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Everything you need to know about Sketchup 2013

Matt Donley — Thu, 23 May 2013 02:00:54 +0000

It’s here! Sketchup 2013 was released on Tuesday, and you’re probably wondering what’s new! Well I’ve got you covered. I’m going to tell you everything you need to know about Sketchup 2013,

Before I jump into my overview of what’s new, I thought it would be helpful to share links to a number of important pages that will help you understand all the changes that are going on.

Official Sketchup Announcements

Introducing Sketchup 2013 This is the announcement from Sketchup explaining the overall picture of the release. In the article, John Bacus highlights the new Extensions Warehouse, improvements made to Layout, and the rebranding of the free Sketchup; Now called Sketchup Make.
(re)Introducing Sketchup Make
This is more of a reflection on how Sketchup has grown, and how important it is to them to continue to offer a free modeling program. With Sketchup Make, they reaffirm their allegiance to always provide a version of Sketchup that is free. (Notice the backlink to my pinewood derby tutorial? Woo hoo!!)
A Closer Look at Layout
Here’s an in depth look at the specific changes made to Layout. There are numerous performance upgrades, as well as many additional features added to Layout. Some features include pattern fill (hatching), new annotations, copy array, and increased zoom levels.

Where to Download

Download Sketchup
Just select what you plan on using Sketchup for, and it will suggest whether you should download Sketchup Make, or Sketchup Pro. As of right now, all downloads get you an 8 hour trial version of Sketchup Pro that defaults back to Sketchup Make if you don’t purchase a Pro license. Be aware that with the new release, you will not be allowed to use Sketchup Make for commercial work. More on this below…

Licensing, Maintenance, & Support

Upgrade, Maintenance, and Support program details
With the introduction of annual releases for Sketchup, they have also introduced a new maintenance and support program. This page gives you all the information you need to know regarding this new program.
SketchUp 2013 FAQ
Are confused about the new licensing terms? This page will help you understand the new licenses, as well as what happens to your old licenses.
Sketchup Pro Support Policy
Details regarding what is included in the new maintenance & support program for Sketchup Pro users.
Sketchup Make License agreement
Here’s the official new license you must agree to in order to use Sketchup Make. Of course there’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, but most notable is this paragraph:

Trimble Navigation Limited and/or its affiliates (“Trimble”) gives you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive license to use the executable version of the Software for non-commercial use only. Non-commercial use means: you may not sell, rent, lease or lend the output of the Software or the Services. If you are a for-profit organization of any kind, or an employee of a for-profit organization using the Software or Services in that capacity, you are engaged in commercial activity; therefore, in order to use the Software and Services, you must purchase a SketchUp Pro license.
Sketchup Pro License agreement
Official license agreement for new Sketchup Pro 2013 users.

What’s new in Sketchup 2013?

The new release of Sketchup Make 2013 and Sketchup Pro 2013 brings many core improvements to the platform. But if you’re looking for new bells and whistles, you may feel a little disappointed…At first glance.

Let’s start with Sketchup Make.

Sketchup Make is now the name of the free version of Sketchup. Once you download it, the first thing you’ll notice is nearly all of the icons have a new look. Far from being a functional improvement, this change is strictly more rebranding done by Trimble since their last release. Looks like I’ll have to update my keyboard shortcuts guide.

The biggest improvement made to Sketchup Make is the addition of the Extensions warehouse. If you’re craving bells and whistles, this is where you’ll find them. The extensions warehouse is an organizational tool for all of your Sketchup plugins. Instead of searching around on different websites and forums, you can find all the greatest plugins right in one spot. It sort of reminds me of the App store on my smart phone.

It also has a built in installation manager that REALLY simplifies the installation process. (It’s pretty much a one click install, unless you have a security pop-up)

NOTE: Feel free to browse the extensions warehouse from the link above, but make sure to actually open the warehouse from INSIDE Sketchup to experience the “one-click” install. You need to have a Google account in order to sign in and download extensions.

Looks like my STL installation tutorial is obsolete… Search for the new Sketchup STL import/export plugin in the extension warehouse.

Another change I noticed is an improvement in how you select toolbar visibility. Instead of it being a menu where you select each toolbar one at a time, it opens a window where you can checkbox the toolbars you want visible. They implemented a better toolbar system as well. They won’t get all messed up when you resize the window anymore. There are some performance upgrades that are noticeable as well.

Sketchup Pro 2013

Sketchup Pro will load on your computer by default with an 8 hour trial period. If you are going to be using Sketchup for commercial use, you are required to purchase Sketchup Pro for $590. (Discount price available for previous owners of Sketchup Pro.) This is higher than previous versions of Sketchup Pro. The additional cost is for the newly required maintenance & support program. So, technically, Sketchup Pro still costs $495, you just have to pay a mandatory $95 fee for the maintenance program.

If you’ve previously purchased Sketchup Pro in the past, from either Trimble or Google, you only have to pay the $95 maintenance fee in order to upgrade your license.

Regardless if you’re a first time Sketchup Pro user or are upgrading from a previous version, your new maintenance agreement gets you one full year of free upgrades! This means you will get ALL updates, even when your maintenance agreement period overlaps a major Sketchup update.

New Features

Sketchup Pro itself doesn’t seem to include any major upgrades beyond the new features it shares with the new Sketchup Make. The spotlight for this release falls upon Layout, the 2D counterpart to Sketchup Pro.

