
13
Square and Golden Section 3. Activate Rotate.

While using Rectangle, it’s easy to create two of the most
commonly-used rectangles: squares and golden sections.
First the square. Simply activate Rectangle and start
drawing. SketchUp lets you know when the cursor is in a
position to create a square. If you click when you see the
indicator, you’ll create a square. 4. Place the protractor at the this end of the diagonal
line.
Golden sections work the same way.
NOTE: For more information on rotating and copying, see

"Rotate and Copy" on page 57.
NOTE: For a cool exercise that uses golden sections to create a
icosahedron, see “Starting from a Golden Section” on page 402.
5. This line will be copied, so press Ctrl/Option. To set
the zero angle, click the other endpoint of the
For those unfamiliar with the golden section, it is a ratio diagonal line. (Note the plus sign on the cursor - this
used since the earliest days of architectural design. The means a copy will be made.)
ratio of AB to BC equals AC to AB.
6. Finally, create the rotated copy by defining the

As you can see, it can be created automatically. But if rotation angle as shown here:
you’re curious, here’s how to create it:
1. Use Rectangle to create a square. Then use Line to
connect one of the corners to one of the midpoints.
2. Activate Select and select only the diagonal line (no

faces). 7. Use this copied line to complete the rectangle.
14
The Basics
8. Erase lines to heal the rectangle. To measure the 3. Click Push/Pull (or select Tools / Push/Pull).
length of the longer edge, right-click on it and select
Entity Info. (If the Entity Info window is already
open, just Select the edge.)
4. To use this tool, you can either click on the face and
then click the point (above or below the face) to set
the height, or you can hold and drag the face up or
down. Either way, the face updates dynamically
while you move the mouse.
The length of the edge is listed in the Entity Info

window.
NOTE: For the Push/Pull cursor, the tip of the red arrow is
where you select or highlight.
9. Measure the shorter edge as well. The ratio of the

long edge to short edge should be 1.61803. Push/Pull always pushes or pulls a face in a direction
perpendicular to the face. It also creates a prismatic
form - the start and end faces are the same size.
NOTE: This value of 1.61803 is phi - a crucial number in
architecture, art, and nature - including the human body. If you 5. Use Rectangle (or Line) to draw a rectangle from the
divide this value into 1.0, you get 0.61803. bottom edge of the front face.
Push/Pull
While not exactly a 2D drawing tool, Push/Pull it is so
crucial to working in SketchUp that it’s important to cover
it before moving on to other tools.
Push/Pull is what makes SketchUp so unique and easy to
use. Simply put, it takes a face and makes a 3D assembly
When you use a 2D drawing tool on a face, the object
of faces. In CAD terms, it’s basically an extrude tool but
automatically aligns to that face.
much more flexible and intuitive.
6. We want another rectangle on this face that has the
1. Start in top view, and use Line to make a trapezoid. same height. Hover over the corner point shown and
move the cursor to the right to place the first corner
point.
2. Orbit to an isometric view.
15
7. Click along the bottom edge to complete this 12. We will now draw two rectangles on the top of the
rectangle. trapezoid. Click to place the first corner in the green
direction from the corner shown.
8. Use Push/Pull to pull out one of the rectangles.

13. Hover over the other corner . . .
9. Double-click on the other rectangle - this pulls it out

by the same distance you just used.
14. . . . and place the second corner point.
10. Now push the top of the trapezoid down. You can
15. The second rectangle will use inferences from two
only go as far as the top of the box forms.
existing lines. Hover over the two points shown, and
click at their intersection.
11. Use another Push/Pull to continue pushing this face

past the boxes. You can use inferences while using
Push/Pull - stop at the midpoint of the edge shown
(or any similar edge). 16. Hover over the two points indicated to get inference
lines for the second corner point of the rectangle.
TIP: When using an inference point to set a Push/Pull distance,

it’s easier to use two clicks (face and height point), rather than
drag the face.
16
The Basics
17. Use Push/Pull to push in one of the rectangles.

TIP: An easy way to push all the way through is to first click the
rectangular 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.
To push the other rectangle in by the same distance,

you could double-click it. But this can only be done
when you want to use the distance of the last
Push/Pull. If you used Push/Pull somewhere else,
20. Now pull up the top trapezoidal face. Because of the
then came back to the second rectangle, the distance
box forms, there are lines above the box corners,
you want is no longer stored.
dividing the front into five separate faces.
18. To get the same Push/Pull distance, click the
unpushed rectangle, then move the cursor to the one
already pushed. When the On Face constraint
appears, click to use this distance.
21. Erase two of the lines, healing the face above one of
the boxes.
The Push/Pull operations have created four vertical

faces around each pushed rectangle. You could use
Push/Pull on any of these faces to resize the cutout,
enabling you to quickly easily adjust your designs.
19. You can also use Push/Pull to create voids. Push the 22. Push in the vertical face above the other box.
rectangles all the way through the trapezoidal form -
simply end the operation at the bottom face.
17
23. Draw a line to divide the top face of the box. 26. Undo this operation (Ctrl+Z, Cmd+Z), and pull it
again, this time holding down the Alt/Cmd key. The
pulled face remains the same size, but the
neighboring faces move with it.
24. Now pull up the inner portion of this face and erase
the extra lines to make a little balcony.
NOTE: You could get the same results using the Move tool, but
Push/Pull ensures that you are always moving perpendicular to
the face.
27. Undo and try again, this time keeping Ctrl/Option

pressed. The difference this time is that dividing lines
are created along faces that would otherwise be
healed.
There is an added feature of Push/Pull that enables

you to control how the adjacent faces act. To
demonstrate this, we will work on the back face.
25. Orbit to the back and pull out the face shown. This
leaves the neighboring faces in place, and adds
vertical faces, between them and the pulled face.
28. For another demonstration of this feature, undo

again, and pull out the side of the trapezoid.
18
The Basics
29. Now use a normal Push/Pull - no extra keys - on the Note that the preview color of the circle tells you
face shown. what plane you are working in. When you place a
circle in the red-green plane, the circle is
perpendicular to the blue axis, so its preview color is
blue.
When the circle is defined, it is filled in.
30. Undo, and pull the same face using the Alt/Cmd key.
Quite a difference! 3. Like with all 2D drawing tools, you can draw a circle
in any of the three planes. Orbit so that you are facing
the red-blue plane and draw another circle. This time
the preview color is green.
Circle and Polygon 4. Do the same in the green-blue plane. The preview
These two tools are grouped together because they are color is red.
basically the same. Both create multi-segmented
polygons; a higher number of segments is a better
approximation to a circle. The difference basically lies in
the appearance of the faces that result when you use
Push/Pull.
1. Start in top view and activate Circle (Draw / Circle).
5. You can also create circles on existing faces. Start a
new file, and create a rectangle. Push/Pull it up to
create a box. Activate Circle. The circle preview is
horizontal anywhere you place the mouse, as long as
it is not along a face.
2. Draw a circle in the red-green plane by clicking the
center point and then a point on the circumference.
You could also click and drag from the center to the
circumference.
6. Move the cursor to face, and the circle aligns to it.
19
7. You can also draw a circle on a face that is not 11. Create a circle on the side face.
aligned to it. Move the cursor so that the circle is
horizontal again, and press Shift to lock the
orientation. Then move along a face or edge - the
circle remains flat.
If you look closely at the circle, you’ll see that it’s not
actually round, it’s actually comprised of many short
segments.
This is how you would draw something like this: a 12. Because the circle divided the vertical side into two
horizontal circle that intersects a vertical face. faces, you can use Push/Pull on the circular portion
to pull out a cylinder.
8. Now for more on the inner workings of this tool.

Undo the horizontal circle if you created it.
9. Draw a diagonal line on one of the faces - when the Even though the circle is a series of lines, the
line turns magenta that means its endpoints are cylinder face appears smooth and round. It is actually
equidistant from the corner. comprised of a series of flat faces, but looks and acts
as one, curved face.
13. The next circle will be concentric with the front face
of the cylinder. To pick up the Center inference, first
hover over one of the endpoints, then move the
cursor around the center until the green dot appears.
10. Push this triangular portion of the face inward until it

cuts all the way through. This is a handy way to
create sloped faces (though there are many more
ways to do this).
14. Start to draw a concentric circle on this face, but do

not click the second point to complete it.
20
The Basics
15. Before the circle is complete, you can choose to 18. If not already displayed, show the Entity Info
specify a radius or a different number of segments. window (Window / Entity Info). With nothing
Type “8s” to change the sides to 8. You need the “s” selected, and no faces highlighted, the window
because a number alone will be interpreted as a should be blank.
dimension.
If you change segmentation this way, the segment

number stays active for future circles, until the
number is changed again. The same applies for
Polygon. 19. Activate Select and select the circle shown.
You can also change the number of sides after the
circle is completed. However, if the circle is located
on an existing face (such as in this example), the
circle will sometimes be created on top of (not
within) the face.
NOTE: You can also use the VCB to set the circle radius - simply
type in the radius and press Enter. For details on specifying
exact measurements, see Chapter 11.
The Entity Info window displays the radius, number
of segments, and length of the circle. (If the length
does not appear, click the down arrow at the top of
16. Complete the circle, which is actually an octagon.
the window and select Show Details.)
17. Push/Pull this inner circle back to the vertical face of

the box. This can easily be done with two clicks - the Once a circle has been extruded, you can still change
first on the octagonal face, and the second on the its radius. (Before extruding you can also change its
vertical face. You now have a hollow cylinder. segmentation.)
TIP: You could also have displayed this by right-clicking on the

circle and selecting Entity Info from the menu.
20. Assign a slightly smaller radius - remember to

specify your units. (For 1’- 4” you could type 1’4.)
21
21. The hollow cylinder now has a inward draft angle. 24. Before drawing the polygon, pick up the center point
of the last circle you made, and move in the red or
green direction along the diagonal face.
NOTE: In addition to using Entity Info, the Move tool can also
be used to resize circles and polygons. Move also enables you
to resize curved extruded faces. See "Using Move to Resize
Curves and Curved Surfaces" on page 54. 25. Align the polygon center to this point. Create a
polygon with approximately the same radius as the
22. Now draw a small circle on the sloped face (leave circle.
room for another circle next to it). Note that it has
eight sides - this is the last segmentation value you
used. Also note that the circle automatically aligns
itself to this face. Because the circle isn’t aligned
with any of the three standard planes, it is given the
default edge color.
26. By default, the polygon should have six sides, unless

this was already changed. Open the polygon’s Entity
Info and change the number of segments to 8, to
match the circle. (If you’re a perfectionist, you can
also use the Entity Info to assign the exact same
radii to the circle and polygon.)
23. Activate Polygon (Draw / Polygon).
NOTE: The “8s” method would also work for polygons. But once
Polygons are drawn just like circles - center then you Push/Pull a polygon (or circle), you can no longer change
its segmentation.
radius.
You should now have two adjacent octagons.
22
The Basics
27. To see how these are different, Push/Pull them both. 31. Undo as many times as needed to erase the two
(Remember, you can Push/Pull one face, then cylinders on the diagonal face.
double-click the second face to extrude it the same
distance.) The circular face appears smooth, while
the polygonal face is faceted.
32. Activate Circle. You can change the number of

segments before placing the first point by simply
typing the number (no “s” needed). Enter 12, and the
28. In actuality, these objects are the same, only their value appears next to Sides in the VCB.
appearance is different. Circular faces are faceted as
well, but their edges are smoothed and hidden. To see 33. Locate the center at the midpoint of the edge shown
the edges of the circular faces, select View / Hidden (do not click yet). Depending on how you move the
Geometry. cursor, you can align the circle with either adjacent
face. Click when the circle preview is vertical.
34. Make the circle vertical, and orient the radius straight
TIP: Faceted objects can be made smooth by smoothing their
edges, and vice-versa. See "Displaying and Smoothing Edges"
up (or straight across) so that the box edge contains
on page 72. two segment endpoints.
29. Hide the edges again. Another difference in these

faces is how they are selected. Activate Select, and
click one of the polygonal facets. Each of these faces
can be selected separately.
35. Because two of the segment endpoints lie on the

edge, the edge divides the circle in half. Select the
top part of the circle. . .
30. Select the circular face - it is selected as one face.
23
36. . . . and delete it (press the Delete key). You are left 40. Push/Pull the arc face out again, pressing
with an arc that has bold lines, indicating that it is not Ctrl/Option (this is like starting a new extrusion,
considered properly aligned with the face. instead of continuing the old one). This time the
extrusion is faceted.
NOTE: If you had placed the circle so that its segments 41. Now Select the arc shown. It is a half-circle you
overlapped the edge, the circle would not have been divided. converted into a polygon, but it is still one object.
37. To resolve the arc to the face, simply use Line to

connect its endpoints. (You could also use Line to
recreate any of the arc’s segments.) The arc becomes
thin-lined.
42. Right-click on this arc and select Explode Curve.

This breaks the curve into its individual segments.
38. Push/Pull the arc face outward. Because this arc was
created from a circle, its extruded face is smooth.
39. Right-click on the arc shown and select Convert to 43. You can now select any segment of this curve and
Polygon. delete it.
44. We’re finished with the circle and polygon, but

here’s a neat aside about the Push/Pull operation.
Orbit around to the back face and hide or erase it.
NOTE: If you get the context menu for one of the faces, try
right-clicking again on the arc edge so that the edge is
highlighted. Then the menu should look like the one shown
above.
24
The Basics
45. Now you can peek in and see how pulling the circle 4. Move the cursor along the face to set the bulge.
affected the side and font faces, and how the entire
form becomes a shell.
This is an example of how objects in SketchUp are

interconnected - connected objects directly affect
one another. This is sometimes referred to as
NOTE: You can also specify exact dimensions for the bulge by
“stickiness,” and can be avoided by using groups. entering the value, which then appears in the VCB. See Chapter
See Chapter 6 for details. 11 for a complete exercise using exact dimensions.
Arc
5. Start a second arc in the top corner, locating the first
Similar to Circle and Polygon, Arc creates
chord point along the vertical edge. Locate the
multi-segmented representations of arcs. You can draw
endpoint somewhere on the face, as shown below.
arcs in any face, or in any of the three main planes.
1. Start with the same form you used in the Circle
exercise (use Line and Push/Pull to create the sloped
face).
6. To define the bulge, move the cursor until the arc

2. Activate Arc via the icon, or by selecting Draw / appears in cyan and the Tangent to Edge inference
Arc. appears.
3. An arc is started by first defining its chord. Select 7. When you draw an arc starting from an existing arc,
two edge points on the side face. Like when drawing the new arc is tangent to the adjacent one by default,
a line, the arc chord appears in magenta when both indicated by the Tangent at Vertex inference. To set
ends are equidistant from the corner. the arc bulge, double-click to keep it tangent.
25
11. You can also find the center point of any arc. Activate
TIP: If you are having trouble placing the starting point of the Circle, and move the cursor around the area where
new arc exactly on the endpoint of the previous one, try zooming
in closer.
the center of the last arc should be. (If you have
trouble locating the center, hover over one of the arc
endpoints and then try again.) When you find the
8. Do the same for the third arc in the chain. point, it is highlighted in green and the Center
inference appears.
9. Arcs in a chain do not necessarily have to be tangent

to their adjacent arcs. Start the next arc as before, and
locate the second chord point (just one click) on the
top edge.
TIP: You could also place a construction point at the center by

right-clicking on the arc and selecting Point at Center. If this
option does not appear, open File / Preferences to the
Extensions page and check Ruby Script Examples.
Set the number of segments and circle radius high

enough so that you can see that the circle and arc are
10. Move the cursor so that this arc becomes tangent to concentric.
the top edge, rather than the adjacent arc.
12. Use Push/Pull on the arc, arc chain, and circle to

NOTE: Be careful when making an arc tangent to an edge, if create voids.
both 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.
NOTE: There are some visible lines created as a result of the

Push/Pull. If you want, these can be made invisible by
right-clicking on them and selecting Soften. For more
information, see "Displaying and Smoothing Edges" on page 72.
26
The Basics
13. As with all 2D tools, you can create geometry on any 16. Once you create another object or activate another
existing face. Draw a rectangle on the diagonal face. tool, you can no longer change the arc this way (the
4s method). But for another way to change the arc,
open its Entity Info window.
14. Draw an arc using the top edge of the rectangle.

Move the cursor until the Half Circle inference
appears.
NOTE: If the Entity Info window is already open, you simply
have to select the arc to see its properties.
The window shows the radius and number of

segments, both of which can be edited.
15. When you Push/Pull a circle or arc, it looks smooth,

but these entities are actually created as a series of
segments. One way to change the number of
segments is to enter the new number after the arc is 17. Change the segment number to 8, and enter a slightly
created. Type 4s, which appears in the VCB, and smaller radius (don’t forget the units symbol if
press Enter. necessary).
NOTE: You can also change the number of segments while

selecting the chord points, or before you set the bulge. In these
cases, you also need to type “4s.”
The arc now has four segments.

18. The arc shrinks, resizing the rectangle below it as
well.
27
19. Now make the arc radius larger. (Note that even if 22. Type 8s to make the arc rounder.
you are using architectural units, you can still enter a
decimal value: 2.5’ is the same as 2’-6”.)
This time the arc updates but does not affect the
rectangle (now a trapezoid) below it. This is because 23. Like a circle, an arc can be broken down into
an arc can be fit to the current edge below at a size individual segments. Right-click the arc and select
less than a semi-circle. But if the new radius will Explode Curve.
make an arc greater than a semi-circle, the edge
below will update instead.
24. Each segment is now a separate entity. Erase the top

20. Erase the line between arc and rectangle, and erase four segments. . .
the face.
25. . . . and draw a line to connect the ends of the

21. For the next arc, use the bottom edge of the cutout as remaining segments.
the chord, and set the arc upward (blue direction).
Note that it has four segments; this reflects the last
arc change you made (and does not take into account
the change you made via Entity Info.
28
The Basics
26. Now draw an arc that sticks out of the side face, and 29. Push/Pull the first arc down to the bottom of the box.
close it with a line. Leave room on this face for Then right-click the second arc and select Convert
another, similar arc. to Polygon.
30. Push/Pull the second arc the same distance. Because

27. Draw the next arc at the same height (by hovering
it is actually a polygon, the segmentation is visible.
over an endpoint of the first arc and dragging the
cursor to the right). To set the bulge, you can pick the
bulge point of the first arc.
28. Close this second arc with a line.

You could use Entity Info to change the radius of the
arc faces on either end of the extrusions. But once
Push/Pull is used, you cannot change the
segmentation.
NOTE: In addition to using Entity Info, the Move tool can also
be used to resize circles and polygons. Move also enables you
to resize curved extruded faces. See "Using Move to Resize
Curves and Curved Surfaces" on page 54.

on page 72.
TIP: When working with exploded arcs and circles, you may
sometime need to locate the arc or circle center point. See
"Finding the Center of an Arc" on page 377.
29
Freehand 4. Orbit to the other side, and draw a closed freehand

Another self-explanatory tool name, Freehand is used to curve. To make a curve closed, simply end it at its
create freehand sketches. start point. If you do it right, the lines will be thin,
indicating a face has been formed.
1. Start with a box like this.
5. Verify that this is a closed face by activating Select

2. Click Freehand, or select Draw / Freehand.
and clicking it. You can also erase it, but if you do,
then use Undo to restore it.
As with all drawing tools, you can draw on any of the

three major planes by orbiting your view so that you
are facing the plane you want to draw on. To
understand this better, see the first few steps of
"Circle and Polygon" on page 19. 6. Push/Pull out the freehand face. Although the curve
3. We will draw freehand curves on faces. Move the is segmented, the curved face is smooth.
cursor over the desired face. Draw an open curve by
clicking and dragging the mouse. Because the mouse
button remains pressed, inferences from other points
are not displayed.
Like circles and arcs, this curve is approximated into
segments, though it is selected and manipulated as
one object. The lines are thick because they are not
edges of a face. 7. Undo to remove the extrusion. Right-click on the
freehand curve and select Convert to Polygon.
30
The Basics
8. The curve is still one object, but Push/Pull’ing it When you use Shift, the resulting curve does not
creates a faceted extrusion. integrate with any other geometry. The curve is thin,
but it has not divided the box face.
3. Do it again, this time creating a closed curve. Even
though the curve is thin-lined, the face is not divided.
This smooth vs. faceted behavior works the same

way as for circles, arcs, and polygons.
4. To change this into a standard object (a curve that
will affect neighboring objects), right-click on it and
on page 72. select Explode.
9. Undo the extrusion, and right-click the curve and

select Explode Curve.
5. The lines are now thick, meaning it is not closed.

Even though this was created as a closed curve, it
does not translate into a closed curve when exploded.
1. Now the curve is broken into separate segments.
Verify this by erasing individual segments.
6. Use a small line to close the curve. You will probably

2. Erase the rest of the curve to clear the face. Then have to zoom in closely to the start and end points to
draw another freehand curve, keeping the Shift key find the break. Once closed, the lines are thin.
pressed.
31
7. You can now erase this face. The selected edge appears in the color specified for
Highlight, located on the Color page of the Model
Info window.
Manipulation Tools 4. Now click a face to select it. The edge now is
These are tools you can used once you have some deselected. Selected faces are covered with a dotted
geometry in your model. Among other things, this section pattern, also in the Highlight color.
includes tools for measuring, erasing, copying, moving,
rotating, scaling, and making construction lines.
Select
You need to understand this tool before getting into the
other manipulation tools, because, in many cases, objects
need to be selected before you can apply another tool to
them. Selecting is very straightforward, but this exercise Keep in mind that edges and faces are considered
may show you some features you didn’t know about. separate objects, so be aware of what you need to
1. Start with a box. select for the tool you want to use!
5. Add another face to the set of selected objects, by
pressing Ctrl/Option while selecting.
2. Click Select, or select Tools / Select.
6. Use Ctrl/Option to add two edges.
3. When in Select mode, the cursor appears as an arrow.

Click an edge to select it.
32
The Basics
7. Pressing Shift+Ctrl/Option removes objects from the 12. We will now use window (marquee) selections.
selection set. Remove one face and one edge. Return to Select mode and drag a window from left
to right, enclosing the front face of the small box.
8. Pressing Shift toggles objects between selected and

deselected. Press Shift and select a face . . .
This type of window selects objects that are
completely enclosed within it - the face and the four
surrounding edges.
9. . . . then click the face again (with Shift) to deselect it.
13. Clear the selection (click anywhere in the blank

space), and draw the same window selection box,
this time from right to left. This time the marquee
box is dashed.
10. To deselect everything, select Edit / Deselect All.
TIP: You can select everything by selecting Edit / Select All, or

by pressing Ctrl+A (Cmd+A).
11. Add a rectangle to one of the faces and Push/Pull it This window selects everything completely or
out. partially inside it - the front face, side and top faces,
and surrounding edges.
33
14. Shift and Ctrl/Option keys can be used with window 17. Switching to wireframe can show you exactly what’s
selection. Press Shift to toggle selected objects and been selected. Click Wireframe.
drag a window that encloses both boxes.
In wireframe view you can see the edges and faces of

the small box that are selected.
Objects that were previously selected are deselected,

and vice-versa.
18. To deselect the small box, orbit the view as shown,
press Ctrl/Option + Shift, and drag a right-to-left box
around it.
15. Now orbit around so that the small box is behind the
larger one. Drag a right-to-left window to select three
faces of the large box (the two you can see plus the
bottom face), plus the three common edges. 19. The small box is deselected, but the last selection
window also deselected the side face of the large box.
16. The selection window affects all objects inside it, 20. Switch back to Shaded mode.
throughout the depth of the model into the screen.
Therefore, you need to be careful when using a
right-to-left window, because you might select
objects that are hidden behind objects. 21. Press Ctrl/Option or use Shift, and re-select the face.
In this case, the window has also selected some edges
and faces of the small box.
NOTE: If you are trying to select groups or components, the tool

works the same way. The only difference is that the group or
component is selected as one object.
34
The Basics
22. Here’s a neat feature that allows you to select For information on layers, see "Layers" on page 317. For
multiple objects at once. While in Select, information on materials, see Chapter 7.
double-click on any face. This selects not only the
face, but also all surrounding edges. Taking Off Quantities Using Select
and Entity Info
The Entity Info window enables you to easily calculate
numbers of objects, total lengths of edges, and total area
of faces.
1. If not already displayed, select Window / Entity
23. Double-click on any edge to select the edge plus all Info. If nothing is selected, the window will be
adjacent faces. empty.
24. Finally, triple-click on any edge or face. This selects 2. Use Select to select any face. Its area is listed in the
all contiguous edges and faces. Unattached objects window. You can also check Hidden to hide the face.
remain unselected.
The context menu also provides these selection options. If

you right-click an edge, you can select all connected
3. Select a few faces, and the total number of faces, as
faces, or all connected geometry.
well as total area, are listed.
4. Now select one edge; its length is listed. In addition

If you right-click a face, you can select its bounding
to Hidden, for edges you also have the options Soft
edges, connected faces, or all connected geometry.
and Smooth - these are options that control how the
edges are displayed (see "Displaying and Smoothing
Edges" on page 72).
35
5. Select a few edges (they don’t have to be 2. Draw a rectangle that encloses the bottom of the
contiguous), and their total length is listed. cylinder.
6. Length can be calculated for curves as well, which

makes sense since arcs and circles are basically
created as a series of small edges. In this case, four 3. Push/Pull the rectangle downward; the circular
objects are selected - two circles with 24 segments portion of this face remains in place.
each, and two arcs with eight segments each. The
faces within the circles are not selected. The total
number of edges is 64, and the total length is also
listed.
4. Push/Pull the polygon the same distance by

double-clicking on it.
7. If your selection set contains different types of

entities, such as adding two circular faces to your set
of selected edges, the total number of entities will be
listed, and nothing else.
5. Right-click on the bottom polygon and select

Explode Curve. This breaks the polygon into its
individual segments.
Erase
After knowing how to select, the next important thing is
knowing how to erase.
1. Start with a polygon, using around 24 sides, pulled
into a cylinder.
36
The Basics
6. Activate Erase (Tools / Erase). 8. To erase multiple edges in one go, keep the mouse
button pressed and pass over the edges you want to
delete. They will be highlighted in the “select” color,
and will be deleted once you release the button. If the
Entity Info window is open, you will see the number
and total length of the edges to be erased.
7. The cursor is now an eraser symbol. Click on any of

the polygon segments on the bottom face. Because
this breaks the circular face, the remaining lines
become thick. If you try to select this rectangular
face, it has now become a single face.
If you accidentally pass over an edge you don’t want

to erase, press Esc to start over. And, of course, you
can always use Undo.
NOTE: If you hadn’t exploded the polygon, the entire polygon

would be erased with one click.
TIP: If you pass over edges too quickly, they might be missed. If
you’re not picking up all the edges you want, move the mouse
more slowly.
9. 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.
NOTE: If you erase an edge of a group, the entire group will be

deleted. The same is true for components.
37
10. Orbit to look down on the top face, draw a rectangle 13. Another way to erase is to select first, then press
on it, and select it. Delete. Use a right-to-left selection window to select
all edges and faces of the base, except for the top
face.
11. Right-click and select Erase. You could also use 14. Press Delete, or right-click and select Erase. Only
Select to select the face and press the Delete key. the top face of the base remains.
15. If you erase an edge of a face, all faces adjacent to it

will also disappear. Erase one of the vertical edges of
the cylinder, and its two adjacent faces disappear.
TIP: This menu also contains a Hide option - useful for blanking
faces from the display.
Erasing faces is how cutouts are made.
16. Undo to restore these face. You could also recreate

these faces by manually redrawing the edge you
erased.
17. The last feature of the Erase tool is that it can also
hide edges (not faces). Just press Shift and click an
edge, or keep Shift pressed while you pass over
multiple edges.
12. Erase one of the edges of the cutout. The face is
restored, and the remaining three edges are
thick-lined.
Hiding all, or even just some, edges is a great way to

get a smooth look.
38
The Basics
3. Measure the length of the base by clicking the two

TIP: You can also hide edges and faces by selecting them first, endpoints.
then pressing H (or selecting Hide from the popup menu, or
selecting Edit / Hide).
If you like working without edges, you can uncheck

Edges in the Display Settings window (Window /
Display Settings).
The length is indicated in the VCB.
4. To change the length of this edge, type the desired

length (such as 20’) - don’t forget the unit.
In addition to hiding edges, Erase can also be used to
soften edges. Hiding and smoothing are two different
things. As you saw above, hiding edges leaves surfaces 5. Using Measure this way enables you to scale your
looking faceted, while smoothing creates a smooth look. entire model, according to the value you entered.
Hiding also hides profile lines, while smoothed objects Click Yes to the following question:
still have their profile lines displayed.
For more information, see "Displaying and Smoothing
Edges" on page 72.
Measure
This tool has three purposes: to measure distances, to
scale an entire model, and to create construction lines. The model changes scale. You can verify this by
1. Start with this form. using Measure on the same two endpoints, and
checking the length in the VCB.
NOTE: If your model has components, they will not be scaled in

this operation. Components have set dimensions which would
be lost if they were scaled. This is useful in cases when you want
to scale a model around a component. For example, you could
insert a door component and scale a face to accommodate it.
6. As you’ve already seen, you can also use Entity Info

to measure edges. Select the edge you just resized,
2. Activate Measure (Tools / Measure, Mac: Tools /
and its length appears in the Entity Info window.
Tape Measure).
The length is grayed out because it cannot be edited.
39
10. Now for the construction lines in the other direction

NOTE: You can only use Entity Info to edit the length of a line - create one between the other opposite corners of
when it has one endpoint free (not connected to another edge).
this face.
We now want to create a shape on the sloped face, but

we need construction lines to know where to locate
points
7. Activate Measure and click two opposite corners of
the diagonal face. An infinite construction line is
created here.
11. Click this construction line and move the cursor to

one side, keeping it on the face. Do not pick up any
other inferences, and do not click yet.
8. Measure can also create construction lines offset to

edges and other construction lines. Click the
construction line you just drew and move the cursor
to one side to see the offset line. Place it so that it
intersects the midpoint of the edge shown.
12. You can enter the offset distance manually. Enter a
value like 7’ (don’t forget the foot symbol;
otherwise, the value is assumed to be in inches).
Press Enter.
13. The construction line is created at the specified

offset.
9. Create another offset construction line that intersects

the midpoint of the other edge.
40
The Basics
14. This value is a bit too large, but it’s not too late to 18. Erase all construction lines by selecting Edit /
change the offset. Type 2’ and press Enter, to move Construction Geometry / Erase (or Hide).
the new construction line closer to the center.
19. The next construction line will use a double

15. Create another construction line at the same offset in constraint. Click the lower edge of the sloped face
the other direction. (not at an endpoint, and without picking up any other
inference), so that you can create a construction line
parallel to it.
16. Use the intersections of the construction lines to

create the three lines shown below.
20. Hover on the upper edge to pick up its inference.
17. Activate Arc and close the form using the three
points shown below. If drawn correctly, the inner
form should be thin-lined (closed and aligned to the 21. Then move out so that the construction line is along
sloped face). the axis (red or green direction) from the upper edge,
and directly above (blue direction) the lower edge.
41
(Here’s another way to do the same thing: Click the

lower edge and pull up in the blue direction. Press TIP: There is a quicker way to find this point, by using inference
locking. In the Measure tool, first hover over one edge and press
Shift to lock the blue direction, then click any point Shift, then click the other edge. This places the first endpoint of
on the upper edge.) the construction line at the point where the two edges would
22. Activate Push/Pull, click the inner portion of the meet.
sloped face, and click the construction line. This
extends the face to the level of the construction line.
25. From the point where these lines intersect, start

23. Construction lines can also be used to infer points. another construction line. Move in the red or green
Create a construction line along the edge shown by direction (depending on where your axes are) but
clicking any two points along it. don’t click yet.
24. Do the same along the diagonal edge. Now you have
the intersection of where the two construction lines 26. Type an offset value, such as 25’ and press Enter.
meet.
27. This creates a finite construction line, ending at a

construction point.
42
The Basics
28. Create an offset of the diagonal construction line by 32. Erase the construction lines, and Push/Pull the
clicking on it (Line A), then clicking on the endpoint triangle outward.
of the finite construction line (Point B).
33. If you look from the side, you can see that the sloped
faces of both forms lie on the same plane.
29. We now have the necessary information to locate a

second form. Start a line at Point B, hover over Point
C, and locate point D when both axis inferences
appear.
Protractor
This tool has two basic purposes: to create angled
construction lines and to measure angles.
1. Start with a box.
30. Draw the next line straight up from Point D to where

it hits the construction line directly above it (blue
direction).
2. Activate Protractor (Tools / Protractor.
3. The protractor appears. Hover over the midpoint

31. Close the triangle. shown. If you move slightly to the right and left, you
can align the protractor to either adjacent face. The
color of the protractor tells you how the protractor is
aligned (the protractor is green when aligned in the
red-blue plane, etc.).
43
4. Click when the protractor is aligned with the front 8. Now the protractor has tick marks every 10 degrees.
face (facing you). This sets the protractor’s center. Place the cursor at the 40-degree tick, and click to
5. The next click sets the orientation of the reference place the construction line.
line. Click a point along the axis that will set a
horizontal line across the front face. The reference
line appears as a dotted line.
9. Draw a line between the two points where the

6. The final step is to define the angle, which is construction line intersects the edges of the front
measured from the reference line. By default, the face.
protractor has ticks marking angles every 15 degrees.
If you move the cursor two ticks above the reference
line, you will see 30 degrees listed in the VCB.
10. Use Push/Pull to push the triangular face all the way
through. Because the construction line is no longer
needed, you can erase it.
7. To change the default tick spacing, open the Model

Info window to the Units page. Enable angle
snapping should be checked, which enables you to
snap to the tick marks. Change the snap angle from 11. Activate Protractor again. This time we want to
15 to 10. keep the protractor flat (red-green plane) and center
it at a specific point. To do this, we need to set the
orientation before placing it on the point, since there
is no adjacent face we can use.
12. Place the protractor anywhere outside the form and
press Shift to lock its orientation. The protractor is
blue when sitting in the red-green plane. (You could
also use the top horizontal face for orientation.)
44
The Basics
13. With Shift still pressed, click the corner shown to 17. Extend the next point in the axis direction until it
place the protractor center. meets the construction line.
14. Define the reference line along the edge or axis as

shown. 18. Draw one more line to complete the triangle.
15. You can enter a number manually, if you need an

angle that you can’t snap to. Place the cursor to 19. Push/Pull this triangular face to the bottom of the
indicate the direction of the angle, and type the angle other form.
(32.4 in this case) which automatically appears in the
VCB. Press Enter to set the construction line.
20. Erase the construction line. Activate Protractor

again, which will now be used to measure an angle.
Place and orient the protractor on the back edge as
shown.
TIP: You can enter negative values as well. If the cursor had set
the angle direction the other way, you could type -32.4 to get the
same result.
16. For the next line, start at the corner where you placed
the protractor and then hover over the endpoint
shown to pick up its inferences.
45
21. Hover (do not click) over the endpoint shown (Point 26. Erase the construction line, as well as the three edges
C). In the VCB you will see the measurement of shown.
angle A-B-C. The measurement is 57.6, which is the
complement of the 32.4-degree angle you created
before.
27. This erases a few faces, which will be replaced by

sloped faces.
If you had clicked the point, you would have created

another construction line, which is not needed.
22. Press Esc to “free” the protractor so it can be placed
somewhere else. 28. Draw the new lines shown, to create a faceted form
23. Place it at the corner of the front face, oriented along (any three points defines a plane, and therefore a
its bottom edge. This face isn’t aligned with any of face).
the three standard planes, so the protractor is black
(or whatever your edge color is). Move the cursor
upward (do not click yet) to set the angle direction.
Move and Copy

The Move tool can be used in two ways - to move objects
to a different location, or to make one or more copies.
24. You can enter a ratio instead of a degree Move can also be used to resize curves and curved faces.
measurement. Type 8:12 and press Enter.
Move
You can modify your model by moving edges, faces,
TIP: Entering a ratio is a great way to set the rise:run of a roof
points, or a combination of selected objects.
slope. This is demonstrated in "Resolving Sloping Roofs" on 1. Start with a box and add a line parallel to the back
page 158. edge.
25. Draw a line between the two intersection points on

this face.
46
The Basics
2. Activate Move (Tools / Move).

NOTE: If you use Push/Pull on the same face, only that face
would be extended.
3. Click the edge shown, and drag it downward (blue

direction). You can also click the edge and then click
its new location.
Move affects edges and faces adjacent to the selected face,

thereby stretching the model.
You could use Push/Pull with Alt to get the same effect as
Move.
So far we’ve used Move on single objects. Objects

4. Move is still active. Move the point shown on the left can also be selected first, then moved. If you want to
down till it meets the corner point below it. move multiple objects, you must define the selection
set before activating Move. (Conversely, if you want
to move a point, you must activate Move first, then
move the point.)
6. Use Select to select the two edges shown.
5. Move also works on faces. Move the face along the

red (or green) axis to stretch the entire model.
When moving this way, you need to define two

points, a reference point and a destination point. The
move is applied based on the distance and direction
between these two points.
7. Activate Move and click any point in space (Point 1)
and click or drag to Point 2, following the axis
direction (red or green, depending on how you made
your model). The two edges move accordingly.
47
8. Draw a rectangle on the large, front face. Make it 12. Now we can create a triangular frame at the top of the
off-center. rectangle. There is no endpoint on the top edge to use
Move on, but it’s easy to create one. Right-click on
the top edge and select Divide.
9. We can resize the rectangle by moving one of the

edges, but these edges are not aligned with any of the
standard axes. Use Move on an edge, clicking any
point along the edge as the start point.
13. Move the cursor so that the edge is divided into two
segments.
10. Then hover over the lower edge (do not click).
14. The midpoint of the top edge can now be moved, but
(again) the move direction is not along any of the
standard axes. To position it exactly right, use
Measure to create a construction line. First click
either vertical edge, then place the construction line
at the midpoint of either horizontal edge.
11. Now move in the direction you want to go, clicking
when the Parallel to Edge constraint is displayed.
48
The Basics
15. Now Move the midpoint of the top edge (which is 18. With Shift pressed, click the midpoint of the lower
actually an endpoint since the edge was divided) edge. Now the small face is centered.
along the construction line.
You could erase this face to make it a cutout, like a

16. Now to center the small face along the lower edge of window.
the large face. Activate Move on the small face, and
click a point at the center.
Copy
When you use the Ctrl/Option key within a Move
operation, you create a copy.
1. Start with a box and use Move to move the edge
shown.
17. Hover over the lower edge of the large face to get its
Parallel constraint. Press Shift to lock this constraint. 2. Right-click the edge shown and select Divide. Move
the cursor so that the edge is divided into three
segments, and click. Now the edge consists of three
lines of equal length.
3. Draw two parallel lines from the new endpoints.
49
4. Use Push/Pull to push up one of the outer top faces.

Double-click on the other outer face to extend it the TIP: Selecting Point B can place the copy on either the top face
or front face. If you’re having trouble getting the copy on the top
same distance. face, try to approach Point B slowly from a point on the top face.
8. The copy should still be selected. Press Ctrl/Option

again and click Point B. Release Ctrl/Option and
click a point along the vertical edge (Point C). The
copy is automatically aligned with the front face.
5. Draw a small circle on one of the top faces and

Push/Pull it up.
9. We want to make a window from this new cylinder.

Select the top and sides of the cylinder (leaving the
circle along the face) and press Delete. This leaves a
circular cutout.
6. We now want to select this cylinder to copy it. Use a

right-to-left selection window - everything inside or
touching the window will be selected. (You can also
double-click the top edge to select all the faces that
touch it.)
10. Select the cutout circle. Return to Move and press

Ctrl/Option. Click any point on the front face as a
reference point. Then hover over the bottom edge.
For the second point, make sure the copy is parallel
to the bottom edge.
7. With the cylinder selected, activate Move. Press

Ctrl/Option, then click Point A. Release Ctrl/Option,
then click Point B to make a copy of the cylinder.
50
The Basics
11. One copy is made, but you can make several copies When the copies are placed, they cut this face as
at the same spacing. Type 3x, which appears in the well.
VCB. Press Enter.
Now there are three copies (four total windows).
NOTE: Automatic alignment, which you just saw, works only for
copies. Moving objects does not change their alignment.
12. In this case, the last copy extends past the face, so no Autofold
cutout is made. Enter 2x to remove this copy.
Autofold is a very useful enhancement of the Move tool,
which enables you to create fold lines where there weren’t
any before. Normally, Move keeps planes as planes,
without dividing them into more planes. Autofold will
create as many planes as needed to perform the move.
1. Start with this form, with all lines at right angles.
NOTE: You can also enter a number (no “x”) to change the
spacing. Multiple copies are explained further in Chapter 4.
2. Use Offset to create an offset face within the original
13. Now select two of these windows, and copy them to face. (Activate Offset, select the face and press
the side face. The first reference point should be on Enter, then pick two points to define the offset
the front face, and the second point on the side face. distance.)
NOTE: For an exercise on Offset, see "Offset" on page 69.
51
3. Select the inner face and try moving it up. You can 7. Select both ridge lines, and activate Move, without
only move it within its plane. Autofold. As before, click any two points to raise
these lines in the blue direction. This works, though
some cleanup would be necessary.
4. Undo.
Here’s the first instance when Autofold is useful.
There are two ways you can do this: 8. Undo this move, and add two valley lines.
5. Select the inside face first, then activate Move. Press
Alt/Cmd, and click a reference point anywhere. Then
release Alt/Cmd and click a second reference point,
directly above the first one. The fold lines between
the top and bottom faces are created automatically.
9. Now select the two ridge lines as before (not the

valley lines), and try to move them up without using
Autofold. There is only one direction the edges can
be moved; you can’t move in the blue direction.
The other way to do this is to start with nothing
selected, then activate Move. Press Alt/Cmd, click
the inner face, release Alt/Cmd, and drag the face
upward.
TIP: Yet another way to create the same form would be to use
Push/Pull on the original face (without the offset face), then use
Scale on the top face. See "Scale" on page 65.
10. Try again, this time using Autofold. Now you can
move the edges in any direction - use the blue
6. Now we will create a roof. Start at Point A
(midpoint), and start the line in the axis direction. direction.
Press Shift to lock the line to the axis and click Point
B (also midpoint). Then complete the roof ridge line.
52
The Basics
11. The roof wasn’t created perfectly, but it can easily be There are so many uses for Autofold, it’s impossible to
cleaned up. Erase the two lines shown, then correct show examples of them all. Here are a few extra
the roof face by adding one line. examples.
12. Here’s a neat way to modify the roof. Activate Move

and click the ridge line intersection point. Start
moving in the blue direction and press Shift to lock
this direction. Then click any point on the flat top
face.
Autofold with Curved Faces

13. Erase the two unnecessary valley lines.
Autofold can be also be handy with faces created as a
result of Push/Pull’ing arcs, circles, and polygons.
1. Start with a box that has an arc attached to it. Pull the
arc up but not all the way to the top of the box.
2. Select the top face of the arc form and activate Move.
The only way you can move this face is up or down.
53
3. Now try to move it again, this time pressing Alt/Cmd

for Autofold. You can now move the face in any NOTE: If you have an even number of segments, these
draggable quadrant points will be at segment endpoints or
direction. midpoints. For an odd number of segments, play with the mouse
to find the four quadrant points.
2. Move one of the quadrant points, either by dragging,

or by click-move-click. The center of the circle
remains in place, but the radius changes. Watch the
VCB to see the radius value update.
Similarly, Autofold is useful when you want to create

skewed cylinders and polygonal prisms.
TIP: To assign an exact radius value, you can type it and press
Enter, or open the circle’s Entity Info.
3. Push/Pull the circle up. You can now use Move to

change the radius of the circle at either end of the
cylinder.
Using Move to Resize Curves and 4. Activate Move, make sure nothing is selected, and
Curved Surfaces move the mouse along the top edge until only a
This section applies to arcs, circles, and polygons, and to quadrant point (and not the entire edge) is
the surfaces created when these entities are extruded. Note highlighted. Drag the point inward to make a cone.
that the changes you can make in this exercise can only be
performed 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 oval
cannot be resized.
1. Create a small circle, and activate Move. Make sure
nothing else is selected, and move the cursor around
the circumference of the circle.
Along most of the circumference, the entire circle is
highlighted. But at the four quadrant points, only the TIP: To create drafted extrusions for faces that are not based on
point itself is highlighted in green, indicating that it is circles, arcs, or polygons, you can use the Scale tool. See
a point you can drag for resizing. "Scale" on page 65.
54
The Basics
5. You can also resize the curved face itself. While 8. Activate Move again; now we will resize the arcs.
Move is still active, move the cursor until a movable Move the cursor to the midpoint of the second arc -
edge (and not the entire face) is highlighted as a bold, only this point should be highlighted (not the entire
dotted line. These edges correspond to the locations arc).
of the quadrant points. Move the edge outward to
create a wide, flat cone.
9. Drag this point downward to “flatten” the arc.

6. Now onto arcs. On the top face, create an arc
between an endpoint point on the circumference and
a point near the circle center (don’t use the exact
center). Size the arc so that it is tangent to the circle.
10. Do the same at the midpoint of the first arc.
7. Create the next arc from the end of the first one. By
default it is tangent to its neighbor. Double-click to
place the endpoint somewhere on the other side of 11. Arc endpoints can also be moved. Pick the endpoint
the circle. shown. . .
55
12. . . . and drag it toward the center of the circle. This 16. Resize the arc at the bottom of the face by dragging
not only changes the arc, but shrinks the circle as its midpoint forward.
well.
17. Change both arc faces by moving their common

edge.
13. Push/Pull up the rear face made by the arc chain.
14. Curved arc faces can be resized like we did for the
circular face. In Move, highlight the moveable edge
directly below the arc midpoint. Drag it forward to
change the bulge direction.
18. Finally, we will use a polygon, which is basically the

same as a circle. Draw a hexagon on the top face.
15. Do the same for the other face.
56
The Basics
19. Like with a circle, activate Move and use one of the 2. Activate Rotate (Tools / Rotate).
moveable quadrant points to shrink the polygon. The
location of these points depends on how many
segments you have, but there is always at least one at
a segment endpoint.
3. Once in Rotate, you need to select the objects to

rotate. Use a right-to-left selection window to select
all faces of the wing.
20. Pull up the polygon. To resize the polygonal face,

drag one of its moveable edges.
4. The entire top (and bottom) face is selected, so

Rotate will not work - the entire face will move. The
faces must be divided.
21. And resize the top polygon by dragging a quadrant

point inward.
5. Draw a line between the corners.
Rotate and Copy

This tool can be used in two ways - to rotate objects to a
different position, and to make rotated copies. You can
align the rotation axis to a one of the standard planes or to
an existing face, or you can define your own rotation axis
(see “Defining the Rotation Axis” on page 62). 6. Draw the same line on the bottom face, either by
orbiting the model upside-down, or doing it in
Rotate wireframe view.
1. For a basic look at Rotate, start with a form like this.
We want to rotate one of the wings.
57
7. Deselect everything. Switch back to shaded view, The current rotation angle appears in the VCB.
and now activate Rotate and select the wing again.
Because the rotation has affected adjacent faces, the

non-rotated wing no longer consists of right angles.
To correct this, some construction lines are needed.
12. Activate Measure and click the edge that has the
correct orientation. Place the construction line so that
it intersects Point A.
Mac: Rotate only works if objects are selected first.

Therefore, select the wing first, and then activate
Rotate.
8. Press Enter to accept the selected objects and
proceed to setting the rotation parameters. The
protractor appears, which works the same way as the
Protractor tool (see "Protractor" on page 43). 13. Create another construction line parallel to the edge
9. Place the center of the protractor on the top face, shown, by clicking any two points along the edge.
close to the intersection with the other wing.
14. Select the vertical edge that needs to be moved, and

activate Move.
10. The next click sets the rotation reference line. In this
example the reference line is not important; set it
along one of the axes.
15. Click Point A as the reference point, and move it to

where the two construction lines intersect (Point B).
11. The next step is to rotate. Move the cursor to activate

the rotation. You can use the tick marks on the
protractor, rotate by eye, or type an angle value.
58
The Basics
Here is the corrected building with the rotated wing. 5. Set the reference direction along the long side of the
house.
The next exercise explores alignment locking when using

Rotate.
1. Start with a long box with a line across the top. Use 6. Then click along the construction line to rotate the
Move upward on the line to create a ridged roof. house.
2. The house is aligned with the red-green plane, but we

want it aligned in another direction. Activate
Measure and click Points A and B to create a 7. We will now create a window that will be placed on
diagonal construction line in the red-green plane. the sloping face of the roof. In some blank space,
create a long rectangle with a smaller rectangle
inside it. Make sure it’s sized so that it will fit entirely
within the roof face when rotated.
3. Select the entire house and then activate Rotate.

4. Place the protractor at the start of the construction
line, making sure it is blue (in the red-green plane).
The rectangle is aligned with the red and green axes,
and therefore not aligned with the rotated house.
8. Erase the interior face of the window, and Push/Pull
up the frame.
59
9. The window needs to be rotated to the orientation of 12. Activate Rotate. This time the protractor needs to be
the house. Select the window, activate Rotate, and oriented vertically. You could use one of the small
place the protractor at the front corner of the house. vertical faces of the window, but the side of the house
As before, the protractor should be in the red-green is easier to reference. Place the protractor along this
plane. Set the rotation reference direction parallel to face and press Shift to lock its orientation.
the window.
TIP: If you have trouble getting the protractor to lie flat, place it
outside the house and press Shift to lock its orientation. Then 13. Keeping Shift pressed, click a point where the
keep Shift pressed and click the corner point.
window meets the roof. Align the reference line with
the window edge shown.
10. Rotate it by clicking along the construction line.
14. To rotate, click any point on the roof face.

11. The window can now be placed on the face, even
though it is still not oriented as needed. While the
window is still selected, activate Move, and drag one
of the lower corner points to a point near the top of
the roof face.
15. Press Esc to deselect the window. The window is

properly inserted, and cuts the face.
60
The Basics
Rotate - Copy 4. Activate Rotate on the selected column (use a

As with the Move tool, you can use Rotate to make right-to-left window to select it).
rotated copies by using the Ctrl/Option key.
1. Start with a tall box and use Arc to create a horizontal
half-circle from the top edge. Push/Pull the arc down
slightly.
5. Anchor the protractor on the midpoint of the arc

diameter line.
2. The next step is to create a column which will be

rotated and copied along the periphery of the arc.
Draw a small rectangle on the underside of the arc.
6. Press Ctrl/Option and click anywhere to place the

reference line. Note that the cursor symbol now has a
plus sign, indicating copy mode.
3. Push/Pull the rectangle down to the level of the

bottom of the box.
7. Move the cursor to rotate out a copy of the column.

Place the copy a reasonable angle from the original.
61
8. As with Move, you can change the number of copies Defining the Rotation Axis
by entering a value. Type something like 3x, then In the previous exercise, the rotation protractor was set
press Enter, to create a total of three copies (four total along to a standard plane (like red-green) or along an
columns). existing face. This exercise shows how to set your own
rotation axis.
1. Start by drawing a hexagon (use the Polygon tool,
specifying 6 sides). Use Line to start a rectangle off
one of the sides. For any edge of the hexagon, start
the line at Point A, hover over edge A-B, and get the
“Perpendicular to Edge” constraint.
9. If the number of copies is too high or low, type a

different value (like 5x).
2. Complete the rectangle and select it.
That’s all there is to it. If you look at the underside of

the model, you can see that each column is rotated
from the original, and the angular spacing is even.
3. Activate Rotate. If you place the protractor along the
common edge, it will only align to the existing faces.
NOTE: For a more detailed exercise using Rotate with copying,

see "Multiple Rotated Copies" on page 145.
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The Basics
4. Here’s how to switch the rotation plane: click the 6. You can use this method to define any rotation axis.
edge and keep the mouse button pressed. The We will rotate the rectangle again, but first it must be
protractor center stays on the edge, and you can prevented from “sticking” to the hexagon. Select the
move the mouse to pivot it around. To fold the rectangle (double-click on it to select its face and
rectangle over, align the protractor by clicking an edges), right-click, and select Make Group.
edge endpoint.
5. This sets the rotation plane perpendicular to the

rectangle. Set the orientation along the rectangle. . .
NOTE: For details on how grouping prevents objects from

sticking, see “Introduction to Groups” on page 179.
7. Rather than aligning the protractor to an edge, place

. . . and rotate it down. The rotation angle is listed in the cursor at the lower endpoint shown.
the VCB; you can change it by entering a different
value if you like.
8. Click and hold the mouse button, and click the top
midpoint. This defines the rotation axis.
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9. Click anywhere to set the protractor orientation, and 12. Click any adjacent hexagon endpoint to define the
click again to turn the rectangle about the rotation rotation angle.
axis.
13. After creating the first copy, enter 5x to create a total

Here is the result: the rectangle is still joined to the of six rectangles. The result is a basic turbine form.
hexagon at its midpoint.
10. Now we can copy this rectangle to every side of the

hexagon. (If you did the exercise “Rotate - Copy” You can also use Rotate on one or more faces of a 3D
on page 61, this will be familiar.) Select the objects.
rectangle, activate Rotate, and place the protractor at 1. For a simple example, create a cylinder and select the
the center of the hexagon. top face.
11. Press Ctrl/Option to make copies, and click any

endpoint of the hexagon to orient the protractor. 2. Activate Rotate, and use the click-and-hold method
to define the rotation axis between two endpoints of
this face. When you rotate the face, you get this
result:
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The Basics
Using Rotate to Twist 4. Undo and rotate again, defining the rotation axis like
Keeping with the theme of rotation a single face, Rotate this:
can also be used to twist a 3D object.
1. Create a polygon (this one has 12 sides) and select
the top face.
2. Activate Rotate and place the protractor at the center

of the top face. Rotate it around to twist the cylinder. 5. Rotate the top face about its center for this effect:
3. Undo, and this time place the protractor off-center.

