Sketchup pro 2019 manual pdf free

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

If you’re not sure you need Pro, just check out the video below. Super easy. SketchUp Pro Costs. SketchUp Pro Hardware Recommendations.

CPU: 2. Make sure it’s 3D class and supports: hardware acceleration OpenGL 3. What about SketchUp Shop? SketchUp Shop Costs. SketchUp Shop Hardware Requirements. Minimum Recommended 2. What about SketchUp Free? For a professional, that would be a mistake. What about SketchUp Make? Still not sure which version is right for you? Chapter 3. Want to avoid struggling needlessly? Unfortunately, this is an exaggeration. This chapter will help you invest wisely.

Watch This First! Watch it, and your future self will thank you. Now, let’s talk about how to master the fundamentals.

Before we do that, we want to share a story that one of our former students, a Residential Architect named Tom, told us before he took a class with us: Everybody told me that SketchUp was easy to learn. So I downloaded it, and immediately tried to model my own house. And I was doing pretty well at first. And I couldn’t do it. It was a total disaster. Chapter 4. Planning to use SketchUp professionally?

You’re going to need to know about some of SketchUp’s more advanced features. This chapter can help. We’ve created high-level summaries for every feature professionals use to get the job done.

Click on a feature to jump down the page and read about it. This helps you do things like: Bring-in a site plan or a floor plan and build your SketchUp model right on top of it.

Image Files. What does that mean? Visualize exactly where the Sunlight and Shadows will be Beyond knowing how your 3D model will situate into the environment around it, it can be important to know what will be in sunlight or in shadows for a given date and time.

No problem: You can create shadow studies that animate the path of the shadows from morning to evening. Style your 3D Model for Presentations You probably have an app on your phone that comes with photo filters, where it takes just a single tap to give your picture a whole new look and feel.

Want to present your 3D model as more of a conceptual sketch? No problem. Or maybe you need to generate a more technical looking drawing?

So you can go from your bare 3D model,. Landscape designers can find trees, grasses and bushes. Urban planners can find buildings and city blocks. And construction industry professionals can find 3D construction detail models. Export your SketchUp Model to use in another Application One of the things that makes SketchUp so popular is that it works well with other tools you or your colleagues are already using.

And then use them to overlay site elements. Clearly the Sandbox tools were made with Landscape Designers in mind. Take a cube for example:. But if it is missing a side,. For example: You can use one solid to cut another to create accurate joinery. Work with smart, Dynamic Components that change size, color and more In SketchUp, objects that you might use more than once, in the same 3D model or in a future project, are typically turned into Components.

Take a cabinet for example:. Unless the cabinet was made as a Dynamic Component It gets better: You also can program behaviors that tell the doors to swing open or the drawers to open when clicked.

But the cabinet is just one example. There are just a couple things to understand about Dynamic Components: 1 You can use Dynamic Components someone else created Many people and companies have uploaded their Dynamic Component models to the 3D Warehouse. Then click the switch next to Dynamic Components. And download the one you like. But what kind of camera? And where exactly is it located?

If these questions are important to you, then you need the Advanced Camera Tools. And then design-in your set elements! Can you tell what it is? These features allow you to label objects with information about what they are. Interior Designers can use these features to create product and materials schedules.

Contractors can use them for creating estimates and job quotes. Woodworkers can use them to general a materials list.

Civil Engineers can perform quantity takeoffs. And the list goes on. There are a few ways to input data: 1 Add data to Components via Advanced Attributes. But what if you have another classification system, or schema, in mind? After adding data, create your report When you’ve finished adding data to your SketchUp model, you can create a report template and generate a.

The SketchUp Viewer app is available for three different devices: 1 Desktop app free Email your model to a client who has the SketchUp Viewer app installed and they can navigate around your design on their own time. That means you can write lines of Ruby code that program SketchUp to do things.

What kind of things? Well, there are three general types of problems the Ruby API can help you solve: 1 Automate repetitive tasks For starters, you can program SketchUp to automate the kinds of tasks where you find yourself clicking hundreds of times in a fairly repeatable pattern. But these are just a few examples. You are only limited by your imagination. You’re done with Part 1! Ready to dive a little deeper? Check out Part 2 below Chapter 5. An extension helps you turn a less realistic looking 3D model like this….

Want to learn how to render your SketchUp models? We made a video that gives a solid introduction:. Which rendering extension is right for you? It covers an important step that people often miss Watch it and you’ll learn 5 things to do in this step to avoid getting underwhelming results. Chapter 6. Are you already using SketchUp? SketchUp Pro makes that kind of stuff a breeze. Is LayOut the right tool for you?

Learn various skills, deep dive into specific tools, and learn specialized workflows to enhance your 3D modeling experience.

This is the most common format for construction professions to share ideas and plans, as it is not easy to carry around a computer where ever you go, to show people your model. LayOut also allows you to arrange the perspective view of you model in a way that helps you communicate different features.

There are many note taking tools, including shape tools, text boxes, dimensions, and some commonly used architectural stamps. But it is packed with a bunch of tools that will make your models look great on paper. SketchUp is a great tool for creating 3D models to be printed on your 3D printer, or uploaded to 3D printing company to have your model shipped to your door.

SketchUp can be enhanced by installing 3rd party extensions. These tutorials will review SketchUp extensions I’ve found helpful, and show you how to use them. Membership is optional, and is not required to view most of the tutorials and videos on our website. Membership is completely free, and no credit card is required. In order to enroll in this course, you first have to create a free MasterSketchUp account. Already have an account? Log in first , then sign up for this course.

Tutorial Index Jump to the section of interest by clicking one of the links below, or simply scroll down to browse manually. Sketchup Podium. Sketchup Models. Sketchup Style Builder. Sketchup Tutorial. Sketchup Videos. Sketchup Articles. Google Sketchup Pro 7.

Graphic Card for Sketchup. When you’ve finished adding data to your SketchUp model, you can create a report template and generate a. It will contain all of the information you added, plus other things SketchUp already knows about your model such as quantity, length, volume and more.

If they have the SketchUp Viewer app , they can take the controls and orbit around, walk through or fly over your model anyway they like. Email your model to a client who has the SketchUp Viewer app installed and they can navigate around your design on their own time.

If you own the Hololens device , you can purchase the SketchUp Viewer app for Hololens and use them together to step into an Augmented Reality AR version of your SketchUp model and walk through it at scale. As you can probably tell by now, SketchUp is a very powerful tool that can do a number of amazing things.

For starters, you can program SketchUp to automate the kinds of tasks where you find yourself clicking hundreds of times in a fairly repeatable pattern. For example, a project might require you to Push Pull thousands of shapes to various, specific sizes. A little bit of Ruby code could save a ton of time. For example, an contractor might want to program SketchUp to push bill of materials information into another project management software.

Finally, you can write Ruby code to help you produce “computational geometry” or 3D shapes and patterns that are nearly impossible to create by hand. For example, an Architect might want to create and use mathmatecally derived patterns in their design. Rather than figure out how to create these types of complex patterns by hand, it’s far easier to write Ruby code that uses math functions to automatically create perfect patterns. If writing custom Ruby scripts is your kinda thing, be sure to take a look at the SketchUp Ruby API documentation and this list of helpful learning resources.

This chapter will give you a clear idea of how rendering in SketchUp works, will help you choose the right rendering extension, and includes some helpful advice about an important step in the rendering process that people often miss.

After you watch the video, you’ll be ready to give rendering a try but you’ll be faced with a challenging decision. To start, you have 30 different extensions to choose from. But since you’re just getting started with rendering, you won’t know which features are important. And to top it off, you won’t be able to easily evaluate the kinds of factors that will make a big differences to you. Like how easy an extension is to learn So how do you choose?!?

Once you’ve figured out which extension you’re going to use, you’ll be ready to give rendering a try. We created a free SketchUp tutorial that you should watch before you start rendering. We talk specifically about V-Ray for SketchUp in the video but it applies to all rendering extensions. Watch it and you’ll learn 5 things to do in this step to avoid getting underwhelming results. As you set out to learn your rendering extension, I want to share what our students say they wished they knew when they first learned how to render:.

Be careful not to make the mistake of heading down the wrong path and trying to learn everything on your own. Watching free tutorials on YouTube and elsewhere will make you feel like you know how to use your extension’s tools and features. And you won’t find tutorials for every unique issue you run into. Worse, you end up wasting a ton of time watching videos only to find that you are still struggling.

You need to take a well-structured class with a curriculum that not only gives you a comprehensive introduction to your extension but also teaches you how to apply that knowledge when you are on a deadline on a real world project.

Good news: For several rendering extensions, we have courses that do exactly that! They are all in our Video Course Library, along with other courses on professional topics.

If you need to create design presentations or construction documents, you’re going to want to use LayOut. It has all of the features you need to get the job done and its tight integration with SketchUp will save you A TON of time.

This chapter will give you a quick overview of how SketchUp Pro and LayOut work together to make your life easier, and help you figure out if LayOut can do what you need it to do.

While still in SketchUp, you set-up the exact views of your model that you need to document, and you save those views as Scenes. You can set-up as many Viewports as you need, making sure to set each to show one of the Scenes you set in SketchUp. And while you’re at it, you set the Scale of your floor plan and elevation Viewports too.

Whether you need to produce simple 2D plans and drawings, or a full set of detailed construction documents, LayOut has all the tools you need to get the job done.

And, for many of you, there are extensions you can use that will make your workflow even easier. Have a conversation with us. We can also let you know if there are extensions that you may want to take a look at. There are 7 features you need to master in SketchUp first to be successful in LayOut later:. Once you know the ins and outs of these key features, you’ll be ready to take LayOut out for a test-drive. But, also like SketchUp, as soon as you try to use LayOut on a real project you’ll discover that doing things the wrong way sends you down a path you’ll wish you had avoided.

You need to take a well-structured class with a curriculum designed to give you a comprehensive introduction. It’s in our Video Course Library, along with a number of other courses on professional topics. We’ve just broken it down into bite-sized video tutorials that provide a more convenient and economical way for professionals to take the class.

Professionals use SketchUp’s reporting tools to create estimates, takeoffs as well as all sorts of other reports. And we’ll also show you some popular extensions that can make your job easier and save you a ton of time. What it has are general purpose reporting tools that you have to know how to use to be able to get what you want.

And it even knows the material that has been applied to the surfaces – plywood in this case. For one, when you make an object a Component you have the option to add a name and open the Advanced Attributes to specify things like price or an associated website URL. And then you can set-up your own custom report type to generate a new report that pulls all the new information about your sheet of plywood. SketchUp may not have a Bill of Materials tool, or tools for other specific report types.

But often you’ll find an extension that will have the more specific tools and features you need. Have a conversation with us! This chapter will help you figure out if SketchUp is the right tool for the kinds of models you need to 3D print. You’ll also gain a high level understanding of how to create 3D printable models in SketchUp. Let’s start by saying that SketchUp can be used to successfully create nearly any type of 3D printable model you might need.

However, it is not the very best tool to use when you need super precise curvature or perhaps more mechanical, functional real-world objects. You can use SketchUp to create curvy or organic looking 3D models to be 3D printed.

And they can turn out nicely. But if you need mathematical precision and accuracy to those curves, perhaps a tool like Blender, Rhino or 3DS Max would be a better choice. Similarly, you can use SketchUp to design 3D models of more mechanical, functional things to be 3D printed.

And they can turn out nicely as well. But if you’re an engineer, perhaps a tool like Inventor or SolidWorks would be better for the task. So long as you’re aware of SketchUp’s limitations in the more advanced scenarios above, you can be confident that SketchUp is a great choice when you’re just getting started with 3D printing.

And for many, even as they become experienced 3D printers, SketchUp can continue be the right tool for all of their needs. The key is to learn the fundamentals for how to use SketchUp to create models that can be 3D printed. You’ll run into all sorts of trouble later if you don’t invest some time learning the right way to use the basic tools and features up front. And second: You need to make sure you know the design requirements for the 3D printer or 3D printing service you’ll be using.

With those things covered, there are a few rules to keep in mind for designing a 3D printable model in SketchUp:. Most objects you design to be 3D printed will be somewhat small, as most printers have a limit to how large an object they can print. In SketchUp, when you design small things, it can be easy to create issues that prevent your model from being 3D printable.

Simply create your model at a larger scale – say x or x the size it should be – and then scale it down by the same factor at the end. To continue with the example, once you’ve built your watertight cube, you should make it into a Group or Component. It’s now a 3D printable solid model. You can be sure by checking the Entity Info dialog for “Solid”. Of course, your model may need to have a hole or opening in it. Along the way, make sure that all of your white surfaces are facing out and your blue surfaces are facing in.

There are a number of extensions that can help you either create the shape you want, or help you turn that shape into a 3D printable solid. If you need help finding the right extension for your specific situation, let us know and we’ll gladly help. Once you’ve created a 3D printable solid model in SketchUp, you can either print it on your own printer or use a 3rd party 3D printing service. In this chapter, we’ll show you how SketchUp fits into your existing CNC fabrication workflow, including how to export to a file format you can use to create your router’s toolpaths.

This will allow you to build an accurate, organized SketchUp model that will make or break your success later.

Also, it may be necessary to add extensions that help you design and prepare your model specifically with CNC fabrication in mind. Once you have a sound SketchUp model, you’ll need to export a file that can be imported into your CAM program.

If you need a. Then of course, you’ll bring the exported file into your CAM program, clean-up or tweak things as needed, generate your CNC control program and ultimately use it to run your machine. Of course, the details of the entire process depend quite a bit on what you want to make and the types of CAM software and CNC router you are using.

 
 

 

SketchUp User Guide – Pro – SketchUp Community

 

Title Bar The title bar at the top of SketchUp contains the standard Microsoft Windows controls close, minimize, and maximize on the right, and the name of the currently opened file. A blank drawing area appears when you start SketchUp and the name of the currently opened file is “Untitled” in the title bar, indicating that you have not yet saved your work.

Menus Menus appear below the title bar. The majority of SketchUp tools, commands, and settings are available within these menus. Drawing Area The drawing area is where you create your model. The 3D space of the drawing area is identified visually by the drawing axes. Status Bar The status bar is the long gray rectangular area at the bottom of the drawing area. The left side of the status bar displays tips for the currently used drawing tools, including special functions accessible using keyboard shortcuts.

Watch the status bar to discover advanced capabilities of each of the SketchUp tools. Note – Use the resize handle to make the drawing area larger so you can see the entire message in the status bar. The VCB displays dimensional information while you draw. You can also enter values into the VCB to manipulate currently selected entities, such as creating elements of a specific dimension. Detailed information on the VCB values accepted for each tool appears in the Drawing Tools and Modification Tools sections of this user’s guide.

The VCB is always awaiting input from your keyboard. SketchUp will convert the value to the default system. For example, you can type in 3′ 6″ even if you are using metric system as your default. Units are set within the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box. Scene Tabs Click on a scene tab to switch between the scenes in your file. Scene Tabs are created for each scene as each scene is created using the Scene Manager.

Context-click on a scene tab to access its context menu. Add The Add menu item is used to add a new scene to the current file. Update The Update menu item is used to update a scene if you have made changes to the scene. Delete The Delete menu item is used to delete the currently selected scene.

Play Animation The Play Animation menu item starts an animation. See the Scenes and Animations topic for further information.

New The New menu item is used to close the current document and create a blank drawing area to begin a new SketchUp model. You will be prompted to save your changes if you have not saved changes to the current model before selecting the New menu item. Open Use the Open menu item to launch the Open dialog box, allowing you to open a previously saved SketchUp file. You will be prompted to save your changes if an unsaved model is already open because only one file can be open at a time.

You likely will not notice anything different in your model, except that it will perform better, after these problems are fixed. SketchUp checks all files for problems when they are opened and saved if the Automatically check models for problems check box is checked in the General Panel of the Application Preferences.

SketchUp displays a dialog box allowing you to fix problems if they are found. This dialog box has three options: Always fix my models, Fix it now, and Fix it later. Google recommends you click on the Always fix my models button in this dialog box to fix the problem.

This button also checks the Automatically fix problems when they are found checkbox in the General Panel of the Application Preferences. This preferences option causes SketchUp to automatically fix problems without user intervention. Refer to the Automatically fix problems when they are found option for further information. SketchUp will check your model for unrecoverable errors during the open, preventing the overwriting of a good auto-save file. Sketchup will display a dialog box in the rare case that unrecoverable errors are found in your model.

This dialog box contain the option to quit SketchUp and send a report. Google recommends you click on the quit SketchUp and send report button to terminate SketchUp and preserve your previously valid auto-save file. This report contains valuable information regarding the unrecoverable errors. Save Use the Save menu item to save the currently active SketchUp model to your file system.

When you close an unsaved document, or attempt to quit SketchUp with unsaved open documents, SketchUp will prompt you to save your work before continuing. The Create Backup option can help preserve your data in the event of an accidental removal of a. Tip – It is good to save often. You can have SketchUp automatically save for you at a specific time increment by enabling the Auto-save option within the General panel of the Preferences dialog box.

Problem Detection Minor problems can occur with your model given the infinite flexibility that SketchUp provides when designing in 3D. SketchUp will check your model for unrecoverable errors during the save, preventing the overwriting of a good auto-save file. You can use this dialog box to save the current drawing as a new document.

This file can be assigned a new name, a new location, and a previous version of SketchUp. The new file will becomes the current file in the drawing window. SketchUp will check your model for unrecoverable errors during the save as, preventing the overwriting of a good auto-save file. Sketchup will display a dialog box in the rare case that This menu item does not overwrite or close the current file and is useful for saving incremental copies or tentative schemes of your work.

SketchUp will check your model for unrecoverable errors during the save a copy as, preventing the overwriting of a good auto-save file. Revert Use the Revert menu item to revert your current document to its last saved state. Export Use the Export submenu to access SketchUp’s export functionality, which is useful for sharing your work with other people or exporting your drawings for use in other applications.

Further file formats are available for export using Google SketchUp Pro. This option makes it easy to send your SketchUp files to a plotter, quickly integrate them into construction documentation, or further modify your models using vector-based illustration software. Note that vector output formats may not support certain display options, such as shadows, transparency, and textures. Animation Use the Animation menu item to export a pre-rendered animation file containing the scene sequence you have created.

This option makes it easy to archive your animations to CD or DVD and to create smooth animations of complex models. Import Use the Import menu to import information from other files into your SketchUp drawings. Print Setup Use the Print Setup menu item to access to the print setup dialog box.

This dialog box is used to select and configure printer and scene properties for printing. Print Preview Use the Print Preview menu item to preview your model as it will appear on paper using the print setup settings.

Print The Print menu item opens the standard Print dialog box. This dialog box enables you to print the current model in SketchUp’s drawing area to the currently selected printer. Select a file from this list to open the file. Exit The Exit menu item closes the current file and the SketchUp application window. SketchUp will notify you to save your file if it has not been saved since the last change. These menu items include those for creating and editing groups and components, visibility operations, and standard cut, copy, paste commands.

Undo Use the Undo menu item to undo the last drawing or editing commands performed. SketchUp allows you to undo all operations you have performed, one at a time, to the state at which you saved your file. The number of possible sequential Undo commands is limited to steps. Use the Previous menu item under the Camera menu to undo a point of view change. Redo The Redo menu item returns the last undo to its previous state. The contents of the clipboard can then be inserted back into any open SketchUp document by using the Paste menu item.

Contents of the clipboard will remain on the clipboard until replaced with other content using an additional Cut or a Copy command. Contents of the clipboard will remain on the clipboard until replaced with other content using an additional Cut or a Copy operation. The pasted geometry will be attached to and placed by the point of the cursor, allowing you to position the new geometry when it is pasted.

Delete Use the Delete menu item to remove the currently selected entities from your model. Select All Use the Select All menu item to select all selectable entities in the model. Hidden entities, any items on a hidden layer, or geometry that is clipped away using a section plane cannot be selected with the Select All menu item. Hiding geometry can help simplify your current view, or enable viewing and working inside tight areas.

Unhide The Unhide submenu contains options for unhiding hidden entities. Selected The Selcted menu item unhides any selected hidden object. Last The Last menu item unhides the last entities hidden with the Hide command. All The All menu item unhides all hidden entities in your current document.

Lock The Lock menu item is used to lock any component or group that you do not wanted to be able to be moved or edited. Unlock The Unlock submenu contains options for unlocking components and groups.

Selected Use the Selected menu item to unlock all components and groups in a selection set. Make Component Use the Make Component menu item to create a component entity from the selected entities.

Intersect The Intersect sub-menu contains menu items for intersecting geometry with other geometry. Use the Intersect with Model menu item to intersect all entities overlapping with the currently selected entity such as a box component and a tube component.

Keyboard Shortcut: I Intersect With Context Select the Intersect With Context menu item to intersect two entities within the current context excluding all entities outside of the context. Entity Commands Sub-Menu The Entity Commands sub-menu contains all of the commands available to manipulate the currently selected entity which are the same as the commands found in the entity’s context menu.

The sub-menu’s name and contents will change depending on the entity that you have selected. Note – Items in the View menu alter the display of entities. Items in the Camera menu alter your point of view. Toolbars The Toolbars submenu contains all of the toolbars. The Large Buttons menu item toggles large toolbar buttons on and off. This option can enhance usability on tablets or low-resolution displays.

Scene Tabs The Scene Tabs command toggles the display of scene tabs. See the Scene Manager topic for further information. Hidden Geometry Use the Hidden Geometry menu item to display hidden geometry or entities that have been hidden using the Hide menu item or context command.

The Hidden Geometry menu item displays hidden faces with a light cross-hatch pattern edges are displayed dashed , enabling you to select the geometry. Once selected, hidden geometry can be made visible with the Unhide and Unhide All menu items. Section Planes The Section Planes menu item toggles the display section plane entities. Section Cuts The Section Cuts menu item toggles the display of any section cut effects. Axes The Axes menu item toggles the display of the drawing axes. Guides The Guides menu item toggles the display of guide line entities and guide point entities.

Shadows The Shadows menu item activates shadows. Fog The Fog menu item activates fog. Refer to the Fog Dialog Box for information on configuring fog settings. Edge Style The Edge Style submenu contains options to activate edge styles.

The edge styles are Profiles, Depth Cue, and Extension. Refer to the Styles topic for further information. See the Styles topic for further information. Component Edit The Component Edit submenu contains commands to alter the display of other entities when editing components. Hide Similar Components Use the Hide Similar Components menu item to toggle the display of similar components when editing a component. Animation The Animation submenu contains several menu items related to scenes and animations.

Add Scene Use the Add Scene menu item to add a new scene to the current file. Update Scene Use the Update Scene menu item to update a scene if you have made changes to the scene Delete Scene Use the Delete Scene menu item to delete a scene from the current model. Previous Scene Use the Previous Scene menu item to transition to the previous scene.

Next Scene The Next Scene menu item is used to transition to the next scene. Play The Play menu item starts an animation. Previous Use the Previous menu item to back up to the previous saved point of view. Point of view are saved automatically when the camera is moved in SketchUp. Next Use the Next menu item to advance to the next saved point of view. Selecting any of these model views will immediately set your active drawing window to that view.

Parallel Projection Select the Parallel Projection menu item to enter a paraline projection. Note – SketchUp must be in paraline mode to print to scale. Be aware that faces and edges that are parallel to the view plane will be measurable. Perspective Select the the Perspective menu item to enter a perspective projection. Two-Point Perspective A two-point perspective is a common drawing technique in which all verticals lines in the model will appear straight.

Use the Two-Point Perspective menu item to achieve a 2-point perspective view of your model. You will be placed in the Pan Tool to pan around your model. Caution – Orbiting will move a model out of 2-point perspective. Refer to the Match New Photo section in this user’s guide for further information.

Orbit The Orbit menu item invokes the Orbit Tool. Keyboard Shortcut: O Position Camera The Position Camera menu item launches the Position Camera Tool allowing you to investigate fixed views of your model such the an eye-level view of a house.

This option is often used with the Walk Tool to take an eye-level tour of a structure. Walk The Walk menu item invokes the Walk Tool for maneuvering through your SketchUp model as though you taking a virtual tour of the model. Look Around The Look Around menu item invokes the Look Around Tool which pivots the camera around a stationary point at the point of view.

Line The Line menu item invokes a Line Tool used to draw line entities, or edges, within the drawing area. Keyboard Shortcut: L Arc The Arc menu item invokes a Arc Tool used to draw Arc entities, comprised of multiple connected straight line segments editable as a single curve. Keyboard Shortcut: A Freehand Use the Freehand menu item to invoke a Freehand Tool used to draw irregular, coplanar connected lines in the form of Curve entities. Rectangle The Rectangle menu item invokes a Rectangle Tool used to draw four coplanar intersecting edges and a subsequent Face entity.

Keyboard Shortcut: C Polygon The Polygon menu item invokes a Polygon Tool used to draw regular Polygon entities, inscribed within a circle, consisting of 3 to sides.

This menu represents one of three mechanisms for accessing these tools additional mechanisms are the Toolbars and keyboard shortcuts. Select The Select menu item invokes a Select Tool allowing you to select one or more entities to modify.

Keyboard Shortcut: Spacebar Eraser Use the Eraser menu item to invoke the Eraser Tool allowing you to erase entities from the drawing area. This tool also allows you to hide and soften edges. Use the Paint Bucket Tool to paint individual elements, fill a number of connected faces, or replace a material in your model. This tool can also be used to rotate Component entities. Keyboard Shortcut: M Rotate Use the Rotate menu item to invoke the Rotate Tool used to rotate drawing elements and single or multiple objects within a single rotation plane.

The Rotate Tool can also be used to stretch and distort geometry by selecting only a portion of a model. Keyboard Shortcut: Q Scale The Scale menu item invokes the Scale Tool allowing you to resize and stretch selected geometry relative to other elements in your SketchUp model.

This tool can be used to displace, extrude, re-attach, or subtract faces, depending on the context of selected geometry. Keyboard Shortcut: P This tool is useful when adding details to a model because it allows you to draw the detail at one end of a path on the model and then repeat that detail along the path. Offset The Offset menu item invokes the Offset Tool used to create copies of co-planar lines and faces that are a uniform distance from original lines and faces.

Lines and faces can be offset either inside or outside the original face. Offsetting a face will always create a new face. These operations include measuring the distance between two points, creating guide line entities, and re-scaling an entire model to an exact dimension.

Keyboard Shortcut: T Protractor The Protractor menu item invokes the Protractor Tool allowing you to measure angles and create guide line entities usually at some angle. Axes The Axes menu item invokes the Axes Tool allowing you to move the drawing axes. This tool is often used when constructing rectangular objects that are skewed relative to one another, or to allow for more accurate scaling of entities that are not oriented along the default coordinate planes.

Dimensions Use the Dimensions menu item to invoke a Dimension Tool used to place Dimension entities in your model. Mary Harris Dec. I don’t have enough time write it by myself. Sigurdur Hafstein Hrafnsson Jun. Google Sketchup Pro 7. Graphic Card for Sketchup. Sketchup Help. Sketchup with linux. Sketchup Jobs. Sketchup for mobile application. SketchUp Fire Service. Sketchup for Solar design.

Architectural design. Interior design. Landscape Architecture. If you need to get your SketchUp model into another program, this feature will be especially important for you. You can add Extensions that do simple, useful things like round or bevel corners. Or you can find ones that do harder things like create complex, organic shapes. Or even ones that analyze the energy performance of your model. One of the most popular kinds of animations to create is a walking tour through each room in a building, guiding a client to imagine what it would feel like to walk through the real space.

But some SketchUp users really push the boundaries, creating animations that show changes in the model – for example, showing the phases of construction over time. And whether you need to create a dimensioned floor plan, a series of labeled diagrams and details, or a full set of detailed construction documents – LayOut is the tool for the job.

And in LayOut, you also have tools for creating custom graphics, importing photos, creating title blocks Note: If you want to learn more about using LayOut to create detailed construction documents, jump to Chapter 6. LayOut is a powerful application in-and-of-itself and we highly recommend that you invest time into learning the fundamentals well. With the Sandbox tools, you can create 3D terrain from scratch or generate it from imported topography files.

But they can also be used to create other organic or undulating surfaces, making them useful to SketchUp users across most industries. A solid model is commonly described as a watertight model. This sort of thing is important when you want to create a 3D model that can be 3D printed. Enter the Solid Tools: They help you take existing solids and combine them to create more complicated solid models.

Or you can take an object made of several parts and combine them into a single, solid outer shell for 3D printing. In SketchUp, objects that you might use more than once, in the same 3D model or in a future project, are typically turned into Components. The types of objects that become components might even represent real-world products – things like cabinets, fencing or sliding glass doors.

In the real world, those sorts of products usually come in a variety of configurations of color, shape, size, material and more. But SketchUp components can only represent one configuration.

At the same time, it can also be programmed to show different color and material options, different door and drawer configurations and even different styles. You also can program behaviors that tell the doors to swing open or the drawers to open when clicked.

And you can add information like the product name, price, description, links to the product website and more. A fence might be programmed so that when someone uses the Scale tool to stretch it across the yard, it automatically adds extra slats and posts rather than warping.

And a Dynamic Component of a sliding glass door system might let the user enter a custom width and height that will dynamically change the component to fit the opening in their house model. Many people and companies have uploaded their Dynamic Component models to the 3D Warehouse. You can download them into SketchUp Pro just like you would with a regular component, then use the Dynamic Component tools to interact with and configure them.

These tools allow you to specify the exact camera type you want to look through – say a 35mm digital camera for example. Then you see black bars that indicate which parts of your model will be in the shot given the position of your camera.

And they place a physical camera in your model so you can actually see where the camera would sit. You can take a photo of the existing condition and then use it to help you overlay your 3D model into the context of the environment. You take a picture of the building, then use Match Photo to set-up the photo so you can quickly build a 3D replica. SketchUp is a tool for creating geometry. We use SketchUp to create geometry that represents real-world stuff.

And naturally, we desperately want SketchUp to understand what our 3D models represent! It thinks the dresser is just a bunch of geometry. Then, you can generate a report of the objects in your model and it will include the information you added. Really, how you use these features will depend heavily on the type of work you do.

So long as you input the right kind of information into your model, you can output reports that help you get the job done. SketchUp comes preloaded with the IFC 2×3 schema. You could create a Furniture schema that allowed you to standardize the tagging of objects. When you’ve finished adding data to your SketchUp model, you can create a report template and generate a.

It will contain all of the information you added, plus other things SketchUp already knows about your model such as quantity, length, volume and more. If they have the SketchUp Viewer app , they can take the controls and orbit around, walk through or fly over your model anyway they like.

Email your model to a client who has the SketchUp Viewer app installed and they can navigate around your design on their own time.

If you own the Hololens device , you can purchase the SketchUp Viewer app for Hololens and use them together to step into an Augmented Reality AR version of your SketchUp model and walk through it at scale.

As you can probably tell by now, SketchUp is a very powerful tool that can do a number of amazing things. For starters, you can program SketchUp to automate the kinds of tasks where you find yourself clicking hundreds of times in a fairly repeatable pattern.

For example, a project might require you to Push Pull thousands of shapes to various, specific sizes. A little bit of Ruby code could save a ton of time. For example, an contractor might want to program SketchUp to push bill of materials information into another project management software. Finally, you can write Ruby code to help you produce “computational geometry” or 3D shapes and patterns that are nearly impossible to create by hand.

For example, an Architect might want to create and use mathmatecally derived patterns in their design. Rather than figure out how to create these types of complex patterns by hand, it’s far easier to write Ruby code that uses math functions to automatically create perfect patterns. If writing custom Ruby scripts is your kinda thing, be sure to take a look at the SketchUp Ruby API documentation and this list of helpful learning resources.

This chapter will give you a clear idea of how rendering in SketchUp works, will help you choose the right rendering extension, and includes some helpful advice about an important step in the rendering process that people often miss.

After you watch the video, you’ll be ready to give rendering a try but you’ll be faced with a challenging decision. To start, you have 30 different extensions to choose from. But since you’re just getting started with rendering, you won’t know which features are important. And to top it off, you won’t be able to easily evaluate the kinds of factors that will make a big differences to you. Like how easy an extension is to learn So how do you choose?!?

Once you’ve figured out which extension you’re going to use, you’ll be ready to give rendering a try. We created a free SketchUp tutorial that you should watch before you start rendering. We talk specifically about V-Ray for SketchUp in the video but it applies to all rendering extensions. Watch it and you’ll learn 5 things to do in this step to avoid getting underwhelming results. As you set out to learn your rendering extension, I want to share what our students say they wished they knew when they first learned how to render:.

Be careful not to make the mistake of heading down the wrong path and trying to learn everything on your own. Watching free tutorials on YouTube and elsewhere will make you feel like you know how to use your extension’s tools and features. And you won’t find tutorials for every unique issue you run into. Worse, you end up wasting a ton of time watching videos only to find that you are still struggling. You need to take a well-structured class with a curriculum that not only gives you a comprehensive introduction to your extension but also teaches you how to apply that knowledge when you are on a deadline on a real world project.

Good news: For several rendering extensions, we have courses that do exactly that! They are all in our Video Course Library, along with other courses on professional topics. If you need to create design presentations or construction documents, you’re going to want to use LayOut.

It has all of the features you need to get the job done and its tight integration with SketchUp will save you A TON of time. This chapter will give you a quick overview of how SketchUp Pro and LayOut work together to make your life easier, and help you figure out if LayOut can do what you need it to do. While still in SketchUp, you set-up the exact views of your model that you need to document, and you save those views as Scenes.

You can set-up as many Viewports as you need, making sure to set each to show one of the Scenes you set in SketchUp. And while you’re at it, you set the Scale of your floor plan and elevation Viewports too.

Whether you need to produce simple 2D plans and drawings, or a full set of detailed construction documents, LayOut has all the tools you need to get the job done. And, for many of you, there are extensions you can use that will make your workflow even easier. Have a conversation with us. We can also let you know if there are extensions that you may want to take a look at. There are 7 features you need to master in SketchUp first to be successful in LayOut later:.

Once you know the ins and outs of these key features, you’ll be ready to take LayOut out for a test-drive. But, also like SketchUp, as soon as you try to use LayOut on a real project you’ll discover that doing things the wrong way sends you down a path you’ll wish you had avoided. You need to take a well-structured class with a curriculum designed to give you a comprehensive introduction. It’s in our Video Course Library, along with a number of other courses on professional topics.

We’ve just broken it down into bite-sized video tutorials that provide a more convenient and economical way for professionals to take the class. Professionals use SketchUp’s reporting tools to create estimates, takeoffs as well as all sorts of other reports. And we’ll also show you some popular extensions that can make your job easier and save you a ton of time. What it has are general purpose reporting tools that you have to know how to use to be able to get what you want.

And it even knows the material that has been applied to the surfaces – plywood in this case. For one, when you make an object a Component you have the option to add a name and open the Advanced Attributes to specify things like price or an associated website URL. And then you can set-up your own custom report type to generate a new report that pulls all the new information about your sheet of plywood.

SketchUp may not have a Bill of Materials tool, or tools for other specific report types. But often you’ll find an extension that will have the more specific tools and features you need. Have a conversation with us! This chapter will help you figure out if SketchUp is the right tool for the kinds of models you need to 3D print.

You’ll also gain a high level understanding of how to create 3D printable models in SketchUp. Let’s start by saying that SketchUp can be used to successfully create nearly any type of 3D printable model you might need. However, it is not the very best tool to use when you need super precise curvature or perhaps more mechanical, functional real-world objects. You can use SketchUp to create curvy or organic looking 3D models to be 3D printed. And they can turn out nicely.

But if you need mathematical precision and accuracy to those curves, perhaps a tool like Blender, Rhino or 3DS Max would be a better choice. Similarly, you can use SketchUp to design 3D models of more mechanical, functional things to be 3D printed. And they can turn out nicely as well. But if you’re an engineer, perhaps a tool like Inventor or SolidWorks would be better for the task.

So long as you’re aware of SketchUp’s limitations in the more advanced scenarios above, you can be confident that SketchUp is a great choice when you’re just getting started with 3D printing. And for many, even as they become experienced 3D printers, SketchUp can continue be the right tool for all of their needs.

The key is to learn the fundamentals for how to use SketchUp to create models that can be 3D printed. You’ll run into all sorts of trouble later if you don’t invest some time learning the right way to use the basic tools and features up front. And second: You need to make sure you know the design requirements for the 3D printer or 3D printing service you’ll be using.

With those things covered, there are a few rules to keep in mind for designing a 3D printable model in SketchUp:. Most objects you design to be 3D printed will be somewhat small, as most printers have a limit to how large an object they can print.

In SketchUp, when you design small things, it can be easy to create issues that prevent your model from being 3D printable. Simply create your model at a larger scale – say x or x the size it should be – and then scale it down by the same factor at the end. To continue with the example, once you’ve built your watertight cube, you should make it into a Group or Component.

It’s now a 3D printable solid model. You can be sure by checking the Entity Info dialog for “Solid”. Of course, your model may need to have a hole or opening in it. Along the way, make sure that all of your white surfaces are facing out and your blue surfaces are facing in.