LESSON 3-2 : Drawing Lines

Drawing Lines

You use the Line tool in SketchUp to draw—edges. Perhaps you thought I was going to say lines, but in fact, the Line tool really draws edges. You can connect those edges when you draw them, creating a closed figure, which, if it all lies in the same plane, SketchUp treats as a figure.

TIP: Drawing Edges
We already have put the Line tool to work drawing a few edges and closing the figure to complete a surface. Take a look at the previous lesson if you want to bone up on edges and surfaces.

Here’s how to use the Line tool to draw an individual edge:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button on the Welcome page.
2. Click the human figure that appears in the Engineering–Feet template by default to select it and press the Del key to delete it.
3. Click the Line tool in the toolbar.
4. Move the mouse to the start point of the new edge you’re about to draw.
5. Press the mouse button. Doing so anchors the edge you’re drawing at that location.
6. Drag the mouse to the end point of the new edge you’re drawing. When you do, a line stretches from the first anchor point to the current location of the mouse.
7. Release the mouse button. When you do, a line appears from the first anchor point to the current location of the mouse, as shown in Figure 3.1.

FIGURE 3.1 A new edge.

That’s it—you’ve just drawn an edge.

TIP: Aligning to Axes
When the line you’re drawing is parallel to an axis, the line changes color to match (red=x axis, green=y axis, blue=z axis). In addition, a ToolTip will appear at the mouse cursor location. Notice also that when you draw, the line will align to other edges as well for your convenience. And if you don’t want them aligned to other edges, just keep dragging the mouse until the line snaps to a new alignment.

Drawing Multiline Shapes

You usually don’t draw just a single edge when you’re using SketchUp; instead, you draw many connected edges.

It’s not hard to draw a new edge connecting to an existing edge in SketchUp. When you’re drawing the new edge and approach any existing edges, you’ll see a red square appear on the existing edge when you’re on that edge. That means that releasing the mouse will connect your new edge to the existing one. When you’re near an end point, a circle colored in green will appear on the existing edge at the end point, and a cyan circle will appear for the midpoint,

TIP: Watch the ToolTips
There’s no need to try to memorize the various red squares and cyan or green circles that appear on edges when you’re connecting other edges to them—ToolTips will also appear, labeled Endpoint, On Edge, and so on.

So although you can connect one edge to another, it’s a little tedious. SketchUp recommends instead that you draw multiple edges all at once, if you can. That way, you can just “connect the dots” to draw a new figure, and SketchUp will keep drawing new edges as long as you move the mouse. Because it realizes you’re drawing multiple edges, SketchUp keeps drawing lines until you tell it to stop by hitting the Esc key.

Here’s how to use the Line tool to draw multiline figures working with the Engineering–Feet template set in the previous task:

1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button and delete the human figure that appears by default.
2. Click the Line tool in the toolbar.
3. Move the mouse to the start point of the new edge you’re about to draw and click the mouse.
4. Move the mouse to the end point of the new edge—which is also the start point of the new edge—and click it.
5. Repeat step 5 for all the new edges in your drawing. SketchUp will keep drawing edges between the locations you click in your drawing.
6. Press Esc to make SketchUp stop drawing edges. SketchUp will stop drawing edges, and your multiline figure is complete, as shown in Figure 3.2.

FIGURE 3.2 Drawing a multiline figure.

In this way, SketchUp makes drawing a multi-edge figure easy.

Drawing Measured Lines

You can also tell SketchUp just how long you want your edges to be when you draw them. Note that we are still working with the Engineering–Feet template set in the previous task.

Here’s how to draw measured edges:
1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button.
2. Click the Line tool in the toolbar.
3. Move the mouse to the start point of the new edge you’re about to draw and click the mouse.
4. Move the mouse toward the end point of the new edge.
5. Enter the length of the new edge. You can enter the following:

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

Thus, for example, 5m means five meters, 5" means five inches, and so on.

6. Press Enter. SketchUp draws the new edge with the length you’ve requested.

Being able to set the length of edges is crucial for engineering and architectural drawings.


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