Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Advanced Intersect and ...Here is the final, trimmed table leg. 16. To complete the table, make the entire leg into a component, and make three copies

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Chapter 1: IntroductionAbout this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1How this Book is Set Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

SketchUp 2014 Hands-On: Basic Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1SketchUp 2014 Hands-On: Advanced Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

About Bonnie Roskes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2About the Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Chapter 2: Advanced Intersect and Follow MeCreating a Table Leg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Placing Skylights in a Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Creating a Faucet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Rounding Sharp Corners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Engraving: 3D Text with Intersect Faces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Creating Portholes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Creating a Log Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Creating Flat-Sided Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Creating Notches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Building the Cabin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Door and Window Cutouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Chapter 3: Advanced Groups and ComponentsThe Outliner: Organizing Groups and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Setting Up the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Making Changes to the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Window Components: Cutting Thick Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Cutting Walls with a Single Component. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Opening in a “Hollow” Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Opening in a Thick Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Window with Glass in a Thick Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Cutting Walls with a Nested Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Wall of Unknown Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Wall of Known Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Cutting Faces in a Curved Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Using Components for Symmetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Making Symmetric Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Symmetry without Seams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Replacing and Reloading Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Attributes / Classifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

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Chapter 4: Advanced Materials and TexturesTexture Positioning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Fixed Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Positioning a Texture around Curved Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84

Example 1 - Positioning a Tiled Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84Example 2 - Positioning a Single Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86

Editing Textures and Unique Textures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Tips for Efficiency with Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

Chapter 5: Working with Digital ImagesTexture Positioning with Free Pins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93Using Images for Face-Camera Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Editing Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Using Photos to Create 3D Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Creating 3D Models with Free Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Creating a Painted 3D Bus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Creating a Painted Playhouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Match Photo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Match Photo with an Unpainted Model and One Photo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Match Photo with an Unpainted Model and Two Photos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118Building a Model from a Photo: Example 1 - Playhouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120Building a Model from a Photo: Example 2 - Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124Building a Model from Two Photos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Projecting an Image onto a Topographical Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132Painting with Photo Textures (Street View). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Using Street View for a Group of Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Using Street View Images for Partial Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

Chapter 6: SectioningSectioning Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143Using Sections for Interior Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147Using Section Planes to Create Floor Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151Using Section Planes for Repeating Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Creating a Striped Vase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154Creating a Striated Pyramid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

Simultaneous Section Cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161Using Inferences to Create Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Chapter 7: Styles and Sketchy EdgesStyles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

Pre-Defined Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165Editing and Creating Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167Mixing Styles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

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Watermarks and Backgrounds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Exploring an Existing Watermark Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Creating a Watermark Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Logos and Markings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Sketchy Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Exploring Sketchy Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Creating Your Own Sketchy Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Chapter 8: Presentation and AnimationScenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191Layers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Using Layers to Hide Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Using Layers for Labelled Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Using Layers to Explore Design Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Using Layers to Simulate Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Layers of Groups and Components. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Walk-Throughs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Creating Walk-Through Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Adding and Updating Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Shadows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Fog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Using Sections and Styles in an Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228Animation in Stages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Dividing the Model into Parts (Groups and Components) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Sectioning Each Model Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

Chapter 9: Sandbox Tools (Organic Surfaces)Creating a Sandbox (TIN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Sandbox from Scratch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Smoove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Sandbox from Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Drape and Stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Drape. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251Stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252Drape with Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254Stamp in 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

Adding Detail to a Sandbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257Organic Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Organic Shapes from Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259Organic Shapes from TIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Chapter 10: Solid ToolsWhat is a SketchUp Solid?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263Overview of Solid Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264Outer Shell and Union . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267Trim and Subtract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269Intersect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272


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Chapter 11: Miscellaneous Advanced ExercisesCreating a Steel Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277

Downloading the Structural Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277Creating the Column - Beam Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .278Adding Floor Joists and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280Completing the Frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .284

Creating a Spiral Staircase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .286Aligning Any Two Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2903D Geometric Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292

Starting from a Cube . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .292Starting from a Golden Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294

Creating a Model from 2D Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296Creating the Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .297Adding Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .299

Chapter 12: Dynamic ComponentsWhere to Find Dynamic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305Using Dynamic Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307

Furnishing a Dynamic Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307Dynamically Accessorizing a House. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314

Dynamic Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314Dynamic Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316Dynamic Trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .321Dynamic Fencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322

Dynamic Components for Design Pros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325SketchThis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325Product Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .327

Chapter 13: Advanced ExtensionsInstalling Extensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329

Extension Warehouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .329SketchUcation Plugins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330RBZ, ZIP Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330Updating, Uninstalling, and Disabling Plugins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331

Extensions Listed in this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331Guide Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331Mirror. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .332Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .333Edge Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .334Proxy View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335Round Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .336Hole Punching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337Shape Bender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .338View Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .340[Re]Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .341Keyframe Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342Artisan Organic Toolset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .344

Table of Contents

v

Triangulate Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347Curviloft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348

Curviloft: Loft by Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348Curviloft: Loft along Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353Curviloft: Skinning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356

TopoShaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357Try These, Too . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Chapter 14: Additional ResourcesOfficial SketchUp Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

YouTube Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3613D Warehouse Tutorials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361SketchUcation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362Concept 3D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362SketchUp Artists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Materials and Textures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3633D Warehouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363Image Search. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363Form Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363cadyou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363SketchUp Texture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363

Models (Components) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364SketchUp Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364Form Fonts, cadyou. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364GrabCAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364Thingiverse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364

Rendering and Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364


6

14. The guide line and circle can now be erased.15. Use Intersect Faces to get the intersection edges

between the two parts of the leg. Switch to X-Ray view to trim the portions of the leg inside the box.

Here is the final, trimmed table leg.

16. To complete the table, make the entire leg into a component, and make three copies of it.

17. Use Rectangle to make the table top above the legs. Because the legs are components, the rectangle is not affected by the legs, and remains whole.

18. Offset the rectangle outward, trim interior edges, and pull up the table top.

19. To make your table top match the legs below, add a curvy face perpendicular to one of the table top faces, and use Follow Me to extrude it around the table top.

NOTE: The corners of the table top above are sharp. A technique for producing round corners around sharp edges is shown in “Rounding Sharp Corners” on page 13. There is also a plugin for rounding; see “Round Corner” on page 336.

Chapter 2: Advanced Intersect and Follow Me

17

This creates the intersection edges where the round object meets the straight parts of the border. But you might have some edges missing, as shown below.

21. Manually create any missing edges, on the top and bottom faces.

22. Erase everything in this group except for the round corner.

23. To remove those small edges between the round faces, select everything in the group, right-click on any selected face, and choose Soften / Smooth edges. Adjust the sliders so that there are no extra edges.

24. Close the component, and you now have a rounded corner.

25. The Follow Me circle is no longer needed, so erase it.

26. To fill the other border corner, copy the corner component into some blank space.

27. Use Scale to turn the copy inside-out (using a scale value of -1) and move the corner into place.

TIP: To flip the copied corner, you also could have right-clicked on the copied component and chosen Flip Along / Group’s Red.

Chapter 2: Advanced Intersect and Follow Me

31

2. Make a 180-degree copy, and remove the edges in the middle.

3. Make this new log a component called “Notched Log.” Make several stacked copies.

4. Select all logs, and activate Rotate. Place the protractor at the center of the notch face. (To get this point, first hover over adjacent midpoints of the notch edges.)

5. Make a 90-degree rotated copy of the stack.

6. With the copied stack still selected, activate Move. For the first move point, click a point at the top of the top log.

7. Press the Up arrow and click the second move point here:

8. Complete the cabin by copying each stack to the other end of the perpendicular log, using similar points on notches as the move points.


44

15. The next step is to nest these pillows within the couch component. But let’s assume we don’t know which couch matches which item in the Outliner (which is often the case for very large models). In the model, open the room group that has the pillows, then select the couch. The relevant couch is highlighted in the Outliner.

16. In the Outliner, select the pillows and drag them just below the couch that was highlighted before.

Now the pillows are part of the couch component.

And because both couches are identical, pillows appear in both rooms.

TIP: For more exercises that use the Outliner to nest components, see “Creating a Steel Frame” on page 277 and “Creating a Spiral Staircase” on page 286.

17. You can also use the Outliner to remove an object from a group or component. In Living Room Set 1, highlight the table.

18. Drag “Table” just below the name of the file (“Untitled” in my example).

Chapter 3: Advanced Groups and Components

59

18. Make a component for the window front, again gluing it to Any face and checking Cut opening. The component’s cutting plane should be along the back of the frame.

19. Use the guide lines as a reference to move the front component atop the back component.

20. Erase the guides. Then move the front component up, using the same distance as the thickness of the back frame (6 inches, in my case).

21. Make a component of these two components, gluing it to Any face. Do not check Cut opening, and set the component axes and cutting plane along the back of the front frame.

22. Erase the window.

23. To make the walls that will house this window, make a rectangle in Top view and offset it by the thickness of the back frame (6 inches again, in my case).

24. Pull up the walls.

25. Insert a few windows. No faces of the walls are cut.


74

10. Create a column component in one corner of the floor, which will be an exterior column, and name it “Ext Column.” The “In-House” collection in the Components window should show two components so far. The slab component has a yellow “tag” symbol, indicating that it has a type (classification), but the column has not yet been assigned a type.

11. Another way to assign a type is in the Entity Info window. For the column, use the field in this window to set the type to “IfcColumn.”

12. Make a few more copies of this column. Each one will have the same type.

13. The third way to assign a classification is when first creating the component. Add a beam along the tops of the columns, and in the Create Component window, assign the type “IfcBeam.”

14. Make two more copies of the beam / column configurations. For the row of interior columns, make them all unique.

15. Select any of the interior columns and change its Definition to “Int Column.” The type should already correctly be “IfcColumn.”

16. Right-click on one of the interior columns and choose Dynamic Components / Component Options. (These are not what you might think of as a dynamic component, but any component that contains any information other than its geometry is considered dynamic.) Add a Description and a

Chapter 5: Working with Digital Images

95

9. Use this method to place the four pins at the four rectangular corners of the door photo. When one pin is directly above/below/left/right from another pin, a dotted line appears, which is very helpful for accurate positioning.

10. Now drag one of the pins to the closest corner of the door rectangle on the model.

11. Do the same for the other three pins, to fit the rectangular part of the door into the model doorway.

If the your image isn’t perfectly aligned, you can continue to lift, move, and drag pins until the alignment looks right.

12. To keep this image “distortion” (you distort the image to make it look correct), right-click and choose Done. (Or click anywhere in the blank space.)The door fills the rectangle, but the arch portion is missing.

13. Use 2 Point Arc to place an arc of any size at the top of the doorway. Erase the line between the rectangle and arc, and the image extends into the arc.

14. To fit the arc to the photo, activate Move. Hover to pick up a moveable endpoint . . .

Chapter 5: Working with Digital Images

127

20. Make the table leg into a component, and make copies for the other corners.

21. The last part of the table is the rail between legs. Before starting this object, make sure you are facing the front of the table. If you don’t know which side is the front, click the scene tab to get oriented.

22. Draw a rectangle like this, along the top of one leg.

23. Pull this rectangle up to the underside of the table, then over to the other leg.

24. The actual rail steps down a bit in the middle, so add this piece:

25. Return to the photo and project it onto the front face of the rail. Do not trim partial faces.

26. To make the rest of the rail easier to complete, hide all other parts of the table.

27. Trace around half the rail shape. Including the vertical edge shown on the left side, there should be seven total edges.


138

10. Click Grab and the photo is painted onto the building. (You can minimize or move the Photo Textures window if it blocks the model.)

NOTE: The photo on the building above is a lighter version than the one imported from Street View. I thought the face looked too dark, so I edited the “In Model” material and lightened the photo’s base color.

11. If necessary, tweak the picture using free pins.

12. To make the roof, draw a line across the top of the building, and move the line up to match the roof in the photo.

13. Now use the Select tool to select the side face closest to the street corner.

14. You could choose Add Photo Texture from the right-click menu or the icon, but you can also adjust your location manually. At the bottom of the Photo Textures window, drag the person icon a short distance south on N. Arlington, stopping next to the side face you want to paint.

15. Navigate to see the photo of this face.

Note that the person icon is now facing east, looking directly at the bulding.

Chapter 6: Sectioning

155

NOTE: Wondering how this model was made? With a simple Follow Me operation. In the picture below, the gear shape lying flat is the Follow Me path, and the vertical shape is the extruded face.

3. Place a section plane at the very bottom, copy it to the top, and enter 10/ (or whatever number you like) to evenly space planes in between.

4. Erase the top and bottom section planes.

5. Right-click on the top section plane and choose Create Group from Slice, then erase the plane. Repeat for each plane, one at a time. (It’s easiest to keep the Eraser tool active during this entire step.)

6. Select everything and Explode the groups (this might take a few seconds).

7. Now pick some colors and paint the stripes. In this example, the non-black colors are slightly translucent.

8. Next we’ll create rotated vertical stripes on the same vase. Start a new file and insert the same “wavy vase” model. Don’t forget to explode it.


174

6. “Marker with Depth Cue” has marker-like sketchy edges that become less thick the farther they are from the camera. No axes are displayed, there is no sky or ground, and the view is Hidden Line.

7. “Reddish Brown” has an orange background, and its face colors are orange for the front, pale yellow for the back.

8. Activate “Base Style” again, and click Create new style to create a new style based on “Base Style.”

9. Assign this new style a name.

10. With the new style active, click the Mix tab. This opens the lower pane of the Styles window, which should be set to “In Model.”


214

9. Note that the cursor symbol is now a pair of eyes, which means the Look Around tool is now active. With this tool, you can drag the mouse left and right to simulate turning your head side to side, or drag the mouse up and down to simulate looking up and down. Drag the cursor to the left until you are looking straight at the door.

10. Create a new scene here, named “at front door.”

11. Now we’ll walk through the door. Activate Walk (Camera / Walk).

12. The cursor symbol is now a pair of feet. Place the cursor in the middle of the door, and drag the mouse up slightly, to start a slow walk. (Dragging the mouse higher makes you walk faster.)

13. At some point you will run into the door (ouch), and the cursor symbol tells you that you’re stuck.

14. To disable SketchUp’s collision detection, press the Alt/Cmd key and keep walking. Stop when you’re right inside the door.

15. Create the “inside front door” scene.

Here are some other things to know about the Walk tool:

• 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.

• While walking or turning, you can press Ctrl/Option to move faster (this is called the “run” feature and it’s handy for large models, but not so useful in a small house).

• To move up or down (for example, flying up to a higher or lower floor), hold Shift while dragging the mouse up or down. We’ll use this feature later.


232

22. Open the Layers window and make the “Furniture” layer invisible. Now the rooms are empty. Create the “Unfurnished” scene.

23. The next scene will have a blueprint feel. Switch to Top view.

24. For a true projection view, without the distortion you see in Perspective view, choose Camera / Parallel Projecion.

25. Open the Styles window to the “In Model” collection. We’ll create a new style based on the current default style, so make sure that style is selected, and click Create new style.

26. Name this new style “Blueprint.”


284

Completing the Frame1. To complete the floor bay, copy the tube column, W

beam, and their angle connectors 8’ in the direction of the channels.

2. To extend the channels to meet the beam, open one for editing. Select the end plus the angle connectors, using a selection window.

3. Move the end of the beam by dragging from the endpoint shown . . .

. . . to the edge of the W flange.

4. Close the component, and check the connections you just made. All angles should be flush with the copied W beam.

5. Now select the beams and channels making up the floor joists. Include also the beam-column 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.

Chapter 11: Miscellaneous Advanced Exercises

303

16. The next cabinet is supposed to be 2’ wide so copy the 1’ cabinet, make it unique, edit it, and move its entire right side one foot to the right. Next to that, insert two copies of the washer, and one range.

17. Next, insert a 2’6” cabinet, which is a set of base and wall cabinets and a slice of countertop.

18. Wall cabinets should proceed along the wall above the appliances. So make a copy of the 2’-6” cabinet, and make the copy unique. Edit the copy to remove the base cabinet and counter.

19. The next wall cabinets should have the counter included, to go over the washer and dryer. So copy the original 2’-6” cabinet once again, and make it unique. Edit it to remove only the base cabinet, leaving the wall cabinet and counter.

Chapter 10: Solid Tools

271

12. This time use Subtract instead of Trim, since the cutting tool is no longer needed. Here’s the result: a board cut on both ends, which is now a solid group, even though it was previously a component.

NOTE: The component-to-group conversion is a design flaw (in my opinion) and should be changed in future versions so that components remain components. In the meantime, you can always change a group into a component by right-clicking on it and choosing Make Component.

13. Now we’ll use the trimmed board as the cutting tool. Draw a rectangle as shown, flush with one side of the board, enclosing the entire dovetail joint. (Remember, you can hover over any and all points you want the rectangle to include.) This rectangle should be 1” x 4”.

14. Pull this rectangle out to form a new board.

15. Make this new board into a group.

16. Copy the new board to the other side of the trimmed board.

17. The nice thing about Trim is that you can select one cutting object and use it repeatedly in the same operation. Activate Trim, select the trimmed board in the middle, then click both of the new boards. Moving the boards apart shows that the new ones are now trimmed.


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9. Now right-click the thumbnail for the new fence and choose Replace Selected.

Now all fences have the new spacing and materials. (This picture shows the “Posts” layer hidden.)

10. To extend one fences to the correct length, activate Scale and drag the handle for the unfinished end to meet the post of the neighboring fence.

Once scaled, the posts self-copy to maintain the set spacing.

11. Stretch all of the fences, and here is the completed model:

If you look at the “In Model” components, you’ll see that each fence is now a separate component, since each has been resized.

NOTE: As mentioned at the start of this exercise, if you’re interested in creating a DC from scratch, download this project:http://www.3dvinci.net/CreatingDynamicComponent.pdf

http://www.3dvinci.net/CreatingDynamicComponent.pdf


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10. Here is the result after running Shape Bender: the short ramp is stretched and bent to go around the curve. The ramp slope proceeds evenly up from start to finish.

11. The curve does not have to be 2D. This example contains a small ramp object, a short straight line, and a 3D helix.

NOTE: The helix was created with one of the tools in the “Engineering Toolbox” plugin. This plugin is covered in the Basic Exercises book - it can be found in the Extension Warehouse and enables you to insert many standard geometric and structural objects.

12. Here is the result - a spiral track.

NOTE: Another plugin that can create a similar track, based on a vertical 2D section, is “Eneroth Upright Extruder,” which is covered in the Basic Exercises book. “Follow Me and Keep,” available from SketchUcation, is similar.

View PartsThis is a great plugin for woodworkers, or anyone who works with models of assemblies: models built of nested groups and components. As long as your model is well-organized, with well-named components and groups, this plugin creates a scene for each component and group in the set of selected objects. Each scene displays a single group or component.1. Open the Extension Warehouse and search for “view

parts.”

2. Find “View Parts” by CMD, and install it.

(At the time of this writing, the extension has not been officially updated for SketchUp 2014, but appears to work anyway.)

3. To test out the plugin, search the 3D Warehouse for “kraftmaid island.” There are a few to choose from; I’m using this one, which has several labels and three scenes.


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19. The curves for this tool do not have to have the same relative lengths, or start and end points. Try an example like this, with half-circles along both edges, and a straight edge along the center.

20. Use the Divide option on the right-click menu to divide the center edge in thirds, and erase all but the middle third. And erase all other edges so that only these remain:

21. Here is the result with these edges:

22. In addition to editing spline and segmenting, you can also make more specific edits. Draw a model like this - a long box with a circle at the center, and push the circle back to the box’s midpoint.

23. Erase all but these edges:

24. Get this preview:

25. With the preview still showing, click anywhere on the preview itself. This opens a separate window with more editing options for just that section you clicked.

26. Changes you make here affect only the highlighted part of the preview model. I increased the segmentation and added a twist angle.

Documents

Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Advanced Intersect and ...Here is the final, trimmed table leg. 16. To complete the table, make the entire leg into a component, and make three copies