Pattern Fill In Layout, you’ll now have the ability to apply patterns and hatches to your drawings. You will get a standard palette of patterns, or you can create your own pattern images and import them into your library.
New Annotations Instead of only being able to create a straight leader line, you’ll be able to add curved leaders as well with a few mouse clicks. This helps you distinguish your linework from your annotations. Arrow head styles have a more slim design, and you can now add dashes between your non-metric dimensions. Like this: 10′ – 3″
Copy Array Much like the way you can create multiple copies of things in Sketchup, that ability is now native to Layout as well.
Numbered Pages When you look at the Pages panel in Layout, you’ll now see that the pages are automatically numbered so you can keep track of which page you’re on. A simple, but nice feature.
Increased Zoom Previous versions of Layout could only zoom to a magnification level of 1000%. Now, you’re able to zoom in to 10,000 times zoom. This makes it much easier to pick that short line on your drawing.
Faster Vector Rendering When you set your model render type to vector, it will load much faster than before.
Faster Screen Redraw There’s a noticeable improvement in the overall speed of Layout. Layout used to feel clunky, now it feels spunky!
Improved Video Export You can now export higher quality video animations of your scenes in Sketchup Pro.

Conclusion

Remember that any previous versions of Sketchup you have will still work on your computer. Even though Trimble has changed the licensing agreement for the new versions, it doesn’t nullify any previous versions of Sketchup. So this means you can go ahead and continue to use the version you’re working on, even if you use it commercially.

Is it worth upgrading to Sketchup Pro? In this release, it’s clear that the Sketchup team still believes in simplicity. No, you won’t find a ton of new tools and gizmos that add more toolbars to your screen. Instead, you have a more stable, high performance modeler that keeps true to its motto: 3D for everyone. This is what makes Sketchup so great. And to compliment that mindset is a new extension management tool that allows users to completely customize their Sketchup to fit their needs.

Adding to all the performance upgrades, Layout has been substantially upgraded with new tools that polish off this well rounded presentation tool. I think Sketchup Pro 2013 has unlocked its potential as a professional documentation and visualization tool, and is just the beginning of what we can come to expect from Trimble.

Download Sketchup 2013 Here.

MSP 005 : Illustrative Rendering with Jeremy Kay

Matt Donley — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:44:32 +0000

Jeremy Kay is an incredible architectural illustrator. His work has been featured on RonenBeckerman.com and SketchupArtists.org. His design tool of choice?

Sketchup.

In this podcast episode, I talk to him about his workflow, and share some tips on how you can create beautiful renderings using Sketchup and Photoshop.

Listen to the podcast using the play button above, or subscribe using one of the links below.

Click here to subscribe via Itunes

Click here to subscribe via RSS (non-Itunes feed)

In this Episode

Next time someone questions whether Sketchup is a capable design tool, send them over to StudioJDK.com.

Jeremy’s unique perspective on design is breathtaking, and Sketchup allows him to quickly express his ideas without getting in the way.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to create vibrant illustrations using Sketchup, you’ll learn a few tips in this episode that you can immediately use in your next project.

In this episode you’ll learn about

The concept of illustrative design
How to use Sketchup to compose your 2D illustration
Using multiple exported images from Sketchup in the same render
Insert detailed vegetation, clouds, and people using Photoshop brushes
How Jeremy learned and developed his techniques

Links mentioned in this Post

Ronen Bekerman Blog (Jeremy’s Tutorial)
SketchupArtists.org Rendering Techniques
StudioJDK (Make sure to check out his Architectural Visualization Gallery
Rhino3D definition of NURBS (Rhino is a NURBS modeler)
Maxwell Renderer
Vue from E-on software
VRay from Chaos Group
PhotoShop
GIMP (Free alternative to Photoshop)
Wacom Tablets
Color Drawing by Mike E. Doyle
Facebook.com/StudioJDK
Jeremy@StudioJDK.com

Matt Donley — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:44:51 +0000

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8 Tips for Scaling in Sketchup

Matt Donley — Sat, 04 May 2013 21:15:38 +0000

The scale tool is a great function in Sketchup, allowing quick resizing of objects while retaining proportions. Most of us use the scale tool on groups and components, but you can also scale anything in Sketchup, including any number of entities in a selection.

The Scale Tool

The most common way to manipulate shapes in Sketchup is to use the push/pull tool. By extruding faces, your model can start to take shape fairly quickly. But what if you wanted to stretch out something proportionally without having to manually place each object?

That’s where the Scale Tool comes in.

To use the Scale Tool, pre-select the object or objects you’d like to scale, then press (S) to activate the Scale Tool. You’ll notice a yellow box appears around the objects you selected and a bunch of green “handles” that you can click and drag to resize your object. Try dragging the different handles to learn the basic functions of the Scale Tool, then try some of these tricks.

Hold CTRL to scale from the center.

When you use the Scale Tool, the point opposite from the handle you grab will remain fixed, and everything will scale in relationship to that point. If you wanted to scale the object equally from both sides, you can hold the CTRL key while scaling and Sketchup will reference the center point of the object. I use this when I need to resize a floor joist, and I need both ends of the joist to move the same distance. Instead of push pulling both ends, I just scale about the center of the joist to get it done faster.
Draw circles by diameter.

When drawing circles in Sketchup, you have to define the size of the circle by its radius. Sometimes you only know the diameter though, and if it’s a number like 23 5/16″, it takes a little brain power to figure out how to divide that in half to arrive at your radius. Instead, draw the circle and type in 23 5/16″ as the radius. Then, select the circle and activate the Scale Tool. Scale the circle down to a value of 0.50 while holding the CTRL key so you keep the center of the circle in the same place (See tip #1 above, lol).

Your circle will now have a diameter of 23 5/16″

Use guides to scale to specific dimensions

You can scale objects by typing in a number into the VCB like with most Sketchup tools. The only thing is, the number is a unit of ratio, not length. 1.0 is where you start out, so if you scale to a number lower than 1.0, the object gets smaller. If you scale it to anything greater than 1.0, it gets bigger. So 0.50 would make it half the size it started out as, and likewise, 2.0 would make it double the size that it was.

Most often, you are trying to scale something to a specific height or dimension, so we need to have a reference point to help us. You can reference an existing point in your model, or you can create a guide using the tape measure tool before you scale the object. The Sketchup Inference system will snap to your guide as you scale.

UPDATE (5/12/13) – I learn new things every day. Marcus Ritland from www.denali3ddesign.com pointed out to me that you CAN actually specify a dimension when using the scale tool. So I could just type in 36″, and the cabinet would scale the overall height to 36″. AWESOME! Thanks Marcus.
Scale faces, Sketchup will take care of the rest.

You can scale individual faces in Sketchup too. Sketchup will automatically resize connected entities in order to keep everything in tact. Try creating a cylinder, then scale one of the round faces. Everything stays connected and Sketchup will even subdivide the faces in order to keep everything together.
Scale by Selection

Scaling groups and components seems to be the most common way I use the Scale Tool. Sometimes I forget that I can scale pretty much ANYTHING in Sketchup, just by selecting it first. This is great when I’m modeling a concept cabinet layout and need to quickly change the height of a cabinet. I can open the cabinet group and just select the upper portion of the cabinet. When I scale it, the toe kick height never changes because it was not part of my selection.
Scaling Groups/Components affects everything inside

This isn’t really a tip, but more of a little characteristic you should be aware of. When you scale a Group or Component (without opening it first), everything in that group will be scaled. This includes materials! If you are using textured materials in your model this may be an issue for you. If you are not using materials or are just using solid colors this shouldn’t matter.

You can avoid this from happening by opening the group or component and selecting the entities within that component and scaling them directly. When you scale faces directly (not from outside a group/component), the textured materials will scroll along that face while you scale, similar to how the push/pull tool works. Of course, if you are scaling objects that are inside a component but don’t want the other instances of that component to scale too, you can’t do that. Which brings me to my next point…
Scaled Components don’t affect other instances.

One great thing about the Scale Tool is that it doesn’t affect any of the other instances of that component, as long as you don’t “open” the component first. So you don’t actually have to make any changes to the internal structure of the component in order to scale it. But remember that if you do make changes to the internal component later, the scaled component will still show the changes, but in proportion to the scale you set it at.

The other tool you can apply to a group/component without “opening” it is the paint bucket tool. When you do that, you are overwriting the “default” material for that group/component. So all faces that have the default white/purple color scheme on the interior and exterior faces will inherit that material. If you open the group and manually apply materials to faces, they will override the default material.
Look for the green handle even if you can’t see it.

- When you’re trying to scale a part of your model, there are many times when you might have something else in your way. This might prevent you from seeing the green handle that you want to grab, but you can still grab it! Just hover over the area where you think it should be and it will pop up when your mouse is in the right spot.

You can also create a custom keyboard shortcut to hide the other parts of your model while working in a group or component.

When you get really good at the Scale Tool, see if you can pull this off. Let me know if you have any other great Scale tool tips. Leave a comment below.

Sketchup Layers vs. Groups & Components

Matt Donley — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 18:31:17 +0000

If you are used to working in a 2D program like AutoCAD or if you’ve ever used Photoshop, you probably understand the basic principles behind using layers. Most people start using Sketchup expecting layers to perform the same way, but quickly find out this is not the case. This article will help you understand how layers work in Sketchup, and also show you why groups & components may be a better way to organize your model.

I should use Layers, right?

When modeling, there are two main things you want to have control over: Organizing the structure, and toggling the visibility of the different entities in your model.

Structural organization in Sketchup is handled using Groups, Components and the Outliner window. Groups and components allow you to take any number of edges and faces and place them in an imaginary protective “shell”. This shell allows you to move and manipulate a collection of entities at the same time, and the contents of a group or component become protected from other entities outside of their group.

Traditionally, the term “layers” is used in 2D programs for both structural and visual organization. You can turn layers on or off to control visibility, but they also provide a way to separate objects from each other by assigning them to separate layers. So naturally, when someone comes into Sketchup for the first time, they expect Sketchup layers to behave the same way. Layers actually have a very specific purpose in Sketchup, but it has no effect on the STRUCTURE of your model.

Layers will only change the visibility of an entity.

Think of it like this. If you are standing in a room and someone turns off the lights, can you still interact with the objects in the room even though you can’t see them? Of course! The same goes for layers in Sketchup. When you put something on a layer, it doesn’t isolate or protect it in any way. It only assigns it to a certain “visibility channel”. This allows you to “turn the lights on or off” on any combination of objects, depending upon which layer you assign them to. You can assign individual entities to layers, or better yet, assign a group to a layer and everything inside that group will inherit the same layer assignment.

Now here’s the kicker. groups & components have a built in “Hide” & “Unhide” feature. Coupled with the organizational layout of the outliner window, it makes for a very easy way to manage the visibility of your groups and components while you’re modeling. Since you are already using groups and components to organize the structure of your model (you better be!), why not use groups and components to organize the visibility of your model too?

Advantages of using Groups and Components for organizing structure AND visibility

Organizing your model into groups creates a natural hierarchy in the outliner window that makes it easy to hide individual groups or parent groups that contain other groups.
While modeling, sometimes you want to turn off visibility of objects that are blocking your view. Sketchup has a special feature called “Hide rest of model”. This feature will hide everything outside of your active group, sometimes preventing you from even having to turn visibility on or off in the first place. Creating a keyboard shortcut for that feature makes quick work of turning it on and off.
By managing your visibility using groups, you prevent the need for having two separate organizational structures. Instead of assigning objects to both a group and a Layer, you would only have to assign them to a group.
When you hide a group or component, switching on “Hidden Geometry” (View –> Hidden Geometry) will reveal an outline of all hidden groups. However, if you have entities on a layer that is turned off, they will NOT be revealed when you turn on hidden geometry. They will remain invisible until you turn that layer back on. They will also disappear from the Outliner window until you turn that layer back on.

Advantages of using Layers for organizing visibility

Layers provide a way to assign similar items to a common visibility channel, even if they reside in separate, unrelated groups. For example, if you are modeling a house, you might put all the furniture on a layer labeled “furniture”. This way, you can quickly turn off all the furniture in your model with one click. Otherwise, if you hadn’t assigned all the furniture to a layer, you’d have to open up each group in your model and find all the furniture components and hide them individually.
Sketchup scenes do not track hidden groups/components very well when they are nested into parent groups. For this reason, it is best to use layers when trying to save scenes of your model with different visibility “configurations”.
UPDATE 3/17/13 via James Ogston from www.see-it-3d.co.uk James emailed me and brought up a good point about another reason to use layers. If you are planning on exporting your model to another program and you want to retain the organizational structure of your model, you might have to assign layers. If you don’t, all of your groups and components will show up as one object in the program you imported into.

Layers may not be necessary

After assessing your organization needs, you may find that you don’t need to use layers at all. Personally, I rarely use them. I do all of my organizing using groups and components. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking layers will isolate geometry. It’s only purpose is to control visibility.

Level of Detail Case Study: Rubik’s Cube

Matt Donley — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 23:08:46 +0000

Whenever you start a new Sketchup model, you make decisions about the level of detail (whether consciously or sub-consciously). What drives those decisions is usually a combination of the size of your model, the amount of time you have to create the model, and the overall purpose of your model. In this article, we’ll look at a Rubik’s Cube and a couple of different approaches to modeling one.

Rubik’s Cube Level of Detail

A Rubik’s Cube is a clever puzzle, popularized in the 80′s, that consist’s of 26 colored cubes that are interlocked with each other. You can rotate each of the 6 faces of the cube to rearrange the individual colors. Once scrambled, the point is to arrange the cubes so that each face of the cube has a unique color on it.

I thought it would be cool to model a Rubik’s Cube in Sketchup, and it struck me that there were a number of different ways I could approach the project. They would all technically be a Rubik’s Cube, but the amount of detail put into each model would vary greatly.

With any Sketchup model, the objective is to create a digital representation of something that effectively communicates our ideas. In order to evaluate whether or not we are successful in that objective, we need to first define what it is exactly we are trying to communicate.

Each model we create has a specific purpose. If we were drawing a Rubik’s Cube for example, we might define our purpose as one of the following:

1. A Smaller Element Within a Bigger Model

Perhaps I am creating a model of a room and I want to add some objects to the model to make it look more “lived in”. I may decide to add a Rubik’s Cube onto the coffee table, next to some magazines and a tv remote.

OBJECTIVE: Create a simple model of a Rubik’s Cube to place within a model of a living room in order to add some additional detail to the scene.

In this case, the Rubik’s Cube is far from the center of attention in the model, so I wouldn’t need to spend much time creating it. I would only need to add enough detail to the Rubik’s cube so that people will easily recognize it.

I can define simple characteristics that I need to model in order to accomplish this. I’m confident that if I can incorporate these few characteristics into my model, I will have effectively communicated my design for its purpose.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Level of accuracy: 1/4″
The overall shape should be 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″
Each face should be colored the same colors as a Rubik’s Cube (White, Yellow, Red, Orange, Blue, Green)
Each face should be subdivided into 9 squares to create the illusion of the smaller cubes.

A very simple model, we only model the very basics of the cube in order for people to identify that it is a Rubik’s Cube. Beyond that, we don’t need to add any additional details.

2. Demonstrate a Rubik’s cube

If I were trying to demonstrate what a Rubik’s Cube is to someone, I would want to add more detail so that each face of the cube could rotate. In order to do that, I’d have to create each of the smaller cubes as separate groups so that they could be rotated and rearranged.

OBJECTIVE: Create a model that will demonstrate to someone what a Rubik’s Cube is and how it works.

In this model, the Rubik’s Cube would be the only thing in our model, so it will definitely be the center of attention. But since our purpose of modeling it is only to demonstrate the basic concepts of what it looks like and how it works, we still don’t have to go crazy with the details. In fact, we could just send our friend to Werner RandelShofer’s website and avoid having to create the model in the first place, lol.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Level of accuracy: 1/4″
The overall shape should be 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 2 1/4″
The faces of the cubes should be colored accordingly (White, Yellow, Red, Orange, Blue, Green)
The cube needs to be divided into 26 smaller cubes that are grouped independently from each other

This model is a little more detailed, but still pretty basic. The main difference is that we’ve drawn the cube using many smaller cubes. This has given us the ability to manipulate the cube similarly to how you would in real life.

3. An intricate analysis of a Rubik’s Cube

In this model, I would have a lot of detail. I want to show how each piece of the cube is connected to one another, so I would model all the interior parts. Since the colors on a Rubik’s Cube are actually stickers, I’d create separate components for the stickers and color them accordingly.

OBJECTIVE: Create a detailed model of a Rubik’s Cube and all of its parts in order to understand how the cube physically works.

Since we are trying to understand exactly how a Rubik’s Cube works and how it is physically built, I need to take one apart to analyze it. I need to identify each part that makes up the cube, and measure it carefully. I can also identify parts of the cube that are identical to each other, and use components for those pieces in Sketchup.

CHARACTERISTICS:

Level of accuracy: 1/16″
Each piece of the Rubic’s Cube should be modeled to show their internal structure
The stickers on the cubes should be modeled separately from the black plastic parts
The internal axis of the Rubik’s cube should be modeled
Parts should be grouped in a way that allows easy rotation of the Rubik’s cube faces

The Importance of Defining the Level of Detail

From these three examples, you can see how drastically different these models are from each other. They are all models of a Rubik’s Cube, but the level of detail is so different between them. You should ask yourself how detailed your model needs to be before you start modeling.

If you’re modeling a house, do you need to model the structure hidden behind the walls? Do you even need to model the interior of the house? If you’re creating a model of a new neighborhood of houses, the answer is probably no. Thinking about these things ahead of time will save you time and also provide clear expectations for other members of the design team.

The next time you sit down to create a model, stop and think about the purpose of your model and try to define the level of detail in your head before you start modeling.

MSP 004 : 10 ways to communicate your Sketchup models

Matt Donley — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:00:06 +0000

Sketchup, at its core, is a communication tool. It provides us a way to visualize our ideas and thoughts so we can analyze them ourselves, or share them with other people. In this episode, I discuss 10 ways you can share your model with other people.

Listen to the podcast using the play button above, or subscribe using one of the links below.

Click here to subscribe via Itunes

Click here to subscribe via RSS (non-Itunes feed)

In this Episode

I work in the commercial construction industry, and I use Sketchup all the time to help me visualize tricky details on jobs we work on.

Many times, I like to include some form of my model in a correspondence to the architect or contractor, so they understand exactly what we intend to build.

Most of the time, I can’t just send them my Sketchup file and say “Here’s what we’re going to do…” I’ve got to do some work and prepare the file as a 2D presentation, turn it into a PDF, or do a screenshare with the project manager to discuss the detail. I’ve used many different methods of sharing my Sketchup model and in this podcast episode I go over 10 different ways you can do just that.

In this episode you’ll learn about

The 3D warehouse
The Sketchup viewer program.
Exporting your model as a 2D image
Exporting your model as a 2D PDF.
Screen sharing your 3D model.
Render your model to create photorealistic images.
Collaborate with other project team members with Sunglass.io
Using Sketchup Pro & Layout
Share your 3D models on the web with Sketchfab
Explore your models using augmented reality
Let people explore your model with LumenRT’s LiveCube.

Using the Sketchup Inference System

Matt Donley — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:21:12 +0000

Creating accurate models in Sketchup is so easy with the built in Sketchup Inference System. You might not even notice it, but Sketchup will lock references to different points and lines in your model to help you align your geometry. In this post, you’ll not only learn the basics of the Sketchup inference system, but you’ll learn some advanced techniques for using the inference system as well.

What is the Inference System?

It’s not something you can configure, or turn on and off. It’s a core part of the functionality of Sketchup that makes the program so easy to use. Learning how to use and interact with it is really easy. Learn a few of these tricks and take full advantage of the robust inference system built into Sketchup.

The inference system is basically a system that locks your cursor in reference to any point, edge, axis, face, guide or imaginary line.

When you are drawing in Sketchup, and you want to add a line from an existing point in your model, you hover your mouse over that point. When you get close enough to that point, Sketchup will guess that you are trying to reference that point and it will lock to it and you’ll see a little green circle pop up over that point to let you know you’ve referenced it.

Without the inference system, it would be impossible for you to connect exactly to that point just by trying to land on that point with your mouse. You’ll always be just a little bit off, and you wouldn’t make a connection.

The Inference System can be used while doing pretty much anything in Sketchup, not just when you’re trying to start a line. It can be used while moving an object, creating construction guides, finishing a line, rectangle, circle, etc., altering your axes, creating dimension, and more.

There are many different types of Sketchup inferences, but they can be broken down into three main categories. Point Inferences, Linear Inferences, and Shape Inferences. Watch the video below, then scroll down for a step by step explanation of the Sketchup Inference System.

Point Inferences

Point Inferences are based off of the exact location of your cursor. You will find them when you hover over endpoints, midpoints, edges, faces, and intersections. You would typically snap to a Point Inference whenever you are starting or finishing an action, (such as drawing or moving). You also would use a Point Inference to define the starting point of a Linear Inference.

Endpoint – Green circle at any endpoint of an edge.

Midpoint – Light blue circle at the midpoint of an edge. If you need to reference the midpoint a lot, create a construction guide off of a perpendicular line, and reference the midpoint of the edge. This will create an infinite guide along the midpoint.

On Edge – Red Square along an edge. Keep in mind, that this doesn’t snap you to a finite point. It will only lock you along the edge you are on. Endpoint and Midpoint inferencing, on the other hand, lock you to a specific point in space.

On Face – Dark Blue/Purple (Am I colorblind?) diamond on a face. This is a critical indicator for drawing on the surface of a face. If you don’t see this, you are not drawing on the face of an object.

Intersection – Red X on two intersecting faces or lines. This will happen if you don’t have a common edge at locations where geometry is intersecting.

Point in Group – Magenta colors. When you are referencing points from geometry that is inside a group or component, all of the above shapes still apply. The only difference is they will all be colored magenta.

Origin - UPDATE 1/15/13 Oops. I forgot this one. If you hover your mouse over the intersection of the axes, you’ll find the origin. It is a type of End Point Inference that is shown by a yellow circle.

Linear Inferences

Linear Inferences give you the ability to EXTEND an imaginary line originating from a Point Inference. This is incredibly awesome! I used to create tons of construction guides because I didn’t realize how to use Linear Inferences or didn’t know they existed. But now, by using them I save a ton of time whenever I’m modeling in Sketchup.

To find a Linear Inference, first you must hover over a Point Inference. When you first hover over a point that Sketchup recognizes as a Point Inference, the tool tip will change color, as you know. But if you hang there for a second, a little text box will pop up that tells you what type of inference it has locked to. This also means that Sketchup is temporarily “tracking” that Point Inference. You can then drag your mouse away from that point and you’ll notice a line being pulled away from that point, along an axis.

You can have linear inferences along the green, red, and blue axis, and sometimes it will recognize a perpendicular or parallel axis as well. (Sketchup won’t always lock to a perpendicular line, especially when there’s a lot of geometry.)

To really enjoy the power of Linear Inferences, follow these three tips:

Lock a Linear Inference – Once you’ve established a Linear Inference, hold down the SHIFT key on your keyboard. This will lock the cursor focus along that axis, allowing you to reference yet another Point Inference in your model!
Lock axis with Arrow Keys – After you’ve started to draw a line or make a move, press one of the arrow keys on your keyboard. It’s a quick way to lock axis without having to first find the axis you want to lock to. Up is blue axis, Left is green axis, and right is red axis.
Point Inference from TWO Points – Hover over your first Point Inference until the text box pops up at your cursor. Then, carefully drag your mouse (without clicking) to another Point Inference. Once you’ve locked onto that one, drag your mouse (still without clicking) along a Linear Inference until you’ve reached the point at which the two Point Inferences would have intersected. Sketchup will then draw a Linear Inference from both of the points you just focused on, giving you an intersection point to reference from.

Other Inferences

Besides point and linear inferences, there are other ones called “Shape Inferences” that you can use while drawing to help you create specific shapes. These special inferences are available to snap to while using the Rectangle Tool and the Arc Tool. There are a few more oddball inferences I haven’t talked about yet too, but I rarely attempt to use them.

Square – While using the Rectangle Tool, you can snap to a perfect square shape.
Golden Section – While using the Rectangle Tool, you can snap to a golden section
Tangent – While using the Arc Tool, Sketchup can detect the tangent arc of two lines.
Half Circle – While using the Arc Tool, you can snap to a half circle shape.
Parallel – While using the Line Tool, you can (sometimes) create an inference that is parallel to an edge that is not aligned to an axis.
Perpendicular – While using the Line Tool, you can (sometimes) create an inference that is perpendicular to an edge that is not aligned to an axis.

Use the Inference System to your advantage

Knowing how to use the inference system is critical to your success as a Sketchup modeler. It will help you understand how to keep everything in line and just the way you want it. Many frustrating problems can be prevented by paying attention to what you are snapping to. Many times I’ve been drawing something that I think is on the same plane, but then later realized that I was just a little bit off! If I had just paid attention to the inference system I would have been all set.

Good Luck! (and can somebody tell me the difference between the word “reference” and “inference”?, lol) EDIT – Thanks Kevin for explaining the difference below!

MSP 003 : Maker Faire and 3D Basecamp w/Eric Shimelpfenig

Matt Donley — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:20:55 +0000

I’ve got an awesome podcast episode for you, co-hosted by Eric Shimelpfenig from SketchThis.net. We both got the chance to hang out together at the World Maker Faire 2012 NY, and the Sketchup 3D Basecamp conference in Colorado. Two of the coolest events I’ve ever been to.

If you weren’t able to make it to either one, don’t worry! Eric and I will tell you everything you missed during this episode.

Listen to the podcast using the play button above, or subscribe using one of the links below.

Click here to subscribe via Itunes

Click here to subscribe via RSS (non-Itunes feed)

In this Episode

If you missed the Maker Faire or Basecamp, catch up with this podcast episode to learn about the latest news and announcements from the events.

We talk about how Trimble had the biggest 3D printer at Makerfaire (controlled by satellite, of course) , how you may find your next job working for Sketchup, along with why Mike Tadros from Go-2-School may be the ultimate Sketchup Master.

If you’d like to contact Eric or learn more about him, you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, or at his blog SketchThis.net

In this episode you’ll learn about

Other design software ( AutoCAD, Cabinetvision, 20/20, Rhino )
World Maker Faire 2012 NY
Sketchup 3D Basecamp 2012 Plenty of videos
What is 3D printing?
Announcements made at Basecamp
How Eric and I feel about Trimble taking over Sketchup
What are Dynamic Components?

10 Sketchup Tips Every Modeler Should Know

Matt Donley — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 00:34:29 +0000

Are you a Sketchup noob, looking to jump right in and start creating amazing 3D models? Before you skim over the help menu or spend hours watching video tutorials, learn these few tips and you’ll be modeling in no time.

Sketchup: No Instructions Needed

Most people know that Sketchup has the reputation of being the easiest way to learn 3D modeling. So easy, in fact, that a lot of people (including myself) jump right in without reading any sort of manual or help file and try to start modeling. We just choose a tool by looking at the icon and guessing at what it actually does.

Hmmm, this rectangle looking thing must create a rectangle… Clicking on the screen, you quickly discover how to draw something. Woo hoo! You then click on the button with the red arrow on it (push/pull) and extrude your first 3D shape in Sketchup…

To be able to jump right into a program like this and actually be successful at creating something is an incredible accomplishment for the developers who create and maintain Sketchup. But I’ve discovered that there are a lot of people out there who start out with Sketchup, but never take the next step and learn a few tricks that keep them on the right track. They quickly become frustrated when things don’t act the way we expect them to in Sketchup. We learn bad habits, or we spend so much time doing things that are actually really simple once you know a few tips.

I was one of those people. For the longest time, I didn’t know about groups or components. I just drew everything “out in the wild” and everything stuck to each other. It was a mess. If I ever needed to make any changes, the whole model would get screwed up. But eventually, I learned a couple things that I wish someone had told me when I had first started with Sketchup.

In this post, I wanted to give you my list of the things that EVERY Sketchup modeler should know and use. If you practice all of these tricks, you will prevent a lot of frustration and anguish.

1. Use a 3-Button Mouse To Navigate

Don’t even think about clicking on the orbit or zoom button on the toolbar. You need to use a 3 button mouse to navigate in Sketchup. Although, John Bacus blew my mind at MakerFaire 2012 where I witnessed him navigating flawlessly in Sketchup using his MacBook trackpad.

The middle scroll wheel on your mouse is actually a button too! If you click it and hold it down, Sketchup will temporarily activate the orbit tool. This will this save you a ton of time by not having to go back and forth activating the orbit tool by clicking the toolbar. The best part is that the middle mouse button only temporarily activates the orbit tool. This means you could be in the middle of drawing a rectangle, hold the middle mouse button to orbit around for a better perspective, then finish the rectangle once you’re done orbiting. This works while using ANY tool.

2. Use Groups and Components

Do you want your model to be organized? Do you want the ability to hide different “parts” of your model so you can work on other things that may be hidden behind something? Do you want to retain the ability to make changes to parts of your model without screwing up the rest of it? If you answered yes to all of these, you should be using groups and components. If not, you should still be using groups and components! I can’t stress this enough. This is my Number 1 recommendation to anyone using Sketchup. Start using groups and components as soon as possible.

Groups isolate parts of your geometry, and protect them from one another. It allows you to manipulate and move a collection of geometry, rather than having to select each piece individually. You can also create groups within groups. Using the Outliner Window, you get an organized hierarchy of your model geometry, allowing you to stay organized while you’re modeling.

To create a group, select multiple entities, right click, and select “Make Group.” To make a component, select “Make Component” instead. Components allow you to create identical copies of something. If you make changes to one instance of a component, all the other instances of that component change as well.

3. Making Multiple Copies

Most people are used to the idea of using copy/paste, or CTRL + C and CTRL + V for the same effect. Although you can do that in Sketchup, that’s not the best way to move or copy something.

First, select the object you wish to copy. (Make sure it’s in a group, see # 2).Then, with the Move Tool, click once to start the move. Then, tap the CTRL button on your keyboard. This tells Sketchup you want to make a copy. Move it a specified distance from the original by typing that distance on your keyboard and pressing enter.

For multiple copies, equally spaced apart, tell Sketchup how many copies you want. Press 10* ENTER to make ten copies spaced apart the same distance as the original copy. Or press /10 to create 10 copies in between the original copy.

4. Lock Axis With Arrow keys

When you’re trying to draw a line or move something, it’s sometimes hard to get it to move in the direction you want. But just by tapping one of the arrow keys on your keyboard while you’re moving, you’ll lock the object to an axis. Up arrow is the blue axis, left arrow is the green axis, and right arrow is the red axis.

TIP: You can also you the SHIFT key while aligned to an axis to lock it to that axis. Locking the axis also allows you to reference other points in your model to align your object to.

5. Use multiple steps for complex moves

If you’re trying to move an object “down and to the right, and a little bit towards the back”, it’s sometimes hard to get Sketchup to understand where exactly you’re trying to move it to. One trick that really helps is to just think of the move one axis at a time.

First, get the height positioned properly. Lock the object to the blue axis, and reference another point or define a set distance. Next, align the green axis and move the object, then finally the red axis. Doing it in three separate steps allows you to precisely position an object within your model without having to align multiple axes at the same time.

6. Select multiple entities

With the Select Tool, if you click on a face, it will become selected. If you want to select a face and it’s connected edges, just double click it. To select all connected entities of that object, triple click it. Whenever you are creating a new group, you’ll want to triple click to select all connected geometry. Remember that if you are trying to select something that’s within a group, you need to double click the group to open it first.

TIP: You can also select multiple entities by dragging a selection box around the parts you want to select.

7. Create Guides with the Tape Measure Tool

Quickly after creating a few basic models in Sketchup, you’ll want to start creating things that have specific dimensions. One way to reference specific points in space is to create guides. To create a guide, clicking on an edge (not a point) with the Tape Measure tool. Drag your mouse out along the axis you’d like to create the guide. Remember you can lock an axis using the arrow keys… Type in the distance you’d like the guide to be from the original edge.

Sketchup will now reference that guide when you hover close to it. You can create multiple guides adjacent to each other to reference their intersection.

8. Don’t click the Value Control Box (VCB)

There’s a box on the bottom right corner of the Sketchup window that shows you dimensions as you are working with different tools. Many people have a tendency to think that this is some sort of command prompt that you can click in to type a dimension. It’s not. It just shows the output of different dimensions as you work with them in Sketchup.

I know it’s confusing because sometimes I’ll even tell people “Type in your dimension in the VCB”, which technically isn’t accurate. So here’s what it does; If you draw a rectangle, you’ll see the size of the rectangle show up in the VCB, actively changing as you stretch the rectangle. It’s telling you how big the rectangle is as you make it. Once you complete the rectangle, you can define your own dimensions, you don’t even need to click anything, just type it in. ex. 4',58" ENTER.

The VCB will show you the values as you type them in, you don’t need to click it. So just think of the VCB as showing you the dimensions of whatever is actively being done. If you’re creating entities, it will tell you their size. If you’re typing in dimensions, it will tell you those dimensions.

Tip: If you made a mistake the first time you typed in dimensions, no biggie. Just type in another set of dimensions and Sketchup will resize it. But once you’ve moved on to another tool, you’ll have to resort to the manipulation tools for any further tweaking.

9. Reference other points in your model

You can reference other parts of your model in order to align two objects. Let’s say you have a chair and a table in your model. You want the bottom of the table and the chair to be aligned on the same plane. So you would select the chair first, then grab the move tool. Reference the bottom of the chair to start the move, then lock to the blue axis (Hit the up arrow to lock the blue axis), then move the mouse over to the bottom of the table to finish. This aligns both objects on the blue axis in relationship to each point you referenced to start and end the move.

10. Use Keyboard Shortcuts

As a beginner, you may be intimidated at the thought of having to memorize anything. But the thing is, you switch tools so frequently in Sketchup that it’s so easy to remember them once you start using them. It’s just a matter of getting started. Using keyboard shortcuts saves a tremendous amount of time in Sketchup. Your modeling will begin to feel so much more natural, you won’t even have to think about it.

Sign up for my newsletter to get my free Keyboard Shortcuts guide. Start out with just learning the Select tool (Spacebar), Rectangle Tool (R), and the Push/Pull Tool (P). Then pay attention to the tools you use most, and look up the shortcut. Print out my shortcut guide for quick reference.

www.MasterSketchup.com

Everything you need to know about Sketchup 2013

Official Sketchup Announcements

Where to Download

Licensing, Maintenance, & Support

What’s new in Sketchup 2013?

Let’s start with Sketchup Make.

Sketchup Pro 2013

New Features

Conclusion

MSP 005 : Illustrative Rendering with Jeremy Kay

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In this Episode

In this episode you’ll learn about

Links mentioned in this Post

8 Tips for Scaling in Sketchup

The Scale Tool

Hold CTRL to scale from the center.

Draw circles by diameter.

Use guides to scale to specific dimensions

Scale faces, Sketchup will take care of the rest.

Scale by Selection

Scaling Groups/Components affects everything inside

Scaled Components don’t affect other instances.

Look for the green handle even if you can’t see it.

Sketchup Layers vs. Groups & Components

I should use Layers, right?

Layers will only change the visibility of an entity.

Advantages of using Groups and Components for organizing structure AND visibility

Advantages of using Layers for organizing visibility

Layers may not be necessary

Level of Detail Case Study: Rubik’s Cube

Rubik’s Cube Level of Detail

1. A Smaller Element Within a Bigger Model

2. Demonstrate a Rubik’s cube

3. An intricate analysis of a Rubik’s Cube

The Importance of Defining the Level of Detail

MSP 004 : 10 ways to communicate your Sketchup models

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In this Episode

In this episode you’ll learn about

Links mentioned in this Post

Using the Sketchup Inference System

What is the Inference System?

Point Inferences

Linear Inferences

To really enjoy the power of Linear Inferences, follow these three tips:

Other Inferences

Use the Inference System to your advantage

MSP 003 : Maker Faire and 3D Basecamp w/Eric Shimelpfenig

Click here to subscribe via Itunes

Click here to subscribe via RSS (non-Itunes feed)

In this Episode

In this episode you’ll learn about

Links mentioned in this Post

10 Sketchup Tips Every Modeler Should Know

Sketchup: No Instructions Needed

1. Use a 3-Button Mouse To Navigate

2. Use Groups and Components

3. Making Multiple Copies

4. Lock Axis With Arrow keys

5. Use multiple steps for complex moves

6. Select multiple entities

7. Create Guides with the Tape Measure Tool

8. Don’t click the Value Control Box (VCB)

9. Reference other points in your model

10. Use Keyboard Shortcuts