Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Chapter 2 A SketchUp Refresher
Other Tools
SketchUp has many more tools than could be covered in a one-chapter review. The following
list gives an overview of the tools not reviewed in this chapter. Consult the help topics
for further instructions on these.
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More geometry tools: Circle, Arc, Polygon, Freehand—These are best explored by
experimentation. In each tool, keep an eye on the status bar and on the Measurements
Box to see which options are available.
Circles and arcs are always made up of line segments in SketchUp because SketchUp is a polygonmodeling
software (it can work only with polygonal faces and edges). Therefore, remember to
set the number of segments in the Measurements Box to an appropriate value—few segments
make for “edgy” circles and many segments create rounder circles but increase file size.
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The Modify tools: Rotate, Scale, Offset—In many ways, the Rotate tool works similar
to the Move tool. It allows you to rotate objects but also to make rotational copies (a good
example is positioning chairs around a circular table). Scale allows scaling of any object either
graphically or by entering a scale factor. Offset creates offset copies of edges on a face.
The very useful Follow-Me tool—This tool is basically a sweep tool with which a face
can be “extruded” along an edge (a set of lines and arcs). This tool can be used to make
building foundations, roofs, and road curbs but also rotational objects like balls and cones.
Experiment with it to understand its functionality.
Axes—Sometimes it is convenient to reposition the coordinate system reference. This is usually
the case when a model (e.g., a building) is rotated and not perfectly oriented in the northsouth
direction. This tool allows you to move the axis reference to any convenient orientation.
The Sandbox tools—This set of tools resides on the Sandbox toolbar and is not activated
by default (activate via the View k Toolbars menu). These tools allow you to work
with terrain objects (i.e., triangulated surfaces). You can use these tools to create terrain,
modify it, and add building footprints and roads.
Intersect and Solid Tools—The Intersect tool is useful for easily finding intersections
(intersecting faces and edges) between two objects in 3D. While it is not a true Boolean
tool (due to the nature of SketchUp in not using actual solids), it permits you to find intersecting
volumes and perform manual cleanup of geometry.
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