What's your beginners tip?

Blastfurnace

@dave r said:

That's scaling with Cardinal Points and it is is both handy and it seems, little known. You won't get a perfect cone but it'll be close. It works for polygons, too.

Scaling with cardinal points is certainly a more accurate term than mine. Wanna try something difficult? Try to find it explained without knowing what its called! Takes a bit of googling.

i didn't know about the polygon part. I'll have to play with that.

Thanks

M

dukejazz

Tip_dj no 15
Plugins - InputBox type

The opening of a ruby plug-in with a InputBox usually opens in the center of SU window.

But if you open a sub window of SU like Outliner and select the top bar.

Then running a plug-in with a InputBox again, now center on the sub window of the outliner

Why is this important to know?

Some times a plug-in cover up what you need to see especially a large InputBox

-dj

jerrymich

Best tip came from Dave R. (moderator). Change your styles to where the back face is a contrasting color, i.e. green or something similar to make it much easier to see when you have faces that are reversed. Thanks Dave.

mortenstorgaard

@chris fullmer said:

Always use a 3 button mouse with SketchUp. None of those single button Mac mice....stupidest invention ever.

And use shortcut keys.

Chris

Thanks love my mac stuff, but guess youre right

local

Hi!
How can I size an angle formed by two lines?
There is this video?

(Sorry, google translator)

Rafferty94

@local do you mean how to measure the angle between two lines?

local

@rafferty94 said:

@local do you mean how to measure the angle between two lines?

Can be measured by the 'Protractor' tools, but is not scaled.

Rafferty94

Measure using the protractor and then using the rotate tool, rotate the line you wish to move around to match the construction line given by the protractor tool? :-S

local

@rafferty94 said:

Measure using the protractor and then using the rotate tool, rotate the line you wish to move around to match the construction line given by the protractor tool? :-S

It's Okay.

How to scaled (Dimensions)?

local

In AutoCAD:

Rafferty94

Anyone can jump in on this but I don't think there is a way to input angle dimensions in SU.

Chris Fullmer has created a free plugin called ShapeBender that seems quite good at shaping text to a curve or arc.

If whatever you need this for is just going to be used to see the dimension then I would suggest drawing and arc between the two points and then curving the text (The dimensions of the angle) to the curve.

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=18210&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=bender

local

I understand. I think there is a faster way.

thanks

Box

There is an Angular Dimension tool available.
http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=376893#p376893

CL

My tip would be to make sure you know what scale you are working in. If you start with something downloaded from the warehouse that is a random size, everything else can go pearshaped. You start adjusting things by eye to look right and then find there is nothing you can actually put a tapemeasure on, no known dimensions.

Gareth

My tip is :

Be patient, or become one...!

dlscape

I've tried reading through a lot of these "Beginners Tips" posts, but there are a LOT, so please excuse me if this has already been posted...

Imagine you want to delete a large number of small objects, like the segments to a curved line for example. If they are isolated from other parts of your model it's easy to group select and mass delete. If they are tucked away amongst other objects it can get pretty tedious clicking each one with the eraser tool or trying to select and hide the rest of your model.

My tip is; did you know you can click and hold the eraser tool to paint multiple objects, easily selecting lots of fiddly objects, then when you release the mouse button they all delete

This has saved me thousands of mouse clicks cleaning up models, I hope it does the same for you!

Merry Christmas!

James

billkeck

After creating your first object learn the value of placing it within a container (group or component).

Daniel

@cl said:

My tip would be to make sure you know what scale you are working in. If you start with something downloaded from the warehouse that is a random size, everything else can go pearshaped. You start adjusting things by eye to look right and then find there is nothing you can actually put a tapemeasure on, no known dimensions.

I would suggest always working at full scale. If you download something from the warehouse that is not sized properly (been there!), resize it the best you can to make it so (done that!).

Box

Full scale isn't always correct, for example if you are making parts for a watch or something very small it pays to work at a larger scale to avoid the tiny face issue and scale down when complete.

Phillip H

To be filed under, "The blind leading the blind"; a beginner's advice to beginners.

Having started learning SU solo, a very trial and error approach (mostly error), I found I spent more time fixing mistakes than I did on modeling or learning 'best practices'. My tip is simply this: Learn from the people who have gone before you. Stick to the basics first. Actually DO the tip or exercise you read. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Knowing is doing and doing is knowing. Your skill level will advance much more quickly if you do. Mine certainly has.

As I post this, I am going back through my models and applying what I have learned here. My hat is off to you SketchUcation instructors and old hands. Lot of good stuff on these pages. Thank you for your contributions.

Phillip