It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 16:24

My SketchUp SetUp

Where to ask all your SketchUp related questions or share your skills (in the case of our resident Guru Dave R…).

My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Dave R » 20 Aug 2014, 12:09

In Mark's thread I mentioned that I keep windows such as Components displayed. I thought I would post a screen shot of my SketchUp screen for Windows. Nevermind all the toolbars. Many of them are from various plugins I've got installed. The idea is that the drawing window isn't set to Maximized and the other windows are stacked on the right side. The Entity Info window is always on top and always open. The others might get rolled up or down as needed. You click on their title bars to change their state that way. They dock together so you can move them en masse if needed. I've been doing this for a long time and never have felt the need to have a wider drawing space.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/acgAFZ]Image

I don't keep all the windows out but just the most used.

I do the same on my MacBook Pro.
Dave R
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 653
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 13:38
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Robert » 20 Aug 2014, 17:55

Here's mine

Image

Apart from messing about with textures I don't think I ever have any sub windows open.

I'd guess I'm missing out on something but not sure what :)
Robert
Old Oak
 
Posts: 2489
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 19:31
Location: Woodford Green
Name: Robert

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Dave R » 20 Aug 2014, 18:13

Maybe you are missing something, Robert. Or maybe not.

Entity Info gives you access to information about what you've selected. You make layer associations there and it also allows you to modify some entity attributes such as the number of sides use for a circle or its radius.

Layers is where you can create and name layers. There are some other settings there, as well.

Scenes is a place to create and name scenes as well as control their order and some other things.

Materials, of course, gives you access to the material libraries and gives you the ability to make some edits.

Styles is where you can change things like whether you have that depressing blue-gray background or white or sky color, as well as other things relating to how the model looks. There are some settings that can be useful when you're drawing that you might want to change before making image exports.

Those are the main windows that I keep out on the right. there are some others but I tend to open them from the Window menu when I want them.
Dave R
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 653
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 13:38
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby RogerS » 20 Aug 2014, 18:36

Dave

I have a suggestion to make. With your agreement I could edit some of the questions that I have asked you in the past and post them with your response underneath. That might help perhaps?

I arrived at this thought by starting to write suggesting that it might be a good idea to write when to use Layers for example. And when to use Scenes. But then I remembered me asking you something similar in the past and hey presto, there it was.

What do you think?
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Dave R » 20 Aug 2014, 18:39

Roger, that would probably work well. Give it a shot.
Dave R
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 653
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 13:38
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Robert » 20 Aug 2014, 19:59

I've never seen the need for layers in sketchup so I'd be interested to see where they are used too.

Coming from AutoCad I started sketchup using layers and got in a right mess. Based on how I used to draw with Autocad components are pretty similar to how I used layers so once I got into components things fell into place - I could isolate piece parts easily.

Entity info I've always got to with a right click menu. Guess I might notice something that needed changing if it was on display when selected... if I remember to look of course!
Robert
Old Oak
 
Posts: 2489
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 19:31
Location: Woodford Green
Name: Robert

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby Dave R » 20 Aug 2014, 20:53

In SketchUp layers are used to control the visibility of entities. You make layer associations for components in the model. Then you can isolate components when you want to show certain parts without others. A few words of caution, though. Never make any layer other than Layer 0 active. Do all your drawing on Layer 0 and leave all edges and faces there. Only make layer associations for components (groups if you use them--I don't, text and dimensions.

There's more to it but for the moment, that'll have to do. ;)
Dave R
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 653
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 13:38
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby RogerS » 20 Aug 2014, 21:37

Layers and scenes
Is there any way of having different views of the same object but with different 'paint' (wood texture)? I've tried layers but that didn't seem to work. I also tried Scenes...ditto.

First, you can't paint more than one material on a face in your component. You could, however make a copy of the component, make it unique and then paint the faces in the unique component with a different material. If you wanted to show two versions of a piece at the same time, make a copy of the entire model using Option+Move. Then, while the copy is all selected, right click on it and choose Make Unique. Then you can open the components for editing and repait them as needed.

Now suppose you were showing a kitchen that has frame and panel doors. And suppose you wanted to show the panels only with two different wood options. We'll say oak and mahogany. Make a layer called 'oak' and another called 'mahogany'. You could also make layers for the appliances and the casework. Paint the panels with an oak material and then assign the panel components to the layer called 'oak'. Select all of those components and make a copy of them using Option+Move. I would move the copies up by say 4 meters to get them away from everything else. While those copies of the panels are selected, right click and choose Make Unique. While they are still selected, change their layer association to the layer called 'mahogany'. Now repaint those panels with the mahogany texture, select them all and move them down by the same distance you moved them up. You'll now have two panels in each door but they will be on different layers.

So to show these two different door panels, untick the visibility box for the mahogany layer. Only the oak panels should be visible. Create a scene and call it 'Oak Panels'. Next, untick the visibility box for the oak layer and tick the box for the mahogany layer. Create a new scene and call it Mahogany Panels. Now, when you switch between scenes, the materials will change.

Obviously you could do an entire model using that same method. So you could show your grandfather clock in oak, cherry, walnut, and plum pudding if you want. DaveR
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby TrimTheKing » 20 Aug 2014, 21:43

Roger, I now DEMAND a grandfather clock in plum pudding! ;)

Cheers
Mark
Cheers
Mark
TrimTheKing
Site Admin
 
Posts: 7564
Joined: 16 Jun 2014, 13:27
Location: Grappenhall, Cheshire
Name: Mark

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby RogerS » 21 Aug 2014, 07:21

Lengthening an item

To stretch a component with the Move tool, open it first. then get the Select tool and drag a left to right selection box around the end that needs to be repositioned. Make sure you get all of the edges that need to be moved. If you have any question, switch to X-ray or Wireframe view or orbit around to check. Next get the Move tool and move the selection in the desired direction and enter the distance to move. DaveR

Move/rotate

When I tried to move something, the rotation tool kept popping up

There is a Rotate function in the Move tool. If you hover the Move cursor over one of the little plus signs on the selected component, the tool turns into the Rotate protractor. This is extremely handy if you want to rotate about the center of the component. Keep the cursor away from those plus signs and you'll have just the Move tool. Remember that you'll most likely want to grab a component by a corner so that will keep you away from those plus signs. DaveR
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: My SketchUp SetUp

Postby RogerS » 21 Aug 2014, 07:24

Push/pull a new item between known points

Say I have created two table legs and want to create a bearer between them.

I have been drawing a rectangle on one inside face to a leg. So I've orbited around so I see the nearest leg to right of my view and then the further leg (where I've just drawn the rectangle) is on the left. I then select the rectangle and push/pull pull it towards the nearer leg. But how do I know when I've touched the inside face of the nearer leg? All too often it pops through to the face nearest me on the near leg and so I push it back but it all seems a bit hit and miss.


When you run Push/Pull on the rectangular face, move the tool to a corner or edge on the leg that corresponds to the inside face of the leg where you want the bearer to stop. Push/Pull only works perpendicularly to the face that is moving but the tool does not have to remain over it once you've got it moving. You can thus start the extrusion and then move the tool over to whatever reference face/edge/point makes sense. DaveR
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:


Return to SketchUp & other 'CAD' Tools

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests