# SketchUp Woes...... More help please! (pretty please :) )



## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

I'm just having my first real play with sketchup. I'm doing the tutorial where they show you how to draw simple chair. http://sketchup.google.com/intl/en/trai ... o_gsu.html the video in the link at around 3 minutes says that you can use the "inferring" tool to size all of the legs. The say it and do it, but I can't see how??? They don't actually explain the bit that actually selects the command (hope this makes sense) What am I missing?

I'm sure this will be the first question of many millions from me regarding sketchUp so I apologise in advance, but I will crack it eventually 

Thanks

edit - sorry it's the "create a chair" video. Thanks again


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## Steve Maskery (19 May 2010)

Paul
The inferring tool is not a command or option. It's part of the built in behaviour of SU. You don't have to do anything other than hover over the point or line to which you want to snap.

S


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## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

Ah I see. cheers steve, got it


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## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

More help please if I may.

I have drawn a simple side table..... How do I show it on here? I have another question but without showing you it will be difficult to explain. 

Thanks in advance. :?


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## Steve Maskery (19 May 2010)

Everything you need to know:
https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/addi ... 14776.html
S


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## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

I normally use photobucket with no problems but I can't get the sketchup image onto photobucket and I can't see how to save the sketchup image as a jpeg? :shock: :?


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## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

just found it! "export" in the file drop down menu


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## WoodAddict (19 May 2010)

The dovetail joints on the legs are simply drawn using lines. I measured the "pick points" using the tape measure feature. How do I make them a solid piece rather than looking rubbish as they do now!  (hope this make sense)

And where do I find the wood colours, is it an extra download option as I only have a few in the bucket fill option and they don't look very nice.


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## Shultzy (19 May 2010)

Paul, it depends on how you have drawn the legs and rails. They should be components. If so double click to open for editing, add the lines and push to the other side of the rail, then delete the extra line to make it look solid. Repeat on the leg and push to make the pin. Hope this sounds ok.

Do a search on Sketchup's 3D warehouse for wood materials.


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## SketchUp Guru (20 May 2010)

I wonder if you might find this and this and maybe even this to be helpful.


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## RobertMP (20 May 2010)

Just watched your first link Dave. That is exactly how I go about things too. I don't often copy a component out for editing but think I may do it more in the future. I don't use the offset tool much either and think that is something else I'll be using more now.

Thanks for posting that. I'll check out the other links later.


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## WoodAddict (20 May 2010)

Thanks for the links dave, I shall have a propper look through them later on.



Shultzy":1ssqjrj1 said:


> Paul, it depends on how you have drawn the legs and rails. They should be components. If so double click to open for editing, add the lines and push to the other side of the rail, then delete the extra line to make it look solid. Repeat on the leg and push to make the pin. Hope this sounds ok.
> 
> Do a search on Sketchup's 3D warehouse for wood materials.



I drew the frame as simple blocks, I'll try again as components and see what I can come up with. Thanks


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## SketchUp Guru (20 May 2010)

Robert, I hope you like using those two tricks. The one about copying a component out to work on it is nice because you don't have to worry about putting it back after you're finished. You could Hide the components that are in the way but then you have to Unhide them. Sometimes it is helpful to work with hidden geometry turned on but components you've hidden then become visible as a sort of mesh which makes it difficult to see what you're doing to the neighboring components. As you know, sometimes you need to scale a component up to avoid missing faces. You can copy the component, scale up the copy, do what you need to do and then discard the large copy when you've finished.

Paul, I hope you find something you can use in those links.

I wonder what you mean by "simple blocks."


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## WoodAddict (20 May 2010)

Hi Dave, By simple blocks I just meant that I wasn't making components, just drawing a rectangle and then push/pulling it into size.

I've had a look at dave's "fern stand" link and had another go at my side table. I made the legs as components and rotated them into place so that they were facing each other. I cut the dovetail slot out of one and it came out of all of them which was perfect!

I then went to put the first rail into place. For some reason it wont let me push the dovetail to size. It looks good from one angle but then when you look inside it is hollow. Everytime I go to push/pull it just moves it and keeps it hollow! I can't understand what I'm doing differently???











It's frustrating! I've done some 2d cad (autocad) but I just can't get to grips with this. It's probably something simple! Watching the tutorials help, but they don't tell you exactly what they are pressing and clicking on so you have to work that bit out for yourself. They also seem to have a lot more "buttons" than me?