Now the cylinder both twists and skews.
Scale
Use Scale to resize or stretch selected faces, relative to
other geometry. You can also use Scale to mirror objects,
in effect, turning them inside-out.
1. Draw a multi-segmented polygon (not a circle) in the
red-green plane.
2. Activate Scale (Tools / Scale).
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3. Select the polygon and press Enter. The circle is 8. Undo again. Using Shift toggles between uniform
surrounded by a bounding box, with eight drag and non-uniform scaling. Drag the same corner
handles. handle, while keeping Shift pressed. This way you
can create an oval using a corner handle.
The side handles (as opposed to corner handles) are

used to scale the geometry in one direction. A tool tip Similarly, if you use Shift on a side handle, the
appears on each handle, telling you what kind of scaling would be uniform.
scaling it will do, and from what point. 9. Push/Pull this oval up. Select the top face and then
4. Hover over a side handle. Moving this handle will activate Scale. (Like the other tools, Windows users
scale relative to the opposite side handle. can either select the objects and then activate Scale,
or select the objects from within Scale.)
5. Drag, or click-move-click, this side handle. By

default, moving a side handle causes non-uniform
scaling - which means the aspect ratios are not
maintained. This is a handy way to create an oval
from a circle. Mac: Objects must be selected before Scale can be
activated.
10. Hover on one of the corner handles, and press
Ctrl/Option. Rather than scaling from the opposite
handle, you are now scaling relative to the center of
the face.
6. Undo, and hover on one of the corner handles.
7. Move this handle to resize. By default, corner

handles cause uniform scaling in two directions - the 11. Drag the corner handle while keeping Ctrl/Option
circle remains a circle.
pressed, to scale the face outward from the center.
This is how to give a form a draft angle.
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The Basics
16. To change this behavior, right-click on both the top

NOTE: If you press Ctrl/Option and Shift together on this face, and bottom edges of this form and select Explode
you can scale non-uniformly about the center.
Curves.
12. Drag back toward the center using Ctrl/Option. Look

at the VCB, and note that the scaling snaps to whole
values (1.0, 2.0, etc.) and half values. Release the
handle when the scale is 0.5.
17. Now when you scale the same faces as before, only
these faces change, in addition to the faces
immediately adjacent to them.
13. So far we’ve scaled only in 2D. Scaling in 3D works

the same way. Select two front faces and activate
Scale. Now there are 26 handles - corners, sides, and
bounding box faces.
18. Drag the top of the bounding box upward.
14. Drag the handle at the center of the front of the

bounding box outward from the model. The entire
model scales with these faces. Try dragging different
handles to see how the entire model adjusts.
Note that scaling causes faces to fold automatically.

Fold lines are added to faces that were previously
planar.
19. Scaling can also be used for mirroring, or turning
objects inside out. Start by using Move with
Ctrl/Option to make a copy of the entire form.
15. Undo to return to the model before you did any 3D
scaling. The reason the entire model was affected by
the scaling of any two faces is that the top and bottom
objects are single objects (scaled polygons). When
scaling, single objects keep their basic form.
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20. Activate Scale, select the copied form, and press 2. Select the top face of this small box and activate
Enter. Start dragging the handle at the center of the Scale. You get a 3D bounding box, reflecting the
front of the bounding box. axes in which the original form was created.
21. Drag this handle toward its opposite handle, stopping 3. To change the axes, you could use the Axes tool (see
when the VCB reads -1.0. The form now faces the "Axes" on page 70), but in this case there is an easier
other direction. way. While Scale is still active, right-click on the
sloped face and select Align Axes.
4. Now the scale box is 2D, and aligned to the sloped

TIP: You can make use of components, together with the Scale face.
tool, to make mirrored copies of objects. See "Using
Components for Mirroring" on page 229.
Scaling with the Axis Tool

By default, the Scale bounding box reflects the current
red-green-blue directions. But you might need to scale
objects according to a different set of axes.
1. Start with a form with a sloped face. Draw a 5. If the axes are not displayed, turn them on by
rectangle on the sloped face and Push/Pull it selecting View / Axes. Red and green are aligned to
outward. the face edges, and blue is normal to it.
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The Basics
6. Use Ctrl/Option and a corner handle to give the box 4. Double-click on the inner face to create another
a draft angle. offset, using the same offset distance.
7. If you plan to continue working in this file, the axes

should be reset or you will get unexpected results
when creating new objects. Move the axes back to 5. The repeat offset does not have to be on the same
their original location by right-clicking on any axis face; double-click one of the vertical faces.
and selecting Reset. If you want to start the next
exercise in a new file, the axes automatically reset.
Offset
This tool takes all the edges of a selected face, or a series
of connected edges in the same plane, and offsets them.
1. Start with a form like this.
6. Push/Pull up the middle face on the top, to create a

parapet or railing wall.
2. Activate Offset (Tools / Offset).
NOTE: For another example of using Offset to create roofs and

parapets, see "Using Offset for Roofs" on page 155.
3. Select the top face and press Enter. Move the cursor
inward, and the offset distance appears in the VCB.
Click to place the offset face inside the original. This 7. Orbit around to the long wall and create an arched
creates a new face. doorway (using Rectangle and Arc, erasing the
common edge).
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8. Offset can also be used on a series of edges, rather Axes

than an entire face. Select all edges of the doorway, This tool can move the origin and/or change the
not including its bottom edge. orientation of the axes.
1. If the axes are not displayed, select View / Axes.
2. Draw a box with a sloped face, based in the default
red-green plane.
9. Activate Offset and create an inner (or outer)

doorway shape. Note that the two ends of this edge
chain remain connected to the bottom edge.
3. Activate Axes (Tools / Axes).
4. We will orient the axes to Face A. Start by locating

the origin at the lower left corner.
NOTE: As with most tools, in Windows you can activate Offset,

then select the face or edges, then press Enter and set the offset
distance. On the Mac, you must select the face / edges first, then
activate Offset.
10. Push/Pull the doorway face outward and you have a

tunnel or covered entry.
5. The next click defines the red direction. Click

anywhere along the lower edge.
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The Basics
6. The last click defines the green direction. Select any 9. You can also move and/or rotate the axes by specified
point on Face A. values. Right-click on any axes and select Move.
The red and green axes are now aligned with Face A,
and the blue axis is normal (perpendicular) to it.
TIP: Selecting Place from this menu is equivalent to activating
Tools / Axes.
10. Enter Move values for the axes you want to move.
For Architectural units, if you want feet, be sure to
use the foot symbol; otherwise inches are assumed.
7. To align the axes with Face B, you could use the

same method, but an easier way is provided in the
popup menu. Right-click on Face B and select Align
Axes.
11. Click OK, and the axes move accordingly.
8. The axes are now aligned with Face B. 12. To move the axes back to their original location,
right-click on any axis and select Reset.
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We’re now back where we started. 3. Make the bulge vertical (blue direction).
4. After the arc is complete, change the number of sides

to 9 (just type “9s” - the number appears in the VCB
There are many cases in which you might need to move or - and press Enter).
align axes. One example is while using the Scale tool. See
"Scaling with the Axis Tool" on page 68.
Now the shapes at either end of the rectangle have
Displaying and Smoothing the same number of segments.
Edges
This sections covers ways to show, hide, and soften edges
of curved objects. For information on ways to display the
model itself (shaded, wireframe, transparency, etc.), see
"Display Settings" on page 438.
When you are creating curved objects such as spheres,
cylinders, etc., SketchUp enables you to display and
manipulate these objects either as faceted objects, or as 5. We’ll fill in the space between the two arcs by
smooth, single objects. drawing lines. Draw a line between the first set of
segment endpoints.
1. First we will construct the object. Start with a
horizontal rectangle, and along one edge make a
vertical face like this, with nine segments.
6. Create the first two triangular faces by adding a

2. At the other end of the rectangle, start an arc with diagonal line.
endpoints like this:
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The Basics
7. Continue in this manner along the remaining 9. Hiding edges does not change the structure of the
segments. . . adjacent faces. Activate Select and select either face
next to the edge. Each face remains a separate object.
10. Select a few more edges and hide them by selecting

. . . until all 18 faces have been created. Edit / Hide. (You could also right-click and select
Hide.)
NOTE: If any faces appear in the Face Back color, you can
change this by selecting them, right-clicking, and selecting
Reverse Faces.
There are two ways to control edge display: hiding

and softening. First we will look at hiding.
11. For another easy way to hide edges, activate Erase
8. Right-click on any interior edge and select Hide. The and press Shift. You can click individual edges or
edge disappears. press and drag over the edges you want to hide. Use
this method to hide interior and exterior edges along
one side of the arc.
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12. Unlike softened edges (as we will see later), hidden 16. Blank the hidden edges again, and you can see the
edges are always hidden, no matter how you orbit the edge you made visible.
model. This means that profile lines may be hidden.
Turn on Hidden Line display.
The edges that were hidden are invisible. Even if you

orbit the model, you will not see these edges; its
profile lines are hidden.
17. To display all hidden edges, select Edit / Unhide /
All.
13. Return to Shaded mode.
14. To see the edges that were hidden, select View / NOTE: If you always prefer to work without edges, you can set
Hidden Geometry. Hidden edges appear as dotted uncheck Edges in the Display Settings window (Window /
(not dashed) lines. Display Settings).
15. To redisplay a hidden edge, right-click it and select

Unhide.
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The Basics
18. Softening edges is similar to hiding them, but can be 22. Right-click on one of the selected edges and select
used for smoothing as well. Right-click an edge and Soften/Smooth Edges.
select Soften.
19. The edge is invisible. But in contrast to hiding the

edge, a softened edge joins the adjacent faces into
one face. Verify this by using Select. The Soften Edges window has a slider that you can
use to control which edges are softened. (You can
also display this window by selecting Window /
Soften Edges.)
20. To soften several edges,. activate Erase and press

Ctrl/Option. Note that in the area where the edges are
softened, the face looks smooth. NOTE: Soften Edges is one of SketchUp’s stacking windows.
See “Stacking Windows” on page 437.
When Angle Between Normals is zero, no edges are

softened. When Smooth normals is checked, the
resulting faces lose their faceted look.
23. Move the slider from 0 degrees to the other end (180
degrees) to see how the edges disappear.
21. You can also soften a group of selected edges. To

select all the remaining edges of the arc face, orbit so
that you are facing into the arc, activate Select, and
use a right-to-left selection window.
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24. At a certain angle, all the edges will be softened, 27. Return to Shaded display. Display the softened
resulting in one, smooth face. Now this face can be edges by selecting View / Hidden Geometry.
selected and manipulated as one face - it is no longer Softened edges are shown as dashed lines, as
faceted. opposed to hidden edges which are dotted. Draw a
few lines between the midpoints of these edges.
25. Deselect the Smooth normals option. The edges are

still hidden, but the face now looks faceted. It still
acts as one face, however, because this option only
controls appearance.
28. Draw three more lines to create a small window in
one of the faces. This would not be possible to do if
the softened edges weren’t displayed.
29. Blank the softened edges, and erase the window

26. Turn on Hidden Line display. Unlike hidden edges, cutout.
softened edges are always visible in profile. You can
orbit the model and always see the profile lines.
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The Basics
30. The remaining edges lie within existing faces (even 33. To unsoften specific edges, you need to be able to see
though you can’t see the faces themselves). You can the edge first. Display hidden edges, then right-click
soften these edges as well - select them all, on an edge that is still softened. Select Unsoften.
right-click, and select Soften/Smooth Edges.
34. To unsoften all edges, select them all using the

selection window you used before. Right-click and
select Select/Smooth Edges, and make sure the
slider is set back to zero degrees.
31. Make sure Soften coplanar is checked - this softens
any interior, coplanar edges
Softening edges is an extremely useful tool for both

controlling display and changing the object face structure.
32. You can unsoften edges that you cannot see. Activate For another example of this, look at the preinstalled
Erase, and press both Shift and Ctrl/Option. Hold component SimpleSphere02 (found in the Shapes
and drag the cursor over a few edges, which become category).
highlighted.
NOTE: If you don’t know how to do this, see "Inserting and

Editing Predefined Components" on page 188.
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Displaying hidden geometry will show you how this 4. For the first text object, click anywhere in the blank
object is actually constructed. You can then unsoften the space in front of the building.
edges,
5. Type something like “Proposed Museum” and press

Annotation Tools Enter twice to complete the text. (Pressing Enter only
SketchUp provides two ways to add descriptions to your once starts a new line of text.)
model: text and dimensions.
Text
Text can be placed in your model in two ways: attached to
geometry or “floating” in space.
1. Start out a building like this, with one main section
and two slope-roofed wings.
The text now appears as one line, in the selected font

and color.
6. For the next object, click the face shown.
2. Before creating text, we will set the type of text to be

used. Open the Model Info window to the Text page,
and make sure Leader is set to View Based, and End
Point is set to Closed Arrow. For the font and color,
use whatever you like. 7. When you first click a surface or edge (as opposed to
blank space), you are creating a leader. By default,
the area of the face is listed as the text, but this can be
changed. Click a second point to determine the
location of the start point of the text.
3. Activate Text (Tools / Text).
NOTE: For details on using Text to measure length and area,

see "Dimensioning Using the Text Tool" on page 92.
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The Basics
8. You can now overwrite the area text. Type “East 13. In the Entity Info window, change Leader to
Wing”. . . View-based.
9. . . . then click outside the text area to complete the

text. (Pressing Enter twice also works.)
Now the text has a leader.
10. For the next text object, click on the sloped roof face
shown.
14. You can also fix a leader to an edge. Click the top
front edge of the rectangular section.
11. Then double-click where you want the text.

Overwrite the area with “8:12 Roof” and press Enter
twice. This creates text with a hidden leader.
15. The default text for edges is the measured length.
Click to place the text and overwrite the text with
something like “Optional Roof Deck.” (Like with a
face, if you double-click the text location, you will
get a hidden leader.)
12. To display the leader for this text, right-click on the

“8:12” text and select Entity Info.
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19. While you are in Text mode, you can move any text
NOTE: You’ve seen what happens when you click an edge or object. Click on “West Wing” once, then click again
face. When you apply text to a component or group, the default
text is the component/group name. You can change names of
to relocate it.
groups in the Outliner. The Outliner can also be used to assign
different names to component instances. See “The Outliner:
Manipulating Groups and Components” on page 206.
16. The type of text we’ve been using is view-based,

meaning that it always tries to maintain its
orientation relative to where it was originally placed.
If you orbit so that any leader line is hidden, the
entire text object disappears.
20. You can also edit text. Double-click on “8:12 Roof”
and change it to “6:12.” Click outside the text area to
implement the change.
17. Open Model Info and change the Leader to

Pushpin and the End point to Dot. This setting
affects text drawn from now on - it doesn’t change
what’s already there. (There are ways to change
existing text, as you’ll see.) TIP: Another way to change text is to right-click on a text object
and select Edit Text.
21. To see the difference between view-based and

pushpin text, orbit the model to partially hide the
west wing. View-based text disappears when its
leader line is hidden, but pushpin text remains visible
even when text and/or leaders are partially hidden.
18. Add the two objects shown below to the other wing.
Note the different leader end point.
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The Basics
Because of these differences, view-based text is Either way, the selected objects now have open arrow
appropriate for presenting still shots from certain leader end points.
angles, in which you don’t want irrelevant text
cluttering the view. Pushpin text is good for overall
studies and plans, in which you want all text
available at all times. This type of text should be
moved using axis direction inferences, so that you
don’t inadvertently move it to another plane.
22. In addition to moving and editing existing text, you
can also change a text object’s type. Activate Select
and select two of the view-based text objects from
the east wing.
TIP: As you probably figured out, you can change all text objects
by using the Select All Text button in Model Info.
24. To verify that these are now pushpin objects, orbit

around and note that they do not disappear when their
leaders are hidden.
23. There are two ways to change these objects. One is

the Model Info window: choose Pushpin and Open
Arrow. Then click Update Selected Text.
NOTE: For a single text object, you can also change its leader
type or arrow by right-clicking on it and selecting Leader or
Arrow.
25. You can also create text directly on a face or edge, so

that no leader is attached. Activate Text again, and
double-click on the front center face. Type “South,”
The other way you can change objects is via the then press Enter and type “Facade.” This creates two
Entity Info window, as you’ve seen. This way you separate text lines. Press Enter twice to finish.
can also see how many objects are selected.
This type of text object has a “hidden” leader line,

which can be changed using the methods you’ve
already seen.
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26. Text objects that are anchored to faces or edges 2. Use Move to push in the top arc.
“stick” to those faces when they are moved. To verify
this, Push/Pull the south facade forward; both of its
text objects (“South Facade” and “Optional Roof
Deck”) move with it.
NOTE: If you don’t know how to do this, see "Using Move to

Resize Curves and Curved Surfaces" on page 54.
3. Lastly, create two identical cylinders on the top face

27. Do the same for the “West Wing” face; both the text (create one using Circle and Push/Pull, and use
and leader move. Move with Ctrl/Option to make a copy of it).
Dimensions 4. Now to add some dimensions to this form. Activate

You can add dimensions to your model to show exact
Dimension (Tools Dimension).
measurements.
NOTE: For an exercise on creating geometry using exact

measurements, see Chapter 11.
Creating Dimensions
This section focuses on ways to create and place 5. The first dimension will be created between two
dimensions. Dimension display and properties will be points. Select the points shown below. Then move
covered in the next section. the mouse in front of the building and click to place
the dimension text. Leave enough room for more
1. Start with a box with a chamfered corner. Draw an dimensions closer to the building.
arc protruding from the front face and Push/Pull it
up.
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The Basics
6. The dimension is listed in whatever units are 8. Create a similar dimension on the other side of the
currently set (shown here in Architectural). Open arc face. When locating this dimension, use the
Model Info to the Units page and select Decimal dotted inference line to align it with the
dimensions in Millimeters. Use a Precision of 0.0, corresponding dimension on the other side.
so that the dimension will have one decimal point.
Deselect Display units format, so that the “mm”
will not be displayed on every dimension.
The dimension text should now reflect the new unit 9. While Dimension is still active, you can move
settings. existing dimensions. Click one of the shorter
dimensions and drag it closer to the building.
7. Create the next dimension from the right wall to the

arc face, by selecting the two points shown.
TIP: You could also use the Move tool to do this.
10. Move the other short dimensions as well, keeping it

aligned with the first.
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11. You can also dimension an edge with two clicks. 14. To dimension the lower arc, click it and click again to
Click the edge shown, and pull the dimension to the place the dimension.
side of the building.
15. If the “R” prefix does not appear with the radius
12. Create the vertical dimension the same way, aligning dimension, you can attach it. Open Model Info to the
it with the previous dimension. Dimension page, and check Show radius/diam
prefix.
16. Dimension the upper arc the same way.
13. Dimensions are objects that can be moved, copied,

rotated, and hidden like other objects. Select the two
dimensions shown below, and hide them (select Edit
/ Hide, or right-click and select Hide.)
17. The model is starting to look cluttered, so it’s a good

idea now to modify the display. Open Model Info to
the Dimension page, and check Hide when
foreshortened.
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The Basics
18. With this setting, dimensions oblique to the viewing 22. Move the cursor down and click to create a vertical
plane are hidden. Orbit to a more vertical view, and dimension.
the dimensions on the red-green plane will disappear.
TIP: You can use the slider on the Dimensions page to control 23. Use the same edge to create a horizontal dimension.
the angle at which dimensions will disappear.
19. To dimension the arc face, first display hidden

objects by selecting View / Hidden Geometry. All
the hidden dimensions are outlined in dashed lines.
Click on one of the dashed line at the center of the
face.
24. Now orbit to a more isometric view. Depending on

your foreshortening settings, some dimensions that
were previously hidden should now reappear.
20. Turn off hidden objects.

21. In addition to dimensioning in the red, green, and
blue directions, you can also create parallel
dimensions. Move the cursor in a perpendicular
direction away from the selected edge; the parallel
dimension inference line is magenta. Do not click to
create this dimension.
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25. Next, create a parallel dimension along the 28. Click the other center point, and create the dimension
chamfered corner. If the outline is dashed, adjust the between them.
viewing angle so that this dimension is visible.
29. To dimension the circle, click the edge, then place the
dimension. By default, circles are assigned diameter
dimensions, with a “DIA” prefix.
26. Once a dimension is created, you can still change its

orientation. Click the dimension for the chamfered
30. Change this diameter to a radial one, by
corner and move the mouse so that it is aligned with
right-clicking on it, selecting Type, and selecting
the front edge dimension.
Radius.
The dimension now has the “R” prefix. This method

27. For the next dimension, click on the center point on can be used on both arcs and circles.
top of one of the circles. If you can’t locate this point,
hover over the circumference first, then try again.
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The Basics
31. You can add prefixes and suffixes to dimensions 33. To dimension the height of the cylinders, select one
without changing their numerical value. To edit the of its hidden edges and move the cursor to the side to
dimension, double-click on it, while in Dimension or create the dimension.
Select mode. (You can also right-click on it and
select Edit Text.)
Type “Radius <> Typ.” The angle brackets are
placeholders for the dimension value - the number
will remain intact, located in between the suffix and
prefix.
34. As you would expect, changes to the model cause

dimensions to update. Push/Pull up the cylinder
whose height you just dimensioned to see this
dimension update. Note also that the dimension
between the cylinder center points does not change,
but its leader lines update.
The dimension text now contains the extra text. But

the “R” symbol is still there, which is no longer
needed.
35. If you change the size of the model, all the

dimensions will update. You can use the Scale tool
for this, but Measure is better if you want to assign a
specific measurement. Activate Measure.
32. Open the Dimension page again and deselect Show
Radius/Diam Prefix.
36. Pick two endpoints of an edge, such as the one

The “R” symbol is now gone. Note, however, that shown.
this affects all radial and diameter dimensions, so be
careful when changing this option.
The VCB displays the actual length of this edge.
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37. To assign a new length, simply type it and press 2. By default, so far the dimensions have been aligned
Enter. so that you can always view them facing you, no
matter the orientation of the model. To change this,
open the Dimension page and check Align to
38. You will receive the following message - click Yes. Dimension Line, and set alignment to Centered.
39. The scale of the entire model, and its dimensions,

increase to reflect the new measurement.
Each dimension is now aligned to its plane. This is

typical of most CAD programs, but can be a bit hard
to read unless you are directly facing the dimension.
3. Change the alignment to Above.
Dimension Display and Properties

Some display options and dimension properties were
covered in the previous section, but this section will cover
the rest. We will continue with the same model.
1. Erase or hide all dimensions except those shown.
The dimensions are now located above the

dimension lines.
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The Basics
4. Change back to Horizontal on Screen, and change 6. With the current settings, we cannot tell if there are
the Arrow Heads to Dot. any problems with dimensions, such as overridden
numbers. To change this, open the Dimension page
again and check Highlight non-associated
dimensions. Set a color that is easily visible.
Now the dimension you edited will appear in the

“problem” color. In addition, any dimensions that are
The dimensions are all aligned to the viewing plane, not accurate to the specified precision will now have
and end in dots at the witness lines. a tilda (~) symbol.
5. We will now look at dimension overrides. Note that only the edited dimension text itself, and
Double-click the dimension shown and type in a not the witness lines, appear in the “problem” color.
different number. This dimension is no longer This indicates that the dimension itself is still valid,
numerically accurate. only the number is wrong. You would also see the
“problem” color if you changed the dimension to
text, or added a prefix or suffix without using the
“<>” format described in the previous section.
7. To remove the tilda symbols, you can always
increase the precision. Open the Units page and
increase the Precision to several decimal places.
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The dimensions are now more accurate. The edited The dimensions are now in foot-inch, rounded to the
dimension does not change, however, it remains how nearest inch. Most or all of these dimensions will
it was edited. have a tilda symbol since the precision is low.
10. Use the Measure tool to change the dimension

shown to a whole foot value, and to scale the entire
model accordingly. This dimension does not include
8. To remove a dimension override, simply delete its
“zero inches,” which you would want on final
text. Double-click it, and press Delete to remove the
text. drawings.
11. Back in the Units page, check Force Display of 0”.

The dimension now reflects the actual number, to the
correct precision.
9. Now change the units to Architectural, Precision =

0”, and do not check Force Display of 0”.
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The Basics
The zero is now displayed.

WARNING: Be careful when using this option, because you
might then create dimensions that immediately disappear!
Lastly, we have already seen how dimensions are

associative to the model, and update with changes to
geometry. But what happens when the geometry used
to create them disappears?
14. Cut a chamfer on the other front corner. The two
dimensions that are affected are those that referred to
the corner that was eliminated. These dimensions
appear in the “problem” color, and not just the text
itself. The witness lines are problematic as well,
12. Another way to avoid clutter is to hide dimensions since it is no longer clear what they reference.
when they get too small to display. In the Dimension
page check Hide when too small. Use the slider to
adjust the display tolerance.
13. Zoom out on the model, and note how dimensions

disappear when they are small enough.
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Dimensioning Using the Text Tool 6. To demonstrate this, change the units to display the
If you worked through the exercise "Text" on page 78, you unit format (i.e. cm). Create another edge label, and it
have seen how Text can be used to label dimensions. includes the format. The previous labels do not
Depending on what start point is selected, you can label change.
coordinates, edge lengths, and areas.
1. Start with a form like this and activate Text. This
example uses Decimal cm units.
2. For the first point, select one of the corner points.
Drag out the text, and by default it is a label of the X,
Y, Z coordinates of the point.
7. Text can also label areas. Click a point within a face,

and the label contains the area.
3. Click the second point, and the text is highlighted. At

this point you can overwrite the text, but we want to
keep the coordinate values. 8. If you click within a curved face to get its area, you
will get the area between hidden edges - not the
entire face. (You may have to zoom in closely to get
the On Face constraint, since there are hidden edges
and endpoints within this face.)
4. To place the text as is, click anywhere outside the

text.
5. For the next text label, click anywhere along an edge.
Place the second point - this time the text shows the
edge length.
9. However, labeling a circular edge will give you the
entire length. Be sure to click within one of the circle
segments, and not on one of the segment endpoints.
Unlike dimensions, the Text tool creates labels,

which are not associative to the model. If you make
geometric changes, or change units, the text does not
update.
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The Basics
Using the Axis Tool with Dimensions

Dimensions are always relative to the current axes. If you
need to create dimensions relative to a different set of
axes, you can use the Axes tool.
1. Turn on the axes display and create a box.
2. Activate Axes and create a new set of axes, not

perpendicular to the original axes. (For information
on this tool, see "Axes" on page 70.)
3. In the new axes system, create a rectangle.
4. Create dimensions between the rectangle and box.

Dimensions are always in the current axes system.
5. To reset the axes, you can right-click any axis (they

must be displayed), and select Reset. The
dimensions remain in place.
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94
3 Intersect and Follow Me
These tools are combined in this chapter because they are 3. The first way to use this tool is the “real-time” way.
often used together. For other exercises in this book that First, activate Follow Me (Tools / Follow Me).
use them see:
• "Roofing with Follow Me" on page 169
• "Using Section Planes with Model Intersection" on
page 312
• "Creating a Log Cabin" on page 427
4. Then select (click and release) the cutout face as the
Follow Me face to drive along the path.
This tool basically takes a flat face of any shape, and
drives it along a path. In other CAD applications, this is
called extruding or driving.
Basic Follow Me
This exercise will show you the several ways you can use
Follow Me.
1. Start with a form like this - a box with an arc form
pulled up part-way. 5. Move the cursor to the back endpoint shown. . .
2. Use two arcs to create a cutout section in one corner

of the box. This is the section that will be used in 6. . . then move it along the back of the box and the
Follow Me, in a few different ways. opposite edge . . .
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7. . . and back to the point from which you started. It This may be tough to do - you may end up with
might be a little tough to get this point since the incorrect edges selected. If you have trouble, try
cutout shape starts before this point. If you miss it, approaching endpoints slowly, zooming in, or
try zooming in and approaching more slowly, or try changing the view.
approaching from a different angle. Here is the result - the cutout is made along the entire
path.
8. Click at this point, and the section is removed.
NOTE: You don’t always have to select a closed path; just stop
wherever you need.
The real-time, dragging method is great in some

cases, but as you’ve seen, it’s not always so easy to
pick the path. Also, the driven section must be
connected to the path and must meet it at the path
endpoint.
10. Undo again. The next method shows how to set the
path ahead of time. Activate Select and select all
edges along the top (five edges total).
TIP: You can also hold and drag the section all the way around.
Activate Follow Me and click on the section, without releasing
the mouse button. Keep the button pressed and move along the
path. When you release the mouse, the cutout is made.
9. Undo (hotkey: Ctrl/Cmd + Z) to restore the top edge

of the box. Try the real-time Follow Me again, using
the edges shown. Don’t leave out Edge 11, which
takes you back to the start point.
11. With the edges selected, activate Follow Me. Then
select the cutout section.
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Intersect and Follow Me
This drives the section around in one step. 15. Then activate Follow Me and select the section - the
cutout goes all along the face.
12. Undo, and pre-select the edges you used before.

16. Undo and use the face-select method with a side
face. . .
13. Activate Follow Me and use the same cutout section

- the same results as before. But with an unusual path
. . . with this result.
like this, it’s an easier way to make sure you get a
clean, closed result.
17. Undo again. If you want to drive around a face, you

don’t have to pre-select it. With nothing selected,
14. Undo. If you plan to drive a section around a face,
activate Follow Me. Select the section, press
you don’t have to select each edge in advance. Use
Alt/Cmd, and select the top face. Do not click yet.
Select to select just the top face.
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18. With Alt/Cmd still pressed, move the mouse to the 21. Now erase or hide one of the side faces. Because the
side face and click. circle section was partially inside the building, you
can see the quarter-circle section sticking into the
room.
This is the result - the section is removed from both

faces (with a little cleanup needed).
22. Undo and create a section like this, all outside the
building.
The Alt/Cmd-face method is convenient, but only

works on sections immediately adjacent to the driven 23. Drive this section along the top.
section.
19. Now we will see how driven sections affect the forms
on which they are created. Undo to erase the arc
section and draw a small circle at the corner shown.
Now the section has dragged the walls out with it.
20. Use Follow Me to drive it around the top.
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24. One way to use Follow Me so that the driven section Within the group, the section is driven around the
does not affect the form on which it sits is to use top.
groups. Undo the last action and select the section
face. Make it a group by selecting Edit / Make
Group.
28. Right-click outside the group and select Close

Group. The top looks like it did before . . .
25. When using Follow Me on a group, you need to
pre-select the path. So, select the top face or select its
edges.
. . . but if you look inside, you’ll see that the vertical

walls of the room remain unchanged, though you can
see the outline of the group.
26. Activate Follow Me. The section to drive is within
the group, so right-click the section and select Edit
Group.
NOTE: Groups are explained further in Chapter 6.
27. Select the face. 29. If you pre-select the path, the path does not have to
touch the section. As an example, we’ll create a moat
around the building (a very useful thing no doubt).
Create a rectangular section with an arc cutout.
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30. Use the bottom face for the path. If you select this Here’s the problem - the intersections here are not
face (as opposed to the edges), be sure to first heal it clean either.
into one face.
31. Select the moat section. It remains the same distance

from the path, all the way around. However, the 33. Extend the lines to meet the arc segments, and heal
intersections between the straight and curved the face.
portions are not clean.
34. Now use the edges of this face for the moat section.
Much better.
32. To find out why, undo the last action. Use Offset on
the bottom face to create the surrounding edges. Stop
at the moat section’s far endpoint.
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Follow Me with Components 4. Undo, and select the molding face. Make it a
The previous exercise showed how you can avoid component by using the icon or selecting Edit /
“stickiness” with Follow Me by using groups. You can Make Component. (Or right-click on the section
also use components for the same effect, with the and select Make Component.) Assign a name and
advantage that you can reuse sections repeatedly. A good be sure that Replaced selected is checked.
example is the use of moldings.
1. Start with a box and remove the floor, so that you can
see the moldings.
The section now has a bounding box, like it would as

a group.
2. Draw a molding section on the outside of the box.
5. If the Component Browser is not open, select

Window / Components. Click the In Model icon.
3. Use Follow Me on this section along the top of the
box. This cuts material from the top of the box, but
doesn’t create a molding inside the box.
In Model contains the molding section you just

created.
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6. To drive this component around the top of the box, Here is the result from the outside - the box remains
first select the top face or the four top edges. Then closed on top.
activate Follow Me. Right-click on the component
and select Edit Component.
9. In the browser, you can see that the component has

changed - it used to be a 2D section, now it is the
entire molding.
7. Select the molding face . . .
10. Look up from the bottom - the molding appears on

top of the box walls and ceiling.
. . . and it proceeds along the top face.
8. Right-click outside the molding and select Close If you have standard moldings (or other sections) that you
Component. (You can also go to Select mode and use frequently, they should be placed in a component
click outside the component bounding box.) library for easy importing. The edited (3D) molding
would still appear in the In Model tab, but the original
molding section would be preserved in the library. See
"Creating and Saving Components in the Library" on page
193.
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Round Objects NOTE: If you prefer not to go through all of these steps each time
By extruding a face along a circle, you can create rounded, you need a sphere, open the Component Browser to the
or lathed, objects. “Shapes” category to find some spheres and domes already
created for you.
1. We’ll start with the most basic round shape - a
sphere. Start with a circle.
6. For another way to create a sphere, start with a
half-circle arc closed by a line.
2. Orbit so that you can create a new circle 7. Draw a circle perpendicular to the arc shape. The
perpendicular to the first one. Start the new circle at center point must be aligned with the line, but does
the center point of the first one, and make it larger. not have to touch it. (It might help to use Measure to
draw a construction line. You can center the circle at
the endpoint of the construction line.) The circle can
be any size, as long as its center point is located
correctly.
3. Select the new, larger circle.
8. Select the circle, activate Follow Me, then select the

arc shape. The sphere is created.
4. Activate Follow Me, and select the smaller circle.

The smaller circle is driven around the larger one.
9. To create a hemisphere, start with the same arc shape

as before. Draw a perpendicular circle of any size at
5. Erase the larger circle to get the sphere. the midpoint of the arc shape line.
You also could have driven the larger circle around

the smaller one, but then you would have to erase a 10. Select the circle and activate Follow Me on the arc
circle inside the sphere. shape, to create the hemisphere.
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11. Where you place the circle affects the outcome of the 16. The extrusion this time has the rectangular cutout on
extrude. Draw a rectangle with some lines and arcs the outside and the curved portion on the inside.
inside it.
12. Erase as needed to make a face like this.
17. Here’s a funny aspect of Follow Me. Change the

circle so that it is a half-circle. (This is easily done if
the circle has segment endpoints along the face edge.
Then you can use a line to divide the circle, and erase
the top half.)
13. Place a perpendicular circle at the corner point
shown.
18. Use Follow Me along the 180-degree arc (not the

half-circle face). If you look closely, you can see that
14. Use this circle to extrude the shape, and this is the the start and end faces are not flush.
result, shown in X-Ray mode. The rectangular
cutout is in the center of the object.
15. Undo, and move the circle to this corner point.
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19. Undo, and make sure nothing is selected. Activate 2. For future reference, right-click on the original arc
Follow Me and select the face, then extrude it and select Point at Center.
manually along the arc. Now you can see the
problem - the face is Push/Pull’d along the first arc
segment, and after that the extrusion is curved. So,
arcs don’t always give you the results you’d expect.
NOTE: If this option does not appear, open File / Preferences

to the Extensions page and check Ruby Script Examples.
To remedy this, you can try an arc with many more
segments. You’ll still get an extrusion that’s not
exactly 180 degrees, but it’ll be closer. The This creates a construction point at the center of the
disadvantage is that more segments make for a more arc.
complex, and therefore slower, model.
Another way is to use the “slice and copy” method.
This will give you the exact shape you want, but
takes a bit more work. See "Domed Apse" on page
378.
Intersect with Model

These easy exercises are a good introduction to Intersect
with Model. This tool basically enables you to perform 3. Orbit to face the front of the arc face, and use
solid Boolean functions - combining, intersecting, and/or Freeform to create a shape like this.
subtracting one solid from another.
Cutting and Embossing

This exercise shows how you can use Intersect with
Model to create the edges needed to make cutouts. 4. Use Push/Pull on both the freeform face and the arc
face so that they intersect like this:
1. Start with an arc and use Offset to create an outer arc.
Connect the arcs with lines to complete the face.
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5. To find the intersection edges, select the arc wall (or 8. Embossing is similar. Use Undo to return to the step
at least the front and back faces of it), right-click and before the intersection edges were created.
select Intersect with Model. (You can also find this
on the Edit menu.)
9. Switch to X-Ray mode and Push/Pull the freeform

body so that it stops inside the wall.
There are now edges where the freeform face meets

the wall.
10. Select the freeform body and activate Rotate

(Tools / Rotate). Place the protractor at the
construction point.
6. To see these edges better, delete the portions of the

freeform body that extend past the arc wall on either
side.
11. Press Ctrl/Option to make copies, and set the

reference axis anywhere. Rotate-copy the original
form on either side.
7. Now erase the faces inside these edges, on both sides
of the arc wall. The result is a solid arc wall with a
solid cutout.
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12. The intersection edges are only needed on the outer 3. Push/Pull it out and display the hidden edges (View
face of the arc wall. Right-click on this face and / Hidden Geometry). This is so that we will have a
select Intersect with Model. reference for copying and rotating.
13. Erase the overhanging portions to see the three sets 4. Select the arch and activate Rotate. Shift-lock the
of intersection edges. protractor to the red-green plane and place it at the
midpoint of the top (hidden) edge of the arch.
14. Erase the freeform faces, and you see partial cutouts
- similar to poking the bodies slightly into the wall.
5. Press Ctrl/Option for copying, and set the rotation

axis anywhere. Enter, or snap to, a 90-degree rotation
angle.
Intersecting Arches
This exercise is pretty straightforward - intersecting two
arches that meet at a 90-degree angle.
1. Start in a new file in Front view.
2. Use Rectangle and Arc to draw an arch. Select all

edges except for the bottom one, and use Offset to
create an inner arc. Then erase the bottom edge.
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6. With the copied arch still selected, activate Scale. This creates edges where one object intersects with
Drag the top center handle upward to create a higher another.
arch.
9. To cut the openings, switch to a front or side view

7. Deselect everything and hide the hidden edges. We and use a right-to-left window to select and delete
want to cut the arch openings, but first we need the everything inside the shorter arch.
intersection edges.
8. Select both arches, and right-click and select

Intersect with Model.
10. Do the same for the higher arch. This is how the
model should look from the bottom (this one was
Push/Pull’d to shorten the arch lengths).
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11. Recreate and erase edges as needed to clean up the 3. To separate this arch from the box, add a dividing
ceiling and floor. This is sometimes easier to do in line. (If you used the Ctrl/Option key when you
X-Ray or Wireframe mode. pulled out the arch, this step wouldn’t be necessary.)
4. Now we need to move the cutout all the way through

the box. Select the arch form . . .
Arch Cutouts Using Groups
This exercise is similar to the previous one, but uses an
arch form to create intersecting cutouts. The result is a
vaulted ceiling.
1. Start with a square (sides must be equal) in the
red-green plane and Push/Pull it up to a box. Draw
an archway on one side.
5. . . . and try to move it into the box. It can only move
side-to-side.
NOTE: You could move it into the box using Autofold, but this
would push in the side of the box as well!
2. Push/Pull this arch out.
6. Undo the move, and with the arch still selected, make
it into a group (Edit / Make Group).
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7. Grouping the arch has eliminated the “stickiness” to 10. Select everything, right-click and select Intersect
the box. Now you can move it into the box. with Model.
NOTE: For more details on groups, see Chapter 6.

11. Now erase the arch groups, and the intersecting
8. With the group still selected, activate Rotate. Place edges remain on the box.
the protractor at the center of the box top. You can do
this by hovering over two adjacent midpoints and
finding their intersection.
12. Erase the arch faces, and this is the result. Because
the cutouts were grouped, no part of them remains
inside the box when they are deleted. To solve this,
groups must be exploded before creating
intersections.
9. Use Ctrl/Option to create a copy 90-degrees from the
original.
NOTE: This is also true for components, as you will see in

"Creating a Faucet" on page 126.
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13. Undo until you return to the step in which you had This is how the arcade should look from below - a
two arch groups. Select both groups, right-click and nice vaulted ceiling.
select Explode.
This method works great for simple forms like arches and
cubes. When you attempt something more complex, it still
14. Now select everything again and intersect the model. works, but you may have a bit more cleanup to do.
1. As an example, create a hexagon (use the Polygon
tool) and create a similar arch cutout group.
15. Delete the portions of the arches that extend past the
box. This is easy to do in Top view.
2. Rotate-copy the cutout group 60 degrees, making
two copies.
16. Erase the arch faces, and you are left with some
interior faces. Erase these interior faces as well to
create an arcade.
3. Explode the three groups and intersect the entire
model.
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4. Trim the portions of the arches that extend past the Cutting Using Components
hexagon form. This exercise shows how components can be used in
conjunction with Intersect with Model.
NOTE: For an in-depth exercise on using Intersect with Model

and components, see "Creating a Log Cabin" on page 427
1. Start with a form like this (using lines and tangent

arcs) and use Offset to create an inner set of edges.
5. Erase the arc faces. Now when you get inside, you
will find a number of faces to delete, as before. But
you will also have more extra edges and small faces
to erase.
2. Push/Pull the form out and close the end faces. This
will be the grill form that will have several cutouts
made.
3. Smooth the long, lateral edges on the front face, by

using Ctrl/Option + Erase.
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4. To make the cutter, face the front of the grill and 7. Position the cutter component within the grill, so that
create a vertical rectangle next to it. it stops in the hollow space. It may be easiest to do
this in X-Ray mode. You’ll probably need to move a
few times, in a few axis directions.
5. This rectangle will be the cutter; so make a box out of

it.
8. With the cutter selected, activate Move and use

Ctrl/Option to make several copies of it. (To make
multiple copies, place the first copy and then type 4x
- or whatever works for you.)
6. Select the box and make it a component (Edit /
Make Component). Assign any name, and be sure
that Replace selection is checked.
9. Double-click on any cutter to open it for editing. The

rest of the model, including other components, are
faded.
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10. The easiest way to edit this component is to blank 13. Close the component by double-clicking outside it,
everything else. On the Components page of the or right-click and select Close Component.
Model Info window, check Hide for both
components and the rest of the model.
11. Select the entire component (select everything - only

14. If you try selecting and deleting the interior faces,
the edited component is selectable) and perform an
you can’t do it yet - the grill face is not yet broken.
intersection. The edges where it meets the grill are
created.
15. To break the face, you to use the components as

cutters. Select all of the components and run
12. Trim the cutter on either side of these edges. You Intersect with Model again.
should have four faces, representing where the cutter
meets the front of the hollow grill “shell.”
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16. Now you can delete the cutout faces, and the interior 3. Do the same for the other long top edge.
faces of the front face.
4. Select the middle back edge and activate Move.

Press Alt/Cmd for Autofold and move this edge up.
(Without Autofold, the edge cannot move up.) If
This works because the grill is a hollow shell, and not a your model does not look like this, you can erase and
full solid. To do the same thing with a solid, you would recreate the needed edges.
have to explode each component. Or, see the next exercise
for a work-around.
Hiding Intersection Edges with

Components
This exercise is a neat work-around to the problem of
model intersection, in which you cannot find edges on a
component when its intersecting face has already been
cut.
1. Start with a short rectangular box. Right-click one of 5. We will add skylights to this sloped roof. Display the
the long top edges and select Divide. Component Browser (Window / Components).
Open the Shapes category and click one of the
spheres.
2. Move the cursor until the edge is divided into three

segments. If you hover over the division point, the
tool tip will tell you the number of segments and the
segment length.
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6. Drag the sphere to the sloped face. 10. Type “2/” (or whatever number you want) to create
some more skylights between the first and last ones.
7. Unless the size of your model is perfect, you will

have to resize the sphere. With the component still
selected, activate Scale and drag one of the corner 11. In order to see through the skylights, the roof face
handles outward. must be cut. Right-click on this face and select
8. Move the sphere as needed in the red, green, and blue

directions so that it sticks out of the roof,
approximating a skylight. It helps to do this in the
Top and Left / Right views.
This creates edges around each skylight.
9. Activate Move and press Ctrl/Option to make a copy.

Select two points along the sloped edge to place a
copy on the other end of the face. 12. Now edit one of the sphere components, select it, and
perform an intersection. Unless your spheres
overlap, no intersection will be created. The roof face
has already been cut, so no edges are created where
the sphere meets it.
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13. If intersection edges are created, it is where the 16. Erase everything but the face that represents the
sphere overlaps with other spheres. Undo any skylight.
intersection edges, and close the component.
14. Here is the crucial step: select and Hide (do not
erase) all the intersection edges. Do not hide the
cutout faces, however! The roof face has to appear
whole.
The easiest way to do this is to keep Ctrl/Option
pressed and use several left-to-right selection
windows. Be sure not to create any selection window
that would enclose an entire cutout face, or an entire
17. To make this realistic, open the Material Browser
component. With all edges selected, press H or
(Window / Material Browser). In the Library, open
right-click and select Hide.
the “Glass + Transparent” category and click one of
. This should be the result: no intersection edges the glass thumbnails. Click the skylight face to apply
visible and the components are still in place. Profiles the glass material.
are turned off in this example.
NOTE: Materials are covered in Chapter 7. For details on

transparency, see "Material Transparency" on page 249.
15. Now edit one of the spheres and do an intersection.

The intersection edge with the “whole” roof face is 18. Close the component. The skylights appear on the
created this time. roof, but you cannot see through them because the
roof face is still whole.
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19. Display the intersection edges you hid before (Edit

Unhide / All).
Combining Follow Me and
20. Now select all of the skylights and hide them. Here is Intersect with Model
what remains - those edges you hid before. These exercises use both tools, which you’ll find are very
often used in conjunction with each other.
Creating a Wall Niche

This simple exercises shows you how to use Follow Me
to create a rotated form to use as a cutout, and how to use
Intersect with Model to make the cutout.
1. Start in Front view.
2. Draw a shape like this.

21. Erase the cutout faces . . .
3. Draw a circle of any size in the red-green plane

(press Shift to lock the plane), using the midpoint of
the bottom line as the circle center.
22. . . . and unhide the skylights. Now you can see

through the glass into the model.
4. To make things easier later, use Measure to create a

vertical construction line along the center.
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5. Use Follow Me to rotate the arch shape. You can 9. Move the niche and construction line, dragging it by
select the circle first, then activate Follow Me, and the construction line, into the box. Stop when the
then select the arch. Or you can activate Follow Me, construction line aligns to the front face. With the
select the arch, press Alt/Cmd, then select the circle. niche still selected, right-click and select Intersect
with Model. The edges along the box are now
created.
6. Erase the circle. To replace the bottom face, you can

redraw one of its segments. Another way is to select
all edges of the bottom circle and then select Tools /
Utilities / Create Face.
10. Trim all the extra faces and edges, and here is the
wall niche.
NOTE: For Create Face to be available, open File /

Preferences to the Extensions page. Make sure Utilities
Tools is checked.
With Follow Me, you’re not limited to an simple
arch-shaped niche. If you have a section like this . . .
7. In Top view, draw a rectangle for the base of the box
that will be cut.
. . . .you can easily rotate it into this.

8. Push/Pull the rectangle up and down so that it will
encompass the niche shape.
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This would be the resulting niche. 4. Move the slider to zero to unhide these edges.
5. Turn off the hidden edge display, and erase the lower
half of the sphere. Create the bottom face.
As an unrelated aside, here’s another way to create the

arched niche.
1. Start by bringing in a sphere component (located in
the Shapes folder of the Component browser).
2. Explode the sphere (right-click and select Explode),
and select View / Hidden Geometry to display 6. Push/Pull the base out.
hidden edges.
7. To soften these edges, use the Soften/Smooth Edges

option once again. (You could also use Erase with
3. Select all edges separated the top and bottom halves Ctrl/Option to smooth the edges.)
of the sphere. Right-click and select Soften/Smooth
Edges.
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Intersecting Moldings 4. Erase the arc, and change the section to something
This exercise may not represent a typical or practical like this:
design (a funky picture frame), but it’s useful to know
how to handle objects that intersect. It demonstrates how
to use Follow Me to easily create interesting edges, and
uses Intersect with Model to trim them to one another.
1. Start with a flat box for the frame itself, then draw a
5. Now to drive the sections. It’s easier to pre-select the
vertical arc starting from the endpoint of one edge.
edges, so select the two frame sides shown (three
This arc will be driven along two of the frame’s
edges total).
edges.
2. Another section will be driven along the other two

edges. Its dimensions should be consistent with the
arc, so copy the arc to the opposite corner.
6. Activate Follow Me and select the arc section. Then

select the other two frame sides (four edges total).
3. Zoom in on the copied arc, and draw a rectangle that

encloses it. In Rectangle, click Points 1 and 2, and
press Shift to lock the width. Then click Point 3 (the
top of the arc) to define the height.
7. Activate Follow Me again, and select the segmented
section. All edges are created, but they need to be
trimmed.
This should be the result:
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8. Select all faces and edges at one intersection corner, 10. Erase these unnecessary edges as well. You’ll
and run Intersect with Model. (You could also run it probably need to recreate one or more faces as a
on the entire model.) result - this is easily done by using Line to connect
two adjacent endpoints you know to be on the same
face.
Intersection edges are now created where the two

edges meet.
This is how the interior side of the corner should

look:
9. Start cleaning up by trimming away the parts of the

edges that stick out. You should be left with some
edges aligned with the faces. 11. Now do the same on the other corner. First run the
intersection (unless you ran it on the entire model
before).
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12. After cleaning up this corner, here’s the result. In this midpoints, and start the line at their intersection.
example, the frame face itself was switched to its Draw straight down and stop where you want the
“Face Back” color (right-click on the face and select table leg to stop.
Reverse).
Creating a Table Leg

This exercise will show how to create a lathed form - a 3. Draw a large, flat circle at the bottom of the
table leg. Its dimensions are a bit exaggerated, but it construction line, and copy this circle up close to the
shows clearly how to use Intersect with Follow Me to cube.
create everyday shapes.
1. Start with a square in Top view, and Push/Pull it into
a box.
2. We will mark the center of the table leg with a

construction line from the bottom of the cube.
Activate Measure, hover over two adjacent 4. Align the next circle to a vertical face of the cube,
and press Shift to lock the alignment. Place its center
at the center of the large flat face.
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5. Make the vertical circle approximately this size, 8. You can now trim the box past the sphere, and the
relative to the cube. Then select the larger circle, portions of the sphere outside the box. You can also
activate Follow Me, and select the smaller circle. Push/Pull the box back down to a reasonable height.
This creates a sphere.
9. Now for the table leg. We will create half the leg
cross-section, then drive it around the remaining
6. Push/Pull the box through the sphere. circle. Start by drawing two lines - one from the
bottom of the construction line, and the next straight
up. End the line just inside the box.
7. Select the sphere and run Intersect with Model.
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10. Move the top of this line slightly outward to give the 13. The final cross-section should look something like
leg a draft angle, and complete the face of the this. Use the circle at the bottom with Follow Me to
cross-section. It is easiest to do this in X-Ray or complete the leg.
Wireframe mode.
11. Add some detail at the bottom of the cross section

like this:
14. Use Intersect to get the intersection edges between
the two parts of the leg.
12. At the top of the leg, make a few arcs. The top arc
should protrude slightly into the top part of the leg.
15. To trim the leg, you can Hide the top section, or do it
in X-Ray mode.
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Here is the final, trimmed table leg. 3. Activate Measure and click any two points along the
vertical edge to create a construction line. This line
will be used later when placing the faucet handles.
4. Draw a circle to represent the faucet base.
Creating a Faucet
Like the previous exercise, this exercise shows how to
create revolves, and shows what happens when Intersect
is used with components.
(If you want to skip the actual creation of this model and
go straight to the intersection part, go to
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and
download the file “faucet.skp.” You can then skip to
Step 27.)
5. Select either the circular face of the base, or the circle
1. Start in a new file in Front view, so that you are itself. Then activate Follow Me. For the face to drive
working in the red-blue plane. around the circle, select the faucet section. This
creates the round faucet.
2. Use lines and tangent arcs to draw something like

this: the outline of the faucet cross-section. Complete
the face with a vertical and horizontal line. This is
half of the faucet cross-section.
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6. Now for the faucet handles, which will involve the 12. For reference later, right-click the circle you just
use of components. Start with a line that starts from created and place a construction point at its center.
the center of the faucet and extends as far as you want
the handle to stick out. To make things easier later,
keep this line in either the red or green direction.
7. Select and move this line somewhere in the blank

space.
8. Draw a semi-circle at one end of this line. 13. Like before, use Follow Me to create the handle.
First select the circle, then activate Follow Me, then
select the semi-circle to revolve.
9. Use two arcs to create the next section. The second

arc should be tangent to the first.
This creates the ball at the end of the handle.
10. Complete the form with one more arc, then a short
vertical line. This is half the cross-section of the
handle.
14. Do the same for the other two sections of the handle.
11. Just like you did with the faucet base, draw a circle
perpendicular to the handle section. This is why you
drew the base line along one of the axes. If the line
were not parallel to red or green, it would be tougher
to find the perpendicular plane.
NOTE: You would get the same results if you had healed the
original handle section into one face. This would require erasing
some segments and possibly recreating edges, so both methods
require a bit of work.
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15. Select the entire handle and make it into a component 17. Press Ctrl/Option to make copies, and click
(Edit / Make Component or right-click and select anywhere to set the rotation axis. Type 90 for the
Make Component). Assign a name like “Faucet rotation angle, and then type 3x to make three copies.
Handle” and set the other options as shown: This is the complete set of handles, but you can see
that the handles overlap at the center.
18. When editing the handle, it will be helpful to blank

the other components, as well as the rest of the
model. On the Components page of the Model Info
NOTE: Components are detailed further in Chapter 6. window, check Hide.
The handle appears in a bounding box, indicating

that it is now a single object.
19. Double-click on any handle component to edit it.

Right-click on the long, narrow segment and select
16. With the handle component still selected, activate
Rotate. Position the protractor in the red-green plane
(protractor turns blue) and press Shift to lock it. Then
place the protractor on the construction center point.
20. This creates the two sets of edges shown. Even

though the other components are hidden, SketchUp
still knows where they are and where they intersect
the component.
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21. Erase the faces on the short side of these new edges. 25. Move should still be active; move the handles down
(blue direction) to their correct location.
22. Right-click outside the component area and select

Close Component. Here are all four components, all
trimmed where they previously overlapped.
This is how the faucet should look from above - the

handles are perfectly centered.
23. Select all four handle components and activate

Move. Move them by the point at their center. . .
26. Save the file, naming it something like faucet.skp.
We will look at a few ways to create intersection
edges, and will need to jump back a few times to the
faucet as it is now.
(If you want to download this faucet file, go to
download the file “faucet.skp.”)
27. Right-click on the main face of the faucet and select
24. . . . and place them anywhere along the vertical

construction line. (This is why the construction line
was created.)
28. This creates edges on the faucet body at all four

handles. To see this, hide all handles. The easiest way
to select them all is via the Components browser
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(Window / Components, open In Model). The result - nothing happens. The faucet body has
Right-click on the handle and select Select already been cut at the intersection, so there is no
Instances. actual intersection anymore.
NOTE: If you did the exercise "Hiding Intersection Edges with

Components" on page 115, you know there is a workaround to
this - hiding intersection edges first. Then you could get
intersection edges on the handle.
32. Go back to the saved version of the file - there should

be no intersection edges.
29. Right-click on one of the selected handles and select
Hide. Now you can see the intersection edges.
33. Rather than intersect the faucet body, we will

intersect the handles this time. Edit one of the
handles and perform Intersect with Model. This
creates edges where the handle meets the body.
NOTE: If you had hidden any of the handles before intersecting,

the intersection edges would not be created.
30. Erase the circular cutout faces.
34. Erase everything on the other side of these edges.
31. Unhide everything (Edit / Unhide / All) and

double-click one of the handles to edit it. Perform an
Intersect on the handle.
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35. Close the component. If you switch to X-Ray mode, 38. Unhide, and now hide the body. The intersection
you can see that the handles do not protrude into the edges are created on the handles as well. However,
base. these edges are not part of the handle components
themselves; they are separate entities.
36. Revert to the saved file once again. Now select

everything - body plus four handles and intersect 39. Verify this by editing one of the handles - the
everything. intersection edges do not appear.
40. If you want to trim the handle by these edges, you

37. Hide the handles to see the intersection edges.
need to right-click the component and select
Explode.
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41. Now the component can be trimmed. 46. Select the circle and handle and perform an
intersection. Then trim the handle on the other side of
the circle (and erase the circle itself).
42. Return one last time to the saved file. Now we will
see how to create the faucet body as a solid (not a
shell), with solid cutouts for the handles. 47. Finally, erase the intersection edges you created
43. Edit one of the handles and intersect it with the when you first edited the handle.
model to get the edges along the faucet body.
48. Close the handle. Now select all four handles and
copy them straight up at a known distance (i.e. type
in 3’) Remember the distance, since you will move
44. We will now shorten the handle so that it just barely them back down later.
sticks into the faucet body. Use the construction point
to draw a circle in the blue direction.
49. Now explode each of the original handles. We want

45. Move this circle so that it intersects the handle to keep a portion of each handle, which will not work
somewhere between the end and the intersection if the handles remain as components.
edges.
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50. Select the faucet and all four exploded handles, and
intersect them. Trim away the parts of the handles
that protrude from the body.
51. Then erase the circular faces on the base. What

remains are solid cutouts you could use to insert the
handles. The faucet body itself is still a solid, making
it more realistic than the shell we’ve seen until now.
52. Now you can move the copied handle components

back down, and you have five solid pieces. In X-Ray
mode, you can see how the handles protrude partially
into the base.
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134
4 Making Multiple Copies
Basic Move and Copy 5. Moving is always done relative to a selected
reference point, so select a known endpoint, or any
Exercises in previous chapters have already used both
point in space. Using an edge or axis direction, move
moving and copying. This short exercise shows a few
the window outside the boundary of the front face.
more ways you can move and copy objects - to specific
locations.
1. Draw a rectangle and Push/Pull it into a box. Draw a
rectangle on the front face for the window.
When placed, it no longer makes a cutout.
2. Push/Pull this window in to give it a little depth, and

erase the window face.
6. Now move the window by clicking one of the inside

endpoints. . .
HINT: Forgot how to erase a face? Use Select to select the face
and press Delete. Or right-click the face and select Erase.
3. Select the window, making sure all twelve edges and

four faces are selected. If you use a selection
window, it’s usually a good idea to check in
wireframe to make sure no extra objects are selected.
4. Return to shaded view, and active Move.
NOTE: For basic Move exercises, see "Move and Copy" on

page 46.
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7. . . . and placing it on the front face. The window now 10. Now you can erase the window face.
sticks out of the building.
Copying is done in the Move tool by pressing

Ctrl/Option. Once Ctrl/Option is pressed you can
release it; copy mode has already been established.
11. Select the window again and activate Move. Press
8. Move the window back to the front face by dragging
Ctrl/Option, click any point, and release Ctrl/Option.
one of the outer endpoints (or any point on the front
Place a copy of the window next to the original.
of the window) to the front face.
Any time you use Move (or copy), the delta distance
appears in the VCB. You can enter a different value
and press Enter, which will be seen more in the next
exercise.
9. The cutout is not made because the face alignment of

The copy is made, which also cuts out the window.
this window has already been broken. You can see
this because the rectangle has thick lines. Resolve the
rectangle by redrawing any of its lines - the rectangle
becomes thin-lined. (If the window is still selected,
deselect it to see that it has thin lines.)
12. With Move still active, press Ctrl/Option and copy

the window to the side face. It aligns itself with this
face.
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Making Multiple Copies
Once the copy is located, it cuts out the face here as 4. When the Measure tool is used this way, you can
well. rescale the entire model. Click Yes.
NOTE: The reason for using exact dimensions, aside from

demonstrating how it can be done, is so that the numbers you
Alignment to faces works only when copying, not enter for moving and copying will be similar to those presented
moving. If you had moved a window to the side face, here. It’s not crucial that your building be at any exact scale, but
it would not have aligned to or cut the face. To do your dimensions later in the exercise may be quite different.
that, you would need to rotate, then move, the
window. 5. Next we will set the height. Measure can also be
used to create construction lines for this purpose.
Multiple Linear Copies Measure should still be active; click any point on the
If you want to make repeated (array) copies, you can lower edge and move up in the blue direction. This
easily do this using the Move tool. creates construction lines parallel to the selected
1. Start out with a new box. We will assume that we edge.
know some basic dimensions about this building, and
that we need to figure out a layout for its windows.
To set the first dimension, we will use the Measure
tool. Click the endpoints that define the width.
6. Type 10’ to offset this edge 10’ vertically.
2. The distance between these points is listed in the

VCB.
3. To set the exact distance, type 20’ and press Enter. 7. To change the building height, activate Push/Pull
Depending on your system of units, you may need to and click the top face. Then click any point on the
include the foot symbol - typing 20 in Architectural construction line. Now the box is 20’ x 10’ (the depth
units will create a 20-inch wide building. is not important).
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8. Erase the construction lines (Edit / Construction 11. Heal the window by erasing the top rectangle line.
Geometry / Erase). Push/Pull the window in slightly, and erase the
9. To make sure the height is correct, right-click on any window face.
vertical edge and select Entity Info. (If Entity Info
is already open, you can activate Select and click any
vertical edge.
12. Select the window (be careful not to select any extra
edges), activate Move, press Ctrl/Option, and click
The Length should be listed as 10’. any point as the reference point. Release Ctrl /Option
and drag the copy along the axis from the reference
point.
TIP: Another way to create this box: Create a rectangle and use
Measure to resize the long edge to 20’. Then activate
Push/Pull, start to pull up the rectangle, and type 10’. You can
also create the first rectangle using exact dimensions. In
SketchUp, there are usually several ways to create anything.
13. Click to place the window. It makes a cutout like the

10. We are now ready to create some windows. On the original.
front face (use Front view if you want), use
Rectangle and Arc to draw the outline for an arched
window. Make it small enough so that several copies
can be made in the red direction, and one copy in the
blue direction.
14. As long as Move is still active, you can play with the
spacing and number of copies. Look at the VCB to
see the delta distance you just used. (Of course, what
appears here depends on your model.)
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17. The spacing is too far apart, so type a spacing that

NOTE: This spacing may not be what you would want for a real will bring the windows closer together. Rather than
building, but use whatever makes sense for the current scale.
The entire model can be scaled later using the Measure tool, as
type in feet and inches, you can also type in decimal
you’ve already seen. feet, like 4.75’.
15. Type a larger spacing and press Enter. If you are

using feet and inches, you do not need a space or
dash - just type something like 7’6. (7’6” would also
work, as would 7.5’.)
The copied window moves a bit farther from the

original.
18. There are still too many windows, so type 3* (you
can use * or x) to make four windows.
16. To make more copies, type 4x and press Enter. This

creates four copies at the same spacing, for a total of 19. Select the four windows and use Move to copy them
five windows. upward (blue direction).
The cutouts are made once again.
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20. Type 3x to create three copies of the row of windows. 23. Push/Pull this rectangle upward so that it will
contain the upper windows.
24. Erase the outer windows in the top two rows.

21. If you need to, adjust the vertical spacing by entering
a distance. The second row from the top should be
located slightly above the top of the box. The bottom
two rows should both be within the face of the box.
25. The upper windows are not flush with the vertical
face. Select these four windows, and activate Move.
Here we will use a double constraint. Click any point
on the front of any window. . .
22. We will now create another two-story section. Use

Offset to create a rectangle offset from the edges of
the top face.
HINT: To offset a face, activate Offset, select the top face, pick
a point and drag the offset inward.
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26. . . . and move the windows along the axis 30. Then erase the front face of each window. The easiest
perpendicular to the vertical face. Press Shift to lock way to do this is to activate Select, and press Shift to
this orientation (the axis constraint line becomes select all four faces. Then press the Delete key.
thick).
27. With Shift pressed, move back to the vertical face,

and click when the double constraint is indicated.
NOTE: Copied objects such as these and components can only
cut one face. For more information on cutting faces, see "Cutting
Openings" on page 214.
Linear array copies are not limited to orthogonal

(horizontal or vertical) directions. The remainder of
this exercise will focus on sloped copies.
31. Draw a small circle on the top left corner of the front
face. Erase the face to create a window.
28. Press Ctrl/Option+T to deselect the windows. They
appear as thick lines, which means they are not
aligned to the face. This is because they were moved
to this face, not created on it.
32. Select the circular window, activate Move, press

Ctrl/Option, select any reference point, and release
Ctrl/Option.
29. Resolve the window alignment by redrawing any

line on each window.
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33. As long as Move is active, you can enter values in the In case you hadn’t already noticed, there is always
VCB to play with spacing, number of copies, and one copy in the highlighted color. When
angles. You can specify a relative distance by using manipulating numbers of copies and spacing, the
angle brackets. Type <3’,0,2’> to make a copy at a highlighted copy is the first copy in the row.
3:2 slope. 37. When changing the spacing between copies on a
slant, the distance is the absolute distance (along the
slant) between copies. Try something small like 1.5’.
38. In this case, the most useful copy method is probably

NOTE: Distances are entered in order of red, green, and blue to set the distance to the last copy and adjust the
directions (analogous to x, y, z). If your face was in the number of copies in between. Change the spacing to
green-blue plane, you would type <0,3’,2’>. something large like 15’. (There are still five copies,
but each one is spaced at 15’ so they might not all fit
34. Type 3x to create three copies. on your screen.)
35. The slope of the window line is too steep. Enter

<3’,0,1’>.
39. Enter 4/ to create four equal divisions between copies

(five total windows).
36. Add more windows along this line by typing 5*.
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40. Now adjust the first-to-last spacing so that all 44. This method is fine for cases in which the slope is
windows fit within the vertical projection of the face. known, but let’s assume the slope is not known.
It’s easiest to do this in Front view. Erase the construction line, or undo it with Ctrl/Cmd
+ Z.
45. This time use Measure and draw a construction line
between the lowest endpoints of the two outer
circles.
41. Enter 6/ to create seven seven windows.
46. While still in Measure, click the line you just drew.
This enables you to offset-copy the construction line.
The window line looks good, and now the roof needs Click the corner point shown to place the second,
to be adjusted to accommodate it. This is one of the parallel construction line.
things that makes SketchUp unique - you can draw
windows and then adjust the walls to accommodate
them!
42. The slope of the window line is known (1:3), so we
can draw a construction line with this slope. Activate
Protractor. Locate the origin at the corner above the
first circle, and set the orientation along the
horizontal roof line.
47. Select the edge shown and activate Move.
43. Type 1:3 and press Enter. You now have a

construction line by which you can adjust the roof
slope.
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48. Click the front endpoint and move it up in the blue 51. Push/Pull the beam to the back of the roof.
direction until it meets the top construction line.
52. Select all objects associated with this beam (easiest

in Front view). Use Move with Ctrl/Option, and
click reference points on the outer circles to make a
49. To create the remaining window cutouts, you have to copy directly above the higher outer circle.
merge each circle to the face by redrawing one of its
segments (you may have to zoom in very close to do
this). Use the green Endpoint inferences to help you
recreate the segments. Then erase all six window
faces.
50. We will now make the roof a little more interesting. 53. Enter 6/ for the spacing. This creates one beam over
Use Line to create the beam shape shown, centered each circular window.
above the first circle.
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54. Here is the final building, with all its copied objects. 2. Draw a line connecting two opposite corners. Then
draw a line from the midpoint of this bisecting line to
any corner.
3. This is a good place to demonstrate Autofold.

Activate Move and try moving the center point up (in
the blue direction). You will find that you are limited
to the red-green plane.
TIP: If you are working with multiple copies of the same object,
you might want to use components. See Chapter 6.
Multiple Rotated Copies

There are several ways to make rotated copies of objects. 4. Undo this move. Now try move again, but this time
To demonstrate this, we will build a gazebo. Start a new press Alt/Cmd (for Autofold) before selecting the
file. center point. Now you can move it up in the blue
1. Start with the roof - use the Polygon tool (Draw / direction, forming the roof shape.
Polygon) to draw a hexagon.
The default number of sides for a polygon is six, but
if you used the tool before with a different number,
you will have to change it back to six. Before
drawing, simply enter 6 in the VCB.
Draw the hexagon in the red-green plane, not
necessarily aligned to either axis.
Autofold is a great feature - as you can see, it can be
used to create fold lines automatically.
TIP: You can create this shape without using Autofold, if you
create all six faces before moving the center point.
TIP: You could also draw a polygon with a different number of

sides, and, before selecting another tool, enter 6s in the VCB to
change it to a hexagon.
In this case, Autofold saves you from the lengthy task of creating
three extra lines!
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5. Orbit so that you can see the bottom of the roof. It This creates the six intersection lines we need.
does not have a bottom. Redraw any line on this
plane to create the face.
Now we’ll use a Boolean subtract function - using

one shape to cut volume from another. The cutting NOTE: Of course, you could also draw these six lines manually.
shape will be a copy of the original one.
6. Select all faces of the roof: you can use a selection 9. Now use Erase to delete everything that extends past
window, or press Ctrl+A (Cmd+A) to select the bottom of the roof. Erase the center of the bottom
everything. face as well, and you now have a roof with some
7. Activate Move, press Ctrl/Option, and create a copy thickness.
slightly below the original (use the blue axis
constraint).
10. The first object to be copied is a window shape in the

roof. Use Offset to create a small triangle in one of
the roof faces.
8. Edges are not automatically created at face
intersections. With the copied form still selected,
right-click on any face of it and select Intersect with
Model.
You could use Push/Pull at this point to make a

cutout of the triangle. However, to save time, leave
the triangle as is. Cutouts will be made quickly after
the triangle is copied to the other faces.
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11. Select the triangle and activate Rotate (Tools / In this example, the rotation angle was known, and
Rotate. The protractor appears, which is used to set appears in the VCB. The angle is 60 degrees, which
the rotation center and orientation. To keep the is 360 divided by six faces. You could have entered
protractor flat (aligned to the red-green plane), place this value manually, but the reference point method is
it somewhere outside the model and press Shift to useful for cases when you do not know the exact
lock the alignment. angle.
15. Because five total copies are needed, type 5x (or 5*).
Five copies are made, each separated by 60 degrees.
12. With Shift pressed, click to place the protractor at the

center.
16. Openings can now be cut. Use Push/Pull to push one

of the triangles inward. The back face will be cut if
you push back through the roof thickness.
13. Press Ctrl/Option for copying, and click any corner

point as the reference point.
17. Because the roof has a uniform thickness, while

Push/Pull is still active you can simply double-click
on the five other faces to make the remaining cutouts.
14. Click an adjacent corner point to set the rotation

angle. One copy appears on an adjacent face.
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18. Now onto the base of the gazebo, which will be a set 22. Use Arc (Tools / Arc) to create a half-circle
of hexagonal walls. Use Offset on the bottom face of anywhere between the two vertical lines.
the roof, pulling inward to create an inner hexagon. A
face is automatically created, but this is not the face
we want.
23. Select the arc and move it up so that its top point
meets the midpoint of the top line.
19. Fill in the missing face by redrawing any of its lines.

Then erase the inner face.
24. Use Move to move the lower line of the rectangle to

the bottom of the face.
20. Now Push/Pull the walls downward an appropriate

distance.
25. Push/Pull to cut out the arched opening. Erase the

extra lines.
21. We now need to cut arches for the openings between

the gazebo posts. For the first cutout, use Offset on
one of the faces to create an inner rectangle. This
ensures that the sides of the opening will be
equidistant from the posts.
148
26. This arched cutout is the next object to rotate. Select 29. Now type 6/ to specify six divisions between copies.
all objects comprising the cutout. One easy way to do For a 360-degree rotation, this also means six copies.
this is to Shift-select each of the faces of the arch - Press Enter, and the arch appears (uncut) on each
there should be three. face.
As always, it’s a good idea to check out the model in
wireframe to make sure no unwanted objects are
selected.
30. You could use Push/Pull as before to cut the

openings, but here’s also a good place to use a
right-to-left selection window. This type of selection
includes everything inside or touching the window. If
27. Activate the Rotate tool. Set the protractor as before,
you draw your window like this, facing one arch
on top of the roof, lying in the red-green plane. Press
head-on, you should be able to select both it and the
Ctrl/Option to copy, and click anywhere for the first
one directly behind it.
reference point.
31. Press Delete to remove these objects. Repeat for each

pair of openings, and here’s what you should have:
TIP: Windows users can activate Rotate first, then select the
objects to rotate and press Enter to set the rotation parameters.
You could pick two corner points as before to set the

rotation angle, but let’s do it another way. This
method is handy when you don’t know the angle
between each copy, but you know how many copies
you want.
28. Type 360 for a full-circle rotation, and press Enter.
149
32. The last step is to add a circular base. Create a circle The holes are made at the posts because all coplanar
in the red-green plane (press Shift to lock the geometry is “sticky” - objects are linked to adjacent
orientation), starting at the center of the roof. geometry. The best way to eliminate this stickiness
and separate geometry so that it does not affect its
neighbors is to use groups.
35. Undo to erase the circular base, but keep the
construction lines. Select all the geometry and group
it (Edit / Make Group, select Make Group from the
Edit menu). A bounding box appears enclosing all
selected objects.
33. Move the circle in the blue direction, pressing Shift

to lock the direction. Then click any point at the
bottom of the gazebo.
36. Now create the circle again, and when you Push/Pull
it this time, no holes appear. The gazebo objects are
prevented from sticking to the base.
34. Give the base a little depth. Holes are created at the
support locations.
NOTE: See Chapter 6 for more on groups.
Here is the final result.
You could simply erase the lines of these holes on the

underside of the base, but this is a good place to
introduce groups.
150
5 Working with Roofs
Sometimes the most difficult aspect of building design 4. Press Ctrl+Z (Cmd+Z) to undo the move, or Esc if
can be roofs. This chapter contains a few simple exercises you haven’t finished the move yet.
to show you how simple roof design can be once you’re 5. At this point you should know the solution - draw a
familiar with the SketchUp interface. line to break the face.
Simple Roof and Dormers
1. Start with a box like this, and make the roof ridge line
by drawing a line across the top, from midpoint to
midpoint.
6. Now move the ridge endpoint back, constraining it to

the red axis (or green axis, depending on how you
drew your original rectangle).
2. Activate the Move tool and drag the ridge line

upward (blue direction).
7. Because we will be adding dormers, let’s adjust the

proportion of the house to be more appropriate for
two stories. Orbit or to face the front of the house.
Activate Select and drag a window from left to right
NOTE: As you’ve probably already seen, you can also select the
to select the roof. This type of window selects only
line first and then move it. those objects completely enclosed within it.
3. Try creating a gable by moving the ridge endpoint

shown. This breaks the vertical face - not the result
we want!
Whenever you select by dragging a window, it’s a

good idea to switch to wireframe to make sure you
didn’t select anything you don’t want. In this case it’s
pretty clear there isn’t anything else to select, but for
151
complex models you can sometimes include things 12. Make the top point of the dormer gable directly
that lie behind the window but aren’t visible from vertical from the midpoint of the first line. The next
your viewpoint. point should form a rectangle relative to the first two
8. Switch to Wireframe display. lines.
All roof edges and faces are highlighted.
13. Close the dormer outline, and it will become a

shaded face.
9. Switch back to Shaded, and activate Move. The

objects are already selected, and you can pick any
point as a reference point for moving. From the
reference point, move down (blue direction) to
position the roof as shown.
14. Drag a line from the top point in the green direction,
back toward the roof. Because you won’t be
attaching another line at the end of this one, it’s best
to drag the line from one endpoint to the next.
10. Press Esc to exit the Move tool. Deselect everything Release the mouse when you hit the roof face. This is
by pressing Ctrl/Option+T a double constraint.
The next step is to create a simple dormer. It should
be small enough so that you can fit three of them
along the long side of the roof.
11. Use axis inferences to create a horizontal (red or
green), then vertical (blue) line.
NOTE: It’s not needed in this step, but you can also press Shift
to lock an inference. This can be helpful when the point you want
isn’t obvious or easy to find. Shift-locking will be used quite a bit
later in this chapter.
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Working with Roofs
15. Draw the two lower horizontal lines the same way. 19. To cut out the window holes, right-click on the
window faces and select Erase from the popup
menu. (You could also use Select both faces, and
press Delete.)
16. Complete the dormer form by connecting the

endpoints on one side . . .
The dormer base lines (those that lie on the sloped

17. . . . and the other side. roof face) have subdivided the roof itself into two
faces.
18. Add a line to subdivide the front face of the dormer,

and add two rectangles for window cutouts. Use
Push/Pull to push one rectangle in slightly, and 20. To see the face cut into the roof by the dormer,
double-click on the other window to push it in the right-click on the side of the house and select Hide.
same distance.
153
21. This view shows how the dormer appears from the When you click to place the copy, note that the
inside. Erase this face. window and roof cutouts are made.
24. Another way is to use the clipboard, similar to most

Windows and Mac applications. With the copied
dormer still selected, press Ctrl+C (Cmd+C). Then
Now you can see the dormer from the inside. press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V) to paste. Hover over a
reference point and place the copy to the right of it.
25. Copies are automatically aligned to their destination

face. Place another copy on the sloped gable. This
Now we’ll look at a few ways to copy the dormer. dormer might not be exactly vertical, depending on
For basic information on copying, see "Copy" on the slope you used. But you get the idea - the cutout
page 49. is still made, and the dormer is still perpendicular to
the face.
22. Activate Select and use a window (left to right) to
select the entire dormer.
26. Now to copy the three longitudinal dormers to the

other side. Select the three dormers.
23. Activate Move, press Ctrl/Option to copy, and use
any reference points to slide the copy to the right.
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Working with Roofs
27. Orbit so that you see the back side of the roof. Use 30. Activate Move, and move the dormers straight back
Move to copy the dormers straight back. toward the roof (along the axis again), stopping when
you get to the face.
Here’s a great place to briefly demonstrate the Scale

tool. Aside from changing an object’s scale, you can 31. The final result - a simple house with seven dormers.
use this tool to mirror objects, or turn them inside
out.
28. With the three copied dormers still selected, activate
Scale (Tools / Scale). A bounding box and several
drag handles appear. Click the handle shown . . .
Using Offset for Roofs

This simple exercise will demonstrate how to use the
29. . . . and drag it toward the opposite side, turning the Offset tool. This is useful for creating parapets and
dormers inside out. Stop when -1.0 is indicated in the overhanging roofs. For general information on this tool,
VCB, or you can enter this value yourself. see "Offset" on page 69.
1. Start a new file and create a stepped form. Push/Pull
it up to create the basic building.
2. Activate Offset (Tools / Offset).
155
3. If you click a face, Offset will create new lines from 5. While still in Push/Pull, double-click on the original
all face edges. Select the top face and drag the offset top face to push it up the same distance.
outward. (You can also click instead of dragging.)
6. Heal the top face by erasing the extra lines. While in

Erase, you don’t have to click each line; you can
Now there are two top faces - the original and the keep the mouse button pressed and pass the eraser
offset face. cursor over all the lines you want to delete. Then
release the mouse to delete the selected lines.
Note that you can still see a few dots on the top face
- these are the ends of vertical lines at interior corners
of the roof.
4. Push/Pull the offset face to create a parapet.
7. Switch to X-Ray mode, and you can see the vertical

lines that formed the inner corners of the parapet.
NOTE: For a more ornate parapet, you can use the Follow Me
tool. See "Basic Follow Me" on page 95.
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Working with Roofs
8. Erase these lines to create a nice, clean form. 12. Undo (Ctrl+Z, Cmd+Z) what you’ve done so far,
until you’re back at the simple building form with no
offsets.
9. Back in shaded view, add three approximate ridge

lines for a sloped roof. 13. Create a form for an L-shaped adjacent building.
14. Push/Pull this form up so that it is higher than the

10. Activate Select and select all three ridge lines. original building.
Activate Move, and press Alt/Cmd for Autofold.
This creates fold lines for you - there is no need to
draw the valley lines manually. (Move without
Autofold won’t work in this case.)
11. Click any reference point, and then you can release
the Alt/Cmd key (Autofold has already been
activated). Move the ridge lines upward slightly. This
is a very simple way to create a basic roof that
consists of multiple angles.
15. Heal the interior face by erasing the two extra lines.
157
16. Now we will use Offset in a different way. Select the

six edges shown, then activate Offset.
Resolving Sloping Roofs
This exercise will show you how to create one roof for the
entire house, keeping all roof slopes at the same pitch.
(If you want to download the house used in this exercise,
go to www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and
download the file “RoofHouse.skp.” You can then skip to
"Set Slope and Double Constraints" on page 160.)
1. In Top view, start by drawing the basic form as
shown below, starting at Point 1.
17. Offset the edges inward. The offset lines still touch
the adjacent building - Offset correctly constrains all
endpoints.
2. For the next line, you will use a double constraint.

Move the cursor so that the Perpendicular inference
is shown. Press Shift to lock this constraint, and the
magenta constraint line becomes thicker.
18. Push/Pull the offset face upward to create a parapet

wall. If you press Ctrl/Option while pulling, the
parapet walls will be separate from the walls below.
3. While still pressing Shift, click the start point (Point

1). This makes the line the exact length needed to
create a wing with 90-degree corners.
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Working with Roofs
4. Close the form to create the footprint of the house. 7. There are a few ways to fix this corner, but this one is
Use Push/Pull to give it some height. probably the easiest. Use Move on the edge shown,
using Shift to lock its movement to the red direction.
For the purposes of this exercise, the initial slopes of

the roofs need to be different. In order for the roof
slopes to be different, the width of each wing needs
to be different.
5. Push/Pull Faces A, B, and C as needed, so that
Width D is larger than Width E.
8. Click the top edge of Face F to constrain the moved

edge to it.
TIP: The “Width” labels in these pictures were created using the
Dimension tool, by overwriting the actual dimension with text.
See “Dimensions” on page 82. Face and point labels are
created using Text. See “Text” on page 78.
9. There are three edges that now must be erased.
You can create layers for text and dimensions, so that they can
Switch to X-Ray mode and erase these lines.
easily be hidden. See “Layers” on page 317.
6. To make the diagonal wing narrower than the main

section, push Face F inward so that Width G is
smaller than Width E.
159
10. Switch back to shaded view. The basic form should Set Slope and Double
look something like this:
Constraints
This method is probably not what you’d use to actually
solve this problem, since it’s complex and there is an
easier tool to use (Follow Me). But if you need practice
using double constraints, this will get you up to speed.
1. On the house form, draw the two valley lines
between wings.
11. Save this model as RoofHouse.skp.

(You can also download the model for this house. Go
to www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and
download the file “RoofHouse.skp.”)
2. Then use Midpoint snaps to draw the three ridge
lines.
This form will be used to explore three ways to
make a uniformly sloped roof:
• The first method is the most lengthy: you use the
Protractor tool to set the slope, then use several sets
of double constraints to resolve the ridge lines. It’s
complex, but it’s also an excellent way to become in
expert in SketchUp constraints.
• The second method ("Delete and Recreate" on page
166) starts with a single raised ridge line. Then
certain edges are deleted and recreated in the correct For the remainder of this exercise, it will be helpful
locations, requiring some edges to be trimmed or to refer to certain points. The following references
extended. points will be used:
• The last method ("Roofing with Follow Me" on page

169) is the easiest method. You draw one roof section
and extrude it along the entire roof edge, then clean
up the extra edges.
The slope we want to use for all roofs is a standard

8:12 slope. The roof of the main section (between H
and E) will be established at this slope first, and the
other two roofs will be adjusted to it.
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Working with Roofs
To begin, we will want to raise all ridge lines together 5. Activate Move and pick any point on the
to the level of an 8:12 slope for the main roof (H-E). construction line. Drag the line to Point D (do not
To raise line H-E to the proper height for an 8:12 click yet), then move it in the red direction from
slope, we need to first create an 8:12 construction Point D. Stop at the point where it intersects Line
line along a face that is perpendicular to H-E. Since B-E. This is so the slope of the roof will be aligned
Face A is perpendicular to H-E, it will be used to properly with the center section of the house.
create the construction line. The construction line
will then be moved to an appropriate location for
raising the roof ridge into place.
3. Activate Protractor. Place the protractor center at
Point C, aligning it with Face A. Click to locate the
reference line along C-F (which is in the green
direction).
6. Now Select all three ridge lines.
4. Use the cursor to indicate the direction of the roof

angle (above, not below, line C-F), and type 8:12;
this ratio is automatically entered in the VCB. Press
Enter to create the construction line.
This is how the construction line should look from

the side:
7. Activate Move, and pick Point E as the move
reference point.
Because the ridge lines will be moved upward using

Point E, the construction line needs to be positioned
accordingly.
161
8. Move the ridge lines straight up (in the blue 13. The current pitch is too flat, so material must be
direction) until Point E meets the construction line. added. Draw a line from Point A to a point directly
above Point B, that lies on the 8:12 construction line.
Close the chevron shape by drawing another line to
Point C.
14. Push/Pull this chevron face back to the valley

9. Because the construction line is no longer needed, intersection with the main roof (Point D).
right-click it and select Erase.
TIP: You can delete all construction lines by selecting Edit /

Erase Construction Geometry. For cases when you’ll need the
lines again (not this case), use Hide Construction Geometry.
10. Since we’ll want to refer back to this state of the

model later, save the file as
RoofIntersections_before.skp.
(If you want to download this model, go to
download the file “RoofIntersections_before.skp.”) 15. Clean up the front face by erasing the two original
11. Because it’s a good rule of thumb to save your model roof lines. You can also delete the construction line.
after every few steps, make another copy of this file,
which you will continue working in, called
RoofIntersections.skp.
Now the main section’s roof has an 8:12 pitch. The
other two roofs, however, have different slopes.
We’ll start fixing this by focusing first on the wider,
perpendicular wing.
12. Use Protractor to draw an 8:12 construction line on
Face B, from either Point A or Point C.
162
Working with Roofs
16. Now spin the house around so that you can see the 18. Now move the outer chevron point to Point F.
intersection area that needs to be resolved. The lower
point on the chevron apex needs to be moved, but
you can’t move it as long as the chevron is a single
face. Therefore, divide the chevron by drawing a
vertical line at the apex.
19. The last (upper) chevron point needs a double

constraint to move into the proper position. Start
dragging this point along its ridge line, which is in
the green direction. Press Shift to lock this direction.
17. Use Move to drag the lower middle chevron point to
Point E. (You can’t select points using Select, so
activate Move and then drag the point.)
20. Keep pressing Shift. Because it is the rear face of the

center roof (Face D) that will be extended to connect
with the modified (higher) roof, place your cursor
anywhere on this face. When the line-face constraint
appears, click to relocate the chevron point. This will
place the point at the correct location along the ridge
line to generate the same 8:12 slope as Face D.
163
21. Clean up the rear face by deleting the extra line. 24. To complete this corner, draw the line shown.
22. Now the slope on the interior corner needs to be

readjusted. To do this, you need to create a valley line 25. Now erase all extra lines. This roof is now resolved.
from Point D that lies at the correct angle on the
center roof. So draw a line from Point D that is
constrained to Face E. Press Shift to lock this
constraint.
This is how the house should look from the front.

23. Keep Shift pressed, and place the cursor anywhere
along the center ridge line (H-E). Use this double
constraint to create the new valley line.
26. Now swing around to face the front of the diagonal

wing. Use Protractor to create another 8:12
construction line on this face.
164
Working with Roofs
27. This time the roof is too steep. Draw another chevron 31. Activate Measure and click any two points (except
shape as before, which will be used to remove endpoints) on this ridge line to create the
material from the roof. construction line.
28. Push/Pull the chevron face back to the valley line of

the center roof (Point I). You can’t go any further
than this point.
NOTE: If you click endpoints of an edge, Measure will measure

the line. Clicking non-endpoints along an edge, or endpoints of
different edges, creates a construction line.
32. Now use Move to drag the chevron point along the
ridge line, pressing Shift to lock it to the construction
29. As before, draw a vertical line at the chevron apex. line.
30. Move the top point of the chevron apex to Point H.

You’ve probably already noticed that, when using
double constraints, it doesn’t matter which direction
you move the cursor when picking up a linear
constraint. The second constraint controls where the
target point is located.
33. Constrain this point to the inside face of the center
roof (Face D), because this face has the slope you
want to match.
The lower apex point also needs to be moved, and

needs to be constrained along the diagonal roof ridge
line. This point can be moved freely along the ridge
line, but the ridge line can’t be used for a double
constraint because it is not parallel to any axis.
Therefore, a construction line is needed along this
ridge.
165
34. Erase the extra line on Face D, as well as the Now all three roofs have the same slope. Be sure to
construction line. Now the triangular face at the save the file (RoofIntersections.skp), because you
exterior corner is the only one whose slope is not will use it later.
8:12.
(If you want to download this model go to

35. Orbit to face this area. Move the top triangle point so www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and
that it is constrained to the center roof ridge line (in download the file “RoofIntersections.skp.”)
the red direction), press Shift . . .
Delete and Recreate
This method is a slightly faster way to achieve the same
results. It will give you some more practice withe double
constraints.
1. Go back to the preliminary file you saved -
RoofIntersections_before.skp. (Or download it
from www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm.)
2. First we’ll resolve the wider, 90-degree wing. Erase
all the lines you know will change (five total).
36. . . . and constrain to Face G as well., to match its
slope.
This deletes all the faces that will change as well.
37. Erase all extra lines at this corner.
166
Working with Roofs
3. Replace the front face by drawing a line across the 7. . . . and the adjacent face of the new roof.
top.
4. Create an 8:12 construction line on this face, and

draw a triangular face using the 8:12 slope.
8. Now you can easily replace the back roof face.
5. Push/Pull the triangular face to the end of the house.
9. The original center roof ridge line is now too long, as

you can see in X-Ray view. Erase the extra portion of
this line.
6. To replace the edges of the center roof, we will use

double constraints as before. From Point D, draw a
line whose endpoint is constrained to the center ridge
line . . .
10. Go back to shaded view. Orbit to the other side,

where the back of the roof needs to be fixed. Move
the roof apex point so that it is along line B-E,
constrained to Face D.
167
11. Erase the extra line on Face D, which causes the 15. Push/Pull the roof triangle to the other side.
adjacent faces to disappear.
16. From Point I, draw a line constrained to the center

12. Replace both faces by redrawing the edge shown. ridge line and adjacent diagonal roof face.
17. On the other side, the center ridge line was too long
and needed to be trimmed. This time it’s too short.
13. That takes care of the perpendicular wing, but the Draw a line between the two points shown to extend
diagonal wing is a bit trickier. Swing around to that the ridge line.
side and erase the five edges you know will change.
This replaces one face of the center roof.

14. Replace the front face and place an 8:12 triangle on
top of it.
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Working with Roofs
18. From Point G, draw a line constrained to the center 20. Start erasing the edges you can tell are overhanging.
ridge line and the adjacent diagonal face. This It then becomes clearer which of the remaining edges
replaces the other face of the center roof, but there’s can then be erased. As before, if any erased edges
some trimming to do. cause a face to disappear, just recreate it with a
simple line.
19. First, draw a line from where the diagonal ridge line
first meets the center roof face to the endpoint of the
line you just drew from Point G. Roofing with Follow Me
This is the easiest method; you use the tools Follow Me
and Intersect with Model.
1. Start with the initial house form - RoofHouse.skp.
(Or download it from
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm.)
2. Use Protractor to set an 8:12 slope line at the front
of the 90-degree wing.
It looks like a mess, but trimming should be easy.
3. Use Line to create a triangular section of the roof.

Make sure it extends past the halfway point of the
wing.
Now for the magic of Follow Me. With this tool you
can either select a shape and then the path along
which to extrude it, or select the path first. We’ll use
the latter method.
169
7. Right-click on one of these selected faces and select

NOTE: See Chapter 3 for more on Follow Me and Intersect Intersect with Model.
with Model.
4. Select the top face of the house.
5. Activate Follow Me (Tools / Follow Me). For the

The results - all the intersections between the
face to extrude, select the triangular roof section.
selected faces are now marked by edges.
Here is the result - the roof section is driven all along

the top of the house. Clearly a good bit of cleanup is 8. To continue with the cleanup, select all faces above
needed. the ridge line and delete them (press the Delete key).
This looks better, and now it’s easy to see the

remaining entities that need to be deleted.
TIP: Another way to do the same thing: activate Follow Me, and
select the triangular roof section. Then press Alt/Cmd and select
the top face of the house.
6. In Front view, activate Select and use a right-to-left

window to select all faces of the roof.
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Working with Roofs
9. Erase all the extra lines, and recreate any missing This was a simple example, but you can use it for any type
faces. Check in Wireframe or X-Ray mode to catch of building and any type of roof. Here’s another example,
any hidden extra edges. using a complex roof section:
In these few steps, you have created (almost) the

same roof as in the previous two exercises, but
without all the tedious constraint work.
10. The only difference between this roof and the
double-constraint method roof is that the front roof Use Follow Me along the top of the building.
faces are also sloped, not vertical. To straighten these
faces, use Move on the top points with double
constraints.
Intersect and clean up. In some cases you may get lots of
pesky edges to delete, but it’s still pretty easy to create
complex roofs.
171
Overhangs Now we will create the section for the overhang roof.
It will be a simple rectangle that touches the front
Because the model you just created has uniform roof
face at its top left corner. There are infinite ways you
slopes, it is a convenient place to start for creating
can create this section, but this way seems the fastest.
overhangs.
5. Use Line to create the interior roof line. Make it
1. Open the original form RoofHouse.skp. (Or pretty long - this section will be driven along both
download it from sides of the house, and will need to overlap the other
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm.) side of the roof.
2. It would be easy to create an overhang roof on the

large, 90-degree wing, since it is already parallel to 6. Draw a short line for the overhang, making it parallel
the red and green axes. But to show another feature to the previous line.
of SketchUp, we will use the narrow, diagonal wing.
It is always a good idea to set the axes to match the
geometry, so right-click on the front face of this wing
and select Align Axes.
7. Select both these lines and use Move with

Ctrl/Option to copy them. Press Shift to lock the
Perpendicular constraint, and make the section a
reasonable thickness.
3. If the axes are not displayed, turn them on (View /

Axes). Your axes should look like this:
8. Complete the rectangle. For contrast, you can keep

the section in the “Face Back” color.
4. Turn off the axes if you want.
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Working with Roofs
9. This section will have to be used for the other side as 12. Activate Follow Me (Tools / Follow Me), and select
well, so it will need to be copied and mirrored. To the roof section. It is now extruded along the three
make this easier, create a construction line via the edges.
Measure tool. Click on any vertical edge, and place
the construction line at the midpoint of the diagonal
wing.
13. Now to set the section for the other half of the roof.
Select the copied roof section and construction line
10. Select both the roof section and the construction line
and activate Scale (Tools / Scale).
and use Move to copy it anywhere in the blank space.
The drag handles are based on the current set of axes.
If you hadn’t set the axes to this wing, you would be
seeing a 3D set of scaling handles, and flipping the
section would have been much harder.
NOTE: For details on copying, see "Basic Move and Copy" on

page 135.
11. If you did the previous exercise, "Roofing with

Follow Me" on page 169, you’ll know what to do 14. Drag one of the side handles toward the opposite
next. To create the first half of the roof, start by side. Stop when the scale factor is -1.0 (or you can
selecting the three roof edges shown. enter -1 manually). This flips the section.
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15. With the section and construction line still selected, 20. . . . and along Edge 3.
activate Move. Drag the objects by the intersection
point shown . . .
21. The rest should be familiar. Activate Select. Use

Front view and a right-to-left selection window to
16. . . . and place them at the similar intersection point on select all roof faces.
the original roof section.
22. Right-click and select Intersect with Model.
17. Make sure nothing is selected.

18. Previously we used Follow Me by selecting the
edges first; this time we will use the tool another way.
First, activate Follow Me and then select the roof
section you just moved. Drag the cursor along Edge 1
- the section follows along.
This creates intersection lines where faces meet other

faces.
19. Continue along Edge 2 . . .

23. To clean up, select all faces above the top ridge line.
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Working with Roofs
24. Erase everything that’s selected, and use Erase to do 28. Use Push/Pull and double-click on the roof face to
some more cleanup. Check in Wireframe or X-Ray extend it the same distance as you used for the other
for short, stray edges. face.
25. The fronts of both wings also need to be cleaned up. The results - all edges on the top are neatly
Complete both faces using Line and Erase as resolved. . .
needed.
26. Use Push/Pull to extend the overhanging roof.
. . . as are the intersections on the underside of the

house.
27. Clean up the other face the same way.
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Overhangs by Moving Faces

Here’s an easier and faster way to achieve similar results.
This method works when all slopes are uniform.
1. Open the saved file RoofIntersections.skp. (Or
download it from
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm.)
Select all six roof edges.
The 90-degree corners don’t need to be fixed, but the

diagonal ones do. We can either fix the corners now
or later, so let’s fix one now. Look at the inside corner
- the one that overlaps.
5. Draw two intersection lines on the top . . .
2. Copy the six lines down slightly.
6. . . . and one on the underside.

3. Push/Pull one of the new faces outward.
4. In Push/Pull, double-click the other five faces to pull 7. Switch to Top view and erase all extra lines. If a face
them out the same distance. is deleted, redraw one of its edges to recreate it.
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Working with Roofs
8. Erase extra lines on the underside as well. (Or switch 11. Erase the extra lines on the now-continuous roof.
to X-Ray mode so that you can see all extra lines There is only one corner left to be fixed
without switching views.)
9. Now select the six vertical fascias.

12. Select the edge shown and activate Move. Drag any
point of this edge along the axis, and press Shift.
Then constraint the point to the adjacent roof face.
13. Move the other edge of this corner to meet the

corrected edge.
Here’s the whole house - fixed corner and all.
10. Activate Move, and click any point along the top
edge of one of the fascias. Move the fascias in the
blue direction, press Shift to lock them, and constrain
them to the slope of the adjacent roof face.
You have now created a continuous overhanging roof

using a pretty small number of steps. The difference with
the result here is that the fascias are all vertical; in the
previous exercise the fascias are at right angles to the roof
planes.
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178
6 Groups and Components
You may have noticed the “stickiness” of SketchUp - Materials: When you explode either a group or
faces stick to one another, and objects become embedded components, any elements inside that object that were
in one another. The way to make objects independent from assigned the default material take on the material of the
one another is to use groups or components. group or component. See "Materials of Groups and
Components" on page 257.
Components Versus Groups To sum up:
Groups and Components are similar, but it's important to
understand the differences between the two. • Often-used and referenced parts such as windows,
doors, trees, etc. are usually best inserted and/or
Simplicity: Groups are fast and straightforward to make
saved as components.
and use. They don't require you to define a name, insertion
point, or adjust special behaviors. (You can use the • You can combine groups and components. For
Outliner to assign a name to a group, but it is not example, you can make a window component, make
necessary.) copies of it, then group different arrays of copies
Instancing: When you place a component in your model, together. This is a good way to build efficiency into
it creates a definition within the file. All instances of the your model.
same component refer to this definition, so editing one
component edits all simultaneously. Groups are simply a Introduction to Groups
collection of geometry that acts as one object; multiple Grouping is easy: select the objects you want to group and
copies of groups do not refer to any other source. do one of the following:
File Size: Using a component multiple times will not • Select Edit / Make Group
increase your file size, because its reference information
• Right-click and select Make Group.
is only stored once. Multiple groups, on the other hand,
are all unique, so each one adds to the file size. To ungroup objects, select the group and then:
• Select Edit / Group / Explode
NOTE: Having many complex components can slow down
performance. See "Replacing Components" on page 231 and • Right-click and select Explode.
"Tips for Efficiency with Components" on page 235. Aside from those in this chapter, there are some other
exercises scattered throughout this book that use groups.
Alignment and Hole Cutting: Both groups and See:
components have options that allow you to align them and • "Materials of Groups and Components" on page 257
'stick' them to faces. They also have the ability to cut holes
in faces (see "Cutting Openings" on page 214). With • "Simultaneous Section Cuts" on page 315
components, you can control this behavior (see • "Using Groups to Separate Materials" on page 259
"Alignment and Insertion Point" on page 202), whereas
groups work more automatically. Both groups and • "Arch Cutouts Using Groups" on page 109
components store their own set of drawing axes, but The following short exercises will get you familiar with
components visually display those axes. the concept of groups, and why they are useful.
Naming / Referencing: Components can be named so
that you can reference them again from the Component
Browser. You can also save a component individually as a
standalone SketchUp file. Groups do not appear in the
Component Browser, but they are listed in the Outliner.
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Breaking Connected Faces 4. To separate the forms, draw the line shown on the
When two objects have a common face, that face acts as bottom face (if it’s not already there).
one face - the objects are both stuck to it. Grouping one or
both of the objects breaks this link.
1. Start with two joined forms.
5. If you try moving the smaller form, you are restricted

to the common face. You cannot disconnect it from
the larger form.
2. A free edge can be moved up or down. (It can only

move left or right if you use Autofold.
6. Erase the small form, select the large form and group
it (select Edit / Make Group, right-click and select
3. An edge along the shared face, however, can only be
Make Group). A bounding box appears around all
moved within that face.
selected objects.
7. Open the Outliner (Window / Outliner). The group

appears in the list, with the title “Group.” You can
right-click on this to Rename it. Groups are
indicated by a single-square symbol (as opposed to
component symbols, which contain four small
squares).
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Groups and Components
3. Erase the base, and group the column.

NOTE: For more information on the Outliner, see “The Outliner:
8. Now if you create the smaller form along the same

common wall, you can move its edges, and the form
itself, wherever you want.
4. Now you can create a circular base with one
Push/Pull. The base does not stick to the column,
5. Groups are also useful for embedded objects. Create

a rectangular form.
Disconnecting from Other

Objects 6. Move the column and base so that it is slightly
embedded into the rectangular form. Because of
1. Start with a rectangular column and draw a circle stickiness between faces, move the column/base up
along the bottom face for a base. first, then position it over the rectangular box, then
move it down into the box. (If you move the base
onto the box first, the faces will stick and you won’t
be able to move it vertically.)
2. Push/Pull the base down. The original circle was

automatically divided into two faces by the square,
and the square face was not included in the
Push/Pull operation.
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7. To erase or move the column and base, select all 2. Push/Pull the arc faces all the way through.
visible portions and perform the operation. However,
if you erase or hide the top rectangular face, you will
see that a portion of the base still remains inside.
3. The cutout will be based on a vertical shape, so draw

a closed shape (use lines or arcs as you like) on a
vertical face.
If you had grouped the column and base before
embedding it, the whole thing could be selected and
manipulated, ensuring that no portions are left out.
Using Groups for Cutting

Groups (and components) can be very useful as cutting
tools. This is because of their “unsticky” nature - they
remain separate from other objects surrounding them.
4. Move the shape straight up so that its projection will

be enclosed within the arc faces.
1. Start with a box and draw two arcs (one concave and
one convex) on one side.
5. Push/Pull the shape so that it goes through the back.
We will do this cutout in two ways: first without

grouping, then using a group.
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6. Select the cutout shape. The easiest way is to 9. Erase the faces that remain on the box The cutout
triple-click on one of the cutout faces. Or you can use goes all the way through, and the interior portion of
a right-to -left selection window at one end. the cutout shape remains in the box, which explains
the walls surrounding the hole.
7. Right-click on a selected face and select Intersect

with Model.
10. Check the results in X-Ray mode to easily see these

walls.
NOTE: You could also do the intersection on the two faces of the
box that intersect the cutout shape.
8. Erase the ends of the cutout shape.
11. Undo to return to this point: the cutout shape with no

intersecting edges.
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12. Select the cutout shape and group it. 15. Erase the intersection faces, and you can see that the
box faces were cut, but no walls surround the cutout.
Because the entire cutout group was erased, no part
of it remains.
13. Right-click on the group and select Intersect with

Model.
The lesson: groups are useful as cutting tools because they

do not stick to surrounded objects. But if you want a
portion of a group to remain inside whatever you are
cutting, be sure to explode it before finding its intersecting
edges.
NOTE: If you want to use the cutout form again, be sure to make
a copy, since the exploded one will no longer exist.
For a similar exercise using groups for cutting, see "Arch

Cutouts Using Groups" on page 109.
14. Erase the group, and the intersection edges remain. Unsticking Objects from a
This looks the same as before.
Group
Sometimes you may create a group that you might later
want to break. An example of this could be a group of
objects from which you want to remove some objects and
place them elsewhere, outside the group. Editing a group
is straightforward; you know how to delete objects from a
group. And a simple cut-and-paste operation enables you
to preserve the removed objects and insert them
elsewhere.
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1. Start with the following objects: a hexagon pulled to 5. Move the bolt to one end of the box. Because this is
create a nut, and a circle pulled to create a bolt. a group, all objects move as one object.
6. Say you want to remove one of the nuts from the

group and place it somewhere else. Start by editing
2. Copy the nut straight up to the top of the bolt. There the group (double-click on it).
will be a cutout on the top face. Erase this cutout to
heal the top face.
7. Select all edges of the top nut (be sure not to select
the top edge of the bolt) and cut them (Ctrl/Option+X
3. Select the bolt and nuts and group them. or Edit / Cut).
8. Close the group, and paste (Ctrl/Option+V or Edit /

Paste) the removed nut somewhere else, like to the
4. Now create a thin box that passes through the bolt. top of the box.
This is a simplified example, but the method is easy and

clear. You can also use this method to copy (not cut)
objects from a group, then paste them elsewhere.
The Outliner enables you to easily move objects in and out
of groups, as well as components. See “The Outliner:
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Introduction to Components 3. Open one of the folders, such as

Transportation_Sampler, to see the *.skp files it
Like a group, a component is a collection of objects that
contains. Each of these files is a file that can be
works as one unit. But components can be reused in a file,
opened itself within SketchUp, and can be inserted
as well as in other files.
into another file as a component.
Many components are provided for you (see "Where to
Find More Components" on page 193), and you can create
your own. Components can either exist only within the
file in which they were created (internal), or can be
exported for use in other files (external).
Component Files
SketchUp comes with many components defined for you.
These are simply groups of *.skp files, grouped into
categories. You can also create components and save them
into your own folder.
1. In Windows, open the Preferences (Window /
Preferences, Mac: SketchUp / Preferences) to the
Files page. The folder you set for Components is
where component files will be created when you save Component Browser
them. Open the Component browser (Window / Components).
The categories reflect the folders in the default
Components folder.
Mac: To find component files, start in the root

directory and go to Library\Application Support\
SketchUp\Components. Components are added
automatically to this library; or you can add them
manually here.
2. In Windows, for predefined components, use your
browser to open the SketchUp5 / Components folder.
186
There are a few ways to insert a component. In the The inserted component has a bounding box around it,
Browser, you can access a folder like in any browser - similar to a group.
opened by double-clicking.
When a component has been placed in your model, it

appears in the In Model area of the browser. Click the
house icon to open this category.
Mac: This folder structure is only visible if you have

clicked the Component option in the drop-down menu
while in Icon view.
You can also access folders from the drop-down menu.
All components currently defined in the file are listed
here.
You can also access In Model from the dropdown list.
Open a folder to see the components (*.skp files) it

contains. If you hover over a thumbnail you will see the
component name.
To change the view from thumbnails to a text list, click the

arrow to the right of the dropdown menu. Select List
View.
To insert a component, simply click a thumbnail, then

click in the graphic area where you want to place the
component. You can also drag a component out of the
browser and into the graphic area. If you have many components that look similar, the text
list may make components easier to locate and insert.
187
Aside from the predefined components, you can insert a 4. Insert another armored truck.
separate file as a component. Use File / Import / 3D
Model. In the Open window, choose the Files of type to
search for.
Inserting and Editing Predefined

Components 5. Right-click on either truck and select Edit
Component. You can also activate Select and
Editing components is a simple procedure. We’ll start
double-click a truck to open it for editing.
with predefined components, to save you the trouble of
creating your own (for now).
1. Open the Transportation_Sampler category and
insert an armored truck, a delivery truck, and a sedan.
The opened component appears in a bounding box,

and the other objects in the model appear faded. This
2. Open In Model. The three components you inserted fading can be changed, as we will see in later
will appear here. exercises.
3. Switch to List View to see the components listed by

name.
NOTE: While Transportation components do not have this

property, certain types of components (such as windows and
doors) can cut holes in the walls into which they are inserted. For
an example of this, see "Alignment and Insertion Point" on page
202.
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6. One thing we can easily change about this truck is its Now both trucks are taller.
size. Select the entire truck (you can only select
objects within the component, so select everything).
Note that the other truck component is also selected.
Then activate Scale.
This is an important point: you did not change the

original component you took from the
Transportation_Sampler category. You only changed
7. Drag the center top scale handle to make the truck the definition of the component in your model.
taller. Note that the other truck updates the same way 9. Insert another armored truck from In Model (not
- this is the essence of components: change one and Transportation_Sampler). It should be the same size
you change them all. as the existing ones.
10. Right-click on any truck and select Entity Info.
8. Right-click outside the component and select Close

Component. You can also click anywhere outside
the component (while in Select mode) to close it.
This tells you that there are three instances.
189
11. In the Component Browser, right-click on 14. Edit one of these trucks and perform some change
Truck_Armored and select Select Instances. like adding a window on the back.
Now all three armored trucks are selected. 15. Close the component. Only the edited trucks were
changed.
12. Open the Outliner (Window / Outliner). This

outline shows all components and groups defined in
the file, including sub-components (also called 16. Under In Model you can see that a new component
nested components). Collapse the list if necessary, was added. Truck_Armored#1 is the one you just
and the three trucks are highlighted as selected. The modified.
other two vehicles are listed here as well
You can change this name by right-clicking on the

component in the browser and select Properties
13. You can also change one or more component into a (Windows only), or via the component’s Entity Info.
new component. Select two of the components, 17. Now for the sedan. Right-click on it and select
right-click and select Make Unique. Entity Info.
190
18. Open the Statistics tab. (If needed, use the arrow 21. In the Outliner, highlight the wheel sub-components
icon at the top of the window to expand the window.) one at a time. You can see each one appear as
When set to All geometry, you can see a compilation selected on the sedan, and the sedan itself is in Edit
of the edges, face, and other objects included in the mode - the sedan must be edited for the wheels to be
sedan. accessible. (You can Shift-select or
Ctrl/Option-select in the Outliner to select more than
one wheel.)
19. Switch to Components in the drop-down menu to

see all nested components. These include four car
wheels and two side mirrors.
22. In the Outliner, right-click one of the wheels to edit it
- this is the same as double-clicking on the wheel
itself.
20. Open the Outliner (Window / Outliner). Open the

sedan to expand it, and you can see the same nested
components listed.
The wheel is open for editing, and you can still see a
faint bounding box around the sedan as well. This is
how you can tell that the wheel is nested within the
sedan component. Also, the wheel’s icon in the
Outliner indicates that the wheel is open for editing.
191
23. In Select mode, click once outside the wheel. You are 27. Now that the sedan was exploded, its wheel and side
now back inside the sedan component. mirror components now appear on the list of
components in your model.
24. Click outside once more to close the sedan for TIP: You can display nested components in the browser, without
editing. exploding their parent component first, by clicking on the
25. Another way to edit a component is to explode it. right-facing arrow and selecting Expand.
Right-click on the sedan and click Explode.
28. Right-click on one of the wheels and select Entity

Info.
26. Now this vehicle is no longer grouped, and does not
act as one individual object. Its sub-components are
still intact, but now they appear as first-level
components in the Outliner.
As before, you can see the component name and

number of its instances.
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29. Even though the sedan was exploded and no longer Where to Find More Components
exists in the model as a component, it still appears in For a wealth of components, click on the arrow at the top
In Model. To delete it, click on the arrow at the top of of the Component Browser and select More.
the browser and select Purge Unused.
This opens SketchUp’s component download page. These

are free, and download / installation instructions are listed
NOTE: To purge all unused components, materials, and layers, here. This page can also be accessed from the main page
open Model Info to the Statistics page and click Purge (www.sketchup.com) under “Downloads.”
unused.
SketchUp’s “Partners” page also has a list of sites where
components can be found. On the main company page
30. Lastly, we can rename the component of the armored (www.sketchp.com), click “Company” at the top. Then
truck with the window. In Windows, right-click on it click “Partners” just below the main bar at the top. Try the
and select Properties. links listed under “Product Resources.” Some of these
components are free, some are by subscription, some are
a la carte.
You can also try www.sketchup.com/forum (located in
the Support section of the main website) and click
Materials/Components. These are objects created by
SketchUp users who have generously posted them for
public use. You can search for something specific or post
a request to see if someone might have what you’re
looking for.
Creating and Saving

Components in the Library
31. Use this window to assign a new name. This exercise creates a window component. After it is
created, it can then be saved as its own file to be used in
the future as a component.
1. Start with a long box. On the front face use Line (or
Rectangle) and Arc to draw the outline of an arched
window.
Mac: The Properties option does not work as of this

writing, but you can change a component’s name
using the Entity Info window.
193
2. Use Offset to create the window frame. Then

Push/Pull the frame outward slightly. NOTE: If you right-click a group and select Make Component,
this assigns an automatic name (Group#1) to the component.
You can then change the name in the component’s Properties
(Windows only) or Entity Info.
NOTE: If the component is capable of cutting a hole in the face,

then Cut Opening will automatically be checked. If the
component cannot cut a hole, as in the case of a double-faced
wall, this box will be grayed out. See "Cutting Openings" on page
214.
The component should now appear in In Model.

3. Finally, erase the window face. The window cuts out
an opening on the front face.
6. To use this component to create more windows, click

(or drag) the component from In Model and place
another window onto the front face of the box. You
can also use Move + Ctrl/Option to copy the existing
window.
4. Select all elements of the window, and select Edit /
Make Component. (You can also right-click on
selected objects and select Make Component. Or
you can click the Make Component icon. Mac: This
icon is available when you customize your UI. See
"Toolbars / Tool Palettes" on page 454.)
5. Assign a name like Arch Window, and make sure

Cut Opening is checked so that future instances of 7. Drag another window component to the side face,
the component will also make cutouts. which automatically aligns to this face and cuts an
opening.
194
8. To change the component, right-click on any of the 9. Create a window sill by first adding lines to create
windows and select Edit Component. (Or the bottom face, then Push/Pull’ing it out. All
double-click the component while in Select mode). windows have the same change.
The selected window appears in a dotted box, and

everything else appears faded.
10. Right-click and select Close Component, or in

Select mode click anywhere outside the component.
You can control the fading of the rest of the model, as

well as similar components, in the Components The component is defined only for this file; at this
page of Model Info. You can check Hide to point you cannot use it in other files. To do this, the
eliminate other objects from the display during component must be saved as its own *.skp file.
editing, or use the Fade slider to control the degree of 11. Right-click on any of the windows, or on the
fading. component in In Model. Select Save As.
195
12. Browse to where the predefined components are kept 15. Locate the new “Windows” folder.
(Program Files\@Last Software\SketchUp5\
Components (Mac: Library\Application Support
\SketchUp\Components). Create a new folder here
called “Windows.”
16. Back in the Component Browser, “Windows” now

appears in the drop-down list. Select the folder to
13. Place the Arch Window file in this new folder. open it.
The new component appears here, and can be

accessed in future files.
14. For this new folder to appear in the drop-down list of

component folders, click on the small arrow at the
top of the browser and select Add Folder.
196
20. Open In Model. The new component does appear

NOTE: If you did not want to use Add Folder, you could simply here, with a new name. To save it into “Windows”
select Components from the drop-down list. Then “Windows”
would appear as a sub-folder of Components, along with all
you would have to go through the same Save As
other folders defined within Components. procedure you used before.
Component Source Files and

17. Now select two of the windows, right-click on one of Reloading
them, and select Make Unique. This exercise will show you how to create a component in
its own file, insert it and manipulate it in another file, and
make changes to the component in its original file.
1. We will first make a bookcase component. In a new
file, draw a rectangle starting at the origin, and
Push/Pull it down (not up!).
18. Edit either one of these, and make a new change.
NOTE: The reason for starting at the origin is this: when you
save objects as a component, the default component insertion
point is based on the origin of the sketch axes. The insertion
point can be changed, however, as you will see.
19. This new component does not appear in the

“Windows” folder, since you didn’t save it into that
folder.
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2. Offset the front face inward and Push/Pull it almost 6. To insert this component into the model, select File /
to the back (not all the way through). To stop before Import / 3D Model, and find the component you just
hitting the back, you can view the bookcase from the saved. Make sure you have Files of type set to skp.)
side and move along the top edge, stopping close to You can also drag a *.skp file straight in from your
the endpoint. browser. The insertion point is based on where the
origin was in the bookcase’s original file.
7. To change the insertion point, right-click the

bookcase (or the thumbnail in the Component
3. Make two narrow rectangles on the back face and Browser) and select Change Axes.
pull them forward to create the shelves.
8. Keeping the red and green directions the same, locate

the new origin at the lower corner of the bookcase.
4. Save this file as bookcase.skp in whatever folder
you choose.
NOTE: Open Window / Preferences to the Files page to see

the default components where components are placed.
5. Start a new file (you can have more than one instance
of SketchUp open at once) and draw a rectangle in
the red-green plane to serve as a reference.
As we will see later, this change only affects the
component in the current file. The original bookcase
file is not changed.
198
9. Erase the previous component, and insert another 12. Rotate the bookcase 90 degrees.
one from In Model. This time you insert it by its
lower corner.
13. Since you are still in Move mode, click the endpoint
shown . . .
Immediately after inserting a component, you are in
Move mode (note that the Move icon is pressed).
10. In addition to being able to move the component, you

can also rotate it. Move the cursor over any face of
the component’s bounding box, and four crosses
appear. These are rotation handles. 14. . . . and drag it to the corner of the rectangular face.
11. Click one of the crosses on the top face to set the 15. Insert another bookcase from In Model.
protractor.
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16. While still in Move mode, activate Scale. Click and 19. Whatever changes you perform affect all other
drag the handle shown . . . instances of the same component. Make a circular
cylinder on the top (you can Scale or Move the top of
it outward). A scaled version of the cylinder appears
on the lower bookcase.
17. . . . to make the bookcase wide and short.

20. Close the component. To return the scaled bookcase
to its default size, right-click and select Reset Scale.
You can have multiple instances of the same

component that have different orientations and
scales. This does not affect the definition of the
component itself.
18. To demonstrate multiple scales, right-click the
unscaled bookcase and select Edit Component.
(You can also double-click on a component in Select Both bookcases now have the same scale.
mode to edit it.)
NOTE: If you had selected Scale Definition, that would have

reset the default scale to that of the selected bookcase. Any
future instances of the component would then be scaled.
21. Now we will go back and edit the bookcase in its

original file. Save the current file and return to
bookcase.skp.
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22. To add legs to the bookcase, start by adding a square 27. You are notified that the component was edited, and
in the corner of the bottom face. click Yes to replace the file.
28. You won’t be replacing it with a different file, but

you still have to reselect the file. The bookcase legs
appear, but the insertion point has reverted back to
the component’s origin.
23. Use Push/Pull with Ctrl/Option to pull out the leg.
24. Copy the leg to each corner.

29. Go back once again to the bookcase file, where you
can reset the origin. Select Tools / Axes.
30. Maintaining the red and green directions, move the

origin to the bottom corner of the leg.
25. Save the bookcase file again.
26. Returning to the other file, right-click on one of the
bookcases and select Reload.
31. Back in the other file, reload again. Now the

bookcases are inserted correctly.
TIP: You can also access Reload from the component’s

thumbnail in the Component Browser, or from a component’s
Entity Info window.
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Alignment and Insertion 4. Select the entire window and make it a component.
Point
Components can be set to automatically align to faces in
your model, and you can adjust the point at which they are
inserted, relative to the alignment face.
1. We will create an octagonal window for this, so start
with an 8-sided polygon. In Top view activate
Polygon, and before starting to draw, enter 8 to set
the number of sides. To get it aligned with the
red-green axis, rotate it 22.5 degrees.
The window now appears in In Model.
2. Offset the octagon and Push/Pull the frame

downward.
5. Draw a form like this, with a sloped top. Size it so
that two octagonal windows can fit on the each of the
side and top faces.
3. To make it more realistic, open the Material Browser

to the “Glass + Transparent” category, and apply a
glass material to the window face. 6. Try inserting the window into the side face. It will
not align to it.
NOTE: Materials are covered in Chapter 7.
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7. Press Esc, or Undo if you placed the window. In the 10. Try inserting another window on the sloped face. The
browser, right-click on the window and open its window does not align itself to this face.
Properties.
8. Under Alignment, choose to glue the window to 11. Open the Properties again, and change Vertical to
Vertical faces. This is how window components are Any.
typically created - lying flat in the red-green plane,
and set to stick to vertical walls.
12. Now you can insert a window into the sloped face.
They align correctly, but they do not cut the faces.
writing. Alignment must be defined when creating the
component. To modify an existing component, you
must first explode it and then redefine it as a
component with the desired alignment.
9. Now insert a window into the same face. It now
aligns properly. However, it does not cut the face.
(This will be corrected in a few steps.)
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13. Re-open the window Properties, or right-click either 15. Insert another window into the blank space and
window and select Entity Info. Explode it. We will now see how to change the
insertion point and gluing plane of a component
while creating the component.
14. In Entity Info or Properties, check Cut opening.
16. With the exploded window selected, make it a new

component. Assign a new name, set it to glue to Any
plane and to Cut openings, then click Set gluing
plane.
Now the windows cut the face, and you can see into
the box.
17. These steps are similar to those in the Axes tool (see
"Axes" on page 70). Place the new insertion point at
the top of the window.
These windows are inserted so that their frames stick

out. We would like to change this so that the window
frame is flush with the wall (i.e. the window itself is
set into the wall).
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18. Define the red and green axes of the new gluing 21. Here’s an easier way to do the same thing.
plane. Right-click on either of the two original components,
and select Change Axes.
The gluing plane should look like this:
19. Create the component, which then appears in In

Model. 22. Use the same steps to change the window’s inserting
point and gluing plane.
20. Insert this new window onto a face. It is inset, and the
face is still cut. A face is always cut along a
component’s gluing plane. When finished, the components automatically align
according to the new gluing plane.
NOTE: For details on setting the origin of a component within its

source file, see “Component Source Files and Reloading”
on page 197
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The Outliner: Manipulating 5. In the Outliner, select both leg components. (You can
use Shift or Ctrl/Cmd to select multiple items.) This
Groups and Components selects both components in the model.
This exercise will show you how to move groups and
components around, and how to combine them.
1. We will start with a table that has nested components
(also called sub-components). In the red-green plane
draw a rectangle approximately 5’ x 2’-6” (look at
the VCB to see the dimensions of the rectangle).
Push/Pull it a bit.
6. Copy both legs to the other side of the table.
2. Make this box a component called Table Top. Open

the Outliner (Window / Outliner), and the
component is listed. The four-square symbol next to
the component name indicates that it is a component.
(The Outliner can also contain groups, which we will
see later.)
7. Add a rail between two legs, make it a component,

and copy it.
3. Add a rectangular table leg and make this a

component as well. The Outliner now shows two
components. If the leg is selected, the component
name is highlighted in the Outliner.
8. Now some components can be nested into larger

components. Select all components of the base: four
legs and two rails. Right-click and select Make
Component, and call the new component “Base.”
4. Use Move with Ctrl/Option to copy the leg once.
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Now the legs and rails are listed under Base. 10. Open the Entity Info window for the table. (This can
be accessed via the Outliner as well). Set the
Statistics page to Components to see the
sub-components of the table.
9. You can make groups and components directly in the

Outliner as well. Select Base and Table Top and
make it a new component called Table.
11. Now to add some more components. Start by adding

a floor under the table - this provides a reference
plane for adding more objects.
12. In the Component Browser, open the

Architecture_Sampler folder. Locate the sofa and
bring it in. Exact placement is easily done in Top
Now the table consists of two nested components.
view.
In the Component Browser under In Model, all

components are there, whether they are nested or
alone.
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13. Add a bookcase as well. 15. Expand the sofa component in the Outliner and
highlight one of its sub-components. The sofa has to
be open for editing in order for its sub-component to
be highlighted, so the sofa has an “open” symbol in
the Outliner - four blue square surrounded by a box.
14. While still in Move mode, place the cursor on one of

the crosses on the top face; this invokes the
Protractor. Rotate the bookcase so that it is facing the
room.
16. Now highlight a sub-component of the
sub-component (such as Group#12). Both the sofa
and its first-level nested component
(Component#15) are now open for editing. There are
dashed lines surrounding all components and
sub-components, so you can tell where you are in the
heirarchy.
There are now three components in the model.
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17. The name “Component#15” is not very helpful if you 19. To change the component name in its definition,
are looking for a particular object. Right-click on this right-click on Left Half and select Entity Info.
item and select Rename.
20. The instance name is displayed above. Enter a new

component definition name, such as “Sofa Half,”
under Definition.
Now both sofa halves have the same component

definition name.
18. Assign a name like “Left Half.” The original

component name (“Component#15”) is still listed
after the new name. This is because you can assign
different names to different component instances in
the Outliner, but the actual component name in its
definition remains constant.
NOTE: You could also have changed the definition name via the
Component Browser. You would have to Expand the browser to
show sub-components, find the sofa half, and open its
Properties.
21. Now rename the other instance separately.
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22. Now select all three components in the Outliner and 25. Create another group by copying the existing room
make them a group. into the blank space.
26. Use Scale to turn the new group inside-out (use a

drag handle in the red or green direction, with a scale
value of -1.0), and move it so that the rooms are
23. Now the furniture is placed under the “Group”
adjacent. In this example, Profiles are not displayed.
heading. Groups are indicated by a single-square
symbol.
24. Use Rename to change the name to something more

meaningful.
NOTE: For an example that uses Scale for mirroring, see “Using
Components for Mirroring” on page 229
27. Highlight the table in the copied group. This opens

the group, indicated by a single, open square
surrounded by a box.
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The next step is to change the table top. This 30. Right-click on this new table top component and
component must be made unique, but Make Unique select Edit Component.
is not available for this sub-component.
31. Make some changes to the table top. In this example,

the top face was offsetted and pushed through. The
28. In order for a sub-component to be unique, its table face was then replaced and assigned a
first-level component must be made unique first. So transparent material.
right-click on the table and make it unique.
To exit editing mode, you need to close

sub-components, then main components.
32. Now right-click on this edited group (or right-click
29. The table is assigned a new name (Table#1, but you its line in the Outliner) and select Lock.
can change it). Now you can make the Table Top
unique.
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The group now has a lock symbol, as do all the 34. Look at the group’s Entity Info window - the
components within the group. Locked box is checked. You can uncheck the box to
unlock the group.
The color of the bounding box and object outlines for

locked groups and components can be set in Model
Info. Open the Colors page and set the color for
Lock.
33. Right-click the group, and all editing options, 35. You can also use the Outliner to change group or
including Erase, are grayed out. You cannot touch component hierarchal structure. In the unlocked
this group or anything inside it, unless you Unlock it. group, highlight the table.
36. Drag the table just below the title of the file.
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This makes the table a first-level component - it is no 38. In the Architecture_Sampler folder of the
longer part of any other component or group. The Component Browser, find the coffee table.
furniture group now contains only the sofa and
bookcase.
39. Insert it next to the sofa and bookcase where the

previous table was hidden. The coffee table is a
first-level component.
37. Right-click on this table and select Hide.
40. Use the Outliner to drag this table into the unlocked
furniture group.
The table disappears from the display, but it still
appears in the Outliner, in italics.
This is an easy way to change a group - otherwise

you would have to cut or copy the object you want to
add to a group, then open the group for editing, then
paste it in.
213
44. Do the same for the string “table.” This highlights

TIP: You can also use the Outliner to move one component hidden tables, table tops, and the coffee table.
below another component, creating a nested component. If
there is more than one instance of the first-level component, the
nested component will go in each instance. This is shown in the
exercise, “Creating a Spiral Staircase” on page 388.
41. The last feature of the Outliner is the Filter. Type

“leg” into the Filter field (Mac: Search field). This
will highlight all items in the Outliner that contain
this string. If the Outliner is collapsed, the
highlighted objects will not be displayed.
Cutting Openings
42. Right-click on blank space in the Outliner and select In the exercise "Creating and Saving Components in the
Expand All. Library" on page 193, the window component created an
opening on the face of the box. Components can cut an
opening on one face only, so if you are working with
double-faced (or double-sided) walls, the back face will
not be cut.
To create openings on both faces, you need a few extra
steps.
43. Now you can see all the legs, in red font.
Cutting Method 1
1. Draw a thin, long rectangle and Push/Pull it upward
to create a wall. Draw lines and an arc to create the
window outline.
2. Push/Pull the window to the back face to create the

hole.
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3. Select the window objects, and create a component. 6. Now you can erase the window face. The cut is not
Because this component contains more than one made on the back face, however.
cutting face, it cannot align automatically to a face -
the component would not know which face to align
to or cut. Therefore, None is selected for Glue to,
and Cut Opening is grayed out as well.
7. On the back face, do the same thing - redraw one of

the window segments and erase the window face.
4. Insert another one of these from In Model; the wall

is not cut.
TIP: Another way to create the cutout would be to explode the

window component, redraw a segment of the window on the
front face, and Push/Pull to the back face.
5. To fix this, you need to explode the window. In Cutting Method 2

Select mode, right-click on the window and select 1. Starting with an empty wall, create the arched outline
Explode. The lines of the window become thick, as before, and use Push/Pull to make the hole.
indicating that they are not aligned with the front
face. Fix this by simply redrawing any of the lines or
segments of the window - notice how the lines
become thin.
2. Because components can only cut through one face,

we can eliminate one of the cut faces. Erase the back
face of the wall.
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3. Now when you make a component out of the window 6. Explode both of the windows. The window lines are
objects, Cut Opening is available (and checked), heavy, meaning they need to be resolved into the
and the component will glue to Any face. face, as before.
7. Redraw one segment in each window. The lines are

now thin.
4. Create the component, and drag this component to
create another window on the front face. This time,
the window cuts the front face.
8. Erase the window cutouts on the back face.
The back face of the wall, however, is still missing.
5. Recreate the back face by redrawing any of its edges.
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Creating a Window Component 3. Push/Pull the frame slightly outward.

Plus a Cutout Component
Here’s a convenient way to handle cutouts for
components that have a non-rectangular shape. Basically
you create two components to be used each time you
insert the cutout - one is the component itself and the other
is used as the cutout.
1. Make a vertical wall and create an arch shape
(rectangle + arc) for the window. Offset the shape to
create the frame. 4. Double-click on the frame on the other side of the
wall to Push/Pull it outward the same distance.
2. Use Move + Ctrl/Option to copy the two arch shapes

to the other side of the wall. Use Shift to lock the 5. To create the center post, draw a rectangle on the wall
copy direction normal to the wall and click any point face, using two arc segment endpoints.
on the back wall to create the copy.
The arch shapes are now on the back wall. If

necessary, reverse faces (right-click on a face and The rectangle should extend to the bottom of the
window.
select Reverse) so that all faces are uniform.
217
6. Erase the horizontal line at the top of the post. 9. Select the entire window and make it a component
called Arch Window Frame. Glue it to None.
Because we want to set the location of the insertion
point, click Set gluing plane.
7. Now use Push/Pull to cut out the window on both

sides of the post. The easiest way to do this is with
two clicks - first on the face, then on any point on the
back wall.
Place the origin at the point where the frame meets

the wall.
10. Keep the same orientation as the previous axes. Red

8. Use Push/Pull to move each of the four walls of the and green directions depend on how you drew your
post slightly inward. Use a double-click to ensure wall.
that the offsets are all the same. (This ensures that the
post is contained within the wall, so that you won’t
see this post when you first insert the window.) Erase
any unneeded lines. (If you’re ambitious, you can
resolve the extra material at the top of the post. This
involves drawing some new lines and erasing some
old lines, then recreating faces.)
11. Click Create to create the window component. Now

insert another copy of the component. It is inserted at
the correct depth, but there is no cutout. You cannot
see the post, and the wall face hasn’t been divided by
the window.
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12. Now we create the cutout component. Right-click on 14. Place the origin and axes at this corner point.
the front face of the wall (the cutout is only needed
on one face) and select Intersect with Model.
15. Erase the window component, and only the arch

cutout shape remains.
This creates edges along the wall where it meets the
arch window.
16. Select the arch cutout face (double-click the face to

13. The component axes will be changed one more time, select it plus its edges) and make it a component.
so that it will be inserted at the lower corner of the Leave both Cut opening and Replace selection
cutout shape. Right-click on the window and select blank.
Change Axes.
17. Because this original cutout was not replaced with a

component, you can still manipulate it. Push/Pull it
back to create the opening.
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18. Now insert a window component at the lower corner 21. Finally, insert a window component at the corner of
of the cutout. the hole.
The advantage of this method is that you can have a cutout

shape accompanying each window, so that you don’t have
Future insertions of the cutout plus the window will to create intersection edges each time. The disadvantage is
now involve the following three steps: that inserting each window now involves three steps.
19. Insert an arch cutout component and Explode it. . . For another way to do the same thing, which involves
nesting and exploding components, see "Nested Cutting
Components - Any Wall Thickness" on page 223. That
method is similar to this one; you create a window
component and the cutout shape, which you then combine
into one component.
Nested Cutting Components -

Specific Wall Thickness
This method presents a very neat way to use one
component to cut both faces of a wall simultaneously. You
create the front and back components that are set to cut,
20. . . . Push/Pull to create the opening. . .
then combine them into the total window component.
When exploded, the subcomponents are “released” to do
their cutting.
This exercise also gives an introduction to the use of
materials.
1. Start out in Top view (drawing in the red-green
plane). When components are set to cut, they need to
be aligned according to the red-green plane of the
component, so it’s easiest to create them in this plane.
2. Create the basic shape - an arch once again.
NOTE: This is where you can see the advantage of using just the
2D arch shape for the cutout component. If the component
consisted of the entire cutout, you would have to explode and
resolve lines on both front and back wall faces. Also, with just a
2D shape, you can use it on walls of any thickness.
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3. Display materials by selecting Window / Material 6. Explode this top component.

Browser. Open the Glass + Transparent category and
click one of the glass materials. Click the arch face to
apply the glass material to it.
7. Use Offset to create an outer arch.
8. Assign the same glass material to the center face of

this arch.
4. Select this arch and make it a component, called

Back Cutout. Make sure it can glue to Any face, with
Cut openings, and with Replace selection.
9. Assign a different material to the outer face. This
example uses Ashlar Stone, found in the Sketchy
Materials category.
10. Push/Pull this outer face; all vertical faces created

by this have the same material.
5. Copy this component 12” upward (or use any known
distance). Start copying the blue direction, type 12
and press Enter.
11. Add a post in the center, make it stone, and

Push/Pull it to the same thickness as the outer arch.
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12. Select the top window objects (be sure not to select 15. Locate the origin at the back of the front frame,
the bottom arch component) and make it a keeping the red and green axes in the same direction
component called Front Cutout. Make the as before.
parameters the same as the back cutout.
16. The Outliner now shows one component with two

nested subcomponents.
The top cutout is now a component.
17. Now draw a 12” thick rectangle in the red-green

plane. The easiest way is to draw a long rectangle,
13. Open the Outliner (Window / Outliner) to see both and then type “,12” to change the second dimension.
front and back components in the list.
18. Push/Pull it up to create the vertical wall and insert a

12” Arch Window component into the wall.
The front and back cutouts are both set to cut
openings, but you don’t want to insert them
separately each time. So, you can create a component
comprised of these two components. This is called a
nested component (components within a
component).
14. Select both components, and create a new
component from them called 12” Arch Window. Set
it to glue to Any plane, and click Set gluing plane.
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19. Explode the component. To get this option, you can Nested Cutting Components -
right-click on either the component itself, or the item
in the Outliner.
Any Wall Thickness
This method uses nested components that can be used to
cut walls of any thickness. It is similar to "Creating a
Window Component Plus a Cutout Component" on page
217, which uses two separate components - the window
plus the cutout shape. This method uses a single
component, but does not allow for window frames on both
sides of the wall - only the front. (To use a component with
details on both sides of a wall means you need to have a
set wall thickness.)
1. Start in Top view like before. (If you want, you can
start with a wall and create all the components
This activates the front and back cutout components, vertically - that also works here.) Draw one arch
which are now free to cut the front and back walls. shape, and copy it.
2. Offset the copy outward and Push/Pull to create a

frame.
20. Because the cutting faces are transparent glass, you

can see whatever is behind the wall. Add a small box
behind the wall to verify this.
3. Assign a transparent material to the inner face and

another material to the frame.
This type of component is a bit heavier to prepare than

simple windows, but once it’s done you can cut your walls
with one click. But the disadvantage is that the component
is dependent on the wall thickness. The next method
solves this problem.
TIP: Press Ctrl while applying a material to paint all connected

faces.
223
4. Add a post using the same material as the frame. 8. Move the original arch into this new component,
fitting it into the cutout area. (It might be easiest to do
this in X-Ray mode.)
5. The window looks great from the front, but look at it

from behind. A face can have different materials on
its front and back. Also, the post needs a back face.
9. Create a new component consisting of the window
component plus the arch shape, called “Window and
Opening.” The insertion point should be along the
back of the frame, and it should be glued to Any
plane.
6. Fix the post, and assign the glass material to the

window faces.
7. Make a Window Front component from this framed

shape (not including the original arch shape). It The gluing plane should be along the back of the arch
should be glued to None, and it does not cut frame.
openings.
224
The new component appears in the Outliner, 13. Verify the transparency again by drawing a small box
consisting of one nested component. (The arch face behind the wall.
is also part of this component, but it does not appear
in the Outliner because it is not a group or
component.)
10. Make a vertical wall of any thickness and insert the 14. Check the window from behind. The wall has a neat
Window and Opening component. cutout, and there is a face of glass where the window
starts.
11. Explode this component so that it breaks down into Cutting Holes in a Curved Wall
the window component and arch cutout shape. In order for a component to cut, its cutting face must be
12. Push/Pull the arch face through the wall. You can entirely contained within the plane it is cutting. But what
now see through the glass and through the wall if the wall is curved? A curved wall is actually a series of
connected flat planes, and if a component is placed over a
joint between walls, the component will not be able to cut
both walls.
NOTE: For complex shapes, you can also use model

intersection to make cutouts. See "Cutting and Embossing" on
page 105.
1. First we need to create the curved wall. Start with an

arc. Use a small number of segments, such as 6 or 8.
Use Offset to create a second arc.
225
6. Make a component from this window called

TIP: To change the number of arc segments, type 8s (for “Cutout.” Set it to cut openings. It appears in In
example) while you are creating it. You can also type the number
of segments immediately after creating it, but once you activate
Model.
another tool you can no longer go back and change the arc.
2. Use Line to connect the two sets of endpoints. This is

the base for the curved wall.
7. Insert one of these components along another face. It

properly aligns to the face, cutting an opening in it.
3. Push/Pull the wall up.
8. Now insert a component over a joint between two of

the wall segments. It cuts only one of the faces.
4. The wall looks smooth, but it is actually comprised
of several segments. To see the hidden edges, select
View / Hidden Geometry.
9. The first step is to rotate the component so that it is

approximately the same angle from both faces. The
component should already be selected, so activate
the Rotate tool.
5. Within the first flat segment, draw a cutout shape, 10. Locate the protractor at the intersection point
Push/Pull it inward (not all the way through), and between the faces, and align it anywhere.
erase its interior face.
226
11. Rotate so that the window extends evenly from both In the Component Browser, a second component was
sides. There are ways to obtain the exact rotation added to In Model.
angle, but doing it by eye is good enough for this
exercise. This is how the window should look after
rotation.
14. Open this component for editing. Select the entire

window and activate Scale. A set of drag handles
appear. However, the bounding box doesn’t
correspond to the orientation of the window - the box
dimensions are relative to the axes of the overall
model.
At this point you could finish up by creating the

intersection between the window and the walls,
exploding the component, and trimming. But we’ll
do another few things first in order to demonstrate
the Scale tool, which makes it a bit easier to visualize
the intersection edges later.
12. Because we will be scaling this component, it will be
easier to work with it if everything else is hidden
while editing. Open Model Info to the Components 15. We need to change the axes to be relative to the
page, and click Hide for Fade rest of Model and component. Without leaving Scale, select Tools /
similar components. Axes. Locate the origin at a corner point of the
component.
13. Right-click on the window and select Make Unique.
227
16. Orient the red axis along a component edge and 18. Right-click and select Close Component. The wall
orient the green axis along a perpendicular edge. reappears, and the cutout shape sticks out of it.
19. Right-click on the changed component and select

TIP: You could also have done this by leaving Scale and Intersection with Model.
right-clicking on a horizontal or vertical face of the cutout, then
selecting Align Axes.
17. You return to Scale, and now the drag handles make
more sense. We want to pull the window outward, so
click and hold the center front handle . . .
. . . and pull it outward.
This creates all the edges where the arch shape meets
the wall.
228
20. Before the window can be trimmed, it must be

exploded. Right-click on it and select Explode.
Using Components for
Mirroring
While SketchUp does not have a mirroring function, you
can make use of the Scale tool on components to achieve
the same effect.
1. Start in Top view to create the footprints of the main

building and one out-building. Start the diagonal
21. Erase the extra lines. out-building along the red axis from the nearest
corner of the main building.
2. Complete the plan of the out-building, keeping all the

edges perpendicular.
22. Erase the faces of the window - the cutout is made.
3. Push/Pull the two buildings up so that the main

building is taller. Make a component of the
out-building.
NOTE: You also could have exploded this cutout before making
it into its own separate component. The advantage to keeping it
a component is the ability to hide the rest of the model while
editing it. 4. Make a copy of the component anywhere, and
activate Scale. Drag one of the center handles toward
the opposite handle . . .
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5. . . . to turn the component inside-out. Stop when the 9. Start by adding a thin strip between the two
VCB reads -1.0. buildings.
10. Push/Pull it up to connect the buildings. Cut an arch

in this connecting wall.
TIP: You could do the same thing by right-clicking on the copied
component and selecting Flip Along, selecting the relevant
mirror axis.
6. To move the copied building into the correct location

requires two steps (unless you use construction lines,
which isn’t necessary here). Start by joining the front
corners.
11. Finally add a doorway in the out-building.
7. Then use Points 1 and 2 as reference points to move

the copied building by the same distance.
12. Close the component. You should have two mirrored

out-buildings, connected to the main building.
8. Edit one of the components. Any change you make to

either component will be reflected in the other, as a
mirror image.
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Replacing Components 4. To copy these cutouts to the other face, you need to
select them all. The easiest way is to right-click the
In SketchUp is it easy to replace any or all components
cutout in the Component Browser and select Select
with another component. A good example for this is a
Instances.
building with many windows.
In this example, profiles are turned off so that all edges are
thin. This is handy when you have a busy model that can
look cluttered with thick lines.
5. Use Move with Ctrl/Option to copy all cutouts to the

adjacent face. You can do this in two steps: Copy
1. Create a tall box with one window cutout. loosely to get the cutouts aligned to the face, then
move Move to place them relative to the neighboring
cutouts.
2. Make a component from the cutout rectangle.
6. Select two of the cutouts, right-click and select Make

Unique.
3. Make several copies of the cutout.
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7. Then open one of the new components for editing. 10. Use Select Instances again to select all of the
original cutout components.
8. Perform a change like this: Offset the rectangle,

Push/Pull out a frame, give the window face a
transparent material, and give the frame itself a color. 11. Right-click on the new window component in the
browser and select Replace Selected.
9. Close the new component. You should now have a

cutout component and a window component in In
Model. This replaces all the selected components with the
one that you right-clicked in the browser.
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12. Make another window unique and open it for editing. 15. After closing the component, select a few of the
windows you would like to replace.
13. To make this window different, add four small

horizontal lines where shown.
16. Right-click on the canopied window in the browser
and select Replace Selected.
14. With the front face divided, you can Move the top The selected windows are replaced with the canopied
face outward to create a canopy. Create a sill at the window.
bottom as well, and give it a new color.
If your file has a large number of complex

components, the speed can get bogged down. A good
way to prevent a file from getting too heavy is to use
simplified components as temporary placeholders.
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17. Start by drawing a line and a circle to represent a tree. 19. Place several of these tree placeholders around the
Make it a reasonable height, like 20 or 30 feet. (If the building. It may be easiest to do this in Top view.
building size needs to be adjusted, use Scale - the
components will scale with the building.)
20. To replace all placeholders (not just selected ones)

with a component, use Reload. You can access
Reload by right-clicking any placeholder
18. Make the line and circle into a component, and check
component, or by right-clicking the item in the
Always face camera. This means that 2D Component Browser.
components will always be parallel to the screen, and
will not look like cardboard cutouts.
21. To find a predefined tree, browse to where the

predefined components are installed
(...SketchUp5\Components\Landscape_Sampler).
Choose any tree; in this case a 2D tree was selected.
The tree placeholder component should always look
the same no matter how you orbit around.
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All tree placeholders are replaced with Face camera The selected trees are replaced.
trees.
As components go, 2D trees and people are “light”

22. As you’ve seen, you can replace just selected components, and will not bog down your file too much. If
components. Select a few trees. you have numerous 3D components, however, using
placeholders is a great way to keep up speed while
working on the file. At the last minute you can switch out
the placeholders for the real thing.
NOTE: For an example that uses an image to create a “Face

camera” component, see “Creating a Painted 2D Tree”
on page 275. If you have alpha-channel transparency in your
component image, see “Alpha Transparency” on page 296.
Tips for Efficiency with

23. In the Component Browser, open the Components
Landscape_Sampler folder and right-click a different
tree (in this case, a 3D tree). Select Replace • If you want to make a component of a symmetrical
Selected. object, it's handy to make a component of one half,
make a copy, then mirror the copy. Any changes to
first half are reflected in the other. For complex
components, this can cut down the file size.
• As you may have noticed, when you delete all
instances of a component from your file, it still
appears listed in In Model. These components are
still attached to your file, and having a large number
of them can slow down performance. Therefore, it’s
a good idea to purge the ones you’re not using.
You can purge an individual component by
right-clicking it and selecting Purge. (Components
that are in use have this option grayed out - this can’t
be used as a way to mass-delete components.) In In
Model you can click on the right-facing arrow and
select Purge Unused. To get rid of all unused
components, materials, and layers, open Model Info
to the Statistics page and click Purge unused.
• The number of instances of any component does not
affect performance (since they are all copies of the
original). But if you use numerous and complex
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components, this can get cumbersome. To solve this,

you can use substitute components - simple objects
like lines or boxes - as placeholders for the real thing.
Then when the model is ready, you can replace the
placeholders. See "Replacing Components" on page
231.
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7 Painting, Materials, and Textures
Overview of Materials 1. To see the various categories of materials provided,
click the drop-down arrow.
One of the things that makes SketchUp such a great
visualization tool is its texture, or material, feature. You
can use this to apply colors, pictures, and textures to any
face or edge.
To open the Material Browser, click the Paint icon, or
select Window / Material Browser (Mac: Window /
Colors).
Windows Material Browser

(Mac users: see "Mac Materials Browser" on page 239.)
The Material Browser looks like this. It is one of 2. Click Roofing to see the materials in that category.
SketchUp’s stacking windows - see “Stacking Windows” Hovering over a thumbnail will open a tool tip telling
on page 437. you the name of the material.
All materials are either a solid color or a graphic. The

graphics provided are jpg’s, and are located by
default in the folder ...\@Last
Software\SketchUp5\Materials. You can use the
browser icon to locate graphic files in any folder,
including those you make yourself.
TIP: In Windows, you can change this default folder on the Files
page of the Preferences, by modifying the path for Texture
Images.
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3. Note that the default tab you’re in is called Library.

The library contains all the material included with NOTE: In Windows, you cannot click Edit because materials in
the library cannot be changed from within the browser. You can,
your installation, plus any you add to it. But there are however, edit materials in the In Model tab, as we’ll see later.
no materials yet defined in your model. Right-click
on any material and select Add to Model.
6. Clicking Create opens a window in which you can
create a new material based on the one you selected.
NOTE: As you’ll see, you don’t have to use Add to Model for
every material you plan to use. You can just start painting with a
material, and that material gets added automatically.
There are four color selection methods:
4. Now click the In Model tab, and the thumbnail is • Color Wheel: Select a color from the circular
now listed. spectrum.
• HSL: Hue, Saturation, Luminance values.

• HSB: Hue, Saturation, Brightness values.
5. Returning to the library, right-click on a material and • RGB: Red, Green, Blue values.
select Create. You can also click the Create button
at the top of the browser. 7. Change the material name (or use the name provided
by default), and then modify the color.
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Painting, Materials, and Textures
8. Click Add to add the new material to the library. The The magnifying glass to the left of the Active Color Well
material with its new color, and new name, are listed activates the Screen Sampler. This enables you to select a
in In Model. color from anything current visible, anywhere on the
screen.
Another way to select a color is to click Color Wheel -
you can click anywhere on the wheel to select the color at
that point.
There is also a Delete option. Be careful not to delete

materials you might want! The deletion is not final
however; you will be asked if you want to save
changes to the library.
Mac Materials Browser

On the Mac, the browser is actually called Colors, but is
sometimes also referred to as Materials browser.
To show the Materials / Colors browser, click the Paint
icon, or select Window / Colors.
The browser appears, by default, on the right side of the
screen, but you can move it anywhere.
Colors Click Color Sliders to specify a color numerically by

The default color is initially blank, meaning that your RGB, CMYK, or HSB values.
faces are unpainted when created. There are several ways
to select colors and textures to assign to faces.
When you want to apply color, SketchUp uses the Mac

OSX internal Color Picker (Color Wheel) or any color
chosen from Color Sliders (Grey Scale, RGB, CMYK, or You can also click Image Palettes and select the
HSB sliders), Image Palettes, Texture Palettes, or preinstalled Spectrum image, then use the magnifying
Crayons. glass to pick out a color. Or click Crayons for an easy way
You can activate the Color Picker by clicking on any color to view and pick colors.
well in the SketchUp interface, such as in the Material Below the Color Picker Panel is the User Palette - an
browser pane. expandable palette of small color wells into which you
Below the toolbar is the Active Color Well, which shows can drag colors that you frequently use.
the current selection. You can drag and drop colors from
this well into your model or into any other visible color
well.
To add a color to the User Palette, drag a color swatch
NOTE: You cannot drag textures from this well into your model.
from any visible color well into one of the small wells.
If you do, you will simply get the solid color associated with the
texture. Dragging a color over an existing one will replace it. You
can delete a swatch by dragging an empty square over it.
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The User Palette remains constant between files, so it’s a Once a color, texture, or image has been used in your
good place to store materials and colors you want to model, it appears in the Colors in Model palette,
transfer between models. available in the dropdown menu.
To remove unused materials, go to Colors in Model and
Textures and Materials select Purge Unused from the List dropdown menu.
By default, the browser opens to a category called Base
Materials. Texture categories include preinstalled textures Importing Images
provided for you as *.jpg images, which tile seamlessly You can also import your own custom textures. Select
when repeated. These images are stored in Root Colors in Model or My Textures (if you want to edit the
directory\Library\Application image) from the palette dropdown menu. At the bottom of
Support\SketchUp\Materials. To switch between the pane is a Color button; click this to get a dropdown
categories, such as Exterior Finishes, Roofing, Markers, menu including the option New Texture. (This option is
etc., simply select the category from the dropdown menu. also available when you right-click inside the pane.) New
Texture enables you to load an external image file to be
used as a texture.
You can also import an image to use for picking colors.
Click Image Palette, where the image Spectrum is
already preinstalled. Select New from file to browse to
the image you want to import.
If you want to be able to edit a material or image, you need

to create a “personal” palette. (Colors and textures used in
your model are automatically added to Colors in Model,
which is the only place they can be edited.) Open the List
dropdown menu at the bottom of any pane and click New.
You can also drop an image file directly into the Image
Well of the Image Palette. Like the User Palette, images
imported this way remain available from model to model.
(You can also add a new texture by right-clicking within
this pane of Colors in Model, or the personal palette.)
TIP: If the image is only to be used as a texture, you may want
By default, this new personal palette is called My to import it directly into Colors in Model or My Textures (If you
Textures but you can rename it. Once loaded into My want to edit it). The main reason to import an image into the
Textures, an image or material can be edited, just like Image Palette is to use it for picking colors.
from within Colors in Model.
You can delete a material from your personal palette by
right-clicking on its swatch and selecting Remove. You
can also select Remove from the Colors dropdown menu
in Colors in Model or My Textures. Be careful when
using this, because you cannot undo the action! If the
material still exists in the User Palette, you can still drag
it back into your personal palette.
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Where to Find More Materials Applying Materials

If you need materials that aren’t included in the Now that you can navigate your way through the browser
installation, and don’t feel like creating your own, there in Windows or Mac, let’s apply some materials to faces.
are a few places you can try.
1. Start a new file and draw two forms like these:
Go go www.sketchup.com and open the Downloads
page. Under the top bar on this page, click Materials (you
will also find components and plug-ins here.) Installation
instructions are provided for Windows and Mac.
You can also try www.sketchup.com/forum (located in
the Support section of the main website) and click
Materials/Components. These are objects and materials
created by SketchUp users who have generously posted
them for public use. You can search for something
specific or post a request to see if someone might have 2. Open the Material Browser to the Roofing category
what you’re looking for. and add CorrugateRust to the model.
SketchUp’s “Partners” page also has a list of sites where
materials can be found. On the main company page
(www.sketchup.com), click “Company” at the top. Then
click “Partners” just below the main bar at the top. Try the
links listed under “Product Resources.” The sites listed
mostly carry components, but you can find some materials
as well (try objectivenetworks.net and formfonts.com).
3. Click the In Model tab to see that the material has

been added.
Mac: select Colors in Model from the dropdown

menu or click the house icon to take you directly to
Colors in Model.
The arrows next to the house icon can be used to

scroll between the last palettes you used.
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4. Click the thumbnail to activate the material. It

appears at the top of the browser, (Mac: In the Active TIP: You can get the total area of all faces that use the same
material. Right-click on any face and select Area / Material. (In
Color Well) instead of Default which was there Windows you can also right-click on the thumbnail in the browser
before. and select Area.) For details, see "Measuring Length and Area"
on page 373.
7. In Windows, look at the thumbnail in the In Model

browser. It now has a small white triangle at the
lower right corner, to indicate that it is in use.
TIP: “Default” is always available. If you want to return any face

to its non-painted state, just apply Default as you would any
material. Mac: There is no indication for materials in use.
8. For the next material, go to the Stone category, and
5. Click one of the roof faces to paint it with click Stone-masonry. Now this material is active.
CorrugateRust.
9. You can apply this material to each face separately,

NOTE: Faces in SketchUp are double-sided, and when you
apply a material it generally paints one side only. The exception but there are easier ways. Press Ctrl/Option and click
is when you use transparent materials. For more information, any vertical face of the large building. This applies
see "Double-Sided Faces" on page 254. the material to the selected face and all faces
connected to it - directly or indirectly - that have the
6. Click the other two roof faces to paint them the same same material as the clicked face (Default, in this
way. Any face you click while CorrugateRust is case).
active will take on that material.
In this case, the vertical walls of the large building

are all painted, but not the smaller building because it
is detached.
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In the In Model tab (Mac: Colors in Model), there

NOTE: Faces painted using Ctrl must be contiguous to the are now two in-use materials.
selected face. A face that is already painted would break this
continuity; see "Using Shift and Ctrl/Option Keys" on page 248.
In the case of this exercise, the vertical faces are all considered
contiguous because they touch at the back of the house.
10. Undo, and make sure Stone-masonry is still active.

Now press Shift and click the same face. This applies 12. Another way to paint multiple faces is to select them
the paint to all faces that share the same material as first. Use Select to select the three faces shown.
the selected face, contiguous or not.
13. Now activate a new material, like Concrete-warm.

11. You can set edges to take on the color of the material
of the object. Open Display Settings and set Edge
Color to By Material.
14. Click any one of the selected faces to apply the

material to all three.
Now the edges are no longer black.
15. Deselect all faces.
You can continue to work this way, or set the edges

back to All Same.
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16. To demonstrate the use of Shift again, select yet 19. Keeping lots of unused materials can bog down your
another material, such as Brick - dark grout. file, so it’s a good idea to get rid of the ones you don’t
need. Right-click on the thumbnail of
Concrete-warm select Delete (Mac: Remove). Or
right-click on the right-facing arrow in In Model and
select Purge unused (Windows only).
17. Press Ctrl/Option and Shift together. Then apply the

Mac: Purge Unused is also located in the List
brick to one of the “Concrete-warm: faces on the
dropdown menu.
larger building. This replaces only similar,
connected faces. The smaller building is not affected
NOTE: You could also open the Statistics page of Model Info,
click Purge Unused. (This also gets rid of unused components
and layers.)
18. Undo, and reapply the brick while pressing Shift.

Now each “Concrete-warm” face is replaced by
brick.
Even though Concrete-warm is no longer used, it still

appears in In Model / Colors in Model. In Windows,
its “in-use” triangle indicator is gone.
Now only the materials in use appear.
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20. One of the neatest features of materials in SketchUp The first thing we’ll change is the size, which is 5’-4”
is the capability of real-time editing. In Windows, long and 4’-4” high. This is the size that is repeated
click the dropper icon, which is used to detect the for the tiled image.
material of a selected face. You can also activate the
“dropper” function by simply pressing Alt/Cmd
while in the Paint tool.
Mac: There is no dropper icon, so you must use the

Paint + Cmd method.
21. Select the face shown, and its material 23. Change the length to 3’ (don’t forget the foot symbol
(Stone-masonry) is indicated in the browser. (Sure, if you’re in Architectural units). The height updates
you could have figured that out without using the as well, so that the aspect ratio is maintained. Also, as
dropper, but imagine how useful the dropper is when soon as you update a value, the material updates on
you have dozens of materials in use!) the model itself (the stones look smaller).
22. Click Edit, or select Edit from the material

thumbnail’s popup menu. You can also double-click
a thumbnail to edit it.
24. Now click the chain symbol, which unlocks the

aspect ratio.
NOTE: In Windows, you can also select Window / Material

Editor.
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25. Now the chain symbol is broken, which means the 27. Close the Edit Material window. The name of the
the width-to-height ratio can change. Enter 6’ for material has not changed. In Windows, if you
some very tall stones. right-click on the edited material, you have two
options: you can add it to the library or update the
library material to have the new properties.
NOTE: If Update Library Copy is grayed out, open the Library

and make the sure the active category is Stone (the category
where “Stone Masonry” came from).
26. Another thing you can change is color. Use the color
wheel, or adjust the RGB (red-green-blue) or HSL Be careful with Update Library Copy - you might
(hue, saturation, luminance) values to change the not want to overwrite library materials. And if you
color. This example uses a nice, deep green. use Add to Library, there will be two materials with
the same name.
Mac: You can change the name of a material in
Colors in Model by editing it and entering a new
name.
28. Don’t change any libraries, and go back into edit
mode. Change the name to something like
GreenStone.
Mac: While the Edit pane is available, you can

access any of the Mac color pickers (RGB, CYMK,
The new name is reflected in the tool tip.
greyscale, HSL, or Color Wheel) to change color.
You can also change any material in the browser by
editing it, then clicking on any other material in the
browser window. If the other material is a bitmapped
texture, the selected material will change to that
texture; if the other material is a solid color, a
bitmapped texture will be colored that color.
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29. In Windows, right-click and select Add to Libary 32. The material is displayed. Click the thumbnail.
(Update Library Copy is not available because the
name has now changed).
33. This opens a window in which you can choose any of

the materials in the In Model tab. (Note that this does
not open the entire library.) Select the brick, and click
30. Switch back to the library, and here is your new OK.
material. The material is placed in whatever category
is open under Library.
The selected face is now painted with siding.
31. In Windows, you can change a face’s material via its

Entity Info. Right-click on one of the GreenStone
faces and select Entity Info. (If the Entity Info
window is already open, you can use Select and
select one of the faces.)
34. One last thing: Draw rectangles on a couple faces,

and Push/Pull them in or out. New faces that are
created like this have the same paint as the face from
which they originated.
247
Using Shift and Ctrl/Option Keys case, the default, unpainted material). If there were
The previous exercise involved the use of other forms that had unpainted faces, these would be
“mass-painting” keys - Shift and Ctrl/Option. As you’ve painted as well.
seen, Shift paints all faces that have the same material as
the selected face. The Ctrl/Option key will paint the
selected face plus all faces that are connected to it.
5. Undo, and use Ctrl/Option to paint the same face.

Only the faces above the already-painted face are
painted.
2. Pick a material and use either Shift or Ctrl/Option to

select one face, which paints the entire form.
This is because these top unpainted faces are not

contiguous to the bottom unpainted faces - the
continuity is broken by the painted horizontal face.
In this case, both keys produce the same result. All

the unpainted faces are contiguous and are therefore
painted.
3. Undo, and pick a different material. Apply it to the
horizontal face shown.
4. Go back the previous material, press Shift, and click

the vertical face shown. This paints all faces that
have the same material as the selected face (in this
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Material Transparency 5. Erase the top half of the front face.

Any color or texture used as a material can have
transparency properties - enabling you to create realistic
windows, screens, or see-through walls.
NOTE: If you want to create a see-through fog effect, see "Using

Transparent Faces to Simulate Fog Effects" on page 387.
1. Start with a sloped-top form like this. 6. In the Materials browser, locate the Glass -
Transparent category. There are a few predefined
materials here, but as you’ll see, you can make any
color or texture image transparent.
7. Select a solid transparent material such as Dark
Green Glass and apply it to the lower half of the front
face.
2. Offset the top face inward, and erase the interior face.
The face is colored, but you can still see through it.
3. Draw a circle on the back face and cut it out.
4. Replace the front face by drawing a horizontal line

midway down the face.
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8. Open this material for editing. When a material is 10. . . . and move it closer to 100% to make the material
transparent, its preview swatch is divided in two more opaque.
sections - the opaque color (top left) and its
transparent appearance (bottom right). The level of
transparency is controlled by the Opacity slider.
11. Textures can be transparent as well. Change the

transparent face to one of the Glass Block images.
Mac: Even though the opacity slider is present in the

browser at all times, adjusting the opacity will not
affect a selected material unless that material is
immediately painted onto an object. When that
happens, a new 'transparent' material is created in
the browser and the original material remains
unaltered. If the material is then edited, changing its
transparency changes the material itself, without 12. This texture image is very dark, so changes in color
creating a new material. will not be easily seen. Edit the material and make it
9. Just like any other material property, adjusting something lighter.
opacity is reflected in real time on the model. Move
the slider closer to zero percent to see the
transparency increase. . .
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13. Apply the blocks to the half-face. 16. Now add a cylinder in front of the form. Assign a
texture to this cylinder such as Stone Vein (found in
the Stone category). You can press Ctrl/Option to
paint all cylinder faces at once.
14. The default setting of this material looks rather

opaque, so edit it and move the Opacity slider closer
to the middle. As you increase transparency, note
17. When you edit this material, its Opacity is 100%,
how the preview swatch changes, as well as the face
and its preview shows a solid swatch.
itself.
15. Change the color of this material by using one of the

18. Use the slider to increase transparency, and the
color methods (Color Wheel is shown here). Select
preview splits accordingly.
something dramatic like dark red. The color changes,
but transparency is maintained.
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You can now see the sloped form behind the cylinder. 20. Check Colorize, and the material color is uniform.
19. You can also play with the colors of texture 21. To return the texture to its original state, check Reset
materials. Make sure Colorize is not checked Color.
(Windows only), and assign a new color
(reddish-purple) as shown.
The transparent stone material should now have Mac: You can reset any edited material, even if you
more of a multi-colored look. have closed the editing pane and applied the edited
material. Simply re-edit the material and select Reset
Color.
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22. Here’s another neat feature of transparent faces. Turn 24. Turn off shadows (or leave them on), and orbit the
shadows on by clicking the icon, or selecting View / model so that you are looking in through the circular
Shadows. back face.
There are no shadows cast from the transparent
cylinder.
25. Apply any non-transparent material or color to the

glass-block face. This face now hides the cylinder.
NOTE: For more information on shadows, see "Shadows" on

page 331.
26. Orbit back to face the front; this side still shows
transparent glass blocks.
23. Set the Opacity of the cylinder to a value greater
than 70%. Once this value is exceeded, the material
casts shadows.
Faces in SketchUp are two-sided. By default a

transparent material is first assigned to both faces,
but you can then apply a different material to the
opposite face. For more information, see
"Double-Sided Faces" on page 254.
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27. Finally, we will adjust some transparency display 29. Switch to Shaded. This causes the textured materials
properties. Open the Display Settings (Window / to appear in their solid colors.
Display Settings) and deselect Enable
transparency.
30. Lastly, turn on X-Ray mode. Now the entire model is

transparent.
NOTE: If you need to expand the window to see this option, click
the down arrow at the top of the window.
This makes all materials appear opaque. Remember,

the top section of the preview swatch shows how the
material looks when opaque.
Double-Sided Faces
As you may have noticed, faces in SketchUp have two
sides. This is reflected in the fact that there is a Face
Transparency display can be memory-consuming,
Front and a Face Back color (set on the Colors page of
and when you working with a large model that uses
Model Info.) This feature enables you to get very creative
lots of transparency, your renderings can be slow.
with materials - applying different ones to both sides of a
Working without transparency can speed things up.
face.
28. Turn transparency back on. Note that so far we have
been working in Shaded with textures mode. 1. Start with a roofless house with a few cutouts.
254
2. Apply an exterior texture, such as Sketchy Brick, to 4. Add a vertical wall through the middle of the house.
all four exterior faces. The interior faces remain
unpainted.
5. Pick a transparent material and apply it to one side of

this wall. Because it is transparent, this material is
automatically applied to both sides of the face.
3. To these four interior faces, apply an interior finish

like ceramic tile. This, in a nutshell shows how you
can have two different materials on any face.
6. You can still make this face double-sided. Apply any

other material, transparent or not, to one side of this
wall. Orbit to the other side, and the original
transparent material remains.
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7. You can change a solid material to transparent, The underside of the floor is still unpainted.
without affecting the material on the other side. Edit
the material you applied to the exterior walls, and
decrease its Opacity.
9. Make this floor material transparent.
Now you can see in, but you can’t see out.
10. Now both sides of the floor are transparent.
8. If you change a solid material to transparent, and the

other side of the face is unpainted, both sides will
take on the transparent material. Apply a solid
interior material, like marble tile, to the floor.
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This double-sidedeness can be very handy for 2. Use Shift to apply a material to any face of the box
presentations. For example, at certain viewing angles, the (not a face of the group). This applies the material to
small house would be hidden by the large house. all unpainted faces, including those in the group.
3. Undo, and use Ctrl/Option to apply paint to the same

face. This time the faces of the group are omitted.
If the interior walls of the large house are transparent, and
its rear wall is transparent on both sides, you can see the
small house behind the large one.
4. When you apply a material to any face of the group,

the entire group is painted. Activate a different
material and click any face of the group. All of its
faces are painted.
Materials of Groups and

Components
The previous exercises demonstrated how to apply
materials using the Shift and Ctrl/Option keys. When
groups and components are in use, this can change the
5. Undo to bring the group back to the unpainted state.
way faces are painted. Just like individual faces, groups
and components can have their own default materials. The 6. If you want to apply different materials to different
exercises in this section will show you how this all works. faces of the group, you must do it from within the
group. Edit the group, and apply a material just to the
Overview of Materials and horizontal face.
Groups
This quick exercise will show you how groups are
affected during mass painting, and how to handle painting
groups themselves.
1. Start with a long box with a six-sided polygon on one
side. Push/Pull the hexagon out of box and then
create a group out of it.
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7. Close the group. Now the only unpainted faces are 12. Just like with a face, to see the material of one of the
the sides of the group. groups, right-click on it and select Entity Info).
8. Make a copy of the group.
This is the group’s default material, even though not

all faces of the group use this material.
9. To paint the remaining faces of the first group,

choose another material and select any of its faces
(even the face that is already painted). This material
is applied to all faces of the group that are not yet
painted.
13. In the Material Browser, find the Default material in
In Model.
10. Choose a different material to paint the copied group.
14. Edit one of the groups, and apply Default to the

painted horizontal face. This face takes on the default
material of the group, and not the global default
(unpainted) material of the overall model.
11. Just as you can always change a face’s material, you
can change the material of a group. Change the
second so that it looks like the first.
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15. Close the group to see the results. 4. For one way to create the counter, use Push/Pull
with Ctrl/Option on the top face. This creates the
counter faces, but they have the same material as the
cabinet, which is not what we want.
Using Groups to Separate

Materials
If you’ve read the chapter on Groups, you already
understand how groups prevent objects from “sticking” to
one another. This is also relevant for materials. This
exercise will create a cabinet, and the use of groups makes 5. Undo the counter. Select the cabinet and its base, and
it easier to apply various materials. make it a group.
1. Start with the basic cabinet shape, and use Offset and
Push/Pull to create a small base.
6. You can’t use Push/Pull on a face inside a group, so

create a rectangle along the top of the cabinet and
Push/Pull it up. Because this counter is not
2. Apply a single color (found in the Markers category) connected to the cabinet group below it, it has the
to the four vertical faces of the base. default (unpainted) material.
7. Push/Pull the front of the counter slightly outward.

3. Activate a wood material, and use Ctrl/Option to
Activate a stone or marble material, and use
paint the faces of the cabinet. (Because you used
Ctrl/Option to apply it to the entire counter. Again,
Ctrl/Option, the bottom face remains unpainted.
because you used Ctrl/Option and not Shift, the
Using Shift would have painted that face.)
bottom face remains unpainted.
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8. To complete the cabinet, edit the cabinet group. You Materials of Components
can create vertical dividing lines by selecting and Using materials on components works pretty much the
copying the edge shown to the other side, then same way as for groups. The main difference is that you
specifying a dividing distance ( /3, in this case). can implement material or color changes over all
instances of a component, whereas each group would
have to be edited separately.
As with groups, components can be omitted when
mass-painting faces. This building has one door
component and two window components.
9. Use Offset to create one door rectangle. Then

double-click the other faces to create the same offset
rectangles.
If you press Ctrl/Option while applying a material to one

of the walls, the windows and doors will not be painted.
(Using Shift will paint them, assuming the components
are originally unpainted.)
10. While still in edit mode, Push/Pull the doors out
slightly. Because they originated from a painted face,
the extrusions are automatically given the same
material. Close the group to see the final product.
This exercise will focus on how components themselves

are painted, and their default colors.
1. We will use car components, since they are already
created for you, and contain a variety of colors. In a
new file, open the Components Browser to the
Transportation_Sampler category.
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2. Bring in an armored truck. Some of the faces of this 6. In the Materials browser, open In Model, where you
car are painted (transparent windows and black can see the various colors used for the tires,
tires), but the body faces are created in the default windows, brake lights, etc.
material - Face Front.
If you change the default colors of the model, the

color of the truck body will change as well. This is
set in the Color page of Model Info.
7. We will change the color of the truck body, but first
we’ll set the appearance of the edges. Open the
Display Settings and set Edge color to By Material.
3. To determine the material assigned to any face, click

on the paint dropper icon in the Materials Browser
(Windows only). You can also press Alt/Cmd while
the Paint tool is active, to get the dropper icon (Mac:
Cmd+Paint is the only way to sample material).
8. Select any new color (found in the Markers category)

and apply it to any face of the truck - the body faces
are painted. The windows and tires are already
painted, so they retain their assigned colors. And all
4. Click on any body face of the truck, and Default is edges take on the color you just assigned.
indicated as the face’s material.
5. A component’s (or group’s) default material is also 9. If you prefer, set Edge color back to All Same.
listed in its Entity Info. Right-click on the truck and 10. Bring in another truck from either the Transportation
select Entity Info. Default (unpainted) is the category of the browser, or from In Model. The new
component material. truck will have the default color.
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The In Model component browser still contains one 14. Start a new file, and bring in a sedan from the same
component - the basic definition of the truck is the component folder. All of its faces are already
same. painted. Sample the body color - it is gray.
11. Bring in two more trucks, and color each one

differently.
15. To change the car’s color, pick a new color from the
Markers category such as red.
12. Open any truck for editing and change its roof to
black.
16. Click any body face - the color remains the same. All
faces of this component are already painted, so there
are no faces to take on the new color.
13. This changes the component definition in In Model,

and each truck now has a black roof. 17. To change colors, you need to edit the component.
Open it for editing, and apply the new color to one of
the faces.
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18. If you don’t want different colored faces, you can 23. In Model now contains two components, and the
paint all gray faces by using Shift or Ctrl/Option new one is given a name automatically. You can
when clicking a gray face. change its name via Properties (Windows only),
Entity Info, or using the Outliner.
19. This color change does not affect the original

Default Component Materials
component in the Transporatation_Sampler folder As you’ve seen when painting a component, the material
(which is still gray), but it has changed the version in is applied to all faces of the component that have the
In Model. component’s default material. In the car exercises, all of
the components had Default (unpainted) as their material,
so their unpainted faces took on whatever material you
applied.
Mac: The default material is the first thumbnail in Colors
In Model. You can change this color by changing the
Face Front color in Model Info. However, you cannot set
a texture as the default material. If you try, you only get
20. Bring in another red sedan from In Model. the basic color of the texture, not the texture itself. Note
that if you change this default color, that you must restart
SketchUp in order to revert to the original color.
Not all components have Default as their assigned
material, however. If a component has a specified material
or color, then it is faces of this material/color that will be
replaced by an applied material. Confused? Try this short
21. If you want different colored sedans, each will need
exercise.
to be a separate component. Right-click one of them
and select Make Unique. 1. Start with a four-legged table. Apply a wood material
to the legs. (It’s easiest to group-select the legs, then
apply the material to any selected face.)
22. Edit this new car and make it another color.
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2. Select the table and select Edit / Make Component. 4. Use Undo to return to the original, default table, and
Assign a name like Table and check Replace make it a component. Make sure the wood material is
selection. still in the model even if it is not currently assigned.
5. Right-click on the new component and select Entity

Info. Click on the material thumbnail.
Table is now listed under In Model. 6. Select the wood material to make it the component
default.
3. Make three copies of the table (or insert three more). Mac: Open Model Info / Colors and change the
Apply a different material to each table. The material Face Front color - this will become the new default
is applied to the table top only, because these are the component material. You cannot specify a texture
faces that are still unpainted, that have the here; only its base color will be used. Remember, if
component material of Default. The legs already you change this default color, you must restart
have an assigned material, so they stay wooden. SketchUp in order to revert to the original color.
The table faces are now all wood.
So far this is what you’ve already seen with the truck 7. Edit the component, and change the table top
- replacing unpainted faces. The next component, material. The default component material is still
though, will use a specific material. wood.
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8. Make three more copies, and assign each table a 2. If necessary, edit the material size so that only a few
different material. This time the legs are painted. stones fill the small front face.
This is because the legs were originally wood, which
is the default material of the component. And the
default material is what gets replaced when you
assign a new material. The table tops already have
another material, so they remain unchanged.
9. In Windows, as you’ve seen, a component’s default

material can be changed without affecting the
component itself. Right-click one of the changed
tables to open its Entity Info. The default material is
no longer wood - it is the material you applied.
Texture Positioning 3. Select the smaller front face and move it from side to
The rest of this chapter focuses on how you can side. The texture stays in place while the face moves
manipulate texture files, including image files, to fit your - the texture does not stick to the face.
model. To understand how this is done, this exercise gives
you the basics on positioning texture.
There are two modes you can use to position textures:
Fixed Pins and Free Pins.
Fixed Pins
Fixed pins is the more exact mode for texture positioning.
You have four pins of different colors, each with its own
function, each works relative to the anchor (red) pin.
1. Start with a form like this, and locate the Stone
masonry texture in the Stone category.
4. Return the face to its original position.
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5. To set the texture so that it sticks to the face, you 7. Click anywhere on the texture and keep the mouse
must position it. Right-click on this front face and button pressed. Move the mouse around to drag the
select Texture / Position. texture to a different location.
The red pin is the anchor pin. Scaling, shearing,

rotation, and distortion are all done relative to this
pin.
8. Click and drag the red pin to the lower left corner of
6. In this mode you will see four pins, either all yellow
the face. (You can access inference points like
or four different colors. We want the four-color
endpoints and midpoints while in position mode.)
mode: Fixed Pins. If you’re not in this mode,
Now Block 1 will always start at the lower left corner
right-click and make sure Fixed Pins is checked. The
of this face.
pins surround one instance of the texture - the rest are
tiled instances.
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The green pin is used for overall scaling and/or The blue pin is for shearing (making diagonal), as
rotation. Right now we will use it just for scaling. well as vertical scaling.
9. Drag the green pin to the lower right corner. Now 12. Drag the blue pin up or down so that four rows of
three full stone blocks fill the face horizontally. blocks fit vertically in the face.
10. In addition to dragging pins, you can also move 13. To accept this new position, right-click and select
them. Hover over the green pin until you see a small Done. (You can also click anywhere in blank space to
square around it, then click. This lifts the pin out of exit position mode.)
its position. Move the mouse to the point between
Blocks 2 and 3, and click to place the pin there. The
point of the pin (not the pin body) determines the
pin’s location.
14. Now move the front face again. No matter where it’s
located, the face contains two blocks along the
bottom and four rows vertically. Also, note that the
rest of the model has the original texture position;
11. Now drag the green pin back to the lower right only the front face has changed.
corner. Two blocks are now spaced along the face.
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15. Slope the front face by moving the edge shown. The yellow pin is used for out-of-plane distortion.
(The result only looks out of plane - the texture
always remains on the face). This is more useful for
actual photographic images that you’re trying to fit to
a face, but we will use it here anyway.
18. Drag the yellow pin straight up so that the seam line
above Blocks 1, 2, and 3 is parallel to the diagonal
edge.
16. Enter position mode again. To shrink the overall

scale, first place the green pin to the right of Block 3.
19. Exit position mode, and here is the result: the blocks
17. Then drag this pin back to the corner. look as if they are getting closer; their perspective
has changed.
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20. To return to the original texture, right-click on the 22. Drag the green pin upward so that the angle of the
face and select Texture / Reset Position. blocks matches the diagonal edge (do not release the
mouse yet). If you stay on the dashed red rotation
line, you will not change the scale of the blocks.
The blocks return to their original size and position. 23. Now drag the green pin outward to increase the
overall scale. This is how you can rotate and scale the
texture in one step.
21. We will now look at rotation and shearing. Go back

to position mode and drag the red pin to the corner
shown.
24. Now move the red pin and drag it so that a block
starts at the corner shown.
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25. Drag and rotate the blue pin to shear the blocks. The 28. Click the front face to pick up this texture.
result is that the blocks are skewed and still have
vertical sides.
TIP: You can also pick up a texture by pressing Alt/Cmd while in

Paint mode, and clicking on a face.
29. Now apply this material to the other faces (you can
use Shift or Ctrl/Option when selecting any face).
26. Leave position mode. The sloped blocks now appear on all faces.
Now we will see how to apply this modified texture

to the rest of the model. The texture in the Material
Browser is the original one, so if you apply it to any
face (including the changed one), you will get the
original, unscaled, unsheared, unrotated blocks.
27. To sample a texture, use the Paint tool with Alt/Cmd
pressed. In Windows, you can also click the dropper
(Sample Paint) icon.
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Free Pins 2. There are a few ways to insert a picture to be used as

Free pin mode is useful when you want to make an image a texture. One is to select File / Import / 2D
fit within a certain shape. It is not as exact as Fixed Pin Graphic. Locate the picture where you saved it.
mode, but handy when you need to make adjustments by Place the picture on the door by first clicking the
eye. lower left endpoint.
Imagine you’ve designed a house and your client hands
you a picture of a friend’s house that has the exact door he
wants. You can use the picture as a texture on the door,
and use free pins to fit the picture exactly to the door in
your model.
This example uses the door shown below. It was taken
from the site www.spiritelements.com, in the “Custom
Doors” category.
3. Then size the picture approximately to the door by
clicking somewhere along the right edge of the door.
Unless you made the door outline with the exact
aspect ratio of the picture, the picture probably won’t
fit exactly. But exact size does not matter, since the
picture will be tweaked to fit.
You can also find this picture at

www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm; download
the file “CustomDoor.jpg.”
TIP: If you want to drop the picture onto a face at its current size,
NOTE: To save a picture from a website, right-click on the image just double-click on the face. Press Ctrl if you want to place the
and select Save Picture As. Some images are copyright picture by its center. Press Shift while placing the second corner
protected and cannot be saved. point if you want non-uniform scaling.
1. Start with a house and an estimated rectangular 4. Right-click on the picture and select Entity Info. The
outline for the door. picture itself has a bounding box, similar to a group
or component. Its entity type is “Image.”
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5. Right-click on the picture and select Explode. 7. Right-click on the image and select Texture /
Position.
Exploding does two things. First, the picture is now

included in the model as a material.
8. If you see colored pins, you are in Fixed pin mode.

To enter Free pin mode, right-click and deselect
Fixed Pins. In Free pin mode, there are four yellow
pins around one of the tiled images.
Second, the picture is now a painted face - no

bounding box. This can be verified in Entity Info.
TIP: While in either Free or Fixed Pin mode, you can switch
modes temporarily by pressing Shift.
NOTE: There is a more efficient way to bring in a material like
this. When you import a 2D graphic, there is an option at the 9. Like in Fixed pin mode, place the cursor anywhere
bottom of the Import window to Use as Texture. This paints the on the image, and drag it to move the picture around.
texture automatically to the face, eliminating the need for
You can use this to place the door in its general
exploding and resolving lines.
location.
6. Erase lines as needed to get one face - the face you

originally created for the door. The picture does not
fit yet, but we’re about to do just that.
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10. In Free pin mode, each pin has the same function - to 13. Now click and drag one of the pins to the closest
pull its corner to stretch and distort the picture. Hover corner of the model doorway.
over one of the pins until you see a small square
around it, and click to “lift” the pin off the image.
14. Do the same for the other three pins, to fit the
rectangular part of the door into the model doorway.
11. Place the pin at the closest door corner, disregarding
(for now) the arch portion at the top.
12. Use this method to place the four pins at the four
rectangular corners of the door picture. When one pin
is directly above/below/left/right of another pin, a
dotted line appears - very helpful for accurate If the picture isn’t perfectly aligned, you can
positioning. continue to lift, move, and drag pins until the
alignment looks good.
15. To keep this image “distortion” (you distort the
image to make it look right), right-click and select
Done. (Or click anywhere in the blank space.)
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The door fills the rectangle, but the arch portion is Here is the completed door - looks good in Front
missing. view.
16. Use Arc to place an arc (size does not matter) at the
top of the doorway.
If needed, you could return to position mode and
place a pin at the top of the door in the picture. Then
that pin would be moved to the midpoint of the arc.
19. Move the door, and the image follows.
17. Erase the line between the rectangle and arc, and the
image extends into the arc.
20. Now move just the door edges, not the face itself.
This places the door shape on another portion of the
door image, so be careful not to do this!
18. To fit the arc to the picture, activate Move. Hover to

pick up a moveable endpoint and drag it down to
resize the arc to fit the picture. For a more in-depth exercise in which a single image is
used to create a 3D object, see "Creating a Painted 3D
Bus" on page 277.
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Using Pictures to Create TIP: You also could have dragged the picture in right from your
Realistic Objects browser, and then scaled it.
If you have pictures handy, you can easily use them to
create photorealistic objects you can place in your models. 4. For this next step, it might help to change the edge
color. Open the Model Info window to the Colors
NOTE: If you have pictures that include alpha channels for page and select a color for Edges that contrasts with
transparency, see “Alpha Transparency” on page 296. the tree.
Creating a Painted 2D Tree

This exercise uses a picture to create a tree in your model.
Here is the picture that will be used:
5. Now use Line and/or Arc to trace around the tree.
If you want to use this exact image, you can find it at

www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm. Download
the file “pinetree.jpg”
Any picture of a tree can be used. If you don’t have tree
picture, try a person, street lamp, road sign- something
that you would always want to face you in a 3D model
(not appear as a 2D cutout). 6. When the outline is closed, the lines will become
1. For reference, start with a basic house. thin. When you’ve finished tracing, delete the rest of
the picture.
2. Select File / Import / 2D Graphic and browse to

your picture. Place it vertically, at a scale that makes
sense, using the house size as a guide.
NOTE: The picture is not positioned with respect to the edges

around the tree. Therefore, if you select only the edges (not the
3. Right-click on the picture and select Explode. Now face itself) and move them, the edges will no longer enclose the
the picture acts as a regular SketchUp face, and the tree - they will move along the original picture. This can be fixed
picture appears in the Material Browser. (see "Texture Positioning" on page 265) but for this exercise
there is no need.
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7. Select the tree (double-click it to select its edges) and 9. Use the Scale tool to make the trees different from
make it a component. one another. Some can be taller, some wider, some
can be flipped to their mirror image. (You can also
change the edge color back to what you usually use.)
10. Orbit the model around - the trees look like how they
were created - flat cutout faces.
The tree is now enclosed by a bounding box.
11. This can be changed in the definition of the

component itself. Even when components have
different scales, their properties are still the same. In
Windows, right-click on the tree thumbnail in the
8. The tree now appears in the In Model tab of the browser and select Properties. (You can also
Component Browser. Click the thumbnail and insert right-click on any tree and select Entity Info.)
a few more trees around the house.
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12. In the Properties window (or Entity Info), check

Always face camera. (In the Entity Info window, if
this option does not appear, click on the down arrow
at the top of the window. This expands the window.)
15. Turn on shadows via the toolbar or by selecting View

/ Shadows. Adjust the month and time of day to see
the shadows cast by the trees. (Make sure the bottom
of the tree rests on the ground plane.) The shadows
have the correct shape and orientation.

writing. To make a component always face the
camera, this option must be set when the component
is first created. To modify an existing component, you
must explode it and redefine the component.
13. If the edges surrounding the trees look too thick,
open the Display Settings and uncheck Profiles.
This will make all edges thin.
Creating a Painted 3D Bus

This exercise uses a picture to create the side, front, and
top of a bus. This will work for any vehicle, but a bus is
handy because it’s prismatic. You can do a web search for
Or you could uncheck Edges to eliminate edges a bus picture, but the one used in this example is from the
altogether. Greyhound web site -
14. Now orbit the model around. No matter what the http://store.yahoo.com/greyhoundlogoshop/. (It’s actually
angle, the trees are always facing you.shadows a toy bus, but it looks real enough!)
Here is the picture:
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You can also find this picture at 3. In the Mix New Material window, check Use
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm. Download texture image and browse to the bus picture. Make
the file “bus.jpg.” the size something realistic - if you keep the lock
symbol as is, you can enter 30’ for the length and the
NOTE: To save a picture from a website, right-click on the picture height will update automatically. Finally, enter the
in your browser and select Save Picture As. Some web name of the new material (“Bus”) at the top left.
graphics, such as clip art, are copyright protected and cannot be
download this way.
1. First make a box in the general shape of a bus. If you

care about making it realistic, use Measure to make
the length something like 30’.
2. You can import a picture as a texture via the Material

Browser. Click the Create button at the top.
This new material now appears in the In Model tab
of the Material Browser.
Mac: Right-click on the texture swatches in Colors in

Model and select New Texture. You can also click
4. Paint this material onto the side of the bus.
Image Palette, and select New from file to browse to
the image you want to import. This method should e
used only if you want to import an image from which
you want to sample colors particular to that image.
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5. To position the image correctly, right-click on the 8. Place Pins 3 and 4 the same way.
face and select Texture / Position.
6. A tiled image now appears, with four pushpins at the

corners of one image. These pins can be used to
adjust the location and angle of the picture.
TIP: It’s very helpful to use the zoom functions when placing
pushpins. Use Zoom Window to lift the pin, then Zoom Extents
to see the whole model. Zoom Window again to the target point,
and click to place the pin.
9. Drag each pin to its corresponding corner on the

model. The side of the box should now contain the
portion of the picture that is the side of the bus,
stretched and moved to the right scale and
orientation.
If you are in Fixed pins mode (four pins of different colors),

right-click and deselect Fixed pins. Fixed pins are useful when
you need to fine-tune a texture position, but this exercise can be
done by eye in Free pin mode.
7. Click and lift Pin 1 and place it at the top left corner
of the side of the bus. Place Pin 2 the same way.
10. If necessary, move pins and drag them again to make
When Pin 2 is directly below Pin 1, a faint dotted line
the picture fit the way you want. When finished,
will appear as a guide.
right-click and select Done, or click in the blank
space.
The side of the box looks good, but the tires are cut
off.
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11. Push/Pull the bottom of the box so that the wheels 14. Now for the front of the bus. There are two ways to
from the picture are visible. apply the picture here. First, click the thumbnail in
the Material Browser and apply it to the front face.
With texture positioning this would work, but the
initial placement of the picture is random - not
connected to the picture on the side of the bus.
12. Use lines and arcs to trace the bottom of the bus to
include the wheels.
15. Undo. A better way is to “sample” the material on the

side of the bus. Use Paint + Alt/Cmd, or in Windows,
you can click the dropper icon.
16. Click the side face of the bus to sample its material.
TIP: If you want to change the edge color to something more
visible than black, open Model Info to the Colors page, and
change the color for Edges.
13. Push/Pull the lower part all the way back. Now the
wheels are included in the bus.
17. Now click the front face. The picture still needs to be
adjusted, but its placement is correct along the edge
shared with the side face.
18. If your picture isn’t facing the right way, or is upside

down, you can right-click and select Flip /
Left/Right or Up/Down. Enter teture positioning
mode.
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19. The pins along the common edge are already located 22. In Position mode, adjust the one pin that isn’t located
correctly. But the two pins indicated below need to correctly.
be moved to the correct corners.
23. Here’s the completed roof (with the coin slot - this
example is actually a toy bank).
20. Drag these pins into place and exit position mode.
24. To apply the material to the opposite side face,

21. The top face is done the same way. Use the sample sample the texture on the first side and apply it. It has
method to pick up either the side or front face the correct shape and orientation, only backward!
material, and apply the material to the top. The roof
is already aligned along the two edges common to the
side and front faces.
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Creating a Clubhouse 3. Create a new material from this image by clicking

This exercise is very similar to the previous bus exercise, Use texture image and browsing to the image file.
but rather than create the whole 3D shape at the start, we
start with one section of it, then build out from there.
This picture is of a children’s playhouse, taken from
www.thebeanbagstore.com/onlinecarlsclubhouse.htm. (If
this site disappears or changes, try a web search for “carl’s
club house.”)
The image then appears in the Material Browser.
4. Apply the material to the door-shaped box.

the file “clubhouse.jpg.”
Any similar picture will work, including one of an actual
house, or perhaps a group of townhouses.
1. We will start with the front face, so switch to Front
view.
5. Position the material, locate the door corners, and fit

the door to the face.
The easiest place to start with this clubhouse is the
door: it has four easy-to-find corners. (In this
example, the front face itself isn’t so tough to
position, but at the top it’s a little tough to see where
the roof starts. The door is much easier.)
2. Draw a door-shaped rectangle, then Push/Pull it
back to define the depth of the house.
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6. Now the rest of the house can be built from this. 9. Push/Pull the sides in, using the same distance.
Push/Pull down to include the material below the
door, then Push/Pull up to the top of the roof.
10. To complete the model, move the top edges to the

center.
7. Push/Pull one side out to the edge of the roof. To

ensure that the door is centered, double-click on the
other side to pull it out the same distance.
11. This example has a cutout below the roof. Use lines
to trace the triangle and Push/Pull it all the way
through. The material inside the cutout can be
changed to something plain (not the picture).
8. On one side, add two lines for the roof edge. Copy
these lines to the other side.
12. The rest should be familiar. Sample the front face and
apply it to the side.
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13. Position the image on this face. Creating a Birdhouse

This example is very similar to the bus and clubhouse
exercises. The difference is that you use the imported
graphic as a guide to create the model, rather than create
the model first and fit the graphic to it.
The picture used here is of a birdhouse that you can find
on several websites. Do a web search for “heartwood
swiss chalet.”
14. Do the same for the roof.

15. If you want, you can sample the roof material and www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm. Download
apply it to the small fascia. the file “birdhouse.jpg”
1. Start again in Front view, and use File / Import / 2D
Graphic to bring in just the image. Use two clicks to
place its opposite corners, or double-click to keep its
original size.
Here is the completed clubhouse. If you need it all

painted, you can sample the side face and apply its
material to the other side.
2. Use this picture as a guide to approximate the basic

form for the front of the birdhouse.
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6. The image can now be deleted, and the material

TIP: You can create half of the face, then copy it to the side. Use appears in the Material Browser.
Scale to mirror the copy, then Move to connect it to the original
lines.
3. To create the roof, you can use Offset and trim the
lines as needed. Then add some small lines at the
ends to close the roof face.
7. The easiest face to start with is the roof - it has four

easy-to-find corners.
4. Heal the front into one face, and Push/Pull it back.
8. Sample the roof and paint the front. It looks pretty

good, but you can move two of the pins to improve it:
one pin at the edge of the other side of the roof, and
the other at the midpoint of the bottom edge.
5. Right-click on the image and select Use as Material.
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9. As before, you can use the same method to paint 2. Apply the map to one face. Start at one corner, and
other faces as well. make the scale a bit larger than the face itself.
Wrapping Images 3. If necessary, position the texture so that the top and
This exercise shows you how to wrap a picture along right are off the face (and will spill onto adjacent
planar faces from a set angle, and how to modify a picture faces).
wrapped around a curve.
The picture used here is a map of the continental USA, but
any image will work.
4. Sample this positioned texture (Paint + Alt/Cmd)

and apply it to adjacent faces. The wrapping is
correct, according to the horizontal alignment of the
original face.
the file “USAMap.bmp.”
Planar Faces
1. Start with a cube and use File / Import / 2D
Graphic. At the bottom of the Import window is a
checkbox for Use as texture; make sure this is
checked. Browse to the map image.
5. If you want an alignment that is not along one of the

faces, you must have a properly-aligned face for
sampling. Undo to return to the unpainted box.
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6. Insert the image again by itself (make sure Use as 10. Click the thumbnail from the Material Browser (do
texture is unchecked). not sample the face) and apply it to a face of the box.
It is not skewed or tilted; it has the original
projection.
7. Place the image anywhere, at a similar scale as

before.
11. To verify this, right-click and select Texture. In the

submenu, Projected is not checked.
8. Activate Move mode, in which you can both move

and rotate the picture. Move it to a position like this
- at an angle in which a corner of the cube sticks out.
12. Undo. This time sample the paint on the tilted face
and apply it to a face of the box. This time the image
is skewed.
9. Explode the image. Now the image is a normal,

painted face.
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13. Sample the box face to wrap the skewed images to 2. Use Move to resize the cylinder. Now the image is no
other faces. longer smooth. This is because the image is actually
applied to each planar segment separately.
14. Right-click again on one of the faces - Projected is

3. It’s easy to fix this - remove the material (apply the
now checked.
Default material), and reapply the image.
Curved Faces
1. Now draw a cylinder and apply the picture to it. (Use
the thumbnail from the In Model tab of the Material The picture wraps smoothly, but you cannot
Browser, not the sampled skewed texture from the right-click on the face to access texture positioning.
cube.) The image wraps smoothly. 4. To change the orientation or scale of the image on a
curved face, first display hidden edges. Then
right-click on any of the face segments and select
Texture / Position.
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5. In Fixed pin mode, use the green pin to rotate the 8. Use Scale on the image and/or Push/Pull the box, so
picture. that the image is enclosed within the face.
9. On the top face, draw two tangent arcs like this:
TIP: If you are in Free pin mode, you can press Shift to
temporarily enter Fixed pin mode. And vice-versa.
When finished, only the edited segment has the

rotated picture.
10. Push/Pull the front of the box all the way down.
6. Sample the rotated image, and turn off the hidden

lines. Then apply the texture to the cylinder - the
rotated picture wraps around the whole cylinder.
11. Explode the picture and Push/Pull it into the wavy

7. For another example of a projected image, start a form.
new file and draw a box. Locate the map file in your
browser, and drag it right into SketchUp, placing it
along one of the vertical faces.
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12. Select everything, right-click, and select Intersect This is a projection, not a wrapping. Therefore, the
with Model. wavy face looks fine in Front view. . .
. . . but in an isometric view you can see distortion

along the curved face.
13. Trim all but the projected face, and use Erase +
Ctrl/Option to soften any edges.
15. Just like with the cylinder, to manipulate the textures

on this wavy face, you need to first display hidden
edges. Then right-click on any face segment and
select Texture. Projected is indicated as the current
14. Sample the exploded picture, and apply it to the format; select this option to toggle it off.
wavy face.
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16. The texture of this face now has the “true” scale. 18. The solution: turn hidden edges back on, and position
Sample this texture, then turn off hidden edges. the texture in each face segment, one by one, in order.
This case is easy - while positioning, drag the map to
match that of the adjacent face segment.
17. and apply the texture to the rest of the wavy face. In
this example, many of the segments have a
continuous pattern, but not all do - the pattern looks
jumpy.
Unless you’re working at a very large zoom scale,
you probably won’t get perfectly matched results
with this method, but it’ll look pretty close.
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Projecting an Image onto a • To insert by its center, click the center point, then
press Ctrl/Option and click the outer point.
Non-Planar Face (Topography)
Similar to the previous exercise, this exercise shows you • To change its aspect ratio, keep Shift pressed while
how to project a map onto a topographical surface. This placing.
map will be used; it was taken from the site • You can also drag a picture into SketchUp directly
www.mapquest.com. from the file browser. This inserts the picture at its
original size, but you can change the scale after
inserting.
2. The image is inserted with a bounding box around it,
similar to a group or component. We want the picture
to act as a regular SketchUp face, but at this point it
doesn’t. To verify this, draw a line between two
points on the pictures edges.

the file “Mapquest.bmp.”
The line is thick, indicating that it is not aligned to
NOTE: To use mapquest, type in any address and click Search. the face.
Zoom in or out as needed, then right-click on the graphic and
select Save Picture As.
1. Start by selecting File / Import / 2D Graphic.

Browse to where you saved the map picture, and
insert it into the model. An image inserted this way
does not need to be placed on a face.
3. Undo this line. Right-click on the image and

Explode it.
You can insert an image several ways:

• Double-click to drop it at its current size.
• Click one corner point, then the other to insert it at its
current aspect ratio.
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4. Now the image is a face. To represent the 7. To smooth the face, we will join edges. First, select
topographical lines, use Freehand to draw a few the edge shown. Activate Move and move the edge
wavy lines on the face. If drawn correctly, (starting up from Point 1 to Point 2.
and ending on the face edges), they will be thin-lined
and will divide the face.
This is the result - the step is gone and edges are

added where needed.
5. Use Push/Pull to pull up the first section.
8. Use the same method to smooth out the entire

surface.
6. Pull up the remaining sections progressively higher.

You can double-click repeatedly if you want to keep
all height differences the same. Note that the map
acts like a material, and follows the pulled sections.
This is one method for creating a realistic-looking

topo surface. The advantage of starting with just the
image is that you do not have to start out knowing the
exact dimensions of the map - you can build the
model based on the picture.
We will now try another method, using the Sandbox
tools. For these tools to be available, open File /
Preferences to the Extensions page and make sure
Sandbox Tools is checked.
NOTE: Sandbox tools are covered in Chapter 10.
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9. Erase all but the lower four edges of the topo face. 14. The grid is grouped, so Explode it.
10. From the Sandbox toolbar, click From Scratch.

This enables you to create a flat grid at a set spacing.
Enter a value for the spacing (you can redo the grid if
the spacing doesn’t look right).
15. To modify grid heights, click the Smoove tool. Enter

11. Click one corner, then move the cursor along one a radius - you’ll be able to see whether your radius
edge to define the first grid edge. The tick marks makes sense once you start.
represent the spacing you defined. Extend to the first
tick mark past the end of the edge, and click.
16. Click somewhere on the grid and drag the points up

or down.
12. Move in the other grid direction, and click to define

the size of the grid.
17. Do this in a few places to get a nice topo surface.
13. You can now erase the original four edges.
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18. Select all and smooth the edges. 21. Position the map so that it is above the topo.
22. Switch to Top view. For exact placement, it is best to

turn off Perspective mode (Camera / Perspective).
Use Scale and Move to size the map to the topo
surface. (The topo may extend past the map slightly,
depending on how you created your sandbox grid.)
19. First, we’ll see how not to apply the map to this
surface. The map should still be present in the
Material Browser; click it and apply it to the surface.
The material is applied to each sub-face individually,
resulting in a jumbled mess.
23. Explode the map so that you can sample its material.
20. Undo, and bring the map in again, either using File /
Import, or by dragging it right from your browser.
Make sure it is flat - not aligned to any faces on the
topo surface.
24. Sample the texture from the flat image, and apply it
to the topo surface. It is projected directly onto the
surface, and not subdivided.
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25. Hide (do not erase) the flat image to get a better look. 29. Use Intersect with Model to erase all portions of the
building below the topo surface.
26. Now to place a building directly on this topo surface.

Display the flat image if it was hidden (Edit /
Alpha Transparency
Unhide / All). Draw the footprint of a building. SketchUp supports graphics with alpha channels: areas of
a graphic that are defined to be transparent are treated as
transparent in SketchUp.
The image used in this example comes from
www.entouragearts.com. You can get all sorts of
non-photo-realistic images here (mostly people and trees)
that can be used as SketchUp components.
To get this picture, click “Downloads,” then click
MatureTree.png. (This is a free download, but you’ll have
to fill in some data.)
27. Erase all of the flat surface, minus the footprint face.
28. Push/Pull the footprint down past the topo surface.
1. Start with a form like this, with one curved wall.
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2. Select File / Import / 2D Graphic and browse to the 5. Now apply the image to the curved face. It may not
image. At the bottom of the Import window, check wrap correctly.
Use as texture.
3. Place the tree on one of the flat faces.
6. If you did the exercise “Curved Faces” on page 288,

you’ll know how to fix this. First display hidden
geometry.
The flat face is painted, and the background of the

image is transparent. The image also appears in the
Material Browser.
7. In the first segment of the curved face, Position the

image so that it overlaps the image from the adjacent
flat face.
4. Apply the image to an adjacent flat face, and it wraps

correctly.
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8. Sample the image in this segment. 12. Select this face and its edges and make it a
component (Edit / Make Component). Make sure
Always face camera is checked.
9. Turn off hidden geometry, and apply the sampled

image to the rest of the curved face. Now it wraps
correctly.
13. Display the Component Browser (Window /

Components), and click the house icon to see the
components you just created.
10. Alpha channel images can also be used as

components. Start with a vertical rectangle and apply
the image to it.
14. As it is now, the component will be inserted by its
lower corner point. It would be better to insert it at
the base of the trunk, so right-click on the component
and select Change Axes.
11. Use positioning and/or move the rectangle edges so

that only one instance of the image appears.
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15. Place the origin at the base of the truck. The next two 18. Now place some more of these components in the
clicks define the red and green directions; keep them model. You can do this by clicking the component
at the same orientation as the original axes. icon in the Component Browser and placing trees
one by one. You can see through the trees to the
building behind them. And they are always facing
you, no matter what viewing angle you use.
16. Finally, edit the component (right-click on it and

select Edit Component) and select the rectangle
edges. Hide these edges so that only the tree is
visible.
19. Here is one problem with alpha channel components.

Turn on shadows by selecting View / Shadows. The
tree shadows are actually cast by their rectangle - the
transparent background is not taken into account.

Component.
299
20. For now, the workaround is similar to what you did in

“Creating a Painted 2D Tree” on page 275. Edit one
Tips for Efficiency with
of the trees and use Line to trim the background area Materials
around the tree. This outline used here is not very When applying and replacing materials in your model, the
detailed. In Model tab (Mac: Colors in Model) lists all materials
that are both in use and not in use. Materials that are not
in use can either be materials that were replaced, or
materials that were imported into the model from a library
but not yet assigned to any face.
Having a large number of in-model materials can slow
down performance. You can speed things up by getting rid
of materials you’re not using. Right-click on any unused
material and select Delete/Remove. To remove all
materials, right-click on the right-facing arrow at the top
21. Select the edges (double-click to select the face plus of the In Model tab and select Purge unused.
edges, then Shift-select to deselect the face), and Mac: Purge Unused is in the List dropdown menu at the
Hide them. bottom of the Materials browser when Colors in Model is
open. You can also right-click on individual thumbnails
and select Remove, if it is available.
You can also open Model Info to the Statistics page and
click Purge unused. This also clears unused components
and layers.
If materials still remain after purging, they are probably
attached to components that are also no longer in use. Like
materials, when a component is no longer in use it still
22. Close the component for editing. Now the shadows appears in the Component Browser. You can purge
are a bit more realistic. components the same way - right-click and select Purge
or use Purge unused.
Working with lots of transparent materials can slow your
rendering. Switching off Transparency mode can speed
things up. This option is found in the Display tab of
Model Info.
Lastly, working with large texture graphic files can also
slow performance. If you find this to be the case, consider
using single-color materials while working in your model.
Then when the model is ready for presentation, you can
replace these materials with image files.
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8 Sectioning
Section cuts enable you to look inside your model, 4. Explode the sphere (right-click on it and select
providing a powerful way to visualize spatial Explode).
relationships, and they can make documenting and 5. Click Section Plane (Mac: Create Section Planes).
constructing complex forms much more straightforward
and accurate.
Section planes free you from having to constantly hide
and unhide geometry, and they dynamically demonstrate
the relationships of spaces.
Sectioning Overview 6. Move the cursor around the model, and notice how
This exercise will show you the basics of using the section
the plane indicator aligns to the various faces. Locate
tools. the section plane on the vertical face shown.
1. Open the Components Browser to the Shapes folder
and insert a Buckyball.
7. Click to make the section. The plane appears, with

arrows indicating the direction that will be cut.
Wherever a face intersects with the section plane,
2. Draw a rectangle at the base of the ball and thick lines appear.
Push/Pull down to create a base.
3. Move the ball down slightly into the base.
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This default color of section lines can be changed on

the Section Planes page of the Model Info window. NOTE: If you do not see the Section Planes toolbar, select View
/ Toolbars / Sections (Mac: Tools / Section Plane).
You can also set the section line thickness and colors
of active and inactive section planes. Mac: This icon can be added to the toolbar via
View / Customize Toolbar, or can be turned on by selecting
View / Section Cut.
The cut lines disappear (the entire model is

displayed), and the section plane is still visible.
8. Select and erase the section plane.

9. Click Section Plane again, and align it with Face A,
but do not click yet. Press Shift to lock the
orientation, and locate the section plane at the center
of Face B.
11. Display the section cuts again, and click Display

Section Planes or select View / Section Planes.
Now the plane is hidden. If you have multiple section

planes, this command affects the display of all the
planes.
As you’ve seen, sections consist of two parts - the
section plane and section cuts (those thick
intersection lines).
12. Display and then erase the section plane.

13. Now add a section plane and hover on one of the
facets.
10. Click Display Section Cuts or select View / Section

Cuts.
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Sectioning
14. Press Shift to lock the orientation, and locate the This aligns the section plane with the screen - you are
plane a few corner points into the sphere. . . looking straight into the section. You may have to
zoom out to see the view better.
. . . then click.
16. Orbit out of this view, right-click again, and select

Reverse. The arrows change direction, and the
opposite part of the model appears.
15. Right-click within the section plane (on an edge or

within the empty gray area) and select Align View.
17. Reverse again.

18. You can also save the cut lines as a group. Right-click
and select Create Group from Slice.
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This leaves a group of line segments on the model

where the section plane was. Erase or hide the
Using Sections for Interior
section plane, or click Toggle Section Plane display Design and Presentation
to blank it. If you are designing a closed building, you probably need
to get inside to design walls, stairs, floor layouts, etc. You
can hide and unhide walls, but for complex structures it
may be more convenient to use section planes.
19. Ungroup (Edit / Group / Explode) the group of

lines. They become thin lines, aligned to the planes
that contain them.
NOTE: You can also use the walk-through commands (Walk,

Look Around) to get inside buildings. See Chapter 9.
This exercise will show a very simple house and a few

interior elements. The last steps involve using sections to
create a slide show presentation.
20. Erase all faces and edges in front of the cut lines, and
1. Start with a house like this.
your model is now trimmed by a plane.
NOTE: For another method of creating section edges, see 2. Create a door and apply a transparent material to it.
"Using Inferences to Create Sections" on page 385.
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Sectioning
5. We now want to add a staircase along the right side

NOTE: For details on transparent materials, see “Material wall. Start by add another section plane here, because
Transparency” on page 249.
this wall has the right orientation.
3. Click Section Plane and place the plane on the front

face.
You can now see inside the house.

6. You can’t see much from this small opening, so
select the plane and move it toward the other side.
Moving section planes is done the same way as
moving any geometric object - with the Move tool.
4. Use lines to add the second floor. Note that this

creates an additional section cut line along the front
of the house.
TIP: You could also have placed the section plane along the
opposite wall, moved it slightly inward, and reversed it
(right-click and select Reverse).
7. Draw lines for the stairs (no need for accuracy) and
offset them slightly.
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8. Select all edges of the stairs and group them. 11. Move this plane very slightly inward so that you get
past the front door.
9. Edit the group and use Push/Pull to create the

staircase. Because this is a group, the outside wall of 12. Now you can easily erase the wall separating the
the house is not affected by it. small wing from the main house.
10. Right-click on the first section plane you created and

In this way you can use sections to build walls, add
select Active Cut. This returns you to the section at
components such as doors and windows, furniture,
the front of the house. Though you can have an
plants, etc. Remember, if the display of section
infinite number of section planes, only one section
planes clutters your display, you can always toggle
can be active at any time.
their display.
We will now use Pages to create a slide show in
which you can see sections dynamically.
13. Click Display Section Planes to clear the planes, and
orbit so that you are nearly facing the front of the
house.
NOTE: There is actually a way to have more than one cut active
- see "Simultaneous Section Cuts" on page 315.
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Sectioning
14. Select View / Tourguide / Add Page. The current 18. Create a new plane on the face shown.
view is saved as Page 1.
19. Select and rotate the plane so that it cuts the face
diagonally. Move it so that is it just inside the front
corner.
15. Display the planes again, and copy the active plane to
the back of the house, just before hitting the back
wall.
20. Orbit to the view you want, this time leaving the
plane displayed. Save this as Page 3.
16. Activate this new plane, and turn off the plane
display. Orbit to a similar orientation as you had for
Page 1, and create a new page (Page 2).
21. Copy this diagonal plane to the back corner and
activate it.
17. Turn the planes back on, but hide the ones that you
have created so far. (You can leave them in place, but
the display tends to get cluttered this way.)
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22. Orbit to a similar view as Page 3, and save as Page 4. These are the options you can set for section
conversion. They are explained below.
TIP: If you wanted to use the same exact view as Page 3, you
could create the new plane and then click the tab for Page 3.
Then activate the new plane and save the view as Page 4.
At the top left of the screen you can see the tabs for
all the saved views. Clicking a tab moves the current
view dynamically to the selected view.
True Section (Orthographic): Outputs the section slice

as a true orthographic drawing. This is useful when exact
23. Select View / Tourguide / Play Slideshow for a
dimensions are important, such as creating drawing
running presentation moving along the pages.
templates.
Mac: You can also click the Start Slideshow icon. Screen Projection (WYSIWYG): Outputs the section
cut as you see it on the screen, including any perspective
distortion.
You can add these icons to your toolbar via View / Drawing Scale and Size:
Customize Toolbar.
• Full Scale (1:1): Outputs your section slice at a true
Slideshow is detailed more in Chapter 9.
1:1 scale. If Full Scale is not checked, you can
Exporting Section Slices specify the overall dimensions of the slice output.
You can export an active section slice as a 2D file in the These will update depending on the slice being
*.dwg or *.dxf format. This enables you to export vector exported and its scale.
information, which will reflect the precise measurements • In Drawing: The measurement of the exported
of your model. geometry.
• In Model: The actual measurement of the object in
NOTE: See "Export and Import" on page 455 for details on other
real scale. For example, for a scale of 1/4" = 1',
ways to import into and export from SketchUp.
simply enter 1 inch in the output equals 4 feet in
SketchUp.
1. Select File / Export / Section Slice.
2. Under Export Type, select the type of file (which • Width / Height: The overall dimensions of the slice
version of AutoCAD, *dwg or *.dxf). Assign a file output. They will update depending on the slice
name. If you want to specify conversion parameters, being exported and its scale.
click Options.
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Sectioning
2. Select the top face and activate Scale. Press

NOTE: You can't export a perspective screen projection section Ctrl/Option to scale about the center, and drag one of
slice to scale. Also, even if perspective is off, many projection
angles available via the Orbit tool cannot be measured once
the corner handles inward.
printed out. Scale is only available for paraline projections of the
standard orthographic and isometric views.
Section Lines:
• None: Outputs section lines at normal width.
• Polylines With Width: Outputs lines as polylines.
• Wide Line Entities: Outputs lines as wide line
entities.
• Width: Outputs section slice lines with a specific NOTE: For details on the Scale tool, see "Scale" on page 65.
width.
• Automatic: Automatically sets the width of profile Now you have a building that looks like an Aztec
lines by matching the output to the proportions you pyramid.
see on screen. If disabled, you can specify an exact
width.
Always Prompt for Section Slice Options: The options
dialog will come up each time you output a section slice.
When disabled, SketchUp will use the options you
selected last time. (Mac: Not available)
Copying Section Planes for

Floor Plans
This exercise will show how you can easily use section 3. Assuming the floors inside are spaced evenly, we can
planes to get floor plans for a multi-story building. divide one of the vertical lines into the proper
number of segments. Right-click on any near-vertical
line and select Divide.
1. Start with a shape similar to this and Push/Pull it up.
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4. Move the cursor to divide the line into the number of 8. Select the section plane and copy
segments you want. Use a manageable number like (Move+Ctrl/Option) it to the next segment.
four or five segments.
9. Type 2x (or the number you need) to create the total

number of copies.
5. Now click Section Plane. Align the plane with the
top face and press Shift to lock the alignment.
6. Locate the first section plane at the endpoint of the The floor plans will be created along these section
first segment of the subdivided line. planes.
10. Right-click on each section plane and select Create
Group from Slice. A group of cut lines appears
along each plane.
7. The building is sectioned at this plane. Click Display

Section Cuts so that the entire building is visible.
11. Click Display Section Planes to hide the planes.

(You could also erase them, since they are no longer
needed.)
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Sectioning
12. Right-click on one of the groups and select Edit 16. Erase the outer lines (the original cut lines).
Group. (You can also double-click a group in Select
mode, to open it for editing.)
17. It’s OK to leave the floor face in the default color, but
for presentation purposes it’s nice to assign
contrasting colors. Use the Material browser to find a
13. It’s easier to work with these lines if the rest of the
contrasting color, and click the floor face to apply the
building is hidden. Open Model Info to the
color.
Components tab, and click Hide under Fade rest of
Model.
14. Now only the section cut lines are visible. Redraw 18. Right-click and select Close Group. The building
one of the lines to create the face. reappears, and the cut line of the group you just
edited no longer appears. (It’s still there, but is only
visible inside the building.)
15. Use Offset to offset the face slightly inward. (This

would represent the actual floor area after the wall
thickness boundary is removed.)
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19. Do the same editing for the other floors (edit group, 3. Draw a small vertical circle on one of the faces.
create face, offset, apply color). When you use
Offset repeatedly, you can double-click a face to use
the last offset distance.
20. When you are finished with all the floors, display the
building in X-Ray mode.
4. Select the circle (double-click it to select its edges

also) and make a group of it (Edit / Make Group).
This is so that you can easily use the whole circle
later in the Follow Me tool.
Using Section Planes with

Model Intersection
This exercise shows how to create a “Follow Me” series
of striations along a drafted form.
1. Start with a form like this. . .
5. Place a section plane on the top or bottom face.
2. . . . and use Scale to create a draft angle. Use Ctrl and

drag one of the corner handles, in order to scale about
the center point.
6. Copy the section plane to the center point of the

circle.
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Sectioning
10. Make slice groups on the other two section planes.

TIP: You could also have done this in one step, by aligning the You now have the paths needed to drive each circle
first section plane to the top or bottom face, pressing Shift, and
placing the plane at the circle center.
around the building.
7. To see the entire model, click Display Section Cuts.
11. Erase or hide the section planes.
8. Select both the circle and section plane, and make

one copy along the diagonal edge. (Simply click two
reference points along this edge.) Type 2x to make
two copies. Adjust the spacing if needed by typing in
a new distance and pressing Enter.
12. Right-click one of the slice groups and Explode it.

This leaves the path around the model ungrouped and
selected.
9. Right-click on one of the section planes and select

Create Group from Slice.
13. With the path already selected, activate Follow Me

(Tools / Follow Me).
14. Then right-click on the circle group and select Edit
Group.
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15. For the section to drive around the path, click on the 18. With the now-exploded tubes still selected,
circle face you are editing. It is driven around the right-click and select Intersect with Model (or
path surrounding the building. select it from the Edit menu). This creates the edges
along the tubes where they intersect with the
building.
16. Do the same for the other two sets of groups: explode
the path, activate Follow Me, edit the circle group,
and select the circle face.
19. Orbit around to make sure all the intersection edges

were created. If any are missing, you can select the
faces on which they need to appear (or simply select
everything) and rerun Intersect with Model.
20. Select all edges and smooth them. This makes it
much easier to remove all the small, curved faces and
their edges.
17. Now select each of the three “tube” groups and

Explode them all at once. They need to be exploded
because portions of the groups will be deleted.
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Sectioning
21. Now you can easily erase all the tube faces that If your original form or cutout shape had no curves, there
protrude from the exterior of the building. would be a lot less cleanup!
TIP: In Select mode, if you double-click on an edge, it selects

the edge plus any adjacent faces. If you double-click a face, it
selects the face and its edges. Be careful if you use this to delete
faces of the outer tube, however, because the edges along the
pyramid form will also be selected. You would need to delete
these one by one, which would be easiest in Wireframe model
Simultaneous Section Cuts

So far you’ve seen that, although you can have many
section planes, only one can be active at any time. There
is a workaround for this, involving the use of groups.
22. Erase the faces along the building that cover the
cutouts. If you double-click on a common edge, both
the edge and adjacent faces will be selected.
23. Now for the tedious cleanup - some tiny edges that
remain. The easiest way to remove them (for me
anyway) was to zoom in very closely and use
numerous right-to-left selection windows to select all
extra edges and delete them.
After getting all the edges - even the tiny ones along
the cutout border - here is the pyramid with the
evenly-spaced, perfectly located striations. 2. Add a section plane to one face and move it to the
desired position.
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3. Deactivate the plane (make it non-cutting) by 7. Right-click outside the group, and select Close
right-clicking it and deselecting Active Cut. Group.
4. Now select both the form and the section plane (you
can use Ctrl/Option+A) and group them (Edit / TIP: An alternative to deactivating the section plane would be to
Make Group). move it away from the form before grouping. Then, while editing
the group, you would move it to the desired position, thereby
automatically activating it.
8. You can now add another section plane. This second

plane can be moved easily, but to move the first one
you would have to edit the group once again.
5. To activate the plane, it must be done within the

context of the group. Right-click on the form and
select Edit Group.
To add more section planes, you would have to create

6. The group members are contained in a dotted-line more groups. These would be progressively nested
bounding box. (If there were other objects in the groups - i.e. the next group would consist of both the
model, they would be displayed as faded.) previous group and the latest section plane. For
Right-click on the section plane and select Active numerous sections, this can get confusing. But then
Cut. again, there aren’t too many cases in which you’d
need dozens of section planes.
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9 Presentation
This chapter consists of one exercise which will show you
how to walk through and look around a model, save NOTE: Layers is one of SketchUp’s stacking windows. See
“Stacking Windows” on page 437.
views, place objects on different layers, create shadows,
and create a slide show.
If you want to download the model used in this exercise, 3. Name the new layer “Dimensions.”
go to www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and
download the file “PresentationHouse.skp.” You can then
skip to "Pages" on page 320.
Layers
Layers are used in SketchUp for display purposes - to
show / hide objects, or to display objects of a certain type
by a certain color. You cannot use layers to isolate 4. Now select all three dimensions and open the Entity
geometry, or prevent geometry from interacting with Info window. Set the layer to “Dimensions.”
adjacent geometry - for this you can use groups or
components.
1. Start with a house with the following dimensions.
Use the Dimension tools to create the actual
dimensions (three total).
5. In the Layers window, uncheck the Visible box. This
blanks the display of the dimensions.
NOTE: For details on dimensioning, see “Dimensions” NOTE: The color box set for each layer can be used to show
on page 82. each layer in its own color. Click on the small arrow at the top of
the Layers window and select Color by Layer.
2. The dimensions will be placed on their own layer.

Currently there is only one layer in the model - Layer
0 (the default layer for every file). To create new
layers, select Window / Layer. Then click Add.
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Setting up the Model 4. Trim the old floor boundary lines, and the house
should like this, in Shaded and X-Ray modes:
In this section you will complete the model by adding a
floor and adding some furniture and other components.
1. Add a floor halfway up the house - each floor should
be 11’ high.
5. For a staircase, you can find one in the

Construction_Sampler folder of the Component
Browser.
2. Because in Shaded mode you can see the lines of this

new floor from the outside, we can offset the floor a
bit inward. Start by showing the floor itself. You can
do this by adding a section plane like this, or by
hiding the second floor.
NOTE: There are other places you can find staircases, as well
as all types of components; see “Where to Find More
Components” on page 193.
6. Locate the top outer corner along the edge of the

second floor.
NOTE: Sectioning is covered in Chapter 8.
3. Now use Offset to bring the second floor in by a few

inches.
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Presentation
7. Use Scale to size the staircase better. You may want 10. Add a dog at the top of the staircase, and maybe some
to adjust the width as well. kids on the bed. These can be found in the
People_Sampler folder.
11. Downstairs, place some more furniture such as a

8. Use lines to create a cutout on this floor. sofa, coffee table, and kitchen set. If the inside walls
are dark, you might want to color them something
lighter.
9. Now add some components. For example, you can

place a bed and bookcase on the second floor, which
can be found in the Architectural_Sampler folder. In
this example, color was added to the components. 12. Complete the house with some doors and windows,
and add some materials to the house itself, if you
like.
NOTE: To add colors to a component, you need to open it for

editing. If the component has the default color, you can apply a
single new color to it without opening it.
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15. Orbit to a view like this, and add a tree or two along
NOTE: If the door and window glass seems too dark, you can the side as well.
adjust its transparency. Edit the glass material in the In Model
folder of the Materials Browser. See “Material Transparency”
on page 249.
13. On the back wall, add a patio door.
Pages
Pages are the equivalent of saving views. In addition,
pages can be added to a slide show, which presents an
animated view of the model.
(A model with a complete set of pages is available at
14. Create a patio or lawn off the back, and throw in www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm - download
some trees and a picnic table (found in the the file “PresentationHousePages.skp.” You can compare
Landscape_Sampler folder). these pages with ones you create.)
1. Open the Pages window by selecting Window /
Pages. (This is another stacking window.) Click
Add.
2. This page is automatically assigned the name

“Page 1.” Assuming the current view is where you
want it (isometric, filling the screen), assign a more
useful name such as “Iso.”
NOTE: There are both 2D and 3D trees you can use. The 3D
ones look great, but are heavy and may slow down your system NOTE: You can also add, delete, and update pages using the
when you orbit or apply shadows. So use the 2D ones if things View / Tourguide menu.
move too slowly.
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Now the page called “Iso” appears as a tab at the top • While walking or turning, you can press Ctrl/Option
of the screen. Mac. You can click this tab at any time to move faster (this is called the “run” feature and is
to return to this view. handy for large models).
• To turn left or right, drag the mouse to either side.
• To move (not turn) left or right, hold Shift while
dragging the mouse to either side.
• To move up or down (for example, flying up to a
higher or lower floor), hold Shift while dragging the
mouse up or down.
3. Now switch to Front view and zoom in on the front
door. • Perspective mode must be on (Camera /
Perspective); Walk does not work in Paraline
mode. See "Perspective Mode" on page 444.
2. You can use Walk in conjunction with Zoom
(Camera / Zoom), which you can use to change your
field of vision. Click Zoom, and the VCB shows the
Field of View value. This can be in degrees (30 by
default), or you can enter a focal length like 35mm.
In Zoom, you can also press Shift and move the

mouse up or down to change the number of degrees
4. Assign a new page called “Facing front door.” you can see.
3. Keep the default field of view, and return to “Facing
front door” if you changed the view. Activate Walk,
Walk and Look Around and the cursor becomes a footprint symbol.
These two tools basically represent a camera moving
around the model. The camera can simulate a person, but
it can also be placed at any height, using any zoom angle.
The Walk tool moves the camera, while the Look
Around tool pivots the camera about its base. These tools
are easy enough to explain in words, but you really have
to play with them to get a feel for it.
1. Activate Walk (Camera / Walk).
4. The VCB now shows Eye Height, which you can

change. Enter 6’ to represent a tall man.
• To walk forward, drag the mouse up (holding the left
mouse button).
• To walk backward, drag the mouse down.
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Now you can start walking into the house. When you 7. Move backward a bit by dragging the mouse down.
click and drag the mouse, you will see a “+” symbol,
representing where the feet start. To move straight
ahead, keep the footprint directly above the cross.
Keeping it slightly above the cross moves you
slowly, farther above it speeds you up. If you move to
either side of the cross, you will veer off to the side.
5. Click near the bottom center of the door and move
forward slowly.
8. Now press Alt/Cmd and Walk forward again. Now

you can walk through the door (and any other
barrier). Once inside, you should be able to see the
light-colored walls and the downstairs furniture.
6. At some point, you cannot go any further - Walk has

collision detection and stops you from walking
through walls. The cursor becomes a person symbol.
If you are the right height, you will actually hit the
door glass - you can see in through the transparent
glass but you cannot go inside.
9. Make this view a new page - “Inside front door.”
10. Now switch to Look Around (Camera / Look

Around).
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11. The cursor switches to a pair of eyes. Drag the mouse 13. The Walk tool also enables you to go up and down
from side to side and up and down to simulate stairs. Start dragging the mouse up the steps - be
standing still and turning your head. careful not to go too fast.
12. An easier way to Walk and Look at the same time is

to return to Walk. Now when you drag the mouse
with the middle mouse button pressed, you switch to
Look. Use these two tools together to maneuver to
the bottom of the staircase. Make a new page - “Foot
of steps.”
14. While in Walk, you can press Shift while dragging to
move up, down, right, or left. The cursor turns into a
hand. You can use this to center yourself on the
staircase if you find yourself veering to one side.
Using Shift may change the eye height, but you can
type 6’ at any time during Walk to reset it.
At first it may be difficult to walk to exactly where

you want. You may find yourself going backward
through walls, ending up outside the house. These
tools take a little practice, but an advantage of saving
views as pages is that you don’t have to start all the
way at the beginning!
NOTE: You can use Walk with Shift to move up to the second
floor. However, this will move you exactly vertically, while Walk
alone will simulate what you actually see while going up the
stairs.
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15. Stop at the top of the stairs, where your dog should be 18. We now can create some pages for the first floor. To
waiting. Create a new page called “Top of stairs.” It return to this floor, click the tab for the “Foot of
may be tough to reach this spot without steps” page.
overshooting, but you can always go back to the
“Foot of steps” page and try again.
19. Go from the steps to a view like this, in which you
can see the furniture.
16. From the top of the stairs, use Walk and Look
Around to reach the point where you’re facing the
loft furniture. Call this page “Front loft corner.” 20. Save this view as a page - it is automatically placed
after “Foot of steps” - the view you started from.
21. Before assigning the view a name, use the down

arrow to move it to the last slot, after “Top side
window.”
17. Keep going around the top floor and create a view
looking out the side windows (you should see a tree
or two from here). Call this “Top side window.”
NOTE: You can also move pages around after they are created,
as we will see in a few more steps.
22. Then change this view’s name to “Facing Living

Room.”
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23. Get to a view like this, looking out on the patio, and 1. Start at the view at “Top of steps.”
save it as “Facing Patio.”
2. Activate Position Camera (Camera / Position

24. One last view - standing at the back of the patio Camera).
looking in on the house. Call this one “View in from
Patio.”
The Height Offset is automatically set at 5’-6”,

which we will accept. This is the height of the camera
above the floor.
3. Place the base of the camera at the foot of the dog.
Position Camera
The way the pages are set up now, there is no smooth
flow between the first and second floors. Display the
“Top Side Window” page, then “Facing Living
Room.” It’s a rather abrupt change, so it would be
nice to place in between these pages a view from the
steps, looking toward the front door.
The Eye Height updates to 16’-6”. Why? The overall
At the angle of the staircase as it is, it is not so easy to height of the second floor is 11’ from the ground, and
use Walk to get back down the stairs (try it and see). another 5’-6” to the camera itself = 16’-6”.
But we can use Position Camera to get an exact
view.
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4. From this point, drag the mouse to the right to pivot 7. Walk down until you are on the third step from the
the camera about its base. Go around 180 degrees so bottom.
that you are facing toward the front of the house.
8. Then Look Around until you see the front door.

Create a page here called “On Steps facing front
5. Then drag the mouse downward until you are door.” Even though the page will be placed in the
looking down the stairs. wrong order, create it anyway.
6. Now we can walk down. Switch to Walk, and the

cursor switches back to the footprint.
This should be the order: “On steps” directly after

“Top of stairs” - the view you started from.
9. To move this page, right-click it and select Move

Right.
The Eye Height readjusts to 5’-6”.
The “On steps” page moves one page over, but it

needs to be placed before “Facing Living Room.”
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10. You could keep moving the page to the right, or use
the Page window. Use the down arrow to move “On NOTE: For details on creating construction lines, see “Measure”
on page 39.
steps” to the position right before “Facing Living
Room.”
14. Draw another construction line from the side of the
house. The person will be standing where these lines
intersect.
Another use for Position Camera is to get the exact

view between two known points. We will use this to
change the “Facing Patio” page.
11. Start in the “Facing Living Room” page.
15. Draw one last construction line straight up 5’-6’ from

this intersection point. This is where the view will be
seen from.
12. We will now use construction lines to approximate a

person standing in the middle of the room. Switch to
Hidden Line mode, so that it will be easier to see
construction lines.
13. Use Measure to drag a construction line from the
back edge of the house. Place it between the kitchen
set and the coffee table (or a place that makes sense
in your model).
16. The view will end at the picnic table out back, so hide
anything that blocks it, such as the back door.
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17. Activate Position Camera and place the camera at 19. Release the mouse and here is the exact view. This
the eye point. Do not release the mouse. will replace the “Facing Patio” page you created
before.
20. Unhide anything you hid before.
Updating Pages
There are a few ways to update a page. You can update its
18. Drag the mouse to a point on the picnic table. actual view, and/or you can update what information is
included in the view.
1. Right-click on the “Facing Patio” page and select
Update. This is the easiest way to change the page’s
view.
WARNING: Be careful when using Update - there is no Undo for

this! So make sure you are updating the correct page, or you will
have two pages to fix.
2. Switch from the “Facing Living Room” page, then

back to “Facing Patio.” The display switches from
Shaded to Hidden Lines.
TIP: You can use the Page Up and Page Down keys to scroll
between pages. And you can double-click a page in the Pages
window to switch to that page.
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Presentation
The reason for the mode switching is that all • Sections: The active section plane will be restored
properties of “Facing Patio” were saved with the when the page is activated. This is a good way to
page. This includes its Hidden Line setting. If there is include dynamic sections in your slide show; see
a property not saved, the relevant property of the "Using Sections for Interior Design and
previous view will be used. Presentation" on page 304.
3. In the Pages window, for “Facing Patio” uncheck 4. There is nothing else to update, since the view itself
Display. This means that its hidden line property will is fine. Now switch from “Facing Living Room” to
no longer be saved. If the view before it is shaded, “Facing Patio,” and both are shaded.
this page will also be shaded.
5. For another example of properties to change, we will

look at layers. Create a new layer called something
like “Extras” and make it invisible. Place anything
that does not come with the house on this layer:
Properties to save lists the various conditions that
furniture, trees, people, etc.
can be preserved for the page. If any of the items are
unchecked, the page will use the relevant settings
of the previous page.
• Camera: Preserves the current camera view and
zoom distance. You need this option selected if you
want to save pages with different views, as we’ve
done so far in this exercise.
• Display: Preserves settings such as wireframe,
hidden, shaded, patterned, etc. See "Display
Settings" on page 438.
• Shadows: Saves shadow settings. See "Shadows" on
page 331.
NOTE: Any other layers you see here, aside from “Dimensions,”
• Axes: Preserves the display of the axes. were included with components that were inserted.
• Hidden: Preserves the hide/show status of objects.

• Layers: Preserves the show/hide status of layers. As
you’ve seen, this is a good way to create multiple
views that show different items.
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6. Display “Iso,” and no furniture should be visible 2. Select View / TourGuide / Settings, which opens
inside the house. Update this page - the view Model Info to the Tourguide page. In this window
definition changes because the layers on it have you can set the timing and transition options for the
changed. slide show.
7. In Pages, uncheck Layers for several pages that • Enable page transitions: Smoothly and
come after “Iso.” dynamically transitions between adjacent pages. If
not checked, the slideshow will jump from page to
page.
• Transition Time: The seconds for each transition.
• Page Delay: The amount of time each page will be
visible (not including transition time).
3. Set the options so that page transitions are enabled.
4. Right-click on any page tab and select Slideshow
(Windows only), or select View / Tourguide / Play
Slideshow. Each page will appear on the screen, in
order, starting from the active page.
8. Now when you switch views in order, starting from

“Iso,” no extras will appear on those pages you
modified. They will appear again for pages that were
not modified.
Tourguide / Slideshow Mac: You can also click the Start Slideshow icon.
The slide show is a great way to present an animated view, You can add this icon via View / Customize Toolbar.
in order, of the pages in your model. For a page to appear
in the slideshow, Include in Slideshow must be checked.
5. The current page is indicated by the page tabs at the
top of the screen. You can press Pause or Stop any
time. (Mac: Stop is available if you added the Start
Slideshow icons to the toolbar.)
1. For the “Iso” page, update it with the “Extras” layer

displayed.
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Presentation
The slideshow shows one page at a time, smoothly

transitioning between pages.
Shadows
SketchUp’s shadow casting tools is a great way to present
a realistic view of your model, and to see how the model
will look under various conditions of time and location.
NOTE: To view faces as though the sun is hitting them, without

actual viewing shadows, check Use sun for shading on the
Display Settings window.
Windows: The shadow commands are available on the

Shadows toolbar. If you don’t see this, select View /
Toolbars / Shadows.
Mac: There is a Shadows icon on the toolbar. You can also
select View / Shadows, or Window / Shadow Settings /
Display Shadows.
1. First, set the sky and ground conditions so that the
shadows will look more realistic. Open Model Info
to the Colors tab and check Sky and Ground. This
examples uses a brown color for the ground plain.
This is how the “Iso” page should look with a sky and
ground added.
6. Press Stop to end the slide show, or it will continue to

scroll between slides.
Once your slide show has been created to your
satisfaction, you can export it to an animation file. Among
other things, this enables you to share your designs with
those who do not have SketchUp installed, and without
having to transfer *.skp files. See "File / Export /
Animation" on page 455. NOTE: Keeping these background effects active will slow down
the performance of the model, so you might not want to use them
all the time.
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2. You can use the sliders on the Shadows toolbar to set 4. Move the Time slider from morning to afternoon, to
the time and date, but to get more options, click reverse the direction of the shadows.
Shadow Settings (Window / Shadow Settings).
3. Check Display Shadows, and the shadows appear

according to the month and time set in the sliders.
TIP: If you make two pages, each with the same view but
different shadows from different times of day, you can scroll
between the pages to view effects of the sun passing over the
sky.
5. Update the “Iso” page to include this shadow.

The shadows also depend on the location of the
model. This can be set in the Location page of the
Model Info window. See “Model Info > Location”
on page 447.
At the bottom of the Shadow Settings window, you
can choose how shadows will be created:
• On Faces: Casts shadows on faces. This may impact
performance on slower computers, or those using
software rendering. 6. For the “Facing Living Room” page, uncheck
Shadows. As you know by now, this means the
• On Ground: Casts shadows onto the ground plane. shadow information originally saved with this page
• From Edges: Casts shadows from stand-alone edges (i.e., no shadows) will be overridden by the shadows
(lines drawn in space that are not connected to any of the page you view before this one.
faces.
• Light: Controls the tonal balance of the lighting in
the SketchUp display. Light controls the amount of
diffuse lighting, and Dark controls the amount of
ambient lighting.
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Presentation
7. Now switch from “Iso” to “Facing Living Room.”

The afternoon shadows can be seen inside the house.
8. You can use the Shadow Settings window to control

how dark the shadows are. Adjust the Light and
Dark sliders to brighten up the room.
Now the room is more inviting, and still has its

shadows.
This chapter covered several topics, but by now you can

see how they are all related. You can combine the
walk-through tools, layers, pages, shadows, and/or slide
show to create a masterful presentation of your model!
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10 Sandbox Tools
SketchUp’s sandbox tools enable you to create terrains, as Sandbox from Scratch
well as other organic shapes. The actual surface created as With this tool, you can create a flat TIN surface, divided
called a TIN - triangulated irregular network. A TIN is into a grid. This TIN surface can then be modified using
simply several connected flat triangular faces that, when the other sandbox tools.
smoothed, appear like one continuos smooth surface.
You can create a TIN from scratch as a flat grid, or create 1. Click From Scratch.
it from a set of contours. You can also import a TIN from
a *.dtm file.
TIN contours can be created within SketchUp or
imported. (For details on the ArcGIS plugin, see 2. The VCB indicates the Grid Spacing. Enter 5 (the
www.sketchup.com/markets/gis.php.) Or you could meter unit is assumed since you set the units).
import an image of a site plan or contour map and use
Freehand to trace its contours.
3. Click to start the first side of the grid and move the
mouse to create the first side. Do not click yet. The
NOTE: If you have a site map and want to create a stepped (not
tick marks are 5m apart.
smooth) topographical surface, see “Projecting an Image onto a
Non-Planar Face (Topography)” on page 292.
Creating a Sandbox (TIN)

1. Set the Units to Decimal Meters. 4. You can use the VCB to enter an exact length, Type
100 and press Enter. The side is extended to be 100m
long, and you may have to zoom out to see it.
5. The next click defines the other grid direction. Make

it something like this:
2. In order for the sandbox tools to be available, you

must activate them. Open Window / Preferences to
the Extensions page and check Sandbox Tools.
3. If the Sandbox toolbar does not appear, select View

/ Toolbars / Sandbox.
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The surface is created as a group, which is indicated Smoove

by its Entity Info window. The Smoove tool is a combination of smoothing and
moving (but the name still sounds a bit weird). You can
use it to sculpt a TIN - to make hills and valleys, or to
smooth out areas that are too jagged or bumpy. By moving
a circular area of a TIN up or down, you get a smooth
deformation.
1. Click Smoove, or select Tools / Sandbox / Smoove.
2. A red circle appears around the cursor - this is the

tool’s area of influence. The radius of this circle is
listed in the VCB.
6. To work on a sandbox, you must either open the

group to edit it, or explode it. Do the first -
double-click the group to edit it.
3. Enter 30 to set a 30m radius circle.
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Sandbox Tools
4. You can place the center of the Smoove circle in one 6. For the next smoove, place the center at a grid edge.
of several places. Click to place the center at a grid
intersection point.
The grid points that will be affected (those within the The two largest squares are at both ends of this edge.
circle radius) are highlighted by squares. The largest
square is where you placed the circle center, and the
squares get progressively smaller farther out.
7. Pull this area up as well. You’ve now created two

hills.
5. You can move these grid points up or down. The

Offset value is indicated; you can do it by eye or
enter an exact value. Raise the center of this area
about 10m upward.
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8. Reduce the radius to 20m, and this time place the 11. Reduce the radius once again to 10m. Create a few
center on one of the hidden diagonal edges. Hidden depressions in the center to simulate a lake bed.
edges appear when the cursor passes over them.
9. Again, the endpoints of the edge have the largest

squares. And there are now fewer grid points From the side, your TIN should look something like
affected. this:
12. Display hidden geometry to see all edges that

comprise the TIN. Each triangular face is flat, but all
together they create a smooth look.
10. Pull up one more small hill by placing the center on

one of the triangular faces. These faces also appear
when the cursor passes over them.
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Sandbox Tools
13. Turn off the hidden geometry, and open the Soften 15. Check Smooth Normals to remove the faceting.
Edges window (Window / Soften Edges, or select
the entire TIN and right-click). Move the slider to the
right to see the edges start to disappear. With nothing
else checked, the surface has a faceted look.
Sandbox from Contours

Another way to create a TIN is to create it from contours
you already have. These could be curves you create within
SketchUp, or curves you import from another application.
NOTE: Soften Edges is one of SketchUp’s stacking windows. Because we already have a TIN surface from the previous
See “Stacking Windows” on page 437. exercises, we can get its topographical contours and then
re-create the TIN.
14. Check Soften Coplanar, and edges along flat areas
also disappear. NOTE: If you want to compare the From Contours TIN to the
From Scratch one, make a copy of the TIN to work on, keeping
the original.
If you want to download this set of contours, go to

download the file “SandboxContours.skp.” You can then
skip to Step 6.
1. Switch to Top view and draw a rectangle around the
TIN you created in the previous exercise.
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From the side, it should look something like this: 5. Erase the TIN (easily done since it should still be a
group). Contours that are closed loops may contain
faces - erase these as well.
2. Make vertical copies of this rectangle. In this

example, the rectangle spacing is 4m.
3. Select all rectangles and run Intersect with Model. Here are the curves from the side:
6. Select all contours, and click From Contours (Tools

/ Sandbox / From Contours).
The TIN is created, and it almost exactly matches the

4. Erase the rectangles, and you are left with the one you had created from scratch. The contour lines
intersection edges. These are the topographical are thick because the TIN itself is a group, and the
contours. contour lines do not align to it.
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Sandbox Tools
7. Display the hidden edges. These are more complex

that those of the From Scratch TIN.
Drape and Stamp
Drape and Stamp are two tools that enable you to project
objects onto a TIN. Drape projects boundary curves only,
while Stamp pushes a 2D or 3D object into a TIN.
We will continue working with the previous TIN model.
If you want to download this TIN file, go to
download the file “SandboxDrape.skp.”
1. To create a lake at the bottom, connect any two points
on a contour near the bottom.
8. Turn off hidden edges, and Explode the TIN (it may
take a minute or so). Now the contour lines are thin.
2. Erase any extra lines, and assign a different color if

you want.
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3. The projection curves can now be created, and they 6. Switch to Top view and turn off Perspective
will be placed on a flat rectangle. To prevent the (Camera / Perspective). This is so you can create
rectangle from sticking to the TIN, make it a group. lines directly above the relevant points on the TIN,
with no depth distortion. Switch to X-Ray mode so
that you can see the TIN through the rectangle.
4. Now create a flat rectangle that encloses the TIN.
7. We will create a line that represents the center of a

roadway that will cross this terrain and the lake. If
you click above a point on the TIN, the point will not
be aligned to the rectangle, so first press Shift to lock
the point to the rectangle face.
5. Move the rectangle directly above the TIN.
8. With Shift pressed, click a point directly above a

point on one side of the lake.
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Sandbox Tools
9. Do the same for a point on the other side of the lake. 12. Erase the rectangle and roadway center lines, so that
only the boundary lines remain.
10. Now complete the road line with two arcs on either 13. To compare Drape and Stamp, make a copy of the
side of the line. entire model so far. Drape will be used on one,
Stamp on the other.
Drape
1. Select the roadway boundary curves - there should
be six total.
11. Offset this set of curves 3m to either side. These are
2. Click Drape (Tools / Sandbox / Drape).
the roadway boundaries.
3. Click the TIN. Even though it is grouped, you can

still select it as a whole (you could select it
ungrouped as well).
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4. The roadway lines are projected onto the surface. 7. Erase any extra lines, and apply colors if you want.
Explode it to resolve the roadway to the TIN. (If you Now you have a roadway over hilly terrain, with a
are still in X-Ray mode, you can see the roadway bridge crossing the lake.
lines through the lake.)
Stamp
This exercises uses the copy of the model you created
earlier.
5. Though it is not necessary for this simple model, the 1. This tool requires one or more 2D or 3D objects, but
Text tool is handy for checking elevations. Activate you cannot select lines or curves. So add two lines
Text and click any point. The default text is the between the open ends of the roadway.
point’s coordinates, the last of which is the point’s
elevation.
2. Click Stamp (Tools / Sandbox / Stamp).

6. To create a bridge, draw lines between two sets of
intersection points, all of which should have the same
elevation.
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Sandbox Tools
3. A red offset line appears around the roadway face, 6. The roadway face can now cut through the TIN -
and the offset distance is listed in the VCB. This is move the cursor up and down to see how terrain
like the area of influence of the Smoove circle - it material can be added or removed.
shows the area around the stamped object that will be
added or removed from the TIN.
7. Place the roadway like this, so that it is above the

lake but below the tops of the hills.
4. Enter 1.5 to set an offset like this:
TIP: If there is a surface of the TIN you do not want to be

affected by Stamp, such as the face of the lake, you can Group
5. Then click the TIN. it in advance.
All the new material on either side of the road above

the lake should be removed. Here’s a way to do it that
involves creating vertical abutment faces. In this
example, color was added to match the previous
example.
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8. Start at the intersection of the added terrain and the 11. Create a similar face for the other side of the lake.
lake surface. Draw a line straight up, stopping at the
level of the roadway.
9. Draw a similar line on the other side. 12. Select both faces and run Intersect with Model. You
can then erase all material between the abutments.
Stamp in 3D
The Stamp tool can be used on one or more objects of any
shape - 2D or 3D. This exercises shows a very simple
10. Connect both sets of endpoints of these two vertical example of this.
lines with horizontal lines. This creates the abutment
face. 1. Start with a basic grid using From Scratch.
2. Above the grid, make a vertical arc.
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Sandbox Tools
3. Place a small vertical circle at one of the arc, and use 6. Push it down into the TIN. It creates something like a
Scale to squash it into an oval. concave ramp within the grid.
4. Use Follow Me to drive the oval along the arc.
Adding Detail to a Sandbox

The Add Detail and Flip Edge tools enable you to make
detailed changes to a TIN surface.
If you want to download the TIN surface used in this
exercise, go to
www.f1help.biz/ccp51/cgi-bin/SU5Files.htm and get the
5. Select the oval tube (for lack of a better term) and file “SandboxDetailing.skp.” You can then skip to Step 5.
activate Stamp. Set the offset something like this:
1. Start in Top view and use Freehand to sketch some
terrain curves.
2. To make a bumpy surface, some of the curves will be

moved vertically. Select alternating curves. . .
. . . and move them up or down.
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3. Select these curves and use From Contours to create 6. Place the cursor inside the large face . . .
a TIN.
4. Explode the TIN and display hidden geometry. In . . . and click. Three “hard” edges (not softened) are
this example, there is one large triangular face (if created, and you can move their center up and down.
yours does not have a large face, any face will do). The offset distance is listed in the VCB.
7. Press Esc to keep the elevation as is. Here are the

three new edges.
5. Click Add Detail (Tools / Sandbox / Add Detail).

This tool enables you to subdivide a triangular face
into smaller faces.
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Sandbox Tools
8. Soften them to match the rest of the TIN. This is done 12. Click a hidden edge of a facet. . .
most easily using the Erase tool with Ctrl/Option
pressed.
13. . . . and it flips.
9. You can also select one or more faces in advance for

adding detail. Select the three new faces.
14. Another use for Add Detail is smoothing out sharp

ridges or bumps. Activate Smoove and use a radius
like this one:
10. Then click Add Detail. The three faces were

subdivided into several smaller faces.
15. Click on a valley edge and move it up. This creates a

wide hill.
11. Flip Edge is used to change the shape of a single

triangular facet. Click Flip Edge (Tools / Sandbox /
Flip Edge).
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16. If you want a narrower hill, the triangular faces in 2. Push/Pull the circle out on either side.
this area must be subdivided. Select a section of the
TIN in this area and use Add Detail.
3. Explode the TIN, and while it is still selected, run

Intersect with Model. Hide or erase the cylinder,
and you are left with intersection curves on the TIN.
17. Now you can use Smoove to create a smaller hill.
4. Trim the TIN around the circle.
Organic Shapes
The most common use for the sandbox tools probably
involves topography and terrains, but they can also be
used to create organic shapes. As a simple example, try
the following:
1. Start with a square From Scratch grid and place a
circle on it.
5. In Top view, draw an arc like this.
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Sandbox Tools
6. Draw a circle at one end of the arc and use Follow 9. To create small impressions, use Add Detail in this
Me to create a tube. area to subdivide the faces.
7. Move the tube up, and then directly over the TIN.
10. Then use Smoove to push down two circles.
8. Select the tube and use Stamp to push in into the

TIN. (You may have to reverse a lot of small faces to
get the overall TIN color to be uniform.)
11. Finally, use Smoove with a large radius . . .
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12. To give the entire TIN some curvature.
Here is the TIN from the other side - a happy ending.
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11 Using Exact Dimensions
Creating Exact Geometry way you can input dimensions; you can always enter
any type of number in any unit. Click Enable length
SketchUp is not CAD; its intent is for simple design and
snapping, and set the snap length to 2’.
easy modification - in a word, conceptualization. So,
designing using exact dimensions isn’t exactly what
makes SketchUp so unique, it is certainly doable.
When using SketchUp as intended, you probably won’t
use exact values for an entire design. But it is certainly
conceivable that part of your work will require working
with known numbers. Perhaps you’ll be working with a
specific area on a site plan, or you’ll need to incorporate
components of known dimensions.
NOTE: You can add dimensions to your model to display your

measurements. See "Dimensions" on page 82.
2. Let’s assume the first point of the building is at a

This chapter focuses on the design of a building (three
known distance from the origin. One way to find this
buildings, actually) in which all of the drawing tools are
point is to draw a construction line to it. Activate
used. And for each tool, you will see how to enter exact
Measure, and click the origin for the first point.
values.
3. Exact coordinates are entered in square brackets. All

three values (red, green, blue) must be entered. Type
[13,6.5,0] - using square brackets - which appears in
the VCB, and press Enter. (You do need to specify 0
for the blue direction.)
1. The first step is always to set the units you will be

working in. Open the Model Info window to the NOTE: You do not have to use the foot symbol because you set
Feet as the default unit. If you add a foot symbol, the value will
Units page.
still be interpreted correctly. If you wanted inches or different
Let’s work in Decimal Feet. This sets the default units, however, you would have to add the appropriate symbol,
method of input, and the way units are listed in the as we will see later.
Value Control Box (VCB). This does not limit the
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The end of the construction line is the point where As long as another line has not yet been started (so
the building footprint will start. don’t move the mouse), you can still change the line
you just drew. Assume we know the desired slope
and total length.
9. Start with the slope. For a 3: 5 slope, you can simply
type <3,5,0> and press Enter.
This line is too short, but it establishes the correct

direction.
4. If you want to hide the axes (which can cause the
screen to get cluttered), select View / Axes.
5. Activate Line. The first line will be in the red
direction. Start at the end of the construction line, and 10. Now type the desired length: 25.
move the cursor so that the On Red Axis inference
appears.
The line is extended to the correct length, keeping the
3:5 slope.
6. You can use snapping to make a 40’ line (the values

in the VCB update every 2 feet), or type 40 and press
Enter.
7. The 40’ line is created. 11. The next line is to be perpendicular to this last line.
Hover over an edge point of this line . . .
The next line will be diagonal. Angle brackets are

used to specify relative distances - distances from the
line’s start point.
8. Type <7.5, 20, 0> and press Enter. 12. . . . and move the cursor so that the Perpendicular
inference appears.
The diagonal line is created.
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Using Exact Dimensions
13. While the line is oriented correctly, type 10. 18. Even though you are working in Decimal Feet, you
can still enter other types of units. Type 11’3” (or
11.25) to set the construction line 11’-3” from the
diagonal line.
14. Too short; type 22.
19. If you draw a rectangle now, it will be aligned in the

red and green directions, but we want a diagonal
rectangle. For this, we need to change the axes.
Activate Axes (Tools / Axes).
20. Place the origin at either endpoint of the diagonal
line.
15. Add two more lines in the red and green directions to
complete the footprint.
21. Click the other endpoint to define the red axis.
16. The construction line is no longer needed, so you can

erase it. 22. Click on either side of the origin to define the
17. The next form, a rectangle, will be located a set positive green direction (it doesn’t really matter
distance from the first diagonal line you drew. which side is positive).
Activate Measure to create a construction line. Click
the diagonal line and move the cursor outward to
indicate the direction.
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The red and green axes are now aligned in the correct Just as you can change line lengths after they are
directions. created, you can do the same for rectangles. You can
change both lengths or just one length. Assuming the
25’ length is to be fixed, we can still adjust the other
length.
27. To leave one length as is, leave it blank in the “red,
green” format. Type ,19’8” (note the comma at the
beginning) to change the width only. Press Enter. The
width changes, but the length remains 25’.
23. Now activate Rectangle, and for the first corner click
the point on the construction line in the green
direction from Point A.
28. To change the other dimension, type 12.5, (comma at

the end). Note that the lengths change relative to the
24. Set the other corner in the green direction from Point first point you selected for the rectangle - (Point C).
B. Do not click yet.
25. Look in the VCB. Two lengths are displayed - red

and green lengths. The first (red) length should be
25’ - the length of line A-B. The green length updates
as you move the mouse. The rectangle will later need to be copied and
mirrored (scaled) relative to the original axes. Also,
the first form will be changed to become symmetric.
26. Click to create the rectangle; its width can be set after Therefore, we need to switch back to the default
this. axes.
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29. If the axes are hidden, display them. Right-click on 32. Hover over any point on line A-B (do not click or you
any axis and select Reset. will create a new construction line). The angle (31
degrees) appears in the VCB.
The axes are back to where they were before.

TIP: You could also have calculated this angle yourself, based
on the 3:5 slope of this line, but why take out your calculator?
33. Press Esc to release the protractor. Anchor it to Point

D, and orient it again in the green direction.
30. You can now erase the construction line, and once
again hide the axes.
31. Let’s modify the first form to be symmetric. To
mirror line A-B, we need to know its angle. Activate
Protractor, anchor it at Point A, and set the
orientation in the green direction.
34. Move the cursor to indicate the direction, and enter

31 to create the angled construction line.
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35. Draw a line starting at Point D, ending at the point 38. Trim the lines, erase the constructions (You can use
along the construction line in the red direction from Edit / Construction Geometry / Erase) and redraw
Point B. (Remember, you have to hover over Point B as necessary to complete the symmetric form.
to pick up its inference).
Now we’ll create a mirror image of the rectangle, on

the other side of the larger form.
36. The next line is perpendicular to line D-E, so you can
draw another angled construction line. Anchor the 39. Assuming you don’t remember how far the rectangle
protractor to Point E, orient it along D-E, and type (or is from line A-B, activate Measure. Click a point on
snap to) 90 degrees. AB, then move the cursor to the rectangle (do not
click). Oh yes, it’s 11’-3”.
40. Use Measure to create a construction line the same

offset distance, from line D-E. You can type 11.25 or
11’3” (with units symbols) in the VCB.
TIP: Another way would be to anchor the protractor at Point E,
orient it in the red direction, and enter 31 degrees. Or you could
just use the magenta Perpendicular inference.
37. You can now create line E-F.
41. Use Move + Ctrl/Option to copy the rectangle. It

doesn’t matter where you place the copy; it will be
flipped and then moved into the correct place.
TIP: You could also have created the two angled construction
lines first, then drawn the two lines.
NOTE: For a basic exercise on copying, see "Copy" on page 49.
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42. With the copied rectangle still selected, activate

Scale. Click one of the side drag handles.
Entity Info
With Entity Info, you can obtain lengths and areas of one
or more objects.
1. In Select mode, select the edge shown.
43. Drag the handle toward its opposite handle to turn it

inside-out. Stop when the scale factor is -1.0. 2. If the Entity Info window isn’t open, display it
(Windows / Entity Info). You can also right-click on
the edge and select Entity Info.
The window tells you that an edge is selected, and its
length is 12.5’.
44. The rectangle is still selected; activate Move. Drag it

by Point G, to the point along the construction line in
the red direction from Point C.
The length is listed in the units and precision you set
at the beginning of the exercise. If you change the
units (in Model Info), you need to reselect the edge
to see the change.
3. Now select the other three edges of the rectangle.
45. Erase the construction line, and you have three

forms.
In Windows, Entity Info now informs you that four

edges are selected, and their total length is listed
(12.5 + 12.5 + 19.67 + 19.67 = 64.33).
This works for curved edges as well.
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4. To get the perimeter of the main building, you could In Windows, you get the total area - the footprint of
select all six edges separately. But for an easier way, the three buildings.
double-click the face to select it and all its bounding
edges. Then Shift-select the face to deselect it.
Exact Moving and Copying

This is the perimeter of the 6-edge building. In the exercises under "Move" on page 46, "Copy" on
page 49, "Rotate" on page 57, and "Rotate - Copy" on
page 61, you learn the basics of working with the Move
and Rotate tools. This section extends that knowledge to
using exact move / copy distances and rotation angles.
1. Activate Push/Pull and pull one of the forms
upward.
5. Now select only the face (no edges). This gives you
the area of the selected face.
2. The VCB tells you the height of the form. Enter 24.
If you select a combination of edges and faces,

Entity Info will tell you how many total entities are
selected. But length and area are only listed for
entities of the same type.
6. Select all three faces created so far.
3. Double-click the other two forms to pull them up to

the same height.
We will now create cutouts that will used as windows

and doors of the center building.
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4. Start creating a rectangle on the front face. The way 7. To create the archway above the door, activate Arc.
you draw the initial rectangle is important when Click the two endpoints of the top edge of the
applying dimensions; the first dimension number rectangle, and move the cursor upward to define the
is applied to the longer side! So start with a direction of the arc.
rectangle whose horizontal sides are longer than the
vertical sides.
8. Enter 1500mm for the arc bulge.
Before, or immediately after, clicking the second

corner, you can specify the dimensions. You can also
use units other than the default units. This can be
useful, for example, if you use certain components
that are in metric dimensions, but you design
buildings in English units.
5. Type 1700mm,2400mm. Since these are different
units than the default (decimal feet), you need to
include the “mm” symbols.
9. Too large, but it’s not too late to change it. Enter
750mm. Better!
NOTE: If you changed the units to decimal mm, you would not
have to type mm - it would be the default input unit.
6. Press Enter to create the rectangle. Because the

horizontal legs were initially longer, the first
dimension (1700) is applied to this side. So the
rectangle switches from horizontal to vertical.
10. Erase the dividing line, and erase the face to create a
cutout. This cutout shape will be used for the
windows and another door.
NOTE: You would have gotten the same result if you started out
with a vertical rectangle, and entered 2400mm, 1700mm.
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11. To make moving and copying easier, the door should 13. Move the door by the midpoint of its lower edge,
be made into a group. Select all edges that make up placing it at the midpoint of the bottom of the face.
the door. In Entity Info, it lists 15 selected edges
(yours may differ depending on the number of
segments in your arc). Even though the arc can be
selected as one edge, this arc actually consists of 12
segments.
14. At this point it’s useful to go back to Architectural

units, so do this in the Units page of Model Info.
12. Press G (or select Edit / Make Group. A bounding

box appears around the door.
15. Make a copy of the door and activate Scale. This will
be used as a window.
In Windows, Entity Info now lists a group as
selected, and tells you how many edges, faces, etc.
are contained in the group.
16. Click one of the corner handles. This causes uniform

scaling - the aspect ratio is maintained.
Mac: Entity Info will tell you that a group has been
selected, but provides no details. NOTE: For a basic exercise on the Scale tool, demonstrating
uniform and non-uniform scaling, see "Scale" on page 65.
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17. Shrink the window so that the scale factor snaps to now set to architectural. Also, the movement is in the
0.5. You can also type this value manually. red-blue plane, so don’t forget to include a zero
placeholder for the green direction.
18. A bit small for the window we want, so type 0.67.

This is a more reasonable size.
22. Copy this window by clicking any reference point

and setting the copy in the red direction.
19. Move the window so that its lower midpoint sits at

the endpoint of the lower edge of the face. This is a 23. Type 6’ to set the window spacing.
good base from which to move the window in the
next step.
24. Now type 5x. This creates a total of five copies,

evenly spaced at 6’.
20. Start to move the window by its lower midpoint
21. To place it exactly relative to the face corner, we will

use the angle bracket format. Enter <4’,0,14’2>.
Don’t forget the foot symbols, because the units are
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25. We can squeeze in one more window on this face, so 28. Type 6/ (note the division symbol) to divide this 32’
type 6x. length into six spaces between windows (seven total
windows).
26. This won’t work at the current spacing, so try 5’-4”.
29. The windows are a bit crowded, change the number

of windows by entering 5/.
TIP: Even though you’re working in architectural units, you can

still type in decimal values - in this case, 5.33’.
A better way to copy windows on this face would be

to create a copy at the farthest spacing, then divide
the space in between. 30. We will now create the top floor. Select the three
27. This face is 40’ long, and we want 4’ from each side front edges of the roof.
to the window centers. Therefore, the spacing
between the first and last window is 32’. Enter this
value.
31. Activate Offset, and offset the edges inward. Type

14’ to set the offset distance.
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If the offset edges are thick, zoom in closely to see if 35. The scale factor appears in the VCB, but you cannot
there are slight overhangs, and fix them. This would update it while Ctrl/Option is pressed. So click
happen if there were slight innaccuracies when anywhere to scale the door, and the factor will be
creating the footprint, such as rounding digits of adjusted afterward.
angles.
NOTE: Like with the other tools where exact values are used,
you can continue to update the offset distance.
32. Push/Pull this face upward 13’.
36. Type 1.25 to increase the original width by 25%.
33. Copy the arched door to the top floor, by dragging its
lower midpoint to the midpoint of Edge A-B. Be sure
to align it with the vertical face, not the horizontal
one.
If you want, you can verify the new width by
switching to decimal mm units, and measuring the
width. It should be 2125mm, which is 1.25 times
1700 mm. If you do this step, be sure to switch back
to architectural units.
Exact Rotated Copies

1. Now for the roof deck. Draw a horizontal half-circle
arc whose diameter is Edge A-B.
34. Let’s make this door a bit wider. Activate Scale, and
click one of the side handles. Press Ctrl/Option so
that the scaling will be relative to the center of the
door, rather than from the opposite handle.
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2. Select the arc and use Offset to create an inner arc. If you look closely enough, you can see that the
Use a value of 9 (for inches you do not need to offset arc extends slightly past the end of the roof.
include the “ symbol).
4. Resolve this arc segment by redrawing one of its

sections, and then erase the overhanging line.
The inner arc has thick lines, indicating that it is not

aligned in the plane of the lower roof.
5. Do the same on the other side, and the offset arc is

now thin-lined.
3. To find the problem, look at the model in X-Ray

mode. Zoom in closely on one end of the arc.
6. Push/Pull this parapet to a height of 1’-6”. You can

type 18, or 1’6, or 1.5’.
We will now add some railing posts. Zoom in on the
first segment of the parapet wall.
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7. To place the post exactly in the center of the wall, 10. Either before or after clicking the second point to
create a construction line (use the Measure tool) create the circle, type 3 to define the radius as 3”.
parallel to Edge A-B, that passes through the
midpoint of Edge A-C.
8. We want to locate the midpoint of Edge A-B, but you

cannot do this while the arc is a “pure” arc.
Right-click on the outer arc, and select Explode
Curve. This breaks the arc into separate segments
whose midpoints can be found. 11. As always, you can still change this value. A 6”
diameter post is a bit large, so type 2 (for a 4”
diameter post). This is a good size.
9. Activate Circle, and place its center on the

construction line, in the red direction from the
midpoint of Edge A-B.
12. Use Push/Pull to make a 2’ post from this circle.
Like we did with the windows, the post should be

made into a group. This will make it easier to select
and manipulate, and will prevent other objects (like
the top rail, which we will create later), from sticking
to it.
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13. Select both faces of the post (top and cylinder). 15. Now to make rotated copies. The post should still be
Entity Info lists the combined area of the flat and selected, so activate Rotate (Tools / Rotate. Anchor
curved faces. the protractor to the midpoint of Edge D-E (or at the
midpoint of the arched doorway). Press Ctrl/Option
for copy, and orient the protractor anywhere.
14. Make the post a group. In Windows, Entity Info tells

16. Type (or snap to) 15 to make a copy at a 15-degree
you how many faces and edges are in this group. The
angle.
edge count includes edges along the cylinder that are
currently hidden; you could display hidden edges to
see them.
17. To make an array, we use the same format as for

linear copies. Type 8x for eight copies (nine posts).
Mac: Entity Info tells you only that a group has been
selected.
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18. Not enough to go all the way around, so type 11x. 22. Now type 8/ to create eight spaces (nine posts).
23. This looks nice, but the posts are wide enough to for
19. You can still change the rotation angle as well. Enter someone to fall through. Change the spacing to 25/.
30 to double the spacing, and remove every other
post. Because the number of copies was not changed,
they are all still there, as you can see in X-Ray mode.
24. This looks much safer, but we can check to make

sure. Activate Measure and click two points to
20. Undo the copies. measure the clear distance between posts.
21. Rotate-copy the same post once more. As with linear
copies, you can set the angle between the first and
last copy and set number of spaces in between. Type
165 to place the last copy.
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25. It should be about one foot - a pretty safe clear 28. Push/Pull the face up 6” to create the top rail. The
distance. Now for the top rail; select the top face of outer face of the top rail is segmented because we
the parapet wall. exploded the original outer arc. (The inner face is
smooth.)
26. Activate Move, press Ctrl/Option and select any

point on this face. Move the face up in the blue
direction, and press Shift to lock the direction.
29. To soften these vertical segment edges, activate

Erase, press Ctrl/Option and click or pass over the
edges. Here is what your roof deck should look like.
27. With Shift pressed, click any point on top of any post.
NOTE: For information on edges of curved faces, see

"Displaying and Smoothing Edges" on page 72.
TIP: You could also enter a relative move value of <0,0,2’>.
Note the circles on this face, indicating where the

posts meet the face. If the posts had not been
grouped, these circles would be separate faces within
the rail face. But since they are groups, the posts do
not affect this rail face; the face is a single face.
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Symmetry 3. You can now copy the doorway from the cube,
straight along the red axis, until it hits the parallel
1. Continuing on, we will join the main building with face of the main building.
the two side buildings. Start by copying the doorway
on the top floor onto the side of the box that faces the
main building. Don’t worry about exact placement -
you already know how.
You can now create a bridge linking these two

doorways. One way is to draw the shape for the
bridge on one face (like the larger building) while the
other building is hidden.
2. To copy this doorway onto the main building, it’s
4. The one shown below (with faces reversed) has the
easy if you change the axes. Rather than bother with
same overall dimensions as the rail on the roof deck:
the Axes tool, you can simply click on the top face of
9” width, 1’-6” parapet, 2’-0” posts, 6” top rail.
the box and select Align Axes.
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5. The posts are copied from the main building, and are 8. Use Scale to turn this copy inside out, dragging a side
spaced about 1’ apart. You can create something handle and using a scale factor of -1.
simpler, but this looks pretty nice and ties the
structures together. This picture shows the view
when the front face and its windows are hidden.
9. Erase the faces on the main building and box where

the copied faces will be placed (moving a face on top
of another face can get unnecessarily messy).
6. To place the same bridge on the other side, we will
use the same method as we used for copying the
rectangles. Start by making a copy of the bridge plus
the adjacent doorways and walls.
10. Select the copy again, and move it into place. Easy!
7. Reset the axes so that you can mirror this copy

relative to the main building.
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3. Now activate the Text tool (Tools / Text). Click first

NOTE: Another way to create mirrored objects is to use on the 24’ edge and move the cursor away from the
components together with the Scale tool. With this method you
wouldn’t have to copy objects from one out-building to the other;
edge. The length of the edge is shown.
all edits you make to one building are automatically reflected in
the other. For an exercise that demonstrates this, see "Using
Components for Mirroring" on page 229.
Measuring Length and Area

You can check lengths of edges and areas of faces, and use
the Text tool to label these measurements.
1. On one of the out-buildings, check the Entity Info
window for the edge shown. The length of the edge is 4. Click again to place the text. At this point you can
displayed, in the current units change the text, but leave it as is.
5. Click outside the text area to create the label. As with

all measurements, the text is created in the current
units. If you change the units, all subsequent labels
The units should still be Architectural, which is the
will reflect the change. Existing labels will not
format of the measurement.
update, however.
2. Do the same calculation on the edge shown. As
you’ve already seen, when Entity Info is open, you
only have to select the new edge to see its length.
6. Apply a similar label to the 19’-8” edge.
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9. To label the face, use Text and click anywhere on the

NOTE: Text works well for labeling dimensions, but labels are face for the first point. The default text for a face is its
not associative (they will not update if there are geometric or unit
changes). A better way to show measurements is to use
area.
Dimensions. See "Text" on page 78 and "Dimensions" on page
82.
7. Now for area measurements. Right-click on the face

and select Area / Selection.
The Area / Selection method works for a multiple

faces as well. If you want the area of multiple faces,
you can also use Entity Info (which can also
calculate the length of multiple edges). Or you can
assign materials or manipulate layers, as described
below.
The area is displayed: 24.00 * 19.67 = 472. 10. Open the Materials Browser and assign any material
to the four front faces shown below.
8. Another way to get the area of a face is through its

Entity Info, similar to edges.
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11. Right-click any of these faces and select Area / 13. Place the two front out-building faces on the new
Material. The combined area of all four faces is layer. You can do this with the Entity Info window.
calculated.
14. To verify that the faces have switched layers, make

the layer invisible (uncheck the Visible box).
NOTE: You can also right-click on the material thumbnail in the

In Model tab of the Material Browser, and select Area.
15. Display the layer again, and right-click on either of

12. Another way to get a multiple-face area calculation is the faces. Select Area / Layer to see the combined
to place all faces on the same layer. Create a new area of the faces.
layer (Window / Layers, click Add) called
something like “Outbuilding Facade.”
NOTE: For details on layers, see "Layers" on page 317.
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16. Remember, the area of one face was 472, and 944 is 4. Move the cursor to see how this handle can be
twice that value. moved, and note the two comma-separated values in
the VCB. Enter 0.5,3 to reduce the red dimension to
one-half, and multiple the green dimension by three.
Scaling in 3D
This last, short section demonstrates using exact scale
values when scaling in 3D. You can replace the modified
materials and layers, or leave them as they are.
1. Align the axes once again to the box (right
out-building) form. Otherwise, the box will be scaled
relative to the current red and green axes.
2. Select the two faces shown and activate Scale.
5. Now click the corner handle shown. By default this
handle scales uniformly. But press Shift, and you can
change the scale in all three directions.
6. You cannot enter values while Shift is pressed, but

3. Select the corner midpoint handle shown. you can click anywhere to scale, then enter values to
modify the scaling. Don’t forget to separate the
values by a comma, and to list them in order of red,
green, blue.
Because this handle allows non-uniform scaling by

default (though you can change this by pressing
Shift), you can change the scale factor in two
dimensions - red and green.
Note that adjacent faces are automatically folded

when required by the scaled faces.
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12 Tips and Tricks
Healing a Divided Line 1. Start with an arc and Explode it.
If you have two adjoining segments of a line, you can
easily make them into one line.
1. Draw one line, then start a new, colinear line from the
first line’s endpoint.
2. Activate Protractor and place it at the midpoint of

(You can also segment a line by right-clicking on it one of the segments.
and selecting Divide.)
2. Draw a line, oriented in any direction, from the
common endpoint between the two lines.
3. Align the protractor along the segment.

