What's your beginners tip?

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

HornOxx

next playing around and having fun:
if you make a model, never use Layer 0 !!!

david_h

So I have a question here that I hope someone can help me with.. . or maybe this should go in the "DOH" thread. .. but for now. . .

How to import an ACAD 2015 drawing with "Smart 3D" walls into SU without dumbing it down first to an ACAD version 14 dwg or dxf. Can it be done? I've never been successful at this.

Thx,

David

david_h

Well . ..I dunno. I use layer 0 exclusively for drawing and creating and use layers for groups and
components. But.. .to each his own I guess.

HornOxx

Hi David

"...I dunno. I use layer 0 exclusively for drawing..."

Why I recommend to avoid Layer 0? When I download (for example) a 3D-tree component from the warehouse, this is (mostly) drawn on Layer 0. Of course, I can assign this component to another layer "Tree". But the "content" of that component - often many subcomponents and subgroups - still remains on Layer 0. Within SketchUp that's usually not a problem, but if you often export to other CAD software, this layer-, component-, and group assignment often gets lost. So I'm always happy when a model avoids Layer 0 in principle - as well as in other CADs ...
So my SketchUp-template even starts with the active layer 1, extended by the layers "010 Walls", "020 Windows" etc ... (some standards, which I always need) and Layer 0 is always inactive and never visible...

TIG

This is contrary to received wisdom.
Most users always leave Layer0 as the active layer
They make all of their geometry on that active layer.
They then make a Group or Component from that selected geometry
They then assign some other Layer to that 'container' using Entity Info.
They use Layers to control visibility.
Creating base level edges and faces [aka geometry] on a Layer other that Layer0 is a recipe for disaster, or at least confusion...

cotty

@Hornoxx
If you know what you do this may be a good option for you. But please, do not suggest this as the general preferred solution where beginners will read it and will fail sooner or later...

HornOxx

Hi Tig, Cotty, David ...

Sorry and thanks a lot for your Comments!
I do not want to confuse anyone - certainly not beginners

Obviously, my workflow is too much influenced by other less flexible CAD tools, which I've used for many years...

Dear beginners, as you can see, there is always something to learn

Gaieus

@tig said:

This is contrary to received wisdom.
Most users always leave Layer0 as the active layer
They make all of their geometry on that active layer.
They then make a Group or Component from that selected geometry
They then assign some other Layer to that 'container' using Entity Info.
They use Layers to control visibility.
Creating base level edges and faces [aka geometry] on a Layer other that Layer0 is a recipe for disaster, or at least confusion...

Yes, we know, TIG - however what if you have finally managed to put a certain complex geometry (say a gorup / coponent) on a certain layer other than Layer 0 and then decide to explode it.

What happens? Where will the more primitive elements get?

TIG

@Gaieus

[Long time no see!]

Yes, it is unfortunate that the default exploding of a 'container' - i.e. a Group/Component-Instance/Image - will results in anything within it that was on Layer0 being reassigned to the layer which had been assigned to the 'container'.

There are several approaches to this:

Remember to use 'Entity Info' to reassign the container's layer to Layer0, BEFORE you Explode it.
Use a plugin like my http://sketchucation.com/pluginstore?pln=explodegroup2layers to do the same thing...
Use this snippet in the Ruby Console + <enter>, to reassign all Selected Groups/Instances to Layer0, and only then Explode them - so then all layers remain unchanged.

s=Sketchup.active_model.selection;a=s.grep(Sketchup;;Group)+s.grep(Sketchup;;ComponentInstance);a.each{|e|e.layer=nil;e.explode}

It's easiy made into a script...

I think Jim also wrote a similar script... but I can't find it immediately, and I do have to go to the pub

HornOxx

Hi Tig and Hi Gaieus,
meanwhile I try to switch my SkUp-working style to the "Layer 0" method and yes, absolute beginners will certainly use this method.
Other users (like me and certainly all of you) who have a long-standing CAD background will understand why I have given this (wrong) advice above. For example, not only for AutoCAD or Revit the "Layer 0" discussions fill hundreds of webpages as you can imagine

Luckily the layer visibility per scene worked well so far over years and luckily there was no disaster or confusion so far. I still do not know why but fortune favors fools! Anyway, I am now getting used to the here recommended method. I have already even changed my origin template

I would like to follow and learn your "Explode Group to Layers" advice (thanks for that), but unfortunately I do not understand how to do it - I do not have any experience working with the Console - unfortunately. Maybe you or another member here might post a screenshot on this method? Or maybe someone can recommend any YouTube video tutorial on this topic or maybe there is already a thread on this topic here? Any help to learn that would be great!

Finally I have a very stupid question: how do you (all) do these screenshots here to show content of any other posts on which you refer in your own answer, as Gaieus has done it above? - I am really embarrassed to ask that

JQL

I hadn't had the patience to read all tips so this one may be out there:

Forget about hitting ESC a thousand times when you want to cancel the mess you're in, as you used to do in AutoCAD. Try using the SPACE key instead.

SPACE key is the one to use as it cancels the command by switching to SELECT tool.

Hitting ESC key will probably get you in a bigger mess because:
1 - Your command isn't cancelled, just reset to it's initial action.
2 - Any active dialog box (like the Paint dialog, components, or entity info, etc) will close...
3 - If you're in editing a group/component context (double click to edit) ESC cancels editing and returns to the context you were before. When you know what you're doing it's very useful but for beginners, sometimes this means jumping out of multiple nested groups/components and getting lost in the model.

Now that you know, use ESC key and double click to speed up your navigation.

JQL

To be sure you are selecting some basic geometry for edition and not the group/component wich is nesting it, click a thousand times on it until all connected edges and faces get selected (visually this is usually blue or orange edges and blue or orange dotted faces).

Then you can select the single face/edge and move it, pushpull it, offset it, paint it directly or do whatever you want with it.

pbacot

Hornoxx to quote another post, hit the " " " quotation mark icon in the upper right of that post. It will place the post text and pictures in that format into your reply window.

HornOxx

@pbacot said:

Hornoxx to quote another post, hit the " " " quotation mark icon in the upper right of that post. It will place the post text and pictures in that format into your reply window.

pbacot - thank you !
(please don´t tell it anyone)

IntelCoreDuo

My tip:

If you ever find yourself not being able to do a certain task in an efficient manner, there is a very good chance someone else has been there before. If they have, they may have created a plugin to solve it. Or a clever workaround. Never settle for a "adequate" solution, always try to find a better way. It will turn you into the office guru in no time. This is about making a short-term investment that will often pay out in the short term, and always in the long term.

ScottchUp

Create and use an easily readable layering system

Double/triple check working layer OFTEN

learn to group & use components

Learn shortcuts (print them & keep at workstation until they become muscle memory)

Buy Nick Sonders book "Sketchup and Layout for Architecture"