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## SketchUp Guru (20 May 2010)

First, don't rotate the copy of the leg. Flip it. Go back and watch my fern stand video or watch the video on Jefferson's bookstand. You'll see that I Flip components instead of rotate them.

In the case of the dovetails on the ends of the rail, what you are seeing is normal. It is like you are pushing a hole through a face. You can handle this in several ways. One way is to simply trace an edge where the face is missing. that will "heal" the face. Another would be to pull the entire rail to the overall length and use Push/Pull to get rid of the waste. This would be closer to the way you would handle making it in wood. I doubt you would add the tails onto the ends of the rail in wood.

Take a look at the video showing dovetails being drawn. I think it's the last link. You'll see that I drew the drawer sides, front and back so they are the full length and the dovetails are made by removing the waste as in real life.


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## WoodAddict (20 May 2010)

Thanks Dave. I got there in the end.

I'll watch the tutorials a few more times before I start anything else. I downloaded some more wood colours from the skethup website, didn't find a pine one but the bamboo I've used looks good for this practice exercise.

I re-watched the beginning of the fern stand tutorial again. I was flipping them on the different axis rather than rotating like I said before (I just worded it wrong). Thanks again to those that replied and helped out, I'm happy with this for a first attempt. There are a few little measurement marks that I can't get at to delete but that won't bother me.






I can see this SketchUp lark getting very addictive! 8) :shock:  

Thanks again
Paul


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## RobertMP (20 May 2010)

WoodAddict":1rydu4q3 said:


> They also seem to have a lot more "buttons" than me?



The videos are done in the paid for pro version.

As you are starting to discover the beauty of components is that you can draw a new object on top of an existing one without the geometry getting connected and bound together. Bit like drawing one thing on one layer in autocad and then the next part on a new layer - you see them together but can easily pick one out from the other.

Just to make 'flip' a bit clearer what we are talking about is making a mirror image version. that way mortices will face each other. I have to admit I've never really thought about using 'flip'. I use the scale tool and drag the middle axis 'handle' through itself and type in -1 to make my mirror images. 

Dave - I have keyboard shortcuts to hide components easily if they block my view of the part I'm editing. Copying the component and editing the copy is just another way to the same thing - but I can see it could be easier sometimes.


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## WoodAddict (20 May 2010)

RobertMP":25z9rlyg said:


> WoodAddict":25z9rlyg said:
> 
> 
> > They also seem to have a lot more "buttons" than me?
> ...



I thought that may have been the case with the extra buttons! The free version seems more than capable for drawing furniture. I'll stick with it for now.

Once I'd watched the tutorial a couple of times I got used to the flip technique. The first time I cut the hole for the dovetails in the leg they all went on the right hand side rather than in the middle facing each other!  I usually find that messing up a few times first is a good way of learning!

Thanks again!


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## Steve Maskery (20 May 2010)

Most of the extra buttons are not, I believe, as a result of it being the pro version. The basic functionality is the same in both. In the pro version you can output higher res images, have access to the Layout stuff (which is separate) and define your own styles. But from a drawing pint of view they are the same.

The difference is that Dave has LOTS of Plugins and also has lots of optional toolbars on display. You can have the same on your own if you like. But they are not necessary, especially to start with. Dave is a world expert on this stuff, quite possibly _the_ world expert from a woodwork point of view. He uses the fancy stuff. But it's all bells and whistles really, so if you don't actually need them for your work, don't install them, as there is a price to pay, in terms of loading time and performance. Plus it gets confusing, trying to find the ones you want! At least, that's what I find. I have a handful of Plugins I use regularly:

Weld,
Set center (sic) point
Mirror
Dashed lines (not free)
One that allows me to produce organic shapes like upholstery (I forget its name at the mo - again, not free)
Plus a handful of others.

There are LOADS of plugins available (smustard.com is a good starting point), but it's easy to get carried away with them. Just install the ones you need, that's my advice. Dave knows what he is doing and has lots of screen real estate on which to work. For most of us mortals, it just becomes confusing.

Cheers
Steve


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## SketchUp Guru (20 May 2010)

FWIW, there is exactly one toolbar button on my screen that is a result of it being the pro version. All of the rest are either available in the Free version (and you haven't turned the associated toolbar on if you don't see it) or as plugins and there are no plugins that work only in the pro version.


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## RobertMP (20 May 2010)

Note to self - don't answer by guesswork


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