3. Erase this line, and the two segments are healed into
one line.
Finding the Center of an Arc 4. Draw a construction line 90 degrees to the segment.
For arcs, circles, and polygons, you can easily find the
center - just hover over an endpoint then move the cursor
toward the center to see the green inference point. You can
also create a center point by right-clicking on a circle or
arc and selecting Point at Center.
NOTE: For Point at Center to be available, open File /

Preferences to the Extensions page and check Ruby Script 5. Do the same for the another segment. The
Examples. intersection of the construction lines is the center.
But if the arc is more or less than 180 degrees, and you’ve
exploded it into individual segments, it takes a little more
work to find the center point.
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You could also use Line for this - start a line at a segment 3. Push/Pull to create the base.
midpoint and find its perpendicular constraint. Extend the
line past where you know the center is. Do the same for
another segment, and the line intersection is the arc center.
Domed Apse 4. To create the dome, you will need to know where the
Here is a neat way to create a domed apse. Extruding a arc center is. Activate Measure to draw a
face along a curved that is less than a complete circle is construction line. Pick the center of the top outer arc
slightly problematic, as you’ll see. This method shows as the start point. . .
you how to extrude a face along a 180-degree arc.
5. . . . and draw the line up in the blue direction.
1. Start with the base, which will be an arc. Start with a

half-circle in Top view, and Offset it inward.
6. Select the base and make it a group. This will help

you hide the base later, and keeps other objects from
sticking to it.
2. Close both ends of the arc with a small horizontal
line extending from the outer arc. Delete the small
extra segments of the inner arc.
378
Tips and Tricks
7. Use Arc to draw an arc from the outer vertex of the 10. Here’s why Follow Me won’t work in this case.
base to the height point you just defined. Display the base and Explode it.
8. Select the arc and use Offset to create an inner arc,

stopping at the inner base. 11. Select an outer arc on the base, then activate Follow
Me.
9. This is where the grouped base will come in handy.

12. Extrude the arc face you just created along the
Hide it so that you can see the arcs more clearly. selected arc. There is a small notch in the center - not
Connect the two arcs with horizontal/vertical lines
the results we want.
starting from the outer arc. Then trim or extend the
inner arcs as needed.
13. Why does this happen? Undo and activate Follow

Me, then select the arc face. Zoom in closely and
manually extrude the face along the arc. The face is
Push/Pull’d along the first arc segment - a
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straight-line extrusion, not a curved one. This first The dome slice is now aligned with the base.
extrusion segment is the reason for the notched
result.
17. With the inner face still selected, active Rotate.

Place the protractor as shown, along the top of the
base at the inner vertex. Align it using a point on the
inner edge of the section slice . . .
14. Undo back to the point at which the base is still
grouped, and we’ll try this using another method.
15. Display hidden edges by selecting View / Hidden
Geometry. Push/Pull the arc form to the first inner
edge of the base.
. . . and rotate the slice into a wedge shape.
16. Select the inner arc face, and activate Move. Press
Alt/Cmd for Autofold, and move the inner vertex of
the dome slice to the inner vertex of the base.
380
Tips and Tricks
18. Select the dome wedge and activate Rotate. Position This is how the apse appears with softened edges
the flat protractor horizontally at the Point 1, press (Erase with Ctrl/Option).
Ctrl/Option, and align it with any point on Edge 2.
Rotate it toward any point on Edge 3.
The copy should be exactly adjacent to the original.

NOTE: If you soften edges on the model created here, the
surface would still have a faceted look. For the surface to truly
appear smooth, you would have to create the copied slice
without its side faces, or remove all interior faces. See
"Smoothing Faces of Rotate-Copied Curved Objects" on page
382.
You can create some neat variations on this. For instance,

if you double the rotation angle, you can get this:
19. Enter 11x (or whatever works in your case), to finish
the dome. Done!
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You could start out with an arc that bulges past the base. . . . to create a conical top.
If you use an arc like this, draw the first one at the inner
corner, then Offset to the outer corner.
Smoothing Faces of
Following all the dome steps, this would be the result. Rotate-Copied Curved
Objects
For exercises such as the previous "Domed Apse" on page
378, you need to consider the interior walls of copied
objects and how they affect edge smoothing.
1. Work the previous Domed Apse exercise.
You could also use a simple linear shape . . .
2. Look at the results in X-Ray mode. Each copied

wedge has side walls.
382
Tips and Tricks
This explains why, when you smooth the edges, it 5. Select these two faces and rotate-copy them along
still has a faceted look. As long as interior walls are the 180-degree arc.
joined to the exterior wall, the wall cannot be
smoothed.
3. To change this, the side faces should be removed.

Undo or erase as needed, to return to this step:
6. Replace the front faces by creating lines.
4. Erase the vertical faces on both sides of the slice. The

7. You can now soften the edges without the facets.
slice should now consist of two curved faces.
NOTE: For the smooth version (without interior faces), if you

smooth each edge individually by right-clicking and selecting
Soften, you will still get a faceted (not smooth) look. Use the
Erase tool with Ctrl/Option pressed, or select all edges,
right-click and select Soften/Smooth Edges.
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Hyperbolic Parabola (Saddle 5. Draw lines between the midpoints of the divided
lines. You can continue subdividing this way, but
Shape) we’ll stop here at quarter-points.
This is a handy form for tensile structures.
1. Draw a rectangle, and draw two vertical lines from

the opposite corners.
TIP: You can also right-click on a line and select Divide if you
want to specify a number of segments.
6. Create faces by triangulating each section. Reverse

faces if necessary. Here is the final shape.
2. Draw lines from the vertical lines to the rectangle

corners.
3. Erase the side faces and the vertical lines. Leave the
rectangle because it will help you visualize the final
shape. 7. Soften the edges to get a smooth tensile surface.
4. Draw lines between the midpoints of opposite lines.
384
Tips and Tricks
Using Inferences to Create 3. Switch to X-Ray view The building on the left will
be sectioned. Activate Line, and for the first point,
Sections hover over the sloped face. Press Shift to lock the On
You can easily use section planes (see Chapter 8) to slice Face constraint.
any plane through your model. But if you already have a
face in your model that defines the section plane, you can
use inference locking to section a form as well.
4. Keep Shift pressed, and click on the edge shown.
This method is not necessarily quicker or easier than using

the Add Section Plane tool, bit it presents another
solution.
1. Start with two rectangular forms, Push/Pull’ed to the
same height.
5. For the endpoint of the line, hover over the face

again, press Shift, and click the edge shown. This
creates a line that lies in the same plane as the sloped
face.
2. To create a sloped plane, move the indicated edge

straight down.
385
6. Use this Shift-locking method to draw lines between This creates a slice of both buildings.
all of the vertical edges. Because you are in X-Ray
mode, you can see the face form when the last line is
completed.
7. You can now erase everything above this section 2. Right-click on the section plane and select Create
face. Group from Slice, then erase the section plane.
The section lines are left on the building, as a group.
Compare this method to using an actual section plane:

3. Explode (Ungroup) the section group, and you can
1. Activate Add Section Plane and click the sloped
erase the portions of the edges above the section
face.
lines.
386
Tips and Tricks
Using Transparent Faces to 3. Draw a large vertical rectangle behind one of the
houses.
Simulate Fog Effects
This is very neat and easy way to simulate fog.
1. Make a rectangular plot of land and place two houses
on it, one at each end. Apply materials if you like.
4. Open the Materials Browser and apply a transparent

material to this face. Gray glass would be the most
2. Open the Landscape_Sampler category of the realistic.
Components browser (or anywhere you have tree
components) and insert a few trees between the
houses. This example uses 2D trees, since the 3D
ones are heavy and can slow down your display. If
the scale isn’t right, use Measure to resize the model.
5. Zoom out and increase the size of the transparent

face.
NOTE: Don’t know how to do this? Activate Measure and click

any two points on the house. Type the length you want it to be
and press Enter. This will resize the entire model, except for any
components.
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6. Make several copies of the transparent face. (If you want to download the completed model, go to
download the file “SpiralStairs.skp.”)
1. The first step is to outline one step. Start in Top view
with a circle or polygon which has a small number of
segments (12 in this case). Align it to the red or green
direction. Draw a second concentric circle aligned in
the same direction.
7. Zoom back in on the house and trees, which become

more shrouded the farther back they are located. You
can adjust the severity of the fog by adjusting the
opacity of the transparent material.
2. Draw two lines connecting segment endpoints of

concentric circles. This is the outline for one step.
Creating a Spiral Staircase

Spiral staircases look complex, but they are actually pretty
easy to create using the components and the Outliner.
3. For reference later, create a construction point at the
center of either circle.
388
Tips and Tricks
4. Erase everything except one step and the center 8. Select the second step and move it straight up to set
point. the riser height.
9. Select the third step and move it straight up as well

5. Make the step a component called something like (Shift-lock the blue direction). Use Points 1 and 2 to
“Tread.” It appears in the Outliner as well as the In set the vertical distance.
Model folder of the Component Browser.
10. With the third step still selected, repeat the move by
the same distance. Do the same for the fourth step
(adding one vertical step) to get the four steps.
6. Rotate-copy this step component, using two step
endpoints to set the angle.
11. Edit any step and Push/Pull to give it some height.
7. Enter 3x to make a total of four steps (a partial

staircase for now).
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12. Use Push/Pull with Alt/Cmd to pull out the front 15. Select both posts and make them a group. (If you
face of the step. This will overlap the steps assign the posts a different color, do this before
horizontally so that vertical connector posts can be grouping.)
created between steps.
The Outliner should look like this: four step

components and one group of posts.
13. Close the step. Then add two small circles along the
back of the step.
16. Select the step above the posts to see which one it is
in the Outliner (selected components and groups are
highlighted in the Outliner).
14. Push/Pull these circles up to the bottom of the step

above. If the top face of either post is not covered by
the step, edit the step component again and pull the
front face out a bit more.
17. In the Outliner, select and drag the group of posts

below the step that was highlighted.
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Tips and Tricks
18. This makes the posts a sub-component of the step. 21. For the railing section, use another circle. Start it at
And because all steps are identical, they each get the vertical line and click the post below to make it
their own group of posts. the same diameter.
19. To create a railing, start by opening a step component

and adding a vertical line from the outer bottom 22. Use Follow Me to create the railing. You can either
corner. The line appears on all steps. select the two railing lines first, or you can drag the
circle manually along the two railing lines.
20. Draw another line connecting the vertical line to the

end of the line above (or below) it.
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Here is the staircase so far.

TIP: If you have trouble clicking points inside components, you
can try adding temporary lines whose endpoints you can use.
25. With the three copied steps still selected, activate

Move and use the same points you used for rotation.
Be sure to keep the blue direction locked while
moving.
23. Adding more steps is easy. Since there are now four,
we can add three more (always one less than the
current number). Start by selecting three adjacent
steps.
Here is the longer staircase - seven steps. If you want

to continue, you can now add six more for a total of
13.
24. Activate Rotate and place the protractor at the center

construction point. For the angle, click any two
similar points between three steps.
392
Tips and Tricks
Aligning Any Two Faces 3. Align the protractor anywhere and rotate so that the
cylinder bends over.
This may not be a situation you run across very often, but
it’s still useful to understand how this works. It’s actually
not as complex as it seems when you sit down and try it.
4. Two construction lines are now needed on the top

face. To see this face head-on, right-click on it and
select Align View.
While this example is simplistic, you might find it
applicable for components - inserting a component onto a
face that does not conform to the red-green-blue planes.
1. Start with a cylinder and a small cube. The top face of
the cylinder will be rotated, and the cube will be
aligned to sit on top of it. (So make the cube small
enough to fit on top of the cylinder.)
5. Use Measure to create two construction lines on this

face. They can be anywhere on the face - just select
any two pairs of segment endpoints.
2. Select the top face of the cylinder and activate

Rotate. Place the protractor on the cylinder as
shown, facing you.
6. Select the cube and move it by dragging one of its

corners to meet one of the construction lines.
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The cube must be rotated three times to have the 8. The last unaligned face can now be rotated. Align
correct orientation. The first two rotations will with Face H, place the protractor on Point B, orient
reference the construction line where the cube now toward Point I, and rotate to the other construction
sits. line (J).
7. With the cube still selected, activate Rotate. Align
the protractor with Face A, anchor it to Point B, and
orient it toward Point C. Rotate it by clicking
anywhere on Construction Line D.
The cube now has the correct orientation.
Face A is now rotated (though it may be hard to tell.)

Face E will now be aligned to the same construction
line. With the cube still selected, and Rotate active,
align the protractor with Face E, anchored at Point G,
oriented to Point F. Rotate it toward Construction
Line D.
9. Move the cube to sit atop the cylinder.
Edge BC should now sit on Construction Line D.
394
Tips and Tricks
10. To verify that it is properly aligned, erase all but the 2. Draw three arcs to create a vertical face representing
bottom rectangle of the cube. Its lines are thin, the section of the mouse at the top.
indicating that all four edges are coplanar with the
circular face.
In Front view, the section face should look something

like this:
An example of a case in which you’d have to use this
method would be inserting a window into a rotated face -
perhaps a skylight. Obviously in such a case you’d
probably rather draw the window directly into the face,
but if you need to use a certain component you may need
3. Now draw an arc to represent how the mouse
to know how to align it.
changes shape from top to bottom.
Curvy Things
SketchUp can be used to model almost anything, using
some simple tools and a bit of creativity. This exercise
will create a mouse, but the method can be applied to
anything.
4. From the side, the curve should look like this:
1. In the red-green plane, draw a few tangent arcs plus a 5. You now have a section face and three profile curves.
line across the top, to approximate the bottom face of Select all profile curves (do not select the face) and
the mouse. Erase the face enclosed by the curves. group them.
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6. Push/Pull the section face out. You can use the 9. . . . so that the face meets the top profile curve.
endpoint of the first segment of one of the profile
curves as the limit. Or you can just use an offset
distance that feels right.
10. Move the left side handle so that the bottom corner
meets the left profile curve.
7. Select the front face of this “slice” and activate

Scale.
8. You want to scale this face so that it meets each of the 11. And do the same on the right side.
three profile curves. First, drag the top center handle
up . . .
TIP: Non-uniform scaling is required here, so that the bottom

face will stay flat. You can drag using a corner handle to scale
two sides at once, but be sure to keep Shift pressed.
396
Tips and Tricks
12. Push/Pull this scaled face, either by the same 15. Activate Scale, and drag the outer side handle
distance you used before (simple double-click the slightly inward.
face), or to the next segment endpoint.
13. Scale the front face as before, so that the top and
lower two corners meet the profile curves.
16. The side is starting to look pushed in.
Usually a right-handed mouse has an indentation on

the left side for your thumb. The way to handle this is
to scale the left arc gradually so that it turns from
convex to concave. We’ll do this over three segment
iterations. Over the next three iterations, perform the same
14. First, select this arc. series of steps:
17. Push/Pull and scale the front face.
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18. Scale the left arc slightly inward. 22. Scale the arc. It should now look pretty concave.
23. For the remainder of the mouse, do the Push/Pull

19. Push/Pull and Scale. and Scale step, but leave the left arc as is - it is scaled
enough.
24. For the last segment, you may want to use divide the
20. Scale the arc. area into two or three iterations. You can fill in the
last few lines by hand, or you can Push/Pull to the
end of the profile and scale the face almost to
nothing. The profile curves are no longer needed.
21. Push/Pull and Scale.
The basic shape is complete, but we can dress up the

mouse a bit.
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Tips and Tricks
25. Display hidden edges. Unsoften a few edges, as 28. To block off these areas, add a few extra lines as
shown below, by activating Erase and clicking on shown. It’s probably easiest to do this while
them while pressing Shift+Ctrl/Option. displaying hidden edges as a guide. Soften the
remaining segment edges by using Erase +
Ctrl/Option.
26. Hide the edges, and you should now see two lines.
These represent where the left and right mouse 29. Use your Materials browser to color the mouse and
buttons will go. its three buttons.
27. Use the same method to create some lines for the 30. For the mouse wheel, bring in a Sphere component
thumb button. from the Shapes category. Use Scale to adjust the
overall size, and to push in the sides.
399
31. Use Move to place the wheel where it belongs. 3D Geometric Objects
SketchUp is great for applications you might not have
thought of: for instance, creating geometric objects like
polyhedrons. Here are a few examples, some simple and
some a bit more complex. These probably won’t help you
much in your job, but I included them because they appeal
to the geeky engineer in me (plus they’re pretty cool).
Starting from a Cube

1. Start with a cube. To make it exact, create the initial
rectangle with equal side, using the format
“100,100.” Then Push/Pull it up the same distance.
This method is so flexible - it can be used to make

anything. Here’s another example with a section face and
three profile curves:
2. On each face, draw diagonal lines to connect edge

midpoints.
To add another “twist,” you can even rotate the scaled

faces.
3. Between the diamond shapes on each face is a

triangular pyramid. Erase the edges of one of these
pyramids.
400
Tips and Tricks
4. Continue doing the same around the entire cube. You 8. End the line at the center of an adjacent face.
should be left with a series of connected squares and
equilateral triangles. This is called a
cube-octohedron.
9. Continue like this, connecting centers of the four side

faces.
5. For more facets, perform the same steps: connect

midpoints on each square and triangular face, then
delete the pyramids.
10. Then connect each corner of this new face to the

center of the top face. This creates a tetrahedron - a
four-sided pyrmaid.
6. Here’s another thing you can create from a cube - a

tetrahedron. Start with another cube. Because the
lines you draw will be inside the cube, switch to
X-Ray mode. Activate Line and hover over the
midpoint of one edge and then a midpoint of an
11. You could copy the tetrahedron, flip the copy over
adjacent edge.
and join it to the first one to make an octohedron.
7. Start the line at the center of this face.
401
4. Rotate this copy 90 degrees about the blue axis.

TIP: If you had created the cube using four-sided circles or
polygons, you could have easily found the center of each face.
5. Do the same for the third copy: rotate-copy the

original rectangle 90 degrees about the red axis . . .
Starting from a Golden Section

1. Display the axes and in Top view, use Rectangle to
draw a golden section.
6. . . . then rotate this copy 90 degrees in blue.
2. Move the rectangle so that it is centered at the origin.
7. For display purposes, you might want to assign a

different color, or transparency, to these rectangles.
3. We will now create two rotated copies of the

rectangle. First rotate-copy the rectangle 90 degrees
about the green axis.
402
Tips and Tricks
8. The corner points of these three planes can be Starting from a Polygon
connected to create 20 equilateral triangles. In this This last exercise is the most complex, resulting in a
view, add lines to connect A-C, B-C, D-F, and E-F. dodecahedron. There are other ways to create it, but here’s
Two triangles are created. (Extra faces will be also what I came up with:
created - you can keep these or erase them.)
1. Start with a single pentagon. Use Polygon for this,
and specify five sides. Place it in Top view, using any
orientation.
9. Spin around to the other side and create similar

triangles. 2. It’s easier if one edge is along a standard axis, so
select the pentagon and activate Rotate. Click the
endpoints of any edge and orient the edge
horizontally (red axis).
10. Continue orbiting around and adding triangles this

way.
3. We will be rotating often about the center of the

pentagon, so right-click on it and select Point at
Center.
Eventually you get an icosahedron: a 20-sided

polyhedron comprised of equilateral triangles.
NOTE: For Point at Center to be available, open File /

Preferences to the Extensions page and check Ruby Script
Examples.
403
4. A second pentagon will be added along the 7. From the center of the top pentagon, draw a line to
horizontal edge of the original one. Select and copy one end of the common edge.
the pentagon, then use Scale to flip the copy over.
TIP: You could also right-click the copy and select Flip Along / 8. Draw another line in the same direction, going past
Green direction to flip it over. the copied pentagon.
5. Move the copy into place like this.
The copy needs to be folded over the original. You

could easily look up the angle in geometric tables (it This line will be used to create a vertical rectangle.
should be 63.454 degrees), but here’s a way to do When you fold over the copied pentagon, the rotation
without knowing the angle in advance. stops when you intersect this face.
6. To make things easier later, make a Group of this 9. Create the rectangle by adding a vertical (blue) line.
copied pentagon. It will be clear why in a few steps.
10. The next edge should be parallel to the one above it.
The next few steps are performed to find the rotation
angle you need to use when folding over the
pentagon faces.
404
Tips and Tricks
Now for the tricky part. We will use Follow Me to 13. Select the circle and then activate Follow Me. Then
drive the copied pentagon along a circle that is right-click the copied pentagon (which is a group)
normal to the common edge. Sounds confusing, but and select Edit Group.
when you do the steps it should become clear!
11. Activate Circle and specify a high number of sides,
such as 120 (the higher the number of sides, the more
it approximates a real circle). Lock the circle preview
so that it is normal to the common edge between the
pentagons. In other words, it should be vertical and
red. Press Shift to lock this orientation.
14. Select the pentagon face (the only thing in the

group), and it is driven around the circle.
12. Place the circle center at the common endpoint, and

make it large enough so that it sticks out past the
pentagon (this makes it easy to delete later).
15. Close the group. Then right-click the vertical face

and select Intersect with Model.
Here’s what you should have now: a vertical

rectangle and a vertical circle.
405
16. This gives you the intersection edge where the 20. Use Move to place it here . . .
extruded pentagon meets the vertical face. To see this
better, first erase the vertical circle.
21. . . . and Rotate to join the edges.
17. Then erase the Follow Me group (this is why you

grouped it in the first place). What’s left is the 22. With the copied face still selected, activate Rotate.
vertical face and a few intersection edges. The This time we need to define a rotation angle, since
important one is shown here: the fold direction is not along the red or green axis.
Place the protractor at Point A, keep the mouse
button pressed, and then click Point B. This makes
the rotation normal to Edge A-B. Click the endpoint
shown to set the protractor orientaion.
18. Erase everything but this edge. This edge tells you
how far to fold the flat pentagons that are placed
around the center pentagon.
NOTE: We could have copied the pentagon to meet the

horizontal edge instead, so that you could just use the Red axis
19. Copy the original pentagon again. for rotation. But this is a good place to show how to define a
rotation axis.
406
Tips and Tricks
23. End the rotation at the end of the intersection edge. 27. To complete the other half, make a copy and flip it
over.
28. Use Move to join two endpoints.
24. Check the VCB for the rotation angle, which should
be 63.454. (It will probably be slightly off, since the
circle wasn’t really a true circle. That’s why a high
number of sides was used.)
29. Then use Rotate, making sure the protractor is
25. With the folded pentagon still selected, and still in oriented in the red-green plane (should be blue).
Rotate, place the protractor at the center of the Click the endpoint shown . . .
original pentagon, and make a copy between
adjacent corner points. The common edges should all
line up.
. . . and rotate it into place.
26. Enter 4x to get five total folded pentagons.
Here’s the final result, a dodecahedron.
407
30. If you really like this stuff and want to continue,

here’s something neat you can do with a
dodecahedron. Like you did with the cube to make a
tetrahedron, use lines to connect the centers of
adjacent faces. These faces should still be polygons,
so you can easily find their centers.
31. If you connect all the faces correctly, you should get
an icosahedron inside.
32. Erase the outer dodecahedron to see the 20-sided

object.
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13 In-Depth Exercises
This chapter contains two exercises that combines many 4. Follow installation instructions. If SketchUp is open,
of the concepts presented throughout this book. While close it and re-open it.
mainly an exercise in the use and editing of components,
you will also use most of the drawing tools, as well as TIP: “Where to Find More Components” on page 193 for more
move, copy, and rotate. information on downloading components.
Creating a Steel Frame 5. Open the Component Browser and click on

The final result will be a building frame created from Components in the drop-down menu.
structural shapes that were imported as components.
6. Click the Mechanical Design Bonus folder, which is

what you just downloaded.
For those of you not familiar with structural design or

architectural construction, “rolled shapes” refers to the
standardized steel cross-sections used to make I-beams,
channels, tubes, etc. These shapes have standard names, 7. Find the “Steel” folder.
and their properties can be found in steel industry
handbooks.
(If you want to download the completed model, go to
download the file “SteelFrame.skp.”)
Downloading Structural Shapes

SketchUp has created components of many structural
shapes, and has made them available for free download.
So if you don’t want to take the time to create your own
shapes, do the following:
1. Go to www.sketchup.com and click “Downloads.”
2. Click “Components” which is located near the top of
the page.
3. Find the “Mechanical Design” set and follow
download instructions.
409
8. Steel shapes are divided into angles, channels, tubes, 12. TS8x6x.5 (under “Tube Steel”)
etc. The first shape to get is W8x15, so open the W
folder.
9. Then find the W8 folder.

13. L1.5x1.5x.25 (under “Angles”)
10. Click W8x15 and bring it into the file.
These four shapes should now appear in In Model.
The other shapes to find are:

11. C4x7.25 (under “Channels”)
Once you have these shapes, you can skip to

“Creating the Frame” on page 415.
410
In-Depth Exercises
Creating Your Own Shapes The rectangle should look like this. You can use the
Each cross-sectional shape should be located so that its Dimension tool or Entity Info to verify the lengths.
geometric center is approximately at the origin of the file
(the point where the red, blue, and green axes meet). This
is because the component you create from the cross
section includes the file’s origin. If the shape is created far
from the origin, the entire component will include a large
area, and will be unwieldy to insert into another file.
TIP: If you create the shape elsewhere and want to move it to The remaining lines will be drawn for one quadrant
the origin, select the entire shape and activate Move. Click the
point on the shape by which you want to move the shape (the
of the shape, then mirrored and copied to the other
reference point), and then enter [0,0,0] - note the square quadrants. First, we will divide the rectangle
brackets. This will move the shape so that the reference point horizontally.
moves to the origin. 2. Use Measure to create a construction line, parallel to
one of the horizontal legs, intersecting the midpoint
We will create four shapes. The first is W8x15. This refers of a vertical leg. Do the same with a vertical
to an I-shaped beam 8” high, whose weight is 15 pounds construction line. This divides the rectangle into four
per linear foot. A W beam consists of two flanges and a equal quarters.
web, with rounded interior corners.
3. The flanges are about 5/16” thick. Use Measure to

create another construction line - click the top edge,
start dragging the line downward, type “5/16” and
W8x15 press Enter.
1. Open a new file and start in Top view. Create a
rectangle 4” wide and 8” high, at or near the origin.
To size it, start drawing and enter “4,8”.
4. The web is 1/4” thick, so create another construction

line 1/8” (half the web thickness) from the vertical
construction line. You can enter 1/8 or 0.125.
411
5. There is a fillet (rounding) between the flange and 9. These three objects (two lines and arc), are what need
web, so we need two more construction lines. Create to be copied to the other quadrants. Select these
a horizontal one 3/4” from the top . . . objects and copy (Move + Ctrl/Option) them to
another location.
6. . . . and a vertical one 1/2” from the vertical midpoint

construction line.
10. Right-click on the three copied objects while they are
still highlighted as selected. To make a mirror image,
select Flip Along / Red Direction.
7. Draw the two lines along the straight portions of the

web and flange.
TIP: You could also use Scale for this. Select all three objects,
Scale them, and drag any handle toward the center to turn the
objects inside out. Stop when the scale value is -1.0.
11. The objects are now oriented correctly. Move them

by dragging this endpoint . . .
8. Use Arc to create the fillet. Use the Tangent at Vertex
constraint.
412
In-Depth Exercises
. . . to this intersection point. 14. Erase the unneeded lines, and get rid of the
construction lines as well. Here is your W8x15
shape.
12. Now select the six objects that need to be flipped for
the bottom of the shape. Activate Rotate and place 15. Select the entire shape and make it a component.
the protractor at the center of the rectangle.
16. Assign it a logical name, and check Replace

13. Press Ctrl/Option and set any point for the rotation selection.
axis. Type 180 for the rotation angle, and the lines
and arcs are mirrored to the bottom.
17. Open the Component Browser to In Model to see the

shape.
413
18. Because the shapes will be modified (it will be given 21. Browse to the folder where you saved the shape.
a length and made 3D), you should save the
component as it is now to an external file that you can
reference later. Right-click on the component in the
browser or in the model and select Save As.
There are three more shapes to create. If you want to skip

this and download ready-made files, see “Downloading
Structural Shapes” on page 409.
C4x7.25
1. Open a new file, in which we will create a C4x7.25
channel. A channel is a C-shaped section with two
19. The browser opens to the folder set in the
horizontal flanges (top and bottom) connected by a
Preferences (Window / Preferences) under Files.
vertical web.
Place them here, or create a new folder for the
shapes. You can also save them to an existing folder 2. Use the methods described in the previous section to
in the Components folder in the SketchUp create the shape shown below. Connect the flanges to
installation. the web with a small arc. The flange thickness is 5/16
on average - it actually slopes a bit. Don’t worry
about any exact values that aren’t shown. If you don’t
want to get into too much detail, you can just create
something by eye that resembles this shape, keeping
the overall dimensions.
20. To see this folder in the Browser, click the small

arrow and select Add Folder.
3. Save this file as C4x7.25.skp, in the same folder
where the W8x15 was saved.
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In-Depth Exercises
TS8x6x1/2 Creating the Frame

1. The third shape is a steel tube (TS8x6x1/2). Open a Now we’ll take these shape components and make a steel
new file. building frame.
2. Start with a 6” x 8” rectangle, and create the filleted
shape shown below. To get the inner shape, use the
Main Column
Offset tool. 1. Start a new file, and open the Component Browser to
the folder where your shapes are. (If you downloaded
SketchUp’s components, each will be in a different
folder.) Click the TS shape.
HINT: Forgot how to offset? Activate Offset, select the face,

drag the offset inward, and enter 1/2.
NOTE: For purposes of this example, each shape component
was assigned a different color. If you choose to do this, open
3. Save it as TS8x6x0.5. each component in its own file and assign a color or material to
both faces (front and back). Save your changes. See “Applying
L1.5x1.5x1/4 Materials” on page 241 for details.
1. Now for the angle (L1.5x1.5x1/4). Open a new file,
and start with a 1.5 x 1.5 rectangle. 2. Drag the shape into the file. It appears in a bounding
2. Create the shape shown below, adding rounding arcs box to indicate that it’s a component, and “+”-shaped
at the interior corner and at both ends. rotation handles appear when the cursor is on the
shape.
3. Save it as L1.5x1.5x0.25.
TIP: You can also use File / Import / 3D Model to import a
component. And you can drag a component straight from your
Now in the folder you defined, all four shapes should file browser right into SketchUp.
appear.
415
3. The shape needs to be given some height. Right-click

on the shape and select Edit Component (or NOTE: The steel shapes provided on the SketchUp website
were created in a previous version, in which arcs were
double-click it while Select is active). represented as a series of segments. Therefore, when
Push/Pull’ed, these shapes contain separate flat faces
representing each curved portion, rather than one, smooth face.
You can replace the arcs in the original component files, if you
want the faces to be smooth.

Component. You can also click anywhere outside
the component, while in Select mode.,
During editing, the component appears in a dotted

box, and all tools can be used to edit it. Until the
component is closed, you cannot edit anything else in
the model - only the component.
6. Here is the first column in the frame. Open the

Outliner (Window / Outliner) to see the component.
4. Push/Pull downward to a depth of 10’ to create the

column. (It’s better to pull down here rather than up,
because other components will need to be inserted at
the top of the column, which is closer to the model
origin.)
7. In the Component Browser, open In Model. This

window shows a list of all components used in your
model. So far there is only one - the TS shape. And it
is the 3D version in the model, not the 2D version
you brought in.
416
In-Depth Exercises
8. Click on the component in In Model (not the original 3. Rotate the section 90 degrees.
2D one) and drag another into the model. It is the
same length, which shows that this component is
already different than the one you imported
originally. (The original TS shape has not changed,
of course.)
4. Rotate the section again so that it is perpendicular to

the column.
9. Delete the second TS shape.
Main Beam and Connectors

1. Now go back to the where your 2D shapes are saved
and bring in the W8x15.
5. As long as the component bounding box is displayed,

you are still in Move mode. Click on the midpoint at
the top of the flange.
This beam needs to be rotated into the correct

position. This will require two rotations. When you
pass the cursor over the rotation handles, the
protractor appears. You may have to zoom or rotate
the beam to get the proper protractor to appear.
2. To make the section vertical, click the rotation handle
that invokes the protractor shown below.
417
6. Drag this point to the midpoint of the top of the 9. Close the component. Now when you open In
column. Model, the long W shape appears with the long TS.
10. Select the W beam, and activate Move. Start moving

the beam away from the column, along the beam’s
axis (do not click to place it yet).
7. Now the beam needs some length. Right-click on the
component in the Outliner and select Edit
Component.
11. Enter a distance of 0.5” to represent an expansion

joint.
8. and Push/Pull the beam out 8’.
12. Bring in the L1.5x1.5 shape.
418
In-Depth Exercises
13. Move the angle into place by dragging the corner 17. Copy the angle along the green axis into the blank
point . . . space.
14. . . .using Shift to constrain it to the column face . . .
18. With the copied angle still selected, activate Scale.

To mirror it, drag the handle shown into the shape.
Stop when the VCB snaps to -1.0, or type in the value
manually.
15. . . . and to the web face.
The copied angle is now oriented correctly.
16. Edit the component and Push/Pull it up or down as

needed to create the connector.
19. Now move the angle back, Shift-locking it in the

green direction and placing it along the web face.
This angle is to be copied to the other side of the W

beam. The Scale tool will be used to mirror it
419
20. To verify that the angles are mirror copies, right-click 3. Move it so that its top flange is flush with the W
on the beam and select Hide. The W component is beam flange, aligned at the top. The distance
listed in italics in the Outliner, indicating that it is between the channel and column should be about 15”
hidden. (but it doesn’t have to be exact).
4. Copy the channel once along the beam, using a

distance of 15”.
21. Display the beam again by using Undo, or by
right-clicking on the italicized component and
selecting Unhide.
5. Enter 5x (or *5) to make five total copies. The

Outliner should show six channels.
Floor Joists and Connectors

1. Bring in the channel.
2. Rotate it so that it is vertical.

6. Now open any of the channels for editing.
420
In-Depth Exercises
7. Push/Pull the channel out, and all instances of the 11. Close the component, and unhide the beam. The
channel reflect this change. notch has been removed from all channels.
8. Close the channel, and spin the model so that you are
facing the side of the channel that is attached to the 12. Open one of the channels again, and Push/Pull the
beam. notch face back to the web face. Since you have to
rotate the model during the Push/Pull, click the
notched face, rotate, then click the web face.
9. Hide the W beam as before. Edit one of the channels,

and draw a line across the web, slightly below the
flange. This will divide the section so that the bottom
part can be pulled back to the W beam web.
13. Close the channel component. Now the channel

connections can be created. From In Model bring in
another angle. This is another instance of the angle
previously used to connect the beam to the column.
10. For now, Push/Pull the bottom part back, so that this
face can be easily found later.
421
14. Rotate it and move it to the correct position (corner 17. Also, select the entire edge on the W beam side, and
point aligned with both webs, or simply place it on use Move to lengthen the angle leg.
the edge of the C flange).
18. Close the component. This component was made

15. This angle doesn’t need to be as long as the other one. into a new component, whose name appears in In
Right-click on it and select Make Unique. Model and the Outliner, with a “#1” after the name
from which it was copied.
16. Use Push/Pull to adjust the length so that it fits the

channel.
If you right-click the component in In Model, you
can use the Properties to change the component’s
name. This will update all names in the Outliner as
well. However, If you right-click a component in the
Outliner and use Rename, only that component
instance will have its name changed.
19. Copy this new angle along the axis of the W beam.
422
In-Depth Exercises
20. To flip the angle over, you can right-click and use one 23. Display the channel again. This double-angle
of the Flip commands, or use Scale, or use the connection needs to be repeated at every channel.
protractor to flip it about the midpoint of its length. The easiest way to do this is with the Outliner. Select
the two angle connectors and the channel, to identify
them in the Outliner.
21. Slide the copy into place, using the axis and
inferences. If the connector is too long on this side of
the channel . . .
24. In the Outliner, select the two angles, and drag them
below the channel.
. . . edit the component and shorten it.
The angles are now part of each channel component.
22. Hide the channel to verify that the angles are in the
right place and are the same length.
423
In the Outliner, each channel component contains 27. While the copy is still in Move mode, move it so that
two angles. the endpoints meet.
28. Erase the joint lines. Rather than try erasing each line
individually, use a selection window to select all
25. The connection angles need to be transferred to the
lines on the outside and inside of the channel, then
other side of the channels. Edit one of the channel
press Delete.
components, and make a copy of it along the channel
axis.
29. Close the component. Each channel component now

26. Flip, scale, or rotate the copy to get the connection on
contains connectors on both sides. The channel
the other side.
length is too short, but we’ll fix that when we create
another W beam.
424
In-Depth Exercises
The Outliner now shows four angle connected for 3. Move the end of the beam by dragging from the
each channel component. endpoint shown . . .
. . . to the edge of the W flange.

Completing the Frame
1. To complete the floor bay, copy the TS column, W
beam, and angle connectors in the direction of the
channels, ending slightly past them.
4. Close the component, and check the connections you

just made. All angles should be flush with the copied
W beam.
2. To extend the channels to meet the beam, open one

for editing. Select the end plus the angle connectors,
using a selection window.
425
5. Now select the beams and channels making up the 7. Use these two midpoints to place the protractor at the
floor joists. Include also the beam-column midpoint of the floor system.
connection angles. The whole set will be
rotate-copied to the other side of the columns.
Activate Rotate, and shift-lock the protractor to the
red-green plane.
6. For the rotation point, pass the cursor over the

midpoint of one of the columns and a midpoint of
one of the channels. 8. Press Ctrl/Option to copy, click to orient the
protractor, and copy the objects 180 degrees.
426
In-Depth Exercises
9. You can also use Copy or Rotate to create two more 2. Draw a circle, making sure to align it with the red or
columns on either side of the beams. Here is the blue axis.
completed floor system.
3. Push/Pull into a cylinder and place a construction

point at the center point at one end.
Creating a Log Cabin

This shorter exercise also focuses on components, and on
the Intersect with Model tool.
NOTE: If Point at Center does not appear in the context menu,

open File / Preferences to the Extensions page and check
Ruby Script Examples.
4. Select the cylinder and construction point and make

it a component, called Uncut Log.
(If you want to download the completed model, go to

download the file “LogCabin.skp.”)
Creating Flat-Sided Logs

1. To create the first log, start in Front view, so that the
log will lie flat.
427
5. Select the log component and use Move with This creates straight lines along the top and bottom of
Ctrl/Option to make a copy straight up. Place the the log, where the logs above and below intersect it.
copy vertically so that the two logs overlap.
6. Type 2x to make three total logs.

9. To trim the log, create two lines on one circular face,
joining the intersection edges.
7. Now we will modify the log component so that is has

a flat top and bottom. First, open Model Info to the
Components page and check Hide for similar
10. Use Push/Pull to trim the portions above and below.
components.
8. Open the middle log for editing. Right-click on the

cylindrical face and select Intersect with Model.
11. Close the edited component, and all logs are now
flattened.
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In-Depth Exercises
Creating Notches 5. Edit one of the logs and use Push/Pull to make the
ends overlap
1. Select the top log and activate Rotate. Lock the
protractor in the red-green plane, and set the rotation
center at the construction point.
6. Select all three logs and Explode them.
2. Rotate this log 90 degrees.
7. With the three exploded logs selected, run Intersect

with Model.
3. With this log still selected, activate Move. Move the

log straight down by its center point, placing where
the two lower logs meet.
8. Erase the two unrotated logs, and you should have

the intersection edges all around the rotated log.
4. Before editing one of these logs, make sure the

similar components are not hidden.
429
9. The notch should be created so that its depth is 1/2 15. Move the side edge so that the face surrounds the
that of the log. For reference, create a vertical line notch.
that is the same height as the log.
10. Right-click on this line and select Divide.
16. Copy the face to the lower quarter of the log.
11. Move the cursor to divide the line into four quarters.
17. Select both rectangular faces and run Intersect with
Model.
12. So that subsequent objects won’t stick to this line,

select it (all four segments) and make it a group.
13. Activate Rectangle and start it at the end of the top
line segment.
18. Trim the faces and extra edges.
14. Draw out a flat face so that it ends beyond the notch
cutout.
19. Erase the faces of the log in the top and bottom
quarters.
430
In-Depth Exercises
20. Now to erase the edges in the middle half. It may be Building the Cabin
a little tricky to get rid of edges without losing some
round faces of the log itself. The easiest way is to 1. The notch should be on both ends of the log. So,
start on one side and erase all the round edges so that select and copy the log along the log’s axis.
only the horizontal line shown remains.
2. Right-click on the copied log and Flip it along the

axis you used to copy it. (Scale or Rotate would also
21. Then switch to X-Ray mode and erase the side edges work.)
of the center face.
22. Now trim the extra edges on the other face. If you are
left with a long horizontal edge, you can soften it
(Erase with Ctrl/Option).
3. Now move the flipped log back to the original so that

they meet. Trim the extra edges; here is the final
notched log.
Here is the final notch, with faces reversed to give the

entire log a uniform color.
4. Select this log and make it a new component.
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5. Use Move to make several copies of this component. 8. The bottom log should lie flat, so right-click it and
select Make Unique.
6. Select all components, and rotate them 90 degrees,

using the construction center point as before.
9. Draw a rectangle on the bottom notch face. This

rectangle will be enlarged and used to trim the log.
(The rectangle edges stay thick because you are
drawing them on a component.)
NOTE: If you want to make these rotated logs a different length,

just rotate one log, use Make Unique, and edit it to change its
length. Then copy the new component to make the second wall.
7. Select all rotated components and move them down. 10. Move the edges so that the rectangle surrounds the
Drag them by the top construction point and stop at log.
the midpoint of the first log.
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In-Depth Exercises
11. Edit this component, select it all, and Intersect it. 14. In the Component Browser, the component you just
edited was assigned the name Notched Log#1.
15. In Windows, to change the name, right-click the

thumbnail and select Properties. Use a name such as
Notched Log Bottom.
12. Trim the portion of the log below the intersection

edges.
NOTE: You also could have skipped making the rectangle and
just drawn long lines along the log.
13. Close the component, and the bottom of the cabin is

flat.
writing, but you can use Entity Info to rename a
component.
16. The top log here should also be flat. Select it.
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17. Right-click on the flat notched log in the Component Door and Window Cutouts
Browser and select Replace Selected.
1. To create the cutout shapes, it’s easiest if you make a
vertical rectangle away from the house itself. Make
an arched doorway and a rectangular window.
2. Trim so that only the door and window shapes

The flat log is inserted, but here it is upside-down. remain. Push/Pull them to make them long.
18. Use Rotate, Flip, or Scale to turn the log over, then
move it into place.
3. Move the cutouts into place.
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In-Depth Exercises
4. Select all logs that are affected by the cutouts and 6. First trim the cutouts shapes away from the cabin.
Explode them.
7. Then erase the cutout portions within the logs.
5. Run Intersect on the exploded logs.
8. If you want, copy the walls to the side and back to

complete the house.
Now you have all the intersection edges you need to

make the cutouts.
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436
14 Program Settings
This chapter covers certain aspects and settings of the user 3. Now click the Component Browser’s title bar. This
interface you may want to manipulate. closes the window, while keeping the title bar
available when you want to open the window again.
Stacking Windows
This is a great new feature of SketchUp, enabling you to
keep all your UI windows available but not fully open,
thereby maximizing your work space.
TIP: It’s a great idea to set up shortcut keys to open and close 4. Drag the window by its title bar - you can place the
windows you use often. See “Shortcuts for UI Windows, window anywhere.
Toolbars” on page 453.
1. As an example, open the Component Browser. You

can place it anywhere on the screen.
5. Now open some more windows (Material Browser,

Outliner, etc.) With all the windows open like this,
your screen quickly gets cluttered.
2. You can also drag it by its title bar to dock it to any

edge of the screen, or any corner. Dock it to the top
left corner (not that you’d want to work with
windows placed right here).
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6. To make the windows “sticky,” drag one window by

its title bar directly above or below another window.
Display Settings
There are several places in the user interface that control
aspects of how the model is displayed.
• The toolbars contain icons for adjusting shading,
textures, and transparency display. You can also
define hotkeys for these functions.
• The Display Settings window is one that you may
want displayed all the time. You can toggle the
display of this window by selecting Window /
Display Settings, or you can set up a hotkey to show
and hide this window (see "Preferences > Shortcuts"
on page 452).
Now when you move the top window, any window

below it moves with it.
7. Make a stack of windows and minimize them all. If
you work with these stuffed down in a corner, you
can keep most of your screen available while you
work.
TIP: You can define shorcut keys to invoke all options on this
window. This is very handy when you switch often between
wireframe and shaded, endpoints and jitter lines, etc. See
8. When you open a window, the adjacent title bars
“Shortcuts for Render Settings” on page 453.
move down to accomodate.
Clicking the arrow at the top of this window enables
you to show or hide the lower section of the window.
Click the title bar of the window if you want to

You can change the order of the stack by dragging a
collapse it. This is useful if Display Settings is
title bar to its new location. And to unstick a window,
“stuck” to other windows and you want to save
just drag it away from the stack.
drawing space.
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Program Settings
Rendering Modes Hidden Line

This section covers various ways to display your model.
Shaded
Looks like wireframe display, but lines behind faces

are hidden. Faces are displayed, though they are not
Color and shading is applied to the faces. The front colored. In other words, you can select or Push/Pull
and back of a face can have different colors, which a face, which you cannot do in wireframe.
are set in the Colors page of Model Info. If any
materials were applied to faces, the default render
mode is Shaded with Textures. If you then switch to
Shaded, the materials will be represented by single
colors.
Shaded with textures
Wireframe
Displays any material that has been applied to faces.

Materials are covered in Chapter 7.
Displays the model as a collection of simple lines.

There are no faces displayed, and faces cannot be
selected.
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X-Ray For a crisp display, checking only Edges shows all edges
as thin lines. This looks nice when your model is crowded
and/or has lots of detail.
All faces become transparent. This is a good way to

see the interior of a model.
You can also check only Profiles.
Displaying Edges and Profiles

You can use Display Settings to control edge display, as
well as the thickness of profile lines.
The default setting displays both Edges and Profiles.
Profiles are outside edges. Edges between two faces are
also considered profile edges when only one face can be For a slightly more photorealistic look, uncheck both
seen in the current view. The profile thickness can be Edges and Profiles.
adjusted as well.
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Program Settings
Edge Effects Endpoints

The following four settings can add some Adds additional thickness along ends of edges.
non-photorealistic effects to your model.
Depth Cue
Thickens edges closer to you, while farther edges are
thinner.
You can get thick extension lines if you combine

Extension with Endpoints.
Extension
Extends each edge slightly past its endpoints, similar to a
hand-sketched drawing.
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Jitter: Applies a hand-sketched look to edges. It looks By Material

good with or without extensions. Edges are colored according to the applied material. For
this to work, material has to be applied to both faces and
edges. Applying material only to faces will not affect
edges.
TIP: You can select both a face and its surrounding edges by
double-clicking on it. This makes it easy to be sure edges are
included when applying materials.
By Axis
Edges have the color of the axes to which they are parallel
(red, green, or blue). Edges that are not parallel to any axis
Edge Color take on the assigned edge color on the Color page of the
For these options to be available, click on the arrow at the
Model Info window.
top right corner of the Display Settings and Show
Details.
All Same
All edges have the edge color assigned on the Color page
of the Model Info window.
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Program Settings
Face Display Settings When Faster is selected, Face 3 appears to “jump” in

Use sun for shading: Uses the current shadow settings to front of Face 2.
shade the faces. The faces look the same as when shadows
are enabled, but shadows are not actually created.
Enable Transparency: Enables you to see through
materials defined as transparent. See "Material
Transparency" on page 249.
Use Nicer if you want to maintain sorting accuracy,

thereby requiring heavier calculations and possibly a
slower render. In this case, the display order of transparent
materials is accurate.
If this option is not checked, transparent materials will be

displayed as opaque.
Quality: Choose Faster for a render that is quick, but

with less sorting accuracy. In this example, Face 1 is
above Face 2, which is above Face 3. It’s easy to see the
sorting order when Enable transparency is not checked.
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Perspective Mode Model Info

In Perspective mode (Camera / Perspective), which is To set properties of your model, select Window / Model
the default, the model appears to shrink in the distance, Info or click the Model Info icon.
representing how the human eye actually views 3D
objects.
TIP: If you access this window often, you might want to set up a
shortcut for it - see "Preferences > Shortcuts" on page 452.
The alternative is Paraline mode, in which parallel lines

NOTE: If you want to set up global properties for SketchUp itself,
remain parallel on the screen. This is also referred to as see "Preferences" on page 450.
axonometric projection, and reflects what is usually
presented in construction drawings.
Model Info > Colors
You can switch between these modes by toggling Camera

/ Perspective, or by setting a hotkey for it.
Geometry:
• Edges: To see edges displayed in this color, select
All Same for edge display in the Display Settings
window.
• Face Front, Face Back: Faces have different colors
on the front and back.
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Program Settings
The way a face is oriented generally depends on how Model Info > Components
it was created, but you can always switch front and
back by right-clicking and selecting Reverse Faces.
These colors apply to faces that have the default
(none) material. Once a material is assigned, it paints
only the selected side. The reverse side will remain
the default color, unless a material is assigned to that
face as well. (The exception is for transparent
materials, which are applied to both sides of a face.
See “Double-Sided Faces” on page 254.)
• Highlight: The color of a face, edge, or group when
selected. Use a color that will contrast well with the
Face Front and Face Back colors.
• Construction lines: The color of construction
geometry, created by the Measure and Protractor
tools. See "Measure" on page 39 and Components are groups of objects that can be inserted
multiple times in your file. For more information, see
• Lock: The color of the bounding box surrounding a Chapter 6.
locked component or group. Locking is covered in
Fade similar components, Fade rest of model: When
“The Outliner: Manipulating Groups and
editing a component or group, these options control the
Components” on page 206.
display of similar components and all other objects.
Background: The background color of the SketchUp
window.
• Sky, Ground: Enables you to use sky and ground
backgrounds, and to set their colors. Sky is visible
above the horizon, Ground is visible below the
horizon.
When editing one component, you can use the Fade slider
if you still want to faintly see the rest of the mode and
other components.
Use the Transparency slider to make the gradient

ground effect transparent to various degrees,
allowing you to see geometry below the ground
plane. If you are using software-based OpenGL
rendering, don’t use this option.
• Show ground from below: Makes the ground
visible when looking up from below the ground
(worm’s eye view).
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Check Hide for both to blank them completely, leaving Leader Lines: Choose from five types of arrows.
only the edited component on the screen.
Dimension
• Horizontal to Screen: Dimension text is always
horizontal.
Component axes: Check Show component axes to show

the origin and axes for each component.
• Align to Dimension Line: Dimension text is aligned

to the plane of the dimension itself.
Model Info > Dimensions
For aligned dimensions, select whether the

dimension text appears Centered, Above, or
Outside the dimension line.
NOTE: All dimensioning options are detailed in the exercise

"Dimensions" on page 82.
Text: Click Choose Font to set the font, font style, and • Hide when foreshortened: Hides dimensions that
font size of dimension text. For text color, click the color are oblique to the viewing plane. The slider sets the
box to set the font color. tolerance angle at which dimensions are hidden.
Show Radius/Diam. Prefix: Displays an “R” in front of • Hide when too small: Hides dimensions that
arc dimensions, or a “DIA” in front of circle dimensions. become hard to read when you zoom out. The slider
controls the size of dimensions that will be hidden.
446
Program Settings
Troubleshooting Model Info > Location

• Highlight non-associated dimensions: Highlights
dimension whose geometry has changed, or
dimension text that has been edited. Click the color
box to select the highlight color.
Model Info > File
These options are relevant for creating shadows, see

"Shadows" on page 331.
Geographic Location: Select the country and city in
which your model is located. A vast number of locations
around the globe is provided, but you can add a custom
location. Click Custom location and enter the relevant
General: Information about the file itself: where it is information: latitude, longitude, and time zone.
saved, the version of SketchUp in which it was created, Solar Orientation: Enter the north angle manually, or
file size, and description. click Select to set the north direction on the screen. To set
Alignment: If the file is saved to be used later as a it this way, first click the reference point and then any
component, this is where you can set its component point in the north direction. To show the north angle on the
properties. screen, click Show in Model.
• Glue to: Sets the type of face to which the
component will align.
• Cut opening: Should be checked if the component is
a window or door (or something similar) that cuts
through walls.
• Always face camera: Keeps a component facing
you no matter the orientation of the camera. This is
handy for 2D components like people, signs, trees,
etc.
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Model Info > Section Planes Model Info > Statistics
See Chapter 8 for details on using section planes. On this page you can count the numbers of certain types
Lines: Enter the width of cut lines. A high width helps of objects in your model, such as edges, faces, or groups.
you better see the section plane. You can obtain these numbers for the entire model or only
Colors: components. If you check Show nested components, all
objects within components will be included in the count.
• Section Cut Line: The default color for section Purge unused: Removes any unused components,
slices. If you assign a material to a section plane, that materials, image objects, layers, and other extraneous
material color is used instead. information from your file.
• Active Section Plane: The color for active section Fix Problems: Causes SketchUp to scan your model,
planes. report any invalid geometry, and attempt to fix any
• Inactive Section Plane: The color for inactive problems. The scan checks that:
section planes. • faces are bounded by a loops of at least three edges.
• a face has a pointer to the loops that bound it, and a
loop has a pointer back to the face that it bounds.
• a face adheres to a plane equation. If not all vertices
lie on the same plane, SketchUp tries to recompute
the plane equation and then check to see if the
vertices are on the re-computed plane.
• all edges that are used by a face are in the same
component that the face is in.
• a face does not have zero area
• an edge does not have two ends at the same point.
In some cases, Check Validity can fix things. For
example, recomputing a plane equation for a face will
correct the face. In other cases, there is nothing that can
reasonably be done to fix the problem. For example, a face
that does not have edges bounding it will be deleted.
448
Program Settings
Model Info > Text Model Info > Tourguide
These options are relevant for creating animations of

NOTE: All text options are detailed in the exercise "Text" on page saved pages. See "Tourguide / Slideshow" on page 330.
78.
• Enable page Transitions: Smoothly and
dynamically transitions between adjacent pages. If
Text: Click Choose Fonts to select the font, font size, and not checked, the pages will switch immediately.
font style for the text. For text color, click the color box.
• Transition Time: The seconds for each transition.
Leader Lines
• Page Delay: The amount of time each page will be
• End Point: Choose from four different types of end
visible (not including transition time).
points.
Model Info > Units
• Leader: A View-Based leader maintains its 2D

orientation, and will disappear when any part of the
leader is hidden. A Pushpin leader maintains 3D
orientation, and is always visible as you orbit your
model.
Select All Text: Selects all text objects.
Update Selected Text: If you have text objects selected,
click this to apply new settings to those objects.
The units you set are used in the Value Control Box, and
affect the dimensions and text labels you create.
Length Units: Controls how lengths are measured and
displayed.
• Format: Controls units and type of measurement
that appears in the Value Control Box.
Architectural: 3’-2 15/16”.
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Decimal: 106.5”, 3.25’, 1042mm, etc. You can use

Imperial or Metric units.
Preferences
SketchUp Preferences are settings that apply to the
Engineering: 32.5320’ Only Imperial units (feet) application itself. You can open this window by selecting
are used. Window / Preferences (Mac: SketchUp / Preferences).
• Precision: Depending on the type of unit, controls
the degree of accuracy. You can use up to 1/64” and NOTE: For settings that apply to the current model only, see
6 decimal places. (For architectural work, you don’t "Model Info" on page 444.
need more than 1/8” precision.)
• Enable length snapping: Enables you to snap to Preferences > Drawing
drawing increments set by the Snap Length (the box
to the right). Snap Length must be greater than
Precision.
• Display units format: Relevant for Decimal units.
When creating dimensions, the unit will not be
displayed after the dimension number.
• Force display of 0’: Relevant for Architectural
units. When creating dimensions, a zero will be
displayed for inches, even when the value is an even
foot value (12’-0” vs. 12’).
Angle Units: Controls the measurements of angles.
• Precision: You can specify zero or one decimal Click Style: Controls how you draw lines with the Line
place. tool.
• Enable angle snapping: Enables you to snap to • Click-drag-release: Draw lines by clicking on a
increments defined by the Snap Angle (the box to point, dragging the cursor, and ending the line when
the right). This angle may be 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, or 45 the mouse button is released.
degrees. • Auto detect: Both techniques will work - SketchUp
will figure it out by how you draw.
• Click-move-click: Draw lines by clicking on each
endpoint.
• Continue line drawing: Automatically starts a new
line at the endpoint of the previous line. Otherwise
you are free to draw from any point. If you use Auto
Detect, lines are continuous when using Click-
Move-Click, but not with Click-Drag-Release. This
way you can draw single or multiple lines at will.
Display Crosshairs: Displays the red, green, and blue
axes with the cursor when drawing. This can help orient
you in 3D space, but will also add a lot of lines to the
screen.
Auto-activate paint tool (Mac only): Causes SketchUp
to automatically activate the Paint tool after you select a
color swatch.
450
Program Settings
Preferences > Extensions Preferences > General
Extensions are groups of commands or functions that are Create backup: A backup file will be created each time
not necessarily part of core SketchUp functionality, so you save your file. The backup is located in the same
they can be turned on or off. For example, not everyone folder as the file, and has the extension *.skb.
needs the Sandbox tools, so you can work without seeing Auto save: Saves your file to a temporary file at a
the menu items and toolbar icons. specified time interval (i.e. every 10 minutes). If your
Ruby Script Examples and Utilities tools can be computer (or SketchUp - nothing’s perfect!) crashes, you
checked to activate sets of Ruby scripts. For details, see may be prompted to open the recovery file instead of the
“Provided Scripts” on page 465. original file. For large files, or if you are working on a
slow computer or a laptop, recovery may be disruptive.
Preferences > Files Use large tool buttons: Great when working with high
(Windows only) screen resolution, this enlarges all the SketchUp icons.
Automatically check model for problems: Options for
scanning for, and fixing, geometric problems. The model
is assessed for problems when it is loaded or saved. It’s a
good idea to check this box so that problems will be
corrected proactively.
NOTE: If this is unchecked, you can manually check for

problems using Fix Problems. This is found on the Statistics
page of the Model Info window.
Automatically fix problems when they are found:

Problems are fixed automatically, without a message
window.
This page displays the default paths in which certain types
of SketchUp files are stored. To change a path, select it Additional Mac options:
and click Modify.
Cascade main windows: New file windows will appear

cascaded below the previous file windows. If disabled,
new windows will appear directly on top of previous
windows.
Save current window size: Saves the size of the current
window as the default size for SketchUp.
451
Preferences > OpenGL be careful when changing this setting; there is no way of
knowing in advance whether the mode you choose will
work properly.
Survey: Guides you through a series of questions that
allow @Last technical support to better identify certain
problems.
Details: Displays important information about your video
card, resolution and color depth settings, OpenGL driver,
and the current rendering mode that SketchUp is using.
This information can be very helpful when diagnosing
technical problems.
Preferences > Shortcuts

Use Hardware Acceleration: Enables SketchUp to use
the 3D hardware acceleration features of your system.
SketchUp defaults to using software rendering
(acceleration disabled) While this option may impact
speed and quality, it dramatically increases your chances
of SketchUp working correctly. Also, if you are lucky
enough to own a graphics card that truly supports
OpenGL acceleration as advertised, all you have to do is
enable the checkbox.
Depending on your card and driver, hardware acceleration
may only be available at certain resolutions and color
depths. In Windows, you can control this in the Windows
Control Panel / Display / Advanced / Performance. You can set up keyboard shortcuts, otherwise known as
accelerator keys or hotkeys, to enable you to invoke
commands faster than with the mouse or menu.
WARNING: Please be careful when changing this setting! The
majority of drivers shipped today do not fully support the All the SketchUp commands are listed in the Commands
OpenGL specification, yet routinely advertise otherwise. menu. If a shortcut has already been defined for a
command, it will appear in the Accelerators window. To
add your own shortcut, select the command and place the
TIP: If you notice artifacts appearing on faces when you apply cursor in the Add Accelerator field. Then simply type the
materials, try turning off hardware acceleration. shortcut (i.e. F2, G, Ctrl+B, Shift+Ctrl+P, etc.) and click
the + icon. Numbers cannot be used, since they could be
Correct Reversed Picking Driver Bug (Windows only): confused with data entered in the Value Control Box.
Some drivers exhibit a strange bug that makes SketchUp Once shortcuts are defined, they will appear in the
select the reverse of faces with the Select tool. This setting pull-down menus.
provides a work-around. Do not change this setting unless
you are experiencing this problem.
Use Fast Feedback: For large models or complex renders
due to shadows and materials, this setting can speed up
your file. Fast Feedback will automatically engage only
when rendering is slow. You may see a flicker when
creating large elements.
Capabilities (Windows only): Certain OpenGL modes do
not fully support shadows cast on faces. Some modes may
exhibit rendering artifacts in low precision modes. Please
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Program Settings
In Windows, you can save your shortcuts by exporting all You can also set up shortcuts to toggle the display of
your preferences. You can then import them later. If you toolbars, or groups of icons These are found under the
have a large set of shortcuts defined, it’s a good idea to View header.
export them, in case of future system failure.
TIP: If you want to download a ready-made set of shortcuts, see

"Shortcuts You Can Download", this page.
Mac: Commands are listed under Function. Assigned

shortcuts are listed under Key.
Shortcuts for Render Settings

If you switch often between X-Ray, Shaded, Wireframe,
etc., you should set up shortcuts for this. These commands
are found under the View header.
Select the command and simply type the letter(s) you want
assigned to it. The shortcut will appear in the field at the
bottom of the pane. Do not press Return; simply click on
another command to implement the shortcut.
Shortcuts for UI Windows, Toolbars

In addition to defining shortcuts for tools like Line and
Push/Pull, it’s very handy to define shortcuts for toggling
TIP: The F keys (F4, F5, etc.) are great to use as shortcuts for
the display of windows you use often. There is also a quick view-switching.
command to hide all windows.
These commands are found under the Window header.
Shortcuts You Can Download
If you use Windows and you want to download a set of
shortcuts (actually, the ones I’ve set up for myself), go to
download the file “PreferencesBonnie.dat.” To load these
into SketchUp, open Window / Preferences to the
Shortcuts page and click Import.
TIP: To make it easy to remember the shortcuts, use a pattern

according to the first letter of the window. For example, define
Shift+C for Components, Shift+D for Display Settings, Shift+E
for Entity Info, etc. Shift+H could be used to hide all windows.
453
Preferences > Templates Mac users can customize what icons appear on toolbars
by selecting View / Customize Toolbar.
You can set default settings and add your own base
geometry to a file you want to use as a template. To make
a template, open a new SketchUp document, modify it to
suit your needs (units, location, etc.), and save the file to
a convenient directory. In the Template page of the
Preferences, click Browse to find this template file. Now
every time you create a new SketchUp document it will be To remove icons, simply drag them off the bottom of the
created as a copy of your template file. bar and they will disappear. To add icons, drag them into
The templates that appear in the drop-down menu on this the toolbar where you want them placed. (This is a
page are either those that are stored in your template function of the OSX graphic interface called Aqua.)
folders (.../SketchUp5/Templates), or any other file that
has ever been used as a template.
Toolbars / Tool Palettes

Windows users can customize the icons that appear by
selecting View / Toolbars. Select a toolbar to toggle its
display on and off.
Mac: These are called Tool Palettes, and only Standard

and Sandbox can be toggled.
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Program Settings
Export and Import File / Export / 2D Graphic

You can save (export) your model in multiple formats, and You can export a SketchUp model into numerous graphic
import certain formats into SketchUp. formats, which are listed below. Click the Options button
In most cases, the Import and Export windows have an of the Export window for a list of adjustable parameters
Options button, by which you can control certain for each format.
conversion settings. Please refer to SketchUp’s online
help for descriptions of these options.
TIP: For advice on importing and exporting to various CAD file

types, see SketchUp’s FAQ page. From www.sketchup.com,
click Support, then FAQs.
Exporting
You can export a SketchUp file into another CAD format, For each file format, don’t forget to look at the settings
or you can export it as a 2D graphic. You can also save when you click Options. That is the place to control
section slices and animation files. resolution, file size, etc. Also, be careful when using
Anti-alias. In many cases it does not significantly help
File / Export / 3D Model file quality, and may use up so much memory that the
A SketchUp model can be exported into the following export will fail.
formats:
File / Export / Section Slice
See "Exporting Section Slices" on page 308.
File / Export / Animation

If you create pages of your model (see "Pages" on page
320) and save them as a slide show (see "Tourguide /
To specify conversion settings, click the Options button Slideshow" on page 330), you can export the slide show
of the Export window. as an animation file.
When exporting, SketchUp uses the current units as a This enables you to share your designs with those who do
reference for translation. For instance, if the SketchUp not have SketchUp. You can burn a DVD, so that you
unit setting is Decimal/Meters, SketchUp will export the don’t even need a computer to view the animation. For
DWG file accordingly, and AutoCAD must be set to large and complex models, a movie file may play back
Decimal in order for the units to translate correctly as more smoothly than the SketchUp slide show. And, you
meters. can use video editing applications to enhance your
animation by adding music, voice, or text.
TIP: Refer to SketchUp’s online help for information on all export The main disadvantage of animation export is the large
options.
resulting file size. While a typical *.skp file is small and
easy to transmit via the web, the video from such a file
could be prohibitively large. Therefore, it helps to know
how you can control video file size, primarily by
manipulating frame size and frame rate.
TIP: Before creating an animation file, read about animation and

exporting animation in the SketchUp online help.
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To create an animation file, select File / Export / Aspect Ratio: A 4:3 ratio is standard for television, most
Animation. Select the file type from the drop-down computer screens, and pre-1950 movies. A 16:9 ratio is
menu. the standard for wide screen displays, including digital
televisions, plasma displays, and so forth. Locking this
aspect ratio maintains a fixed proportion of video at any
frame size.
Frame Rate: A setting between 8 and 10 frames per
second is considered the minimum required for
convincing movement, between 12 and 15 is good for
keeping file size down while providing smooth playback,
and between 24 and 30 is considered “full speed.” A
setting of 3 fps is a great way to quickly create draft
quality test videos.
NOTE: Certain applications have exact frame rate requirements,

To specify output parameters, click Options.
such as 29.97 fps for television in the US and other countries, 25
fps for television in Europe, 24 fps for film, etc.
Loop to Starting Page: Generates an additional video

segment that transitions from the last page back to the
first, making an infinite loop.
Codec: Enables you to specify which codec (compression
plug-in) to apply to your video, as well as adjust quality
settings. For detailed information, refer to the Codec List
and Video Compression pages in SketchUp’s online
help.
Play When Finished: SketchUp will start your default
video player and play the file immediately after it is
created.
Anti-alias: The technique by which software softens the
transition between the edge of an object and the
Format (Mac): Specify the codec (compression plug-in)
background. Without anti-aliasing, the edge is composed
and adjust quality settings. There are preset
of a single color while the background is a different single
configurations designed for common cases, or you can
color. The result on a diagonal line is a stepped or jagged
select Custom to specify settings.
look; a vertical or horizontal line could have a harsh edge.
Anti-aliasing samples the edge color and the background
color and interposes a range of transitional colors between
them so that the edge 'blends' into the background in such
a way as to minimize the jagged effect. This creates a
much more realistic image, but requires more processing
power. So, while anti-aliasing is highly desirable in a still
image, it takes a heavy processor to run a smooth
animation that has been anti-aliased.
Width / Height: Frame size in pixels. 320x240 is a good
size for CD-ROM and for transfer to videotape. 640x480
is considered a “full screen” frame size, and usually
requires robust compression. Values larger than 640x480
are not recommended unless specifically required.
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Program Settings
Importing separate object unless you Explode it (at which time it

You can import a model from other CAD formats into becomes a regular face with material on it). Chapter 7
SketchUp, and you can import graphics to be used as contains numerous examples on using inserted images as
backgrounds or textures. materials.
File / Import / 3D Model TIP: You can also import a graphic by dragging it directly into
SketchUp from your browser.
When you bring a 3D model into SketchUp, it is imported
as a component, and must be exploded or edited before it
can be changed. If you want to import a graphic as a texture, be sure to
Models from the following formats can be imported into click Use as texture at the bottom of the window. The
SketchUp: image will be placed in the Material Browser, in the In
Model (Colors in Model) tab.
By default, image objects retain the aspect ratio of their

original file. You can press Shift while importing to
change this. You can also press Ctrl to scale it about its
TIP: You can also import a 3D model by dragging it directly into center point.
SketchUp from your browser.
The image file becomes embedded into your SketchUp
document, which enables you to send your SketchUp files
Because SketchUp must translate the contents into usable to others without any information loss, but it also means
drawing elements, importing may take some time for that file size can increase dramatically. Therefore, be very
large CAD files. To specify conversion settings, click the careful not to insert immensely large files. You can also
Options button of the Import window. adjust resolution to control file size, or even convert the
image to gray-scale.
TIP: Refer to SketchUp’s online help for information on all import Another way to limit file size is to use compressed file
options. formats such as *.jpg and *.png.
Image objects have their own local (right-click) menu:
Once a file is imported, you may have to use Zoom
Extents to see it. Imported files come in with their layer
system intact and all elements are grouped together.
File / Import / 2D Graphic

You may want to import an image file so that you trace
over a scan or photograph. You can insert images of the
following formats:
• Entity Info: Displays a window containing

information such as source file, dimensions,
shadows, visibility, and layer.
• Explode: Enables you to use the image as a texture,
and to project it onto a non-flat surface.
• Export: Enables you save the embedded image to a
By default, the file is imported as an image object, which
format you can edit in another graphics package.
is basically a rectangle with the image mapped on it. You
can move, rotate, or scale this rectangle, but it stays a
457
• Reload: If you change the image’s source file, and

the link still appears in the Entity Info, you can use
Reload to update the image in SketchUp.
• Shadows: Cast will cause the image to cast shadows
on other objects; Receive enables the image to
receive shadows cast by other objects.
• Unglue: If you attach an image to a face, the image
cannot be removed from that face, unless you use
Unglue.
• Use as Material: Creates a material from the image,
and places the thumbnail in the In Model tab of the
Material browser.
TIP: Because importing a large file can be time-consuming, and

because a large file can slow SketchUp’s performance, you may
want to crop the imported file so as to import only necessary
entities. You could also import different layers as different
Groups (see Chapter 6). You can then use Pages to control
visibility (see "Pages" on page 320).
458
15 Ruby Script
Ruby scripting will thrill the programming techies out Press Enter, and a window with your text appears on the
there. This chapter will not cover how to program in the screen.
Ruby language - that would take another book. Besides,
information on creating code is available elsewhere (see
the next section).
This chapter will explain how use the Ruby console, and
to create some very basic scripts and routines (methods).
It also shows how to implement the scripts that are
provided with SketchUp. At the end of the chapter is some Now for a slightly more useful script - one that draws a
information on obtaining scripts from other locations. line between two specific points. This involves first
defining two sets of numbers - one for each point. Each set
SketchUp Ruby Basics of numbers is listed under a unique a name, also called a
Within SketchUp, select Help / Ruby Help for some variable.
basic information. You can also open the file index.html SketchUp’s Ruby Help page includes this example, but
located in the Ruby\Docs folder, under the SketchUp we’ll do it slightly differently here to show that you can
installation. This section will include some of the use different variable names.
information from the Help system, with some Type these four lines, pressing Enter after each one.
embellishment.
from = [10,0,0]
Entering Code on the Ruby to = [30,20,0]
Console
First, open the Ruby Console within SketchUp by model = Sketchup.active_model
selecting Window / Ruby Console. You can type in lines
of code here, or use the console to run scripts saved within
model.entities.add_line(from,to)
text files. We’ll start with the first option - entering code You can use names (variables) other than “from” and “to,”
directly in the console. as long as you keep them consistent in the 4th line. Not all
To create a SketchUp message window with some text in terms and characters can be used. For instance, “end” is
it, type this line at the bottom of the console (you can use actually a command in Ruby, so you can’t use it as a
whatever text you want between the quotation marks.): variable. Be aware that Ruby is also case-sensitive.
Each line you enter appears in the console with
UI.messagebox("Hello, World")
verification text below it. (Errors will appear here if you
make a mistake.)
459
The last line of code is what actually creates the line from Name this script file something like “line_from_to.rb”
“from” to “to.” After you enter the last line of code, the and save it in the Plugins folder. (You could also add these
line is created. six lines to an existing script file in the Plugins folder.)
Now close and restart SketchUp. If there are errors in the
script, the Ruby console will open and show you an error
message to let you know. If the console doesn’t open, your
script is OK.
To run the script, open the Ruby console and type the
The variables can be changed by entering new values. name of the method: line_from_to.
Change “to” and recreate the line by entering these two
lines:
to = [100,20,0]
model.entities.add_line(from,to)
This creates a second line, starting from the original
“from” point to the new “to” point.
This creates the line as before, from the defined “from”

point to the defined “to” point.
Creating a Script that Requires

Creating a Script User Input
Every time you want to create a line between two points, What if you want to create a line between two points with
you will not want to bother typing in these four lines. This different coordinates each time? We can change the script
time we will save these lines to a text file, and then run it to include prompts, then take the input values to run the
from within SketchUp. This is a script - a file external to same line creation tool.
SketchUp that can be called when needed. The “line_from_to.rb” script will now include some extra
The script is a text file with the extension “rb.” It will be lines. Here is the new script, in which each line is
placed in the SketchUp\Plugins folder, since scripts in this numbered for reference. (Do not include these numbers in
folder are loaded automatically when SketchUp is your actual script!)
launched. Mac: the folder is in Contents\Resources\
Create a text file with the six lines below. This creates a 1. def line_from_to
routine, referred to in SketchUp as a method.
The first line assigns the name “line_from_to” to the 2. prompts = ["From X", "From Y",
method, and the last line tells SketchUp to end the "From Z", "To X", "To Y", "To Z"]
method.
3. values = [0.inch, 0.inch, 0.inch,
def line_from_to 10.inch, 0.inch, 0.inch]
from = [0, 10, 0] 4. results = inputbox prompts,
values, "Start and End Points"
to = [30,20,0]
5. fromx, fromy, fromz, tox, toy,
model = Sketchup.active_model toz = results
model.entities.add_line(from, 6. from = [fromx, fromy, fromz]
to)
7. to = [tox, toy, toz]
end
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Ruby Script
8. model = Sketchup.active_model Lines 6 and 7:

9. model.entities.add_line(from, from = [fromx, fromy, fromz]
to)
to = [tox, toy, toz]
10. end
Defines start point “from” and end point “to,” based on
Here are the explanations of the new lines of code: the input variables.
Line 1: Lines 8, 9, and 10:

def line_from_to model = Sketchup.active_model
Same as before, assigns a name to the method. model.entities.add_line(from,
to)
Line 2:
end
prompts = ["From X", "From Y",
Same as before - creates the line from the “from” point to
"From Z", "To X", "To Y", "To Z"] the “to” point.
Defines the names of the six values the user will be
prompted for. TIP: If you want to add text in your script that will not be read as
code, simply place a # symbol at the start of the line. This is
helpful when you want to add text to explain what the lines of
Line 3: code are for.
values = [0.inch, 0.inch, 0.inch,

10.inch, 0.inch, 0.inch] Now close and restart SketchUp once again and run
“line_from_to.” You now get a prompt window asking for
Defines initial, default values. It’s a good idea to include two sets of coordinates, which have default values.
units, because the inputbox method tries to return the
same kind of object that you give it. If the default values
are lengths, then it will parse your entries as lengths. This
means that if your units are set to metric, the script will
parse the entered values in the correct units. You can also
enter values in other units, like 10' 6" or 100cm .
Line 4:
results = inputbox prompts,
values, "Start and End Points"
Change the values as needed. . .
Creates the prompt window that will ask the user to define
the six values.
Line 5:
fromx, fromy, fromz, tox, toy,
toz = results
Assigns variable names to the six input values, in order of
input.
461
. . . and click OK to create your custom line. Close and restart once again, and now the tool appears in
the Draw menu:
If this is a tool you will use often, you probably don’t want
to run it each time via the Ruby console. Here is how you
can add the tool to one of the SketchUp menus for easy
access.
In the script file, add these three lines at the end (after the
last “end” line):
Here’s how the entire script file should look, with no
comment lines:
11. if( not
file_loaded?("linefromto.rb") )
12 UI.menu("Draw").add_item("Line
between two points") {
line_from_to }
13 end
Explanations:
Line 11:
Lines can be indented, and line spaces added, with no
if( not effect to the code itself.
file_loaded?("linefromto.rb") )
Checks to see that the file is already loaded so that it is
only added to the menu once.
Line 12:
UI.menu("Draw").add_item("Line
between two points") {
line_from_to }
Adds an item to the Draw menu called Line between two
points, that runs the line_from_to script.
Line 13:
end
462
Ruby Script
Using the Help Files to Create 5. radius, height = results

Code 6. center = [0, 0, 0]
Ruby Help can be accessed by selecting Help / Ruby
Help. This opens an *.htm file in your browser. (If this file (Line 6 sets the center of the base at the origin.)
does not open automatically, your web security settings
may be interfering. You can open this file manually by Next, we will draw the circle. We need to consult the Help
browsing to ...SketchUp 5\Ruby\Docs\index.html.) file for the syntax of the “add_circle” command. Open
As an example of another very simple script, we will Help / Ruby Help, scroll down, and click the link for
create a vertical cylinder. This involves three steps: SketchUp Ruby Method Index.
Creating a circle in the red-green plane, completing a face
within the circle, and Push/Pull’ing it up. The provided
Help files can tell you what the syntax should be for each
command.
Here is the complete script. When you create yours, name
it “cylinder.rb” and save it in the Plugins folder.
Explanations of each line follow:
Scroll to the “adds” and locate “add_circle.” Click

Entities.
Here is the syntax you need to provide in the code:
First, like in the “line_from_to” script, create a UI box that

asks for all the needed values. This method will be called
“vertical_cylinder.”
Remember, do not include the line numbers below in your
actual script.
1. def vertical_cylinder
You need to provide a center point, normal vector, radius,
2. prompts = ["Radius", "Height"] and, optionally, the number of circle segments. The input
box of this script doesn’t ask for the number of segments,
3. values = [10.inch, 2.feet] so the default value of 24 will be used.
4. results = inputbox prompts,
values, "Cylinder settings"
463
To get the syntax for a vector, this time go back to the

main page and consult the Ruby Class Index. Lines 8 and 9:
model = Sketchup.active_model
entities = model.entities
These two lines initialize what’s included in “model” and
“entities.”.
Line 10:
baseedges =
entities.add_circle(center, vec,
Click Vector 3D.
radius)
Creates the circle for the cylinder base based on the center
point, normal vector, and radius. The 24 edges created by
this command are grouped under the name “baseedges.”
Now we will create a face within the base circle edges.

Look up “add_face.” With the first option you can define
There are three ways you can create a new vector. We will an array of edges, which is what “basecircle” is.
use the second one, because we know the coordinates of
the vector parallel to the X, Y plane.
Continue the code:

7. vec = Geom::Vector3d.new(0, 0, 1) 11. baseface = entities.add_face
8. model = Sketchup.active_model baseedges
9. entities = model.entities Creates a face called “baseface” from the “baseedges”

edges.
10. baseedges =
entities.add_circle(center, vec,
radius) Now look up “pushpull.”
Explanations:
Line 7:
vec = Geom::Vector3d.new(0, 0, 1)
Creates a vector along to the Z axis - normal to the X-Y The “distance” value is what the user entered as “height.”
plane. The face is the one just created, called “baseface.”
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Ruby Script
12. baseface.pushpull height Provided Scripts

13. end SketchUp comes with several scripts already provided.
These are in the Plugins folder of the SketchUp
installation. There should be several scripts in this folder,
If you run the “vertical_cylinder” script now, it will work plus sub-folders named Examples and Utilities.
but the cylinder will be created downward. If you want it
upward, add the following line before the pushpull line
(before Line 12):
height = -height if
baseface.normal.dot(vec) < 0
Make sure the script file is in the Plugins folder, and run
the script in the Ruby console:
Type in the values, or leave the defaults:

This section describes the scripts that are included with
SketchUp. You can open a script in any word processing
program. Any line that starts with the # symbol is not read
as code - it provides explanatory information for the user.
If you are looking for a way to learn how to use Ruby in
SketchUp, it’s a good idea to look through these files. The
And get your vertical cylinder. scripts contain numerous comment lines to explain the
code lines. You can test your understanding by changing
some things around, and you can also use these files as a
base for new script files.
465
Ruby Script Examples Estimating

For these functions to be available on your UI, open File These tools come from the “attributes.rb” script found in
/ Preferences to the Extensions page. Check Ruby the Examples subfolder. These three tools are found on the
Script Examples. Plugins menu.
As an example, the following model uses two materials

and has one rectangular face with no assigned material.
Box
This function is from the “box.rb” script found in the
Examples subfolder. Box is found on the Draw menu.
Run this function - it enables you to create a box with Run Assign Estimate to Material to assign a unit cost to
specified lengths on all three sides. any material in the In Model tab of the Material browser.
To assign a unit cost to specific faces, regardless of

material, first select the face(s). Then run Assign
Estimate to Faces. In this case, only the 6’ x 10’ face was
selected.
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Ruby Script
To get the entire cost, run Compute Estimate. Animation

These tools come from the “animation.rb” script found in
the Examples subfolder. They are found on the Camera
menu.
This script creates two new functions, one for spinning the
model and one to stop spinning it.
The last section of the script is the code that assigns
Check the results: command names and places them in menus. By default,
Top face: area = 200 the Spin View and Stop Spinning commands are placed
cost = 200 x $1.20 = $240 in the Camera menu.
Side faces: area = 2(200) + 2(400) - 60 = 1140

cost = 1140 x $2.70 = 3,078
Inner face: area = 60

cost = 60 x $3.00 = $180
Total cost = $240 + $3,078 + $180 = $3,498
The bottom face has no material and was not assigned its
own cost, and therefore is not included in the cost
estimate.
If you make changes to any of the faces, simply re-run
Compute Estimate for the new cost.
467
Point at Center This file contains several scripts, three of which are placed
This tool comes from the “contextmenu.rb” script found by default in the Tools / Utilities menu.
in the Examples subfolder. It appears on the context
(right-click) menu when clicking on a circle, arc, or
polygon.
It enables you to add a construction point at the center of
an arc or circle. First, it checks whether the right-clicked
object is in fact a single arc. If it is, the item Point at
Center is added to the context menu.
Create Face
First select all edges that surround the face you want to
create. Then run the script, or select Tools / Utilities /
Create Face. As long as the edges form a closed loop and
are all on the same plane, the face will be created. This is
handy, for example, when you want to close the top of a
cylinder without redrawing one of the many circle
segments.
Utilities
For these functions to be available on your UI, open File
/ Preferences to the Extensions page. Check Utilities
Tools.
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Ruby Script
Query Tool You can also hover on a face to get the coordinate of the
Shows coordinates of points and screen positions, as well cursor, as well as the area of the face. For a curved face,
as lengths of selected edges and areas of selected faces. the area is calculated for individual segments, not the
You can access this tool via Tools / Utilities / Query Tool. entire face.
To use the tool, simply hover over a point, such as an
endpoint, midpoint, or center point, to get its coordinates.
Other Scripts
There are additional scripts in the Examples subfolder that
are not available directly from the UI. You can run these
by typing their names in the Ruby console. To load the
script itself, use this format (for the example linetool.rb):
load ‘Examples/linetool.rb’
TIP: If you place the script files in the Plugins folder, they will be
loaded automatically.
Then to run the actual method (or routine), type the

method name in the Ruby console:
linetool
linetool.rb
This file contains a class called linetool. To implement it,
you can type “linetool” in the Ruby console. With this
class active, SketchUp works as if the Line tool is active,
but you create construction lines instead of edges.
469
examples.rb do_select {|e|

This file contains explanations of what can be found in e.kind_of(Sketchup::Edge) &&
some of the other script files, as well as a few short e.layer.name == "Joe"}
examples of additional scripts:
Selects all edges on layer Joe.
setLayer(layerName): First, select objects you want to
move to another layer. Then use the syntax setLayer
"layername". If the layer you type does not exist, it will be select_by_layer: Brings up a window that lists all the
created. layers used in the model. Select the layer, click OK, and
all objects on that layer are selected.
totalArea: Calculates the total area of all faces in the
model.
perimeter: Calculates the perimeter of all selected faces.
Edges that are common to more than one face are only
counted once.
selection.rb
This file contains several scripts that enable you to select_by_material: Brings up a window that lists all the
manipulate selection sets. Type any of these script names materials used in the model. Select the material, click OK,
into the Ruby console to run them. and all objects on that layer are selected.
invert_selection: First select some entities, then run this
script. The selection set is inverted - all unselected entities
become selected, and vice-versa.
hide_rest: Hides everything that is not selected. This is
very handy if you want to display only a few selected
objects in a large model.
do_select: This script can be typed with expressions that
enable you to select objects with certain characteristics.
You can select by layer, by type, etc., and combine
sketchup.rb
variables to get even more specific. This file contains some general scripts that are often used
by other scripts.
do_select {|e| e.layer.name ==
"Joe"}
Selects all objects on layer Joe.
do_select {|e| e.layer.name ==
"Joe" || e.layer.name == "Bob"}
Selects all objects either on layer Joe or Bob.
do_select {|e| (e.layer.name =~
/W.*/) == 0}
Select objects on layers that start with the letter W.
do_select {|e|
e.kinf_of?(Sketchup::Edge)}
Selects all edges.
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Ruby Script
Where to Find More Ruby

Scripts
The first place to check for more scripts is SketchUp’s
website - www.sketchup.com. There is a link for
Downloads, and then a link for Ruby Scripts. At this
writing the library is small, but check back often, since
@Last intends to place a number of scripts here.
Also check the SketchUp User Forum
(www.sketchup.com/forum). Click the link to the Ruby
Forum, where users have posted their scripts for public
use. You’ll find scripts to create windows, spiral stairs,
helixes, fog - the possibilities (and scripts) are endless.
You don’t have to be a programmer, or even proficient at
SketchUp, to download and use these.
A simple web search for “sketchup ruby scripts” will
provide a few more places for script downloading. One is
http://amazone.crai.archi.fr//Ruby/RUBY_Li
brary_Depot.htm, and another is
www.ohyeahcad.com.
Scripts for Film and Stage

SketchUp has gained so much popularity within the
entertainment industry, particularly set and stage design,
so @Last has created Ruby scripts specifically for this
purpose. Go to www.sketchup.com, and go to the
Downloads page. Under Plugins, there is a download that
includes a series of Ruby scripts for enhanced camera
features.
Under component downloads, you can install a wealth of
cameras, dollies, props, etc.
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472
Index
Numerics Axes . . .70 Colorize . . .252
Aligning . . .71 Colors . . .444
2D components . . .277
Components . . .446 Faces . . .444
2D Graphic export . . .455
Displaying . . .70 Component axes . . .446
3D Model export . . .455
Moving . . .71 Component Browser . . .186
3DS Export . . .455
Resetting . . .71 Components . . .193
Using with dimensions . . .93 Aligning faces . . .393
A with Scale tool . . .68 Cutting faces . . .214
Acceleration . . .452 Axis colors . . .11 Materials of . . .260
Accelerator keys . . .452 Axis inference . . .7 Nested . . .220
Active Cut . . .306 Axis of Rotation . . .62 Settings . . .445
Active sections . . .315 Axonometric projection . . .444 Steel shapes . . .409
Add Detail . . .348 Using Follow Me . . .101
Add Folder . . .196 B Compute Estimate . . .467
Align Axes . . .71, . . .371 Connected Faces . . .35
Align to Dimension Line . . .88 Background color . . .445
Backup files . . .451 Breaking . . .180
Align View . . .303 Connecting windows . . .437
Aligning dimensions . . .83 Blue axis . . .9
Boolean functions . . .105 Construction lines . . .39, . . .43
Aligning faces . . .393 Continue line drawing . . .450
All Connected . . .35 Bounding Edges . . .35
Box . . .466 Convert to Polygon . . .24, . . .29, . . .30
Always face camera . . .277 Coordinates . . .353
Angle between normals . . .75 Box selecting . . .32
Breaking connections . . .180 Coplanar . . .77
Angled . . .43 Copy . . .49
Angles Brightness . . .238
Browser Exact dimensions . . .363
Measuring . . .43 Rotating . . .61
Animation . . .330, . . .455, . . .467 Components . . .186
Materials . . .237 Correct Reversed Picking Driver Bug . .
Anti-alias . . .456 .452
Apse . . .378 Bulge of an arc . . .361
Buttons . . .451 Cost estimates . . .466
Arc . . .25 Create Backup . . .451
Bulge . . .361 By axis . . .11
Axis edge color . . .442 Create Face . . .468
Exact dimensions . . .361 Create Group from Slice . . .303, . . .310
Finding center of . . .26, . . .377 Crosshairs . . .450
Tangent to edge . . .25 C Cube . . .400
Arc dimensions . . .84 CAD file import . . .457 Current window size . . .451
Architectural units . . .449 Camera . . .329 Curved objects . . .395
Area measurements . . .373 Capabilities . . .452 Curved walls
Area of all faces . . .470 Cascade . . .451 Windows . . .225
Assign Estimate to Faces . . .466 Center of a circle . . .20 Customizing
Assign Estimate to Material . . .466 Center of arc . . .26, . . .377 Shortcut keys . . .452
Associated dimensions . . .89, . . .447 Chamfer . . .20 Templates . . .454
Auto Detect . . .450 Change Axes . . .205 Toolbars . . .454
Auto Recovery . . .451 Changing . . .21 Cut Opening . . .194
Auto Save . . .451 Check model for problems . . .451 Cutting faces . . .214
AutoCAD file import . . .457 Circle . . .19 Nested components . . .220
Autofold . . .51 Dimensions . . .86 Cutting with Groups . . .182
Automatic Width . . .309 Exact dimensions . . .367
Automatically check model . . .451 Finding center of
Inferences
D
Center . . .20 Decimal units . . .450
Click style . . .450 Default components . . .188
Codec . . .456 Defined components . . .188
Color by Layer . . .317 Delta distance . . .354
Color Wheel . . .238 Dialog Boxes . . .437
473
Diameter dimensions . . .86 Export . . .455 Groups . . .179

Diameter prefix . . .87, . . .446 Exporting Cutting with . . .182
Dimensions . . .82 Animation . . .455 Materials of . . .257
Changing axes . . .93 Embedded image . . .457 Using Follow Me . . .99
Exact . . .353 Sections . . .308 GUI . . .3
Settings . . .446 Extension (edges) . . .441
Troubleshooting . . .447 Extensions . . .451 H
Display crosshairs . . .450 Extrude . . .15 Half circle . . .27
Display Section Cuts . . .302 Eye Height . . .321 Handles for dragging . . .66
Display units format . . .83, . . .450 Hardware Acceleration . . .452
Distance F Healing faces . . .10
Measuring . . .39 Face camera . . .277 Height Offset . . .325
Dividing faces . . .10 Face color . . .444 Hemisphere . . .103
Dodecahedron . . .407 Face highlight workaround . . .452 Hidden leaders . . .81
Domed apse . . .378 Faces Hidden line . . .439
Double inferences . . .8 Aligning . . .393 Hide rest . . .470
Double-click . . .35 Connected . . .180 Hide when foreshortened . . .84, . . .446
Drag handles . . .66 Dividing . . .10 Hide when too small . . .91, . . .446
Drape . . .341 Healing . . .10 Hiding edges . . .72
Draw notes and labels . . .78 Fade . . .445 Highlight non-associated dimensions . .
Drawing preferences . . .450 Fast Feedback . . .452 .89, . . .447
Drawing tools Faster . . .443 Horizontal on Screen . . .89
Arc . . .25 Field of View . . .321 Hotkeys . . .452
Circle . . .19 Field of view . . .5 HSB . . .238
Freehand . . .30 File preferences . . .451 HSL . . .238
Line . . .6 File settings . . .447 Hue . . .238
Polygon . . .19 Film industry . . .471 Hyperbolic parabola . . .384
Rectangle . . .11 Filter . . .214
DWG Export . . .455
DWG Import . . .457
Fix problems . . .448, . . .451 I
Flip Edge . . .349 Icons . . .451
DXF Export . . .455 Floor plans . . .309
DXF Import . . .457 Customizing . . .454
Focal length . . .5 Icosahedron . . .403
Dynamic rotate . . .4 Fog . . .387 Image
Follow Me . . .95 Exporting from SketchUp . . .457
E With components . . .101 Importing . . .457
Edge color by direction . . .11 With groups . . .99 Image export . . .455
Edge dimensions . . .84 Force Display of 0" . . .90, . . .450 Images for materials . . .240
Edit text . . .80 Foreshortened dimensions . . .84, . . .446 Import
Editing components . . .200 Format (units) . . .449 Insert . . .455
Enable length snapping . . .353, . . .450 Frame rate . . .456 Importing
Enable Page Transitions . . .330, . . .449 Freehand . . .30 3D model . . .457
Enable Transparency . . .443 With Shift key . . .31 Image . . .457
Endpoints . . .446 From contours . . .339 In Model
Engineering units . . .450 From Point inference . . .7 Materials . . .241
Entertainment industry . . .471 From scratch . . .335 Inaccurate dimensions . . .89
Equidistant . . .20 Include in slideshow . . .330
Erase . . .36 G
Estimates . . .466 Gluing plane . . .204
Exact dimensions . . .353 Golden section . . .14
Examples script . . .470 Graphic export . . .455
Expanded components . . .192 Ground . . .445
Expert . . .456 Transparency . . .445
Explode Curve . . .24, . . .28, . . .31
474
Index
Inferences Manual dimensions . . .89 Orbit . . .4, . . .8

Creating sections . . .385 Marquee selection . . .33 Orthographic section . . .308
Double . . .8 Match Screen Display . . .309 Outliner . . .206
From Point . . .7 Material display . . .439 Oval . . .66
Golden section . . .14 Materials Overriding dimensions . . .89
Locking . . .8 Applying . . .241
Midpoint . . .7 Browser . . .237 P
On Axis . . .7 Editing texture image . . .245 Page delay . . .330, . . .449
Parallel . . .8 Importing images . . .240 Page transitions . . .330, . . .449
Perpendicular . . .7 Of components . . .260 Pages . . .307
Square . . .14 Of groups . . .257 Pan . . .4
Tangent at vertex . . .25 Select by . . .470 Panes . . .437
Tangent to Edge . . .25 Transparency . . .249 Paraline mode . . .444
Inserting components . . .187 Measure tool . . .39 Parallel dimensions . . .85
Interior design . . .304 Measuring Parallel inference . . .8
Intersect with Model . . .105 Angles . . .43 Pencil . . .6
Invert selection . . .470 Length and area . . .373 Perimeter . . .470
Irregular objects . . .395 Midpoint inference . . .7 Perpendicular inference . . .7
Mirroring . . .229 Perspective mode . . .444
J Model Info . . .444 Phi . . .14
Jitter lines . . .442 Color . . .444 Picking Driver Bug . . .452
Joining windows . . .437 Components . . .445 Picture export . . .455
Dimensions . . .446 Point at Center . . .468
File . . .447
K Location . . .447
Point at center . . .22, . . .26
Keyboard shortcuts . . .452 Polygon . . .19
Section planes . . .448 Polyhedrons . . .400
Statistics . . .448 Polylines with Width . . .309
L Text . . .449 Position Camera . . .325
Labels and notes . . .78 Tourguide . . .449 Precision of units . . .450
Lathed forms . . .123 Units . . .449 Predefined components . . .188
Lathed objects . . .103 Move . . .46 Preferences . . .450
Layers Exact dimensions . . .363 Drawing . . .450
Select by . . .470 Move Camera . . .4 Extensions . . .451
Leader lines . . .446 Movie files . . .455 Files . . .451
Leaders . . .78 Moving axes . . .71 OpenGL . . .452
Length Multiple active sections . . .315 Shortcuts . . .452
Measuring . . .39, . . .373 My Textures . . .240 Templates . . .454
Length snapping . . .353, . . .450 Prefix for dimensions . . .87, . . .446
Line . . .6 N Problem dimensions . . .89
Dividing a face with . . .10 Nested components . . .192, . . .220 Profile objects . . .395
Exact dimensions . . .354 Nicer . . .443 Prompt . . .3
Exact slope . . .354 Non-associated dimensions . . .89, . . Protractor . . .43
Linetool script . . .469 .447 Exact dimensions . . .357
Location . . .447 Non-uniform scaling . . .66 Purge unused . . .244, . . .448
Locking components . . .211 Notes and labels . . .78 Push/Pull . . .15
Locking inferences . . .8 Exact dimensions . . .360
Look Around . . .4
Loop to starting page . . .456
O with Ctrl key . . .18
Octohedron . . .401 Pushpin leader . . .80, . . .449
Luminance . . .238
Offset . . .69
Exact values . . .364 Q
M On Axis . . .7 Quality . . .443
Make Component . . .194 Opacity . . .250 Query Tool . . .469
Manipulating the view . . .4 OpenGL preferences . . .452
475
R Select . . .32 Tape Measure . . .39

Select All Text . . .449 Templates . . .454
Radius . . .21
Select by layer . . .470 Tensile structure . . .384
Radius dimensions . . .84
Select by material . . .470 Terrain . . .335
Radius prefix . . .87, . . .446
Selection script . . .470 Terrian modeling . . .335
Raster image export . . .455
Semi circle . . .27 Tetrahedron . . .401
Recovery files . . .451
Set design . . .471 Text . . .78
Rectangle . . .11
Set gluing plane . . .204 Settings . . .449
Exact dimensions . . .356, . . .361
Shaded . . .439 Texture display . . .439
Vertical . . .13
Shaded with textures . . .439 Textures
Relative distance . . .354
Shadows . . .329, . . .331 See Materials
Reset axes . . .71
Shortcuts . . .452 Tilda symbol . . .89
Resize . . .65
Show component axes . . .446 TIN . . .335
Reverse Faces . . .445
Show ground from below . . .445 TIN surfaces . . .335
Reverse section . . .303
Show nested components . . .448 Toggle Section Plane Display . . .302
Reversed Picking Driver Bug . . .452
Show Radius/Diam Prefix . . .87, . . .446 Tool buttons . . .451
Revolved objects . . .103
Sketching . . .30 Tool palettes . . .454
RGB . . .238
Sky . . .445 Toolbars, customizing . . .454
Rotate . . .4, . . .57
Slideshow . . .308, . . .330 Topography . . .335
Defining axis . . .62
Slope of a line . . .354 Total area . . .470
Exact values . . .368
Small dimensions . . .91, . . .446 Tour guide . . .330
Twist . . .65
Smoothing edges . . .72 Tour Guide settings . . .330
Round objects . . .103
Smoove . . .336 Tourguide . . .449
Ruby console . . .459
Snapping . . .353, . . .450 Transitions . . .330, . . .449
Ruby script examples . . .466
Snapping windows . . .437 Transparency . . .443
Soften . . .75 Ground . . .445
S Soften coplanar . . .77 Transparent materials . . .249
Saddle shape . . .384 Sorting . . .443 Triple-click . . .35
Sandbox . . .335 Specify Section Line Width . . .309 Troubleshooting
Drape . . .341 Spectrum . . .238 Dimensions . . .447
From contours . . .339 Sphere . . .103 True Section . . .308
Stamp . . .341 Spin View . . .467 Turn . . .4
Saturation . . .238 Spiral staircase . . .388 Twisting . . .65
Save Backup File . . .451 Square . . .14
Save current window size . . .451 Square inference . . .14 U
Saving automatically . . .451 Stacking windows . . .437
Scale . . .65 Unblank . . .74
Stage design . . .471 Unglue . . .458
3D exact values . . .376 Staircase . . .388
Changing axes . . .68 Unhide . . .74
Stamp . . .341 Uniform scaling . . .66
Exact values . . .362 Statistics . . .448
Screen . . .3 Units . . .353, . . .449
Status Bar . . .3 Unlocking components . . .211
Screen Projection . . .308 Steel shapes . . .409
Section Line Width . . .309 Unsoften . . .77
Stickiness of faces . . .180 Update selected text . . .449
Section Plane . . .301 Sticky windows . . .437
Section plane Use face highlight workaround . . .452
Stop Spinning . . .467 Use Fast Feedback . . .452
Reverse . . .303 Structural design . . .409
Section plane settings . . .448 Use Hardware Acceleration . . .452
Suffix for dimensions . . .87 Use large tool buttons . . .451
Section planes . . .301 Suppress Units Display . . .83
Align View . . .303 Use sun for shading . . .331
Survey . . .452 User Interface . . .3
Interior design . . .304
Simultaneous . . .315 Utilities . . .468
T
Sections
Exporting . . .308 Table leg . . .123
Using inferences . . .385 Tangent arcs . . .25
476
Index
V
Value control box . . .3
VCB . . .3
Vertical axis . . .9
Video . . .455
View-based leader . . .78, . . .449
Viewing tools . . .4
VRML Export . . .455
W
Walk . . .4
Wide Line Entities . . .309
Window selection . . .32, . . .33
Window size . . .451
Window zoom . . .5
Windows . . .193
Cutting faces . . .214
in curved walls . . .225
Wireframe . . .439
WRL Export . . .455
WYSIWYG projection . . .308
X
X-Ray . . .440
Z
Zero inch display . . .450
Zoom . . .5
Zoom Extents . . .5
Zoom window . . .5
477
478
For questions, comments, and
information on updates,
contact Bonnie Roskes
202-243-1046
[email protected]
For information on more books

by Bonnie Roskes, see
www.f1help.biz
Published by:
Conceptual Product Development, Inc.
www.docwalt.com
973-364-1120


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the SketchUp® Book

By Bonnie Roskes, P.E.

A collection of exercises, tips and tricks that

* * * Printed from PDF version. Not for external distribution.* * *

Manufactured in the United States of America

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

Cover design by Bob deWitt.

* * * Printed from PDF version. Not for external distribution.* * *

Chapter 2: The Basics

Chapter 3: Intersect and Follow Me

Chapter 4: Making Multiple Copies

Chapter 5: Working with Roofs

Chapter 6: Groups and Components

Introduction to Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186

Chapter 7: Painting, Materials, and Textures

Alpha Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296

Chapter 10: Sandbox Tools

Chapter 11: Using Exact Dimensions

Chapter 12: Tips and Tricks

Domed Apse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Chapter 13: In-Depth Exercises

Chapter 14: Program Settings

Model Info > Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .448

Chapter 15: Ruby Script

Value Control Box (VCB): This box is used either to

Viewing Tools Pan (Mac: Move Camera) (Camera / Pan)

Shifts the center of the model (up, down, left, right),

SketchUp has five standard orthographic views (Top,

Walk (Camera / Walk)

Also known as dynamic rotation, this tool simulates

Zoom (Camera / Zoom) Zoom Extents (Camera / Zoom Extents)

In this tool you simply click two points to define a

Drawing Tools 3. We want to enable both methods, so click Auto

Mac: You can add this icon to your toolbar via

2. To control the way lines are drawn, open the

NOTE: Model Info is one of SketchUp’s stacking windows,

Three setting here affect line creation:

11. Because you selected Continue line drawing, you

12. The next endpoint is to be located directly above the

16. Draw the next line in the green direction.

23. Draw one more line to complete the face.

21. Similarly, press Shift when the next line is

26. If it’s not already active, activate Line, and draw a

31. Hover over any point on the edge shown . . .

27. To draw a rectangular vertical face, hover over the

32. . . . move the cursor until the Parallel inference

33. Complete the face.

29. Draw the third line to complete the face.

39. Erase one of the top edges. Because it no longer has

40. Recreate the face by simply replacing the line.

37. Click either face to see it highlighted.

44. Now open the Display Settings (Window / Display

2. Draw a rectangle by clicking the two opposite points,

NOTE: Display Settings is one of SketchUp’s stacking

4. So far the rectangles have been parallel to the red and

7. Because the axis display can be distracting, turn it off

6. For the green axis direction, click any point above

9. With Shift pressed, click Point 3. You have now used

12. Pull up in the blue direction and click to create the