Overwhelmed beginner with questions
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Hello everyone, BluesMatt here. I am very new to SketchUp Make but not new to traditional 2D CAD programs. As a hobby, I enjoy designing and building desktop sized mechanical devices with moving parts. I am interesting in learning to use SU to capture my design ideas in 3D and help me build the parts.
I will admit that my prior CAD experience may be hindering my learning SU. I have lots of questions, but here are the first few that perhaps every beginner starting from my position would want to ask.
What I have done so far is some playing around with some of the basic drawing tools like rectangle, circle, move, push/pull and learning navigation using a scroll wheel mouse for zoom, orbit, and pan (I'm on a Windows PC). I am struggling with placing objects (like boxes) where I want them to go. I understand that I need to get used to the inference system but I am having trouble understanding how it makes decisions. What are the rules to the inference system??
While creating a rectangle, I understand that I can edit the size immediately by typing in new dimensions. How do I edit the size of a rectangle after I've created a bunch of other shapes? If I use the move tool, SU tells me how far I've moved an edge (for example). But how do I change a 8"x3"x7 rectangle to a 2"x6"x9" rectangle?
I am trying to establish a workflow for myself. I would like to work virtually just like I would work in the real world. In the real world, I would design parts one at a time, build the parts one at a time, and then assemble them to see how well they work together. Can I / should I use the same process in the virtual world? From reading here, it sounds like I should design each part in a separate instance of SU, save it as a component or group, and then add it to the SU instance that assembles the components. How close am I?
Sorry about the long post, but I am excited to become proficient at SU.
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You'll want to use the move tool to grab hold of objects by the reference point that fits your needs. Selecting the object first might help you.
Changing the size of a rectangle can most easily be done by selecting one side of the rectangle and then start to move it down the green or red inference guide. then while in mid movement type in the distance you want. 1' and hit enter.
this should get you going.
as for work flow... You can make components and groups on the fly and save them back to a directory later. or as you build them. I'm not sure what kind of work you do, but working in one model is easier for referencing other parts.
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You can also use the scale tool to change your rectangles. If you select the whole rectangle and then invoke the scale tool, you can pick which handles you need(the handles are the little squares that appear) type in the overall dimension you want for that side, then type in the units after the number and hit enter. If you don't type in the units after the number it will be scaled by a ratio and not a dimension. I work in metric so I would type something like "340mm" , if I typed "340" it would scale by a factor of x340.
Also for inferencing, when you want to move something you can lock it to move on a particular axis by pressing one of the arrow keys after selecting the object with the move tool. Or if you start it moving on an axis hold the shift key and it will be locked to that axis. The inference engine can be finicky to get used to but it is one of the most powerful aspects of SU tht make it so fast and easy to use. It helps if you orientate your view so it would be more likely to move on a given axis.
Download the user guide from the SU website, even if its an older PDF version it is still mostly relevant. Be patient and try some tutorials and search this forum, someone else has usually already asked the same questions that you are likely to. Good luck and persevere, its worth it. -
One of the most common early errors with the move tool (most tools) is understanding not to click and drag.
Click and release on a relevant part of the piece you want to move, then the piece is attached to the cursor until you click again when you have moved the piece to where you want it. You can also click away from the piece, assuming it is selected, and move it that way. For example, select a chair then change to the move tool and click on the floor and release, you can now easily move the chair around on the floor plane. -
Thanks for the replies.
The more I play with SU, the more comfortable I become. However, I do feel like I am "wondering around in the dark" in no particular direction. I have watched some tutorials and have learned from them but again, I feel somewhat unguided.
Here's an analogy that might help explain. I am a guitar player and when I first started, I worked with a lesson book and a teacher that taught fundamentals and the best way to do things. These lessons were not very musical, but they created a strong foundation. As I continued, exercises became more challenging and then more musical. Many years later, I also taught guitar lessons to beginners and found that self-taught students often had to unlearn bad habits before being able to progress.
I'd like to become proficient and confident when designing in Sketchup and feel like I am doing things the "right" way.
Can you recommend a book or DVD or other training materials that teach fundamentals and best practices?
Not having a resource like that, I'll continue "exploring" and through trial and error find out what works for me. But having the right resource (like a good beginning guitar lesson book) would speed up the learning curve and hopefully not force me to "unlearn" bad habits somewhere down the road.
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Start with the videos on SketchUp.com and learn the basic tools well. As far as moving beyond the basic tools, there are various tutorials and videos out there that might be more appropriate than others depending upon what it is you are interested in using SketchUp for.
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