Work share and help need
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Hi everyone,
I just down loaded sketchup 8 and was playing around with it and at first thought it was difficult, but the more I use it the easier it gets. I do have a question, how do you make a circle/box or in my case a cone design to specific measurements. I can't seem to find where to out in m y sizes. I have built my own cnc router and I am starting the design end of my project. I want to make a gear shifter knob for my 1978 CJ jeep. So I figure a cone same then either cnc out a relief cut or cnc out an opening for a emblem or something. Now how do I get the exact sizes for this in sketchup. Also I want to add a cone/rounded top to any help on how that is done? Now for my TOPIC TITLE, is there a location on the web or here on this site for sharing drawings? I mean, why reinvent the wheel of someone already has. Could make things easier for everyone. What do you think?? Or am I just truely talking like a newbie and have no real idea? Let me know
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Hi Mario and welcome!
Let's start with your last question: there is the 3D Warehouse where you can share and download all sort of models, parts and such. The upload limit is 10 Mb per model but there is no limit for your account at all. Get started there and if you have an account already, you can upload your models to the warehouse from SketchUp itself.
Now as for exact measurements... When you start drawing a line, look at the bottom right of your SketchUp window - there is the "Measurement box". If you pull the line from one endpoint in a direction, you can see the length changing. Now when you are happy with the direction, release the mouse and type the dimension you want to enter (do not click in there just type) - you will see what you are typing. When done, press Enter and there you are with an exact dimension.
This works with circle or polygon radii, moving things or rotating and all sorts of other tasks, too.
Let's see what you have and what you want to make of it - below the text area you are posting here, you can upload attachmnets.
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The site for share or load free objects is 3DWareHouse
You can make your our cone like this for example
draw a circle as diameter wished
draw a straight line from center's circle to up longer wished
Draw a line for make the triangle top / diameter / center
Select the circonférence circle
Click tool "Folow Me" and click the surface triangle
= you have your cone wished -
sorry on last question for today....I have been trying to create my shifter knob, but I can make the basic shape with a circle and pulling it up, then making it into a cone shape(a bit more difficult for me). My problem is......to make a rounded top on it like a shifter knob, what do I do....I tried arcs but I am not sure how to fill it or make the whole top contoured. Eventually I want either to cut a cut away for glue in an emblem or have my cnc carve out letters(for example "CJ7" or "JEEP"). Was even thinking about a small groove around it for a thin piece of brass to give it a bit of character. Any help would be great.
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Perhaps you would find this helpful.
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Here are some more pointers...
To make inset letters use 3D text, if you group the text and knob you can use boolean operations to subtract one from the other and leave 'etched' letters.....
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TIG beat me to it but here's another example. I applied the JEEP logo as a material but it would be converted to vector and the lines intersected with the knob as TIG indicated.
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ok, I must be some kind of idoit............I can't find the "follow me" tool? Doesn't 8 have it or is it something I need to download. If it is, what other ones do you recommend to down load. My goal is to build my shifter knob, as well as making signs, and if I get really good at this I want to design a pool que. As long as I can save it in a format (dxf, dwg or any other cad format) so I can change it to a g-code and send it to my cnc. Also is there a program for sketchup that allows you to import pictures to your work and thus making a sign a whole lot easier. Basically if someone has a logo that they want to incorporate into a sign or shifter knob.
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Yes. V8 has it. Look under the Tools menu or on the Toolbar with Move and Push/Pull. If SketchUp 8 didn't have Follow Me, neither TIG nor I would have mentioned it.
You can export DXF/DWG files with the pro version of SketchUp.
You don't need a "program" to import images into SketchUp but imported images are still just that. There are various applications to convert raster line drawings into vector files. I use WinTopo which works pretty well and is free.
Don't take this the wrong way but it kind of sounds like you want to run before you learn to walk. I think you'd find it useful to look at the training videos on the SketchUp.com site as a start.
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@dave r said:
Don't take this the wrong way but it kind of sounds like you want to run before you learn to walk. I think you'd find it useful to look at the training videos on the SketchUp.com site as a start.
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