Rotating Parts of Objects
The Rotate tool lets you rotate part of an object as well, which is great when you want to “fold” part of an object over.For example, we’ll rotate just part of a cube.
Here’s how it works:
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 one edge of the cube, as shown in Figure 8.4. Note that when you’re drawing the line, it will turn cyan until it’s parallel to the vertical edges of the cube. This is a useful guide if you want to draw a vertical line.
6. Now we’ll rotate part of the cube around the vertical line. Choose the Select tool in the toolbar.
7. Click the right half of the bisected cube face. This selects that half of the cube face and fills it with blue dots to indicate that it has been selected.
8. Select the Rotate tool in the toolbar.
FIGURE 8.4 A cube with a line.
9. Click the location under the cube around which you want to rotate the selected part of the cube. That is, click directly under the bottom end point of the bisecting line.
10. After setting the rotation hub, you need to set the rotation axis, the axle around which the rotation will take place. Move the mouse to the end point of the rotation axis. That is, move the mouse directly above the top end point of the bisecting line.
NOTE: One End Becomes the Rotation Axis
One end point of the rotation axis is automatically the rotation base; the other you set by moving the mouse and then clicking it. The rotation axis is the axis, or axle, around which the rotation will take place.
11. Click the mouse to lock the rotation axis in place. Now you have the rotation base (the rotation axle hub) and the rotation axis (the rotation axle) in place. When you move the mouse, the desk will rotate to match.
12. Move the mouse to rotate the object. This rotates the selected object in 3D space to follow the movements of the mouse.
13. Click the mouse to lock the object in its rotated position. You can see the new position of the right half of the bisected cube face in our example in Figure 8.5.
FIGURE 8.5 A partially rotated object.
Now you can partially rotate objects in SketchUp.
TIP: You Can Also Use the Move Tool
You can get the same effect as you see in Figure 8.5 with the Move tool if you drag the right-most edge of the cube forward.
Thanks :
Steven Holzner,
SamsTeachYourself Google SketchUp 8 in 10 Minutes
