Drawing Measured Arcs
Perhaps you want to create an arc a bit more precisely than you can freehand. You can specify the radius of any arc; here’s how:1. Click the Start Using SketchUp button and click the human figure that appears in the Engineering–Feet template to select it; press the Del key to delete it.
2. Click the Arc tool in the toolbar (shown in Figure 4.1).
FIGURE 4.1 The Arc tool and a new arc.
3. Move the mouse to the start point of the new arc you’re about to draw and click the mouse. When you do, you anchor an end point of the arc you’re drawing at that location.
4. 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.
5. 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 do, an arc appears from the first anchor point to the current location of the mouse.
6. Enter the size of the radius you want (simply stop using the mouse and type in the radius; no dialog box or text field appears). You can use 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.
7. Press Enter. SketchUp draws the new arc with the radius you’ve requested.
And there you have it—an arc with a specific radius.
Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes
