Architectural_Design_with_SketchUp

Architectural Design with SketchUp
As you can see, highlighting a component brings up a description containing a part number
and a link to the manufacturer’s website. Because these are cabinets, it is also possible to
click on doors and drawers and watch them swing or glide open. This is useful if you need
to check clearances when planning kitchens.
Another way to use Dynamic Components is as parametric objects. Figure 3.16 shows a
bookshelf whose geometry can be changed by editing values such as height, material, and
color in a dialog.
Figure 3.16: A parametric (Dynamic Component) bookshelf
Any user interaction with Dynamic Components is done using just a few tools. You can
open the Dynamic Components toolbar in the View k Toolbars menu to get access to
them. As you can see in the graphic, this toolbar contains two or three icons (depending on
whether you have the free or the Pro version of SketchUp).
In any version of SketchUp, you will see the hand icon on the
left (the Interact tool). This tool permits interaction with a component
by clicking, given that the component has that ability. For a
good example, click on the shirt of the person in SketchUp’s default
template (“Susan” in version 8)—it will change color randomly (see
Figure 3.17).
The tool next to it brings up the Component Options window,
which is also in both versions of SketchUp. Whenever you highlight
a Dynamic Component (using the standard selection tool), this dialog
shows all of the component’s properties and attributes. You can
Figure 3.17: Interactive Dynamic Component behavior see this window in Figure 3.16.
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