Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Chapter 3 Using SketchUp to Inform Your Designs
Figure 3.10: Overlapping components (left and middle: simple overlap; right: cutout)
Although the left image shows an overlap that looks appropriate, removing the top piece
reveals that it simply consists of two components overlapping without any resolution of the
intersection. The third image then illustrates how an overlap should be resolved: exactly the
way this example would actually be built—with a notch.
Fortunate for us, SketchUp is well equipped to help us model intersections like these. All
we need to do is use the Intersect with Model tool (which requires some manual cleanup) or
SketchUp Pro’s Solid Tools. Once we have this notch modeled in SketchUp, we have not only
a proper component-based model but also one that can be built as modeled.
You can see a larger example in Figure 3.11, which is an assembly of four overlapping
pieces of wood, where each one is angled 4 degrees off the horizontal. As shown in
Figure 3.11, modeling this and including all proper cuts and notches immediately provides
us with a buildable model. All I did to create Figure 3.12 was copy one component and add
dimensions in SketchUp.
Figure 3.11: Model of four overlapping wood beams
Figure 3.12: Dimensioned single beam, ready for manufacture
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