INTRODUCTION
Sketchup is a 2D modeling program that can be used to generate 3D things.
Whether you're modeling for 3D printing or something else, Sketchup has all the
tools you'll need to get professional-looking results, even if you're a beginner. This
TABLE OF CONTENTS
tutorial will walk you through some of Sketchup's most fundamental features.
➢ Getting Started
▪ Choosing the Template
▪ Understanding the Layout
▪ Toolbars
▪ Navigating in 3D
▪ Toolbar Description
▪ Creating Basic Shapes
▪ Grouping and Components
▪ Saving
➢ Creating 3D model in SketchUp from AutoCAD
▪ Importing and Exporting CAD Files
▪ Knowing what types of CAD elements SketchUp can import
▪ Preparing a CAD file for SketchUp import
▪ Using SketchUp to import a CAD file
▪ Learning how to export SketchUp data to CAD format
▪ Creating a 2D CAD file from a SketchUp model
GETTING STARTED
Begin by opening SketchUp by clicking the SketchUp shortcut on the desktop.
CHOOSING THE TEMPLATE
When you first start the software, you'll be presented with a window where you
can choose a template. Typically, the simple template - meters or millimeters - will
be used. Of course, depending on your project, you can select a different
template.
UNDERSTANDING THE LAYOUT
After you've chosen a template, you'll be brought to a new Sketchup project.
From here, you can choose any tool to start building your first 3D item.
TOOLBARS
The Toolbar is in the upper left corner of your window. This is where you will select
the various tools that will assist you in creating the object you desire. Simply click
on the tool you wish to use to pick it.
NAVIGATING IN 3D
By pressing and dragging the mouse on the Scroll
Wheel, we may rotate our view of the 3D space
360 degrees. Zoom in and out by scrolling the
Wheel. While clicking the left mouse button while
holding the shift key, the viewpoint will be
dragged around.
TOOLBOX DESCRIPTION
SELECTION TOOL
A tool that can be used to select faces, lines, or objects. Click once on a
face to pick it. To choose a line, simply click on it once. Double-click an object to
make it selectable.
ERASER TOOL
This utility removes lines from a document. Click once on a single line to
remove it. Click and drag to erase numerous lines.
LINE TOOL
Produces perfectly straight lines. Faces can be created by connecting
many lines.
FREEHAND TOOL
You may draw freehand lines using this tool. A face will be formed by
connecting these.
ARC TOOL
Arcs or circles are created. To make an arc, simply click once; this will serve as the
center point. A new point will be created if you click somewhere else. You can
now drag your mouse around the screen to see a preview of the arc. An arc will
be created if you click again. Click on the workspace and rotate the arc preview
around to construct a circle. Click the workspace one more until the circle is
complete.
2 POINT ARC TOOL
Two points are used to make arcs.
3 POINT ARC TOOL
This tool works in the same way as the 2-point arc tool, except it pivots the
arc around the second point.
PIE TOOL
The Pie tool is nearly identical to the Arc tool, with the exception that it
generates faces rather than lines.
RECTANGLE TOOL
This is how rectangle and square planes are made.
ROTATED RECTANGLE TOOL
Creates angled rectangles and squares.
CIRCLE TOOL
Use to create circular planes.
POLYGON TOOL
Creates polygonal planes.
SCALE TOOL
Creates ellipse shapes that hold text.
OFFSET TOOL
Lines are duplicated at a consistent distance from the originals.
MOVE TOOL
Moves selected objects, lines or planes.
ROTATE TOOL
Rotates selected objects lines or planes using a protractor.
PUSH/PULL TOOL EXPANDS
Planes into 3D objects.
TAPE MEASURE TOOL
Used to measure lengths of any object or region of space.
TEXT TOOL
Creates a text note wherever it is placed.
PAINT TOOL
Used to paint any surface or plane.
ORBIT TOOL
Used to rotate the viewing angle in the 3D space.
PAN TOOL
Used to pan the camera around the 3D space.
ZOOM TOOL
Zooms in on an area.
ZOOM EXTENTS TOOL
Brings zoom back to center of the workspace.
3D WAREHOUSE
The 3D warehouse is now open. You can add user-created models to your
workspace from here.
EXTENSION WAREHOUSE
Opens the extension warehouse you can add on more features to SketchUp.
CREATING BASIC SHAPES
To make a shape, select the Rectangle tool while you're in the 3D workspace. You
can now click and drag your mouse about until the preview is the right form and
size. The preview can then be locked in place by clicking. To turn the plane into
a three-dimensional object, use the Push / Pull tool. Simply click and drag on the
rectangle face to utilize the Push / Pull tool.
GROUPING AND COMPONENTS
In Sketchup, grouping objects is a crucial part of creating 3D objects. This is since
in Sketchup, if two objects or faces are touching, they will instantly fuse together.
To avoid the group from fusing to an object that is touching, you can group an
object or many objects. You can also pick numerous items at once with groups
and components. There are two methods for creating "groups." There are several
similarities between Groups and Components.
▪ To make a group, right-click on the objects or faces you'd like to put
together. Select Make Group from the drop-down menu that appears.
▪ To make a component, right-click on the objects or faces you want
to group. Then choose Make Component from the drop-down menu.
▪ You can fill out the name and description in the window that
appears, but it is not required. When you click Create at the bottom, a
component will be created.
SAVING
Always remember to save your work. Saving frequently lowers your chances of
losing your work. To save your Sketchup file, follow these steps:
▪ Select File > Save from the File menu.
▪ Using the drop-down menu and the navigation window, navigate to
the location where you want your document to be saved.
▪ In the Save As text field, type the name of your document.
▪ In the dialogue box's bottom right corner, click the Save button.
▪ Verify that your document is saved in the location you intended.
CREATING 3D MODEL IN SKETCHUP FROM AUTOCAD
IMPORTING AND EXPORTING CAD FILES
You can import and export CAD files using the. dwg or dxf file formats if you have
SketchUp Pro.
It's useful to know what CAD entities SketchUp Pro supports and how to prepare
your CAD file for the best results before you import it. After that, you can go over
the basic importing procedures detailed in this post. After you've finished
importing, go over to Starting with a CAD File in SketchUp Pro for some pointers
on how to work with imported CAD geometry.
If you're exporting a SketchUp Pro file to a CAD format, the method you use
depends on whether the file is a 2D plan or a 3D model. You'll also learn how to
export SketchUp data to CAD format in this lecture.The table below shows which
KNOWING WHAT TYPES OF CAD ELEMENTS SKETCHUP CAN IMPORT
CAD elements SketchUp supports and which it does not. When you import a CAD
file, SketchUp simply ignores any elements that aren't supported.
SUPPORTED CAD ENTITIES UNSUPPORTED CAD ENTITIES
▪ Arcs ▪ Proprietary ADT or ARX objects
▪ Circles ▪ Dimensions
▪ Entities with Thickness ▪ Hatching
▪ Faces ▪ Text
▪ 3D Faces ▪ XREFs
▪ Layers
▪ Lines and Supported Line Styles
▪ Materials
▪ Polyline-based solids
▪ Nested Blocks
▪ AutoCAD Regions
▪ Points
▪ Ellipse
▪ Spline
▪ Raster Image
PREPARING A CAD FILE FOR SKETCHUP IMPORT
When you verify and prepare your CAD file before importing it, you can ensure
that all the data you need is imported into SketchUp and speed up the process.
The parts that follow explain what to look for and how to deal with any potential
NOTE: You don't want your original CAD file to lose any details. Remember to
make a copy of the CAD file and prepare it for SketchUp import.
conflicts between CAD elements and SketchUp.
1. CHANGE ELEMENTS THAT AREN'T SUPPORTED
If you need to import unsupported CAD elements into SketchUp, consider
exploding them in CAD to convert them to primitive CAD drawing elements
that SketchUp can handle.
Exploding CAD objects into block entities, for example, imports them as
components into SketchUp. Polylines are imported into SketchUp as lines or
polylines when CAD block entities are expanded into polylines.
2. DELETE UNNECESSARY LAYERS
SketchUp