Hi, welcome here! Let's see in this video the newest SketchUp Pro 2015
very quickly and easily.
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SketchUp is a very good software for architectural projects and CAD designs.
Differently from others like SolidWorks or AutoCAD, this software is great
for who never used any CAD software before.
When you open the software, a dialog window appears. Inside, you have
different sections: Learn to get tips on the software; License to check
your current license or add new ones; Template to select the template to
start from.
You have different templates here, just check the sample image on the left.
Many of these templates are 3D ones, recognized by a person shown inside.
These can have an environment or be simply grey. There are also 2D
templates as well, which are the ones under Construction Design.
Each template is indicated by their purpose, such as Construction,
Architectural Design, 3D Printing and so on. And, next to this, the
measurement unit taken for your future project.
We will see here a basic 3D Template. Nothing changes if you take another.
Select a template and go to Start using SketchUp below.
The workspace is very simple. On top you have all tools the software has,
and all your screen shows the project in progress. By default, the window
Instructor is opened, which is very useful when you right start as
a beginner.
Whenever you need to open closed windows, just go to Window on top.
When you start with your project, you will have a figure in front of you,
and three axes. The figure represents the average dimensions of a person
to have a clear idea of the dimensions of what you are creating. The three
axes are the three carthesian ones: the red one is the X axis, that sets
the horizontal direction; the green one is the Y axis, that sets the
vertical direction; while the blue one is the Z axis, that sets the height
from the ground.
Let's start drawing. You can draw lines using the Line and Freehand Tools.
You can choose between more tools clicking on the black arrow on the right.
To fix a line, you need two points. Check out the color of the line, while
you draw it. You will draw parallel to an axis if this has its same color.
You can go on drawing lines. To stop drawing, just press Escape. If you
create a closed path, you will create a polygon, filled inside.
To undo any action, just press CTRL+Z. To delete objects, enable the Eraser
Tool, and click on the object interested.
You can use the next two buttons to draw Arcs, Polygons and Circles.
All these tools are useful to create the base of the future 3D Objects you
need.
There are two ways to create 3D Objects. If you simply need height to
create a 3D Object, you can use the Push/Pull Tool. Just click on the base
polygon and pull it up or down.
The second way is to build it manually. Let's suppose to build a pyramid.
First of all you draw three lines to create a triangle polygon. Then draw
a line parallel to the Z axis. Then simply close the figure creating its
faces one by one, and the 3D Solid is done. In order to simplify any
editing action that you may need later, it is better to group all together.
With the Select Tool on, click and drag to create a selection area. All
inside will be selected. Then just right-click and go to Make Group.
Important are the visualization tools. You can zoom in/out using your mouse
wheel, the Pan Tool to move through your project, and the Orbit Tool to
check your project better. Just click and drag.
Let's see how to edit objects easily. When you draw, the software helps you
with some keypoints. For example the center of circles, midpoints and
endpoints of segments and edges are represented by filled colored nodes;
any other point on segments and edges by coloured squares; general points
on 3D faces by a rhombus.
All editing tools are next to the Push/Pull Tool seen. You can use Move to
move objects. Just select the object and then drag to move. Make sure to
have grouped all 3D Objects not created with the Push/Pull Tool, otherwise
you will edit the shape of the object itself.
Use Rotate to rotate objects. Just fix a point twice, and then another
point to fix the angle of rotation. Use the Scale Tool to scale objects:
just select any line or poligon, and drag the nodes to scale. Unless you
grouped the whole 3D Object, you will scale just the face you selected. If
you want to scale the whole object, you must have it grouped.
Mind that you can create a 3D cone in this way.
Use Escape to select another object to scale.
Use the Offset Tool to create a second object that has the same shape of
the original object taken.
You can use Push/Pull also on 3D Objects to push or pull faces. Mind that
this tool does not work on curved faces or grouped 3D objects. To ungroup,
just right-click and go to Explode.
You can cut, copy or paste selected objects pressing CTRL+X, CTRL+C and
CTRL+V.
Let's see how to color and fill 2D and 3D objects. All you need to do
is to enable the Select Tool, select the object interested and go to Entity
Info. Through this dialog box you can check lengths and areas, and change
the filling color as well, clicking on the left boxes. You have different
default colors, but you can also click on Edit to personalize.
Mind that the colors are the same ones between one object and another. If
you edit it for one object, you will edit it for all other objects that use
the same color.
You can also fill objects using the Paint Bucket Tool. Double-click on it
to set the material to use. Materials can represent bricks, walls, and so
on. Choose the section on the right, the material below, and then click on
the 3D group, face or polygon to fill it.
Let's see how to measure and how to add text. You can measure using the
Tape Measure Tool. Just fix a point and drag. Hold your click to see how
much the length is. Use CTRL+Z to remove the dashed guide lines that can
appear. You can also measure angles. To do so, just right-click on top and
check Large Tool Set. This panel collects more tools SketchUp has. Enable
the Protractor Tool. When you click on a point you place a goniometer. This
has the same color of the axis that is parallel to it. Fix a second point
to fix the goniometer, and hover the point where the angle ends.
As you can see, the goniometer has different indicators. The angle between
one and the following one is 15 degrees. In this way you can measure the
current angle.
If you need to add text, just go to 3D Text. Define what to write, the
style and choose between 3D or 2D Text checking or unchecking Extruded.
This will behave just like a normal object. To personalize it, right-click
and go to Edit Component. When you finish, right-click and go to Close
Component, to manage the text fully as before.
Once your project is finished, just save it. Go to File and then to Save
As... SketchUp projects are saved as .skp. This lets you edit it in the
future. To export your project, for example to print it, you need to go to
File and then to Send to LayOut. LayOut is a subcomponent of SketchUp, that
lets you modify your project before printing it. The project on the layout
is the one that your workspace shows when you open LayOut.
To print all just go to File and then to Print...
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