Thread: Google SketchUp free 3D CAD questions

Gidday Scooter

I used broadband BUT you might like to try the Sketchup forum here:

http://forum.sketchup.com/?f=4

You should be able to get onto some help for some of you probs fairly quickly here...................I'm sure other dialup members will point you in the right direction.

REgards Lou

they explain it ont he site. i seem to recall it simply involves right click then choosing save as.

they will be zip files and you need to open them in your internet explorer.

it will be a few hundred megs all together. maybe someone can make you a cd. i would but im overseas.

just tried to download. gonna take five hrs. only on dialup.

If you are on dial-up you could only download the basic tutorials (1, 2 and 3), offset tool, rotate tool and basic geometry and you would be fine.

Originally Posted by black1

just tried to download. gonna take five hrs. only on dialup.

I downloaded it last night on a dialup connection. It took about 1hr 30 mins.

Program itself dowloaded OK for me too, Greg, just the streaming vids I find a pain, and the online help.

Would rather set downloading & go & do something for a while, but doesn't look like it's possible.


Cheers.................Sean

The only real complaint I've got is... how do you turn off the effin' 'snap to grid' or whatever SketchUp calls it?

I've been working in the mm scale, but once I get down to about 2 cm the damned thing snaps to the end- or mid-points when I'm trying to draw between 'em. I don't want 1cm increments, I want 1mm! :mad:

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

The only real complaint I've got is... how do you turn off the effin' 'snap to grid' or whatever SketchUp calls it?

I've been working in the mm scale, but once I get down to about 2 cm the damned thing snaps to the end- or mid-points when I'm trying to draw between 'em. I don't want 1cm increments, I want 1mm! :mad:

It does not use a snap to grid like most packages. I flogged this from giggle's help pages (here).

"The Model Info dialog box allows you to configure a number of different settings specific to your current SketchUp model. Activate the Model Info dialog box from the Window menu. The Model Info dialog box contains several panels, including the Dimensions panel for setting global dimensions and the Units panel for setting units to be used in your model....


Enable length snapping: Click the Enable length snapping checkbox to snap lines and other entities to the specified sized increments. Length snaps can be overridden by entering exact values into the VCB. Type the snap length in the text field to have SketchUp snap to specific increments when drawing.
Note - SketchUp does not have a grid snap option similar to other CAD applications."

Thank ye, sirrah! No matter I couldn't find it in the preferences. It's a funny thing; it's surprisingly intuitive in some ways but in others... [shakes head] But I guess that could be put down to my ingrained preconceptions from using other modellers for so long.

I owe you a green... I'm behind in my sharing.

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Thank ye, sirrah! No matter I couldn't find it in the preferences.

I owe you a green... I'm behind in my sharing.

Funny thing is, I haven't even drawn a line or read a tutorial yet. I've had it open all night ready to use it but work has taken much longer than I allowed. Maybe tomorrow for me, but glad to help someone else tonight!

I've been playing around with this for a couple of days now and have a couple of questions.

1) How do you change the dimensions to be in mm instead of inches?

2) has anyone figured out how to do a mitred join in peices with a curved edge on them? i.e., a picture frome with a curved profile routed on the edge.

thanks,

Mingus

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

I've been working in the mm scale, but once I get down to about 2 cm the damned thing snaps to the end- or mid-points when I'm trying to draw between 'em. I don't want 1cm increments, I want 1mm! :mad:

Skew,

Why not just change your mind-set and think of 1cm AS 1mm - just remember the 1:10 ratio later on when making a cutting list - after all, it isn't really the absolute scale that matters, but rather the relative one.

Originally Posted by mingus

1) How do you change the dimensions to be in mm instead of inches?

2) has anyone figured out how to do a mitred join in pieces with a curved edge on them? i.e., a picture frome with a curved profile routed on the edge.

To work in millimeters:

• Open your project
• Click on Window -> Model Info in the Menu Bar up top (a small window appears).
• Click on Units in the left pane.
• Select Format -> Decimal
• Select -> Millimeters in the combo box next to it.

Note: I also selected Precision -> 0.00 (because I am an optimist)

If anyone knows how to display measurements so you can print a scale drawing, please advise (the following is the answer to my own question.)

Click on View -> Toolbars
Select -> Construction
The tool bar will appear, then if you choose the icon with the "3" on it you can then select the points on your drawing to dimension. Don't forget the final step of pulling the dimension away from the drawing to place the lines alongside (try it, you'll understand what I mean)

PS: This is what my shop looks like, no roof and disguised as a garage.

Originally Posted by mingus

2) has anyone figured out how to do a mitred join in peices with a curved edge on them? i.e., a picture frome with a curved profile routed on the edge.

1. Create your profiled piece as you would an ordinary piece of stock.
2. Create a plane that I Like to think of as the "saw-blade."
3. Postion the "saw-blade" where you want the cut. (Pic. 1)
4. Select all faces, including the blade.
5. Select Edit/Intersect with Model
6. Using the eraser tool, you can now remove the "saw-blade" and unwanted piece of stock. (Pic 2 )

This is far more accurate than trying to move each end-point manually! [shudder]