Defining a work plane
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Hello all,
I am a beginner to Sketchup but really like it (mostly) because it is far more intuitive to me than other packages i've tried. Most of my work is mechanical design and so i almost always start with a flat pattern, then add depth as required - many of the parts i like to make or have made are [u]very[u] quickly sketched and dimensioned in flat plane. How do i define parameters most easily to lock a plane for this? A few years ago i downloaded a "lock to plane" plug in on another computer f SU8, but when i tried to load the same program (from a link in Youtube - a guy in NZ) it wouldn't load. Is the current best alternative the TIG work plane download? Any help appreciated
Chip
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TIG's plugin is a good option but you don't really need a plugin for this. You can draw on plane without any work plane. You just need to learn to use inferencing. Or you could just draw a large rectangle and draw on it. Make it a group or component and the geometry you draw on it won't stick to it. If you frequently start with a work plane, you could even add it to your default template.
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Thanks Dave - after posting i looked at inferencing and i'll practice it some - I'd prefer to use it if it is practical and quick.
Regards,
Chip
@dave r said:
TIG's plugin is a good option but you don't really need a plugin for this. You can draw on plane without any work plane. You just need to learn to use inferencing. Or you could just draw a large rectangle and draw on it. Make it a group or component and the geometry you draw on it won't stick to it. If you frequently start with a work plane, you could even add it to your default template.
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Since being able to use inferencing is very important in drawing in 3D, too, it's really worthwhile to get a good handle on using it from the beginning. Another thing to do while working in 2D is set the camera to Parallel Projection and select a standard view, for example the Top view, and avoid orbiting.
If what you are drawing has holes in it, you will probably find it useful to delete the faces inside the holes before making the shape 3D. This will help you keep face orientation correct. And if there are blind holes or recesses, it would probably be best to waituntil after the model is 3D to add those.
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Let me reinforce what Dave has said: using inferencing effectively is one of the most valuable and essential SketchUp skills you can learn. You'd be surprised how many defective models get submitted for help when something won't work because elements of the drawing are subtly out of alignment. This problem is almost without exception the result of not using inference properly!
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