# Anyone Up For a SketchUp Challenge?



## SketchUp Guru (13 Feb 2009)

Draw this table. This is a timed challenge. The table is 24" high. The leg tapers start at the bottom of the aprons. the tapers are on the inside faces only. Make components, groups, or not. That's up to you. No joinery, no materials, no plugins. Use only SketchUp's native tools. Post an image and your time.

Ready, steady.....go!


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## mailee (13 Feb 2009)

Ok Dave here is my effort. It is made using Groups and took me almost 18 minutes.


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## SketchUp Guru (13 Feb 2009)

Nice work.

I did actually say the table is 24" high but you're close enough.


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## mailee (13 Feb 2009)

Oops!  Yes I just re read that part again Dave sorry, my mistake. :lol:


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## SketchUp Guru (13 Feb 2009)

Out of curiosity, why did you choose groups instead of components?

No worries on the height but for grins, how long would it take you to correct the height without redrawing the parts?


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## Neil (13 Feb 2009)

3mins 24secs, using components.




So come on, Dave, I bet you can do it in under 1 minute?  

Cheers,
Neil


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## SketchUp Guru (13 Feb 2009)

Good work Neil.

I'm not telling.


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## mailee (13 Feb 2009)

I used groups as it I thought it would be quicker. Each time you make a compnent you have to fill in the component name. As for altering the height I would use the scale tool, is that correct? Guess I am well slow on it though Dave looking at Neil's attempt.


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## SketchUp Guru (13 Feb 2009)

Well, you don't have to fill in a name for each component. When I'm working on a drawing and I don't care about the names of the components, I just hit enter after Make component (for which I use a keyboard shortcut).

Since you made groups of the legs, you need to either edit each leg to correct its length or you need to edit one, delete the other three and then copy the edited one. If you use components, you only need to edit one. The other three follow along.

As to resizing the height, of course you only need to change the length of the legs, right? Think about what would happen if you scale the length of them. What happens to the length of the untapered part at the top of the leg?

Instead of using Scale, select the bottom face of the leg and that face's bounding edges. A double click with the Select tool on that face will do just fine. Now get the Move tool and move the selection up 1". The leg length is changed without changing the length of the untapered portion at the top.


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## mailee (13 Feb 2009)

Ah I see Dave, thanks. Well it just proves we never stop learning do we?


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## motownmartin (14 Feb 2009)

It took me 19 mins but it took 15 mins to do the legs :shock:


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## Neil (15 Feb 2009)

I thought of a quicker way to draw the legs and that brought the time down to 1:51 - so now I'm convinced that you can go under a minute, Dave!

Cheers,
Neil


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## motownmartin (15 Feb 2009)

Neil":772uooxv said:


> I thought of a quicker way to draw the legs and that brought the time down to 1:51 - so now I'm convinced that you can go under a minute, Dave!
> 
> Cheers,
> Neil


 :shock: I feel inadequate


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Feb 2009)

Martin, it's ok. No need to feel that way.

Neil, did you make components as you went or not? what was your faster way or making the legs?


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## Shultzy (15 Feb 2009)

I had a go and I managed 6mins without components or groups, Will have to try with components to see if I can be any quicker.


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## Neil (16 Feb 2009)

Dave, I made 2 components - the leg & the rail. More out of habit than anything else! I left the component names as the defaults for speed.

The first time around, I just drew the leg with the line tool. The second attempt I did the following:

- Drew a 1"x1" square at the origin
- Push/pulled this up a distance of 18"
- Moved the two inner edges on the square at the top out by 1" - this gives me the taper with a 2"x2" section at the top.
- Push/pulled the 2" square up by a distance of 3"
- This gives me a 23" tall tapered leg which I then make into a component.
It takes about 35 secs to get this far.

I draw the rail by making a construction point 1/4" in from the top of the leg, drawing a 3"x1.5" rectangle and push/pulling this 18". I also made this into a component.

I then make a construction point at the midpoint of the top of the table frame, and rotate with copy three times around this point with the leg & rail selected. Then I just make a construction point 1" out from one of the legs, draw a 24" square and push/pull it by 1". Finished!

Martin, don't feel bad - I do a bit of CAD at work so this is second nature. And I think that Dave could make me feel inadequate if he told us his time...  

Cheers,
Neil


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## motownmartin (16 Feb 2009)

Neil":1m5sz49t said:


> And I think that Dave could make me feel inadequate if he told us his time...
> 
> Cheers,
> Neil


Maybe not, he is keeping quiet, thats why he asked you how you done it :wink: :lol:


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## motownmartin (16 Feb 2009)

Neil":k1gwhcuo said:


> - Moved the two inner edges on the square at the top out by 1" - this gives me the taper with a 2"x2" section at the top.
> .Cheers,
> Neil


Neil, Dave, how do I do this :? 

I done it the long way round by drawing a 2" sq leg then trimmed it


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## SketchUp Guru (16 Feb 2009)

Martin, you could do essentially what Neil did but in reverse. The trick is to select a single edge and move it. The select the other and move it. The thing you need to remember is that there has to be a fold line 3" down from the top.

The nice thing about Neil's method is that he only created the tapered portion of the leg before tapering and then pulled up the last three inches. This is an excellent economy of effort.

Try to think about how a part can be broken down into smaller element s and draw those. In the case of the leg the tapered part and the non tapered part can be thought of as separate.

As to my time, I've only drawn the table once and that is when I was making up the challenge. I was deciding about dimensions and what I was hoping folks might learn from it. It took me about 2 minutes 36 seconds to do that. If I were just drawing it knowing all of the dimensions I expect I could get my time down.

Neil did an excellent job, though. =D>


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## motownmartin (16 Feb 2009)

How do I select an edge and pull it?


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## SketchUp Guru (16 Feb 2009)

Use the Select tool--the arrow-- to select the edge and the Move tool to move it.


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## motownmartin (16 Feb 2009)

Dave R":1z325n1w said:


> Use the Select tool--the arrow-- to select the edge and the Move tool to move it.


Thanks Dave, got it down to 10 mins, i'm happy with that.


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