Align Objects / Components - Doing it All Wrong

[keyon]

Thought I would share a super-newbie problem (and solution) on how to get objects and/or components to quickly align with each other. I'm almost too embarrassed to bring it up (it's one of those "duh" things), but after digging around on the Web for answers, I found a LOT of newbies complaining about the same thing.

One of things we newbies do first time into SketchUp is create an object and then try to MOVE it around. If we've been using other image software programs, our inclination is to simply click ANYWHERE on the thing and then drag it to a new location. Oops...that doesn't work so great in Sketchup. Before long, we've got objects floating all over in space, and it's nearly impossible to get any two edges to come together.

Seems simple enough now, but it took me awhile to figure out that moving stuff around means I need to click a specific corner (or point) in the object and then drag that point to another specific corner (or point) on the screen. Now everything snaps together nicely -- just where it needs to go.

Boy do I feel dumb

[Dave R]

I just did a blog post about this very subject on the weekend. Moving stuff in sketchUp really isn't all that hard when you do it right.