Drawing Arcs Tangent to Corners
Consider the shape in Figure 4.2. Suppose that you want to round the acute angle in that figure—how would you do it?
FIGURE 4.2 A shape with an acute angle.
You could draw an arc so that it was tangent to the two sides, as shown in Figure 4.3.
FIGURE 4.3 The same shape with a tangent arc added.
Then you could use the Eraser tool to erase the unneeded acute angle, as shown in Figure 4.4.
That’s it—you’ve rounded the acute angle. Here’s how it works step by step:
1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button and delete the human figure that appears in Engineering–Feet.
2. Draw the surface similar to the one shown in Figure 4.2 with the angle you want to round.
3. Click the Arc tool in the toolbar and move the mouse to the start point of the new arc you’re about to draw. The start point should be on an edge adjacent to the angle you want to round.
4. Click the mouse. When you do, you anchor an end point of the arc you’re drawing at that location.
FIGURE 4.4 The shape now with a rounded arc.
5. Move the mouse to the end point of the new arc you’re drawing and click the mouse. When you do, a line appears from the first anchor point to the current location of the mouse.
6. Slide the mouse along the line between the two end points, and move the mouse to “pull” the line out into an arc. When you’ve pulled the arc such so its sides are exactly tangent to the sides adjacent to the angle you’re rounding, the arc will turn cyan. That’s your clue that you’ve selected the correct arc.
7. Click the mouse. The arc becomes permanent (unless you erase it, of course).
8. Click the Eraser tool in the toolbar. The Eraser tool looks just like, well, an eraser and is a couple tools to the right of the Arc tool. The mouse cursor changes to a small eraser to indicate you’re using the Eraser tool.
9. Click the two line segments inside the shape that formed the acute angle to erase them. This gives you Figure 4.4.
Rounding acute corners like this is a useful skill when you’re using SketchUp.
Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes
