Welcome to SketchUp

This tutorial will help you understand how some of the simple functions within SketchUp.

Tools

Above you will find some of the most common tools used in SketchUp. Most of these tools are self-explanatory but below are a few that may need an explanation.

  • Select: Use this tool to select objects
  • Push/Pull: Use this tool to add or adjust the 3rd dimension in your creation
  • Orbit: Use this to rotate your creation in the 3D world
  • Pan: Allows you to move the screen on a single axis

The bottom bar in SketchUp is designed to give the user information about what they are doing as well as to assist the user.

  • Help: By clicking on the help button and then selecting a tool the used is given a tutorial on the tool. This tutorial is often accompanied by an animation.
  • Assistant Box: When you have a tool selected or have a tool in use this box will tell you the tasks or next steps in your process.
  • Measurements: This is the field that you can enter your dimensions to give your product dimensional accurate.

Beside the girl, you will see three lines that extend into the great unknown. These lines are the X, Y, Z-axis. They represent the 3 planes that make up a 3D world.

LINE

With SketchUp we can draw on any of these three planes

  1. Select the line tool and click on your screen
  2. Now move your mouse along the red X-axis, what color is the line? Next, run it along the other two axes, what color is the line now?
  3. If you look at the Measurements box when moving the mouse along the X or Red Axis you will see that it is telling you how long the line is.
  4. Make your line about one meter and click the mouse again to finish the line.

RECTANGLE

Now click on the Rectangle Tool and once again click on the screen. When you move your mouse, a box will be formed on the XY plane. Click to complete the box. Let us make another rectangle, but rather then ending it by just clicking lets add a size to it.

  1. With the Rectangle Tool click on the screen, hmmm the measurements box now says “Dimensions”
  2. When you move the mouse around you will see the numbers changing, the first number is the X-axis and the second is the y-axis. Type in 1, 1.5 and press enter, now you have a box 1m x 1.5m (whenever you measure something it is always length then width).

PUSH/PULL

If you are reminded of the 2 dimentional world of the original Super Mario Bros. you are not alone. Lets upgrade to Mario64.

  1. Select the Push/Pull Tool and click the center of your rectangle.
  2. Move the mouse up and down, you will see a box is being created in 3D. The measurement box now says “Distance” type in 1 and press enter.

Let us kick it up a notch

  1. Select the Circle tool and hover it over the three different plans of our box, it is turning the color of the axis it is on.
  2. Click anywhere on the box and complete a circleas shown in the image
  3. Select the Push/Pull Tool and hover over the center of the circle and click. When you move the mouse you can ether add a cylinder to the outside of the box or put a hole in the box.
  4. Move the mouse to the back edge of the box. When the arrow has a red square on the end and a box that reads “On Edge” appears click.
  5. You have now put a hole in your box “BAM”

ORBIT

By holding down the scroll wheel on your mouse you have now entered Orbit, you can also access this by clicking on the orbit tool. Move the mouse around so you can see your hole better.

Push/Pull is the heart and soul in SketchUp, we can use it not just to create a box or make a hole but it can also be used to fillet, reshape, and delete material.

SNAP POINTS

  1. Select the Arc tool and run your mouse along the top edge of the box, you will see a green box on the endpoint, a red box along the edge and a blue box at the midpoint of the line. This points care called snap points.
  2. Click somewhere between the midpoint and the endpoint (when the arrow has a red square), now move the arrow to the next closest side.
  3. When you move the mouse along this edge you will see the line turns pink, this mean you have found the equal point on the corasponding edge. Finish the arc by clicking or hitting enter.
  4. There is now a arc on the screen and by moving the mouse you can change its size. Move the mouse along one of the two sides the arc its connected to, you will find that it turns pink and a box shows up that says “Tangent to Edge” click or hit enter to finish the ark.
  5. Select the Push/Pull Tool and click on the outer part of the arc. Push the section back until it snaps to the rear of the box, the outside of the arc is now gone and we have filleted our box.

Let’s Make Something

  • Open a new SketchUp window
  • Click on the image of the girl and press Delete.

She clearly has no interest in looking at you anyways.

  • Click on the Windows Tab and select Model Info. In this window click on units and change the Format to reflect the image below

SketchUp is now in working with inches

Create a box 1.75” by 1.25” (enter 1.75, 1.25 into the Measurements Box) with the rectangle tool and then turn it into a box .08” tall by using the Push/Pull Tool. You will now need to zoom in to have a better view. Rotate the scroll wheel and see what happens.

This box is going to turn into a key fob with two letters of your choosing. Initials?

  1. Go to the Tools Tab and select 3D Text
  2. In this box, enter your initials or any word up to four letters. Select a heavy bold text that does not have lots of fine detail and such BAD, BAD, BAD, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD
  3. Enter .50 for the height box and .08 for the extruded box, click on place.
  4. Now hover the mouse on the top surface of the key fob until it reads “On Face”
  5. If you would like it on an angle, select the text and click the rotate tool, hold the protractor on the surface of the letters. It will turn blue, click to lock it in place and click once more to start rotating. Simply rotate it until you find the angle you are looking for and click to complete the task.

Now it it up to you, create a sutable hole in the fob for a key ring and use the tools we have learnt to change the shape of the outer edge, remember the fob can be no larger then 1.75”x1.25”x.16”

***Save your work and show your teacher your completed project to get a completion mark and then you will be ready to have your fob printed on the 3D printer***

Your work must be saved on the teachers USB stick!!!!! Not on the computer.

Copyright 2013 Burroughs