The newest addition to the SketchUp ecosystem is Live Components. Live components are configurable components that let you change parameters and see the updates in real-time. Live components can be thought of as a modern implementation of the dynamic component feature inside SketchUp Pro, but with a whole lot more potential. Dynamic components, if you’re not aware, are special components …
Animating Sections and overlaying a model in a video
This is a really fun video where I show you how you can animate section planes to make objects appear over time while you play through your scenes. I take it even further by showing how to tweak the style and export settings so you can import that into a video and overlay your model and key out the background. …
How to Print Full Scale 1:1 in SketchUp
Full scale printing from SketchUp is useful for creating templates or stencils for cutting something on a bandsaw or scrollsaw. But if you’ve tried this in the past, you may have been frustrated at the number of blank pages that get printed, or maybe the printout splits up the model across 4 pages, when it could’ve easily fit onto one …
How to make raised panel doors in SketchUp
In this walk-through video, I show you how to make raised panel doors from scratch, and show you several tips along the way. In this video, I talk about the following: How to use Solid tools to trim components against each other How to use Intersect Faces to trim components (if you are using SketchUp Free) How to soften/smooth edges …
SketchUp Viewer for Mobile
Download the free SketchUp Viewer for Mobile to view and measure your models right on your phone or tablet. Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trimble.buildings.sketchup&hl=en_US iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sketchup-viewer/id796352563 In this video I go over all of the features in the app, and talk about the premium AR feature that comes with SketchUp Shop & SketchUp Pro Subscription.
How to Change Units in SketchUp
You can change the measurement units in SketchUp by going to Window > Model Info > Units. Choose a preset like Architectural, Engineering, or Fractional. Or if you want to customize your units, choose Decimal to pick any metric or imperial unit for length, area, and volume.
Introduction to Quad Modeling
Quad modeling is simply the practice of modeling faces that have 4 edges and 4 vertices. In this article, I’ll attempt to explain why you might want to do that, and introduce you to some plugins that can help you work with quads. What is a quad? I used to think a quad was some sort of special entity type, …
Ultimate guide to SketchUp Collections
SketchUp collections organize your default/custom/embedded Materials, Styles, and components. Do you want to understand what happens when you edit materials or styles in SketchUp? Do you want to know how to save materials, styles, and components for use in other models? If so, you need to understand how collections work! What are collections? I’ve always been confused with the term …
Two inputs for the Move tool
It’s likely that you find the Move tool to be very intuitive and easy to use. But have you ever thought about the two things SketchUp is looking for whenever you move an entity? Once you identify those two things, you can unlock even more flexibility in how you move things in SketchUp. Direction and Distance Ultimately, SketchUp looks for …
Easy Stairs in SketchUp
As a carpenter, one of the most challenging things to plan out is stairs. Tricky math, figuring out the rise and run of each step and accounting for thicknesses of treads, risers and finished floor height are all opportunities for mistakes. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use SketchUp to plan out deck stairs. Watch the video or continue …
