LESSON 10-1 : Dimensioning Distances

Dimensioning Distances

The Dimensioning tool lets you add dimension labels to a drawing to indicate distances. That’s particularly useful when you’re drawing plans where measurements are important, such as architectural plans that will be used in actual construction.

For the tasks in this lesson we’ll again use the Engineering–Feet template we’ve used previously.

Here’s how to use the Dimensioning tool to measure a cube:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

2. Select the Rectangle tool and draw a horizontal rectangle.

3. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar and pull the rectangle up into a cube.

4. Select Toolbars from the View menu. This opens a submenu.

5. Select the submenu’s Large Tool Set item. This opens the large toolbar.

6. Select the Dimensioning tool in the toolbar (shown in Figure 10.2).

FIGURE 10.2 Pulling a dimensioning label using the Dimensioning tool.

7. Click an edge of the cube.
8. Pull a dimensioning label away from the edge. You can see what this looks like in Figure 10.2.
9. Click to fix the dimensioning label in place.
10. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for additional edges of the cube. You can see the results in Figure 10.3.

FIGURE 10.3 Dimensions added to a cube.

Great—now you can add dimension labels to your models.

TIP: Dimensioning Between Any Two Points
You can also add a dimension label between any two points in a drawing, not just an edge. To do that, select the Dimensioning tool, click the first point, and then click the second point.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-2 : Dimensioning Arcs

Dimensioning Arcs

The Dimensioning tool also lets you add dimension labels to arcs, not just straight edges. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

2. Select the Arc tool.

3. Draw an arc.

4. From the Large Tool Set select the Dimensioning tool (open the Large Tool Set from the View menu if necessary).

5. Click the arc. The Dimensioning tool displays the radius of the arc, prefixed by the letter R.

6. Click the center of the arc to fix the dimension label in place. You can see what this looks like in Figure 10.4.

FIGURE 10.4 Dimensioning an arc.

That’s it—now you can add dimensioning labels to an arc.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-3 : Freezing Dimensions

Freezing Dimensions

When you resize an object that has a dimensioning label attached to it, the label is updated with the new length by default. However, you can lock the dimension label’s displayed length so that it won’t change no matter how much you resize the object. Here’s how:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

2. Select the Rectangle tool and draw a horizontal rectangle.

3. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar and pull the rectangle up into a cube.

4. From the Large Tool Set select the Dimensioning tool (open the Large Tool Set from the View menu if necessary).

5. Click an edge of the cube.

6. Pull a dimensioning guide away from the edge to create a dimensioning label.

7. Click to fix the dimensioning guide in place. The dimensioning label displays the length of the edge you’ve attached it to, as shown in Figure 10.5.

FIGURE 10.5 A cube with a dimensioning label.

8. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar.

9. Pull the cube up vertically as you see in Figure 10.6. Note that the length measurement in the dimensioning label changes to match the new height.

FIGURE 10.6 A resized cube

10. Double-click the dimensioning label.

11. Enter a new length for the dimension. In this example, we’ll create a six-foot length. In general, you enter a length and then the units—you can use these units:

• cm to signify centimeters
• m to signify meters
• ' for feet
• " for inches

For example, 6' means six feet, so you would type 6'.

Now the dimension label reads six feet, as you can see in Figure 10.7, and it won’t change no matter how you resize the object.

FIGURE 10.7 A fixed dimension.

Setting your own dimensions can be very useful when you’re creating architectural or other plans.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-4 : Configuring Dimensioning Labels

You’ve seen the default font and style for dimensioning labels in the previous tasks and you might not like it. Fortunately, you can change it.

For example, in this task, we’ll change the font used for dimensioning labels from the default Tahoma 12 points to Times New Roman 18 points (or another font and font size that your system supports):

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

2. Select the Rectangle tool and draw a horizontal rectangle.

3. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar and pull the rectangle up into a cube.

4. From the Large Tool Set select the Dimensioning tool (open the Large Tool Set from the View menu if necessary).

5. Click an edge of the cube.

6. Pull a dimensioning label away from the edge.

7. Click to fix the dimensioning label in place.

8. Select Model Info from the Window menu. This opens the Model Info dialog box.

FIGURE 10.8 The Dimensions settings dialog.

9. Click the Dimensions item at the left in the Model Info dialog box. This opens the Dimensions settings, as you see in Figure 10.8.

10. Click the Select All Dimensions button.

11. Click the Font button. This opens the Font dialog box, as you see in Figure 10.9.

FIGURE 10.9 The Font dialog box.

12. Select the Times New Roman font (or another font supported by your system).

13. Select 18 point font size.

14. Click OK.

15. Click the Update Selected Dimensions button.

16. Click the X button at the upper right in the Model Info dialog box to close it. The font in your dimensioning labels changes to match your new settings.

TIP: Setting Arrow Styles
Note that you can also set the style for arrows used in dimensioning labels. Just select the new style you want from the drop-down list in the Model Info dialog box–closed arrows (that is, filled-in arrow heads), open arrows, dotted lines, and more.

And that lets you configure dimension labels.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-5 : Measuring Angles

Measuring Angles

The Protractor tool is great for measuring angles. Suppose you had the object with an angle on one side, as you see in Figure 10.10. Now suppose that you wanted to measure that angle. How could you do it?

FIGURE 10.10 An object with an angle in one face.

You could use the Protractor tool. This tool is to angles what the Tape Measure tool is to lengths—that is, you can measure angles with it.

To see how this works, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.
2. Select the Rectangle tool and draw a horizontal rectangle.
3. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar and pull the rectangle up into a cube.
4. Select the Line tool in the toolbar.
5. Draw a vertical line on the right face of the cube.
6. Select the Move tool in the toolbar.
7. Pull the right-most edge of the cube out until your object looks like Figure 10.11.

FIGURE 10.11 The Protractor tool in use.

8. Select the View menu’s Toolbars item. This opens a submenu.
9. Select the submenu’s Large Tool Set item. This opens the large toolbar.
10. Select the Protractor tool in the toolbar.
11. Click the vertex of the angle you plan to measure. A protractor appears at the location you’ve clicked, as shown in Figure 10.11.
12. Click one of the edges that make up the angle.
13. Click the other edge that makes up the angle. Two dotted lines extend from the protractor, measuring the angle, as you see in Figure 10.12.

You can see the angle the protractor is measuring in the Value Control Box at the lower right: 128.6 degrees.

FIGURE 10.12 Measuring an angle.

That’s great if you need to measure an angle, but what if you want to specify a certain angle instead, and set up guides to match?

Take a look at the next task.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-6 : Creating Guides at Specific Angles

Creating Guides at Specific Angles

You can also create guides at given angles. Take a look at the two cubes in Figure 10.13.

FIGURE 10.13 Two cubes in a drawing.

Suppose you need them to be aligned so that the back face of the right cube is at 145° with respect to the right face of the left cube, as shown in Figure 10.14. How could you move the cubes to meet this criteria? You use the Protractor tool to draw construction guides at an angle. Here’s how it works:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

FIGURE 10.14 Two cubes at a specified angle.

2. Select the Rectangle tool and draw a horizontal rectangle.
3. Select the Push/Pull tool in the toolbar and pull the rectangle up into a cube.
4. Select the Select tool in the toolbar.
5. Draw a selection rectangle around the cube.
6. Select the Edit menu’s Copy item.
7. Select the Edit menu’s Paste item.
8. Click the mouse at the location where you want a new cube to appear.
9. From the Large Tool Set select the Protractor tool (open the Large Tool Set from the View menu if necessary).
10. Click the upper-left corner of the left cube. A protractor appears at the location you’ve clicked, as shown in Figure 10.15.

FIGURE 10.15 A protractor on a cube.

11. Click the top left edge of the left cube.
12. Move the mouse in the direction you want your angle guide to appear.
13. Type in the angle at which you want the guide to appear. In this example, we’ll use 145 degrees, so type in 145.
14. Press Enter.

An angle guide snaps into position, as you can see in Figure 10.15.

15. Use the Move and Rotate tools to move the right cube into position along the guide, as shown in Figure 10.16.

FIGURE 10.16 Aligning a cube.

16. Use the Eraser tool to delete the guide. You end up with the drawing previously shown in Figure 10.14.

Now you’re able to draw construction guides not only along straight edges, but also along angles.

TIP: Drawing Roof Slopes
If you want to draw a roof slope, measured as two numbers separated by a colon, you can enter that instead of an angle in degrees. For example, you might enter 6:12 and then press the Enter key.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-7 : Creating Cutaway Views of Your Model

Creating Cutaway Views of Your Model
SketchUp enables you to get cutaway views of your models. Suppose you had a model of a motorcycle, as shown in Figure 10.17.

As with any complex model, you might want to display various cross sections to indicate what makes the model tick. You can do that with the Section Pane tool.

Just follow these steps:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

FIGURE 10.17 A motorcycle.

2. Draw your model.
3. Select the View menu’s Toolbars item. This opens a submenu.
4. Select the submenu’s Large Tool Set item. This opens the large toolbar.
5. Select the Section Pane tool in the toolbar (shown in Figure 10.18).

FIGURE 10.18 A cross section using the Section Pane tool.

6. Move the Section Pane tool over your model. The Section Pane tool draws a plane that aligns with any underlying surface.

7. Click when you’ve selected the right cutaway section with the Section Pane tool. You can see an example in Figure 10.18.

Want to preserve the part of the model that was cut and cut the rest instead? See the next task.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes

LESSON 10-8 : Reversing the Direction of a Section Cut

Reversing the Direction of a Section Cut

By default, the Section Pane tool cuts away the top of a model. But you can make it cut away the bottom of a model instead.

Just follow these steps:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.

2. Draw your model.

3. From the Large Tool Set select the Section Pane tool (open the Large Tool Set from the View menu if necessary).

4. Move the Section Pane tool over your model. The Section Pane tool draws a plane that aligns with any underlying surface.

5. Click when you’ve selected the right cutaway section with the Section Pane tool.

6. Right click the section pane. A context menu appears.

7. Select the Reverse item in the context menu. The part of the model that was cut away reappears, and the part that was visible disappears, as you can see in the example in Figure 10.19.

FIGURE 10.19 Reversing a cross section.

Now you’ve got complete control over section panes.

Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes