Setup Toolbars

To begin you will want to have the interface setup to allow easy workflow. The large toolset will display all of the basic tools in a palette.

Setup Inference

Sketchup allows quick and easy creation of geometry by utilizing inferences. This means that the cursor will ‘snap’ to nearby points that relate to exist-ing geometry or coordinate systems. Red, Green, and Blue lines represent the X,Y, and Z axis. actions will lock into these axis if they are close by and turn red, green, or blue to correspond.

Setup

Sketchup also infers from existing geometry. By hovering over a point you can reference the position along any of the three axis. In the example above hovering over the corner of the rectangle allows the length to be quickly transferred to the line.

Inference

Setup Navigating

Navigating in Sketchup is done by orbiting around a point, paning across a view, and zooming in and out. These can be found in the large toolset or you can easily: zoom by rotating the scroll wheel on your mouse, orbit by pressing down on the scroll wheel and moving your mouse, and by pressing down the scroll wheel and “shift“ to pan.

Drawing Basic Tools

There are a variety of primary shapes in the toolset that can be used to draw in two dimensions in the model space. The geometry can be drawn in each of the three primary planes defined by the colored axis depending on the view you are in. These can be used to create more complex 3D forms.

Drawing Basic Tools

Also useful when drawing are the measuring tape and eraser tools. Measuring tape can be used for construction lines, to measure geometry without making actual lines. The eraser can be useful in trimming and removing lines.

Drawing Methods

In addition to inferencing by referring to existing geometry, you can also precisely measure forms by typing in the length as in 2’ or 24” or 2’,2’ The measurements will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen.

Drawing Importing

You can also import 2D drawing into sketchup for further manipulation in 3D. This can be useful for importing site plans to do a site model or to ex-plore 2D design iterations in 3D. This is done by selecting import from the file menu.

Drawing Importing

Select .DWG as the file type to import CAD drawings.

Manipulating Geometry Push Pull

From your 2D drawings you can easy create 3D forms by using the push pull tool. This extrudes whatever form you select to a set length.

Manipulating Geometry Move

You can also manipulate forms by using the move tool. You can move points or planes depending on where you move the cursor to distort forms. By selecting whole objects you can move them without distortion.

Organization Groups

It is important to organize your geometry to keep your file orderly when it becomes more complex. This is done with groups (unlike layers which is used in most other programs). First open up the groups organizer, which is called the outliner.

Organization Groups

Geometry can then be selected to be grouped. Right click on your selected geometry and select make group. The new group will then appear in the outliner (right click on the new group in the outliner to rename). Each group can be moved and edited as a whole, or you can double click on the group to edit its components.

Exporting work Views

Before you considering exporting your work you must consider the perspective or drawing system that you are presenting your work in. Sketchup al-lows viewing of the model space in both perspective or parallel projection. In parallel projection all lines on the same axis appear parallel and have a scalar relationship. This projection corresponds to an axonometric projection and should be used in the same way that you would use a axonometric drawing.

Exporting work Views

Sketchup also has a panel for basic orthographic views and isometric view. These will only truly be orthographic or isometric in parallel projection mode. Go into the views menu, toolbars, and select views.

Exporting work Scenes

When exporting your work it is also helpful to save specific views. This keeps your work organized and allows consistency over the development of your project. This is done in sketchup with scenes. Open the scenes panel from the window menu. After deciding upon the view of your model that you would like to present click on the plus button in the scenes menu. This will save that specific view.

Exporting work Scenes

You can return to this specific view by double clicking on the view tab that has been created.

Exporting work File Type

The final step for presenting your work is exporting your view. You can export the actual scene as it appears in sketchup in .jpeg or .pdf. It is often best to export simple line work in .DWG format though. This allows you to control the stylistic appearance of your work and focus on what you would like to represent by further editing of the line work in other programs or by hand. Export a scene by selecting file, export, 2d graphic. Select .DWG under file type.