How to Keep Adjacent Elements from Fusing Together?
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Following up on my previous post, it dawned on me that a sticky list of 20 or so things every newbie should keep in mind would be helpful, with reasons why. Using groups is a good example--not just that it's a good idea, but why, such as the reason explained in this thread. Another suggestion I came across recently is using X-Ray to better see what's going on and to be able to grab hidden Scale handles.
I know there's a thread titled "What's Your Beginners Tip," and that's great, but it doesn't summarize in one, easy-to-read list many of the most important things to keep in mind when starting to use SketchUp.
Would one of the resident gurus be interested in tackling this, or maybe a few could collaborate?
Or does the list already exist somewhere? If so, please let me know.
Thanks for all your super support.
Bill -
The list is an interesting suggestion.
FWIW, I prefer to use only components, no groups. I know some folks prefer groups and some prefer a combination. I've never once in over 8 years of drawing with SketchUp (nearly every day) found a single case in my work where a group made more sense than a component. Yesterday I got an e-mail from a guy who is relatively new at using SketchUp. He had drawn a very large complex cabinet and made the mistake of exploding all of the components so his model was one big sticky lump. He discovered this too late to undo it. Fortunately he had taken my prior advice to use only components so every one of the parts he'd inadvertently exploded was still available in the In Model components library. Had he used groups instead, he would have had a whole lot more work to do to get back to the pre-exploded phase.
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Hi folks.
When creating groups or components with a single entity, the contextual menu will not contains the choice to do so. However, the Edit menualways contains the two choices Make Groupand Make componentand thus, can be used for that purpose.
Just ideas.
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@bsquared18 said:
My other newbie mistake was that the reason I thought a group couldn't be made from a single element was that when I made a rectangle, for example, I didn't double click on it to select both the line and face. Duh!
Gradually, it's starting to come together. Very exciting.
Bill
Keep in mind, too, that if your geometry is 3D, you'll use a triple click of the Select tool to select all of it. Or a selection box--usually left to right--will get you there, too.
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Yes, the triple-click is a good example of something that newbies (like me) should know about right away, that could be on a list. I came across that trick by happenstance while watching a YouTube SketchUp tutorial someone had created.
Bill
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You might want to read the Help files on the Select tool because there are a number of ways it can be used.
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and watch more of the videos, far more useful than a dry list.
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"and watch more of the videos, far more useful than a dry list."
Yes and no. Having a background in education and training, I've been reminded more than once (from my readings and experience) of the concept of learning styles--what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. In fact, I'm revealing my learning style by asking for a list, as someone else might by asking for a video or chat group or whatever.
One problem I've found with YouTube SketchUp videos is that some are really good, some so-so, and some simply awful, where the author rapidly goes through a hundred steps in one or two minutes with no narration, explanation, or even text.
Personally, I wouldn't find a concise, well-written list dry. It would be a useful tool, along with good videos and all the rest.
Whew, that's more than I've written in three days. Must be that third cup of coffee.
Cheers, all
Bill -
Hi BSquared18, hi folks.
Try the videos on SketchUp (SU) site at:
These are accessible from the help menu, directly from within SU.
They are well done and the pace is not too fast.
Just ideas.
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Thanks for reminding me about all the videos. I had already watched the getting started series but forgot about the others.
Bill
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