Learn how to use tools like the line tool, rectangle tool, and push-pull command in SketchUp to create detailed 3D models. This tutorial guides you through the process of constructing a picnic table, focusing on creating and modifying geometric shapes.
Key Insights
- Creating 3D models in SketchUp involves using tools like the line tool to specify the height for objects like seat support, and the rectangle tool to define the width and breadth of objects.
- Tools like the push-pull command are essential for modifying the geometry of objects, like creating a recess or protrusion on a surface.
- Consistent checking of the measurements box is important in ensuring the right dimensions for the long and short edges of an object. SketchUp accommodates measurements in both feet and inches, and automatically adjusts the object's dimensions accordingly.
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Let's continue building our picnic table. Let's first go to the line tool.
As I drag along the side of my leg, you will see a square, purple square. This represents the edge and it snaps on that edge. If I, you know, hover around the center, it'll turn into a purple circle.
This says midpoint in group. And if I highlight, drawing up to the corner, this is the endpoint in group as also in a purple circle. I will click the midpoint of the group, click and drag along the red axes all the way to the midpoint in this group and then click.
I will use escape to end my line. And now this is the height for our seat support. Next, I'm going to go to the rectangle tool and find the midpoint on the line.
It's the bright blue circle that says midpoint. Let's click this and we'll drag over to the right as we get a blue rectangle. As you will see in the dimensions in the bottom right hand corner, the first dimension is the long dimension and the second dimension is the short dimension.
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It is always helpful to check your measurements box to see which order is the two dimensions. In this case, the long dimension is first, short dimension is second. I will type in 36 comma 2. Enter.
I made that 36 inches long by two inches wide. Now let's go back to the midpoint again and let's do the same thing on this side. Clicking and then dragging along the blue, making sure that we have a blue rectangle.
And I will type in, instead of doing 36 inches, I will type in three feet as SketchUp will use three feet or 36 interchangeably feet or inches because we are in the feet and inches template. Comma 2, which is inches. Enter.
Alright, now I have two rectangles with a line in the middle. If I go to the erase tool, I can erase this line and SketchUp will automatically auto heal the two rectangles into one surface. Now let's go to the push pull command and click the rectangle.
Dragging that that mass down, we will type in 6 for 6 inches. Enter. Next, let's go to our line command again and let's find the corner over here and zoom onto the edge of this corner and kind of orbit around so we get a nice view of this in the center.
Let's find the midpoint, the blue circle. I want to click this and I want to have a line that's 45 degrees off of this. If I was to drag that, it's hard for me to find that angle.
However, if I was to hover over this, it'll automatically snap to that point. SketchUp knows that I want to do three inches down and three inches, so it'll give me this standard guide to snap to. So I'll click this and I'll draw that line and let's go to the other edge.
So let's orbit and pan using our middle mouse wheel and shift to kind of combination of those two. Let's do the same thing. Zoom into here, we'll click the center, find the center and find that magenta line by hovering over this edge and click.
Now we will use the push-pull tool to remove this geometry. So get the push-pull and hover over this and click and click and we'll do the same thing on the other side. Orbit, pan, zoom with the scroll wheel, click, snap, delete.
I will then use the zoom extents. I will click my cursor, select tool, triple click. I want to make this a group.
So to make a group, you right click, make group. I will now hit the save button to save my file or click control s. All right, now we are going to create the top of our table. So let's go to the line tool, click this end point in group and draw a line along the red axes to the end of this.
I will click escape to end this line. I will orbit and pan to get that kind of in the center. We're going to do the same process using the rectangle tool.
Rectangle, find the midpoint of line, drag to the right. This time we will do 2,20. That was the wrong one.
Okay, we'll go to the rectangle tool and click on the center midpoint of this line and using the blue rectangle, we will use our dimensions and we want to make this 20 inches long by 2 inches wide. We will type in 20,2 and then we'll do the same thing on this side. Drag to where it's blue and I can do maybe a little bit different things.
I'll do 1 foot 8 inches, 2 inches. See it does the exact same thing. However you type it out, you can type it 1 foot 8 inches or 20 inches and really SketchUp will be smart enough to kind of understand what you're doing.
To delete that center line I can go to my select tool. I can click that line and I can either right click erase or on my keyboard if you have a delete key you can click delete and I'll do the same thing as the erase tool. Both of those kind of delete key and the erase tool can be used interchangeably in SketchUp.
Now let's go to the push pull tool and select our rectangle. Click that and then move down type in 6. Again let's remove and trim out those corners. We do the same thing.
Go to the line tool, find that midpoint and then along this edge find that magenta line and click and then we'll go back to push pull and then push that, delete that, select tool. Now we'll orbit and pan to this side. Line tool, midpoint along that magenta, find that magenta line, click to create that line and then we will push pull this to delete that corner.
I'll go back to my select tool, triple click, right click, make group. Alright there we have one support side for our picnic table. I will zoom extents, save file.
Alright see you next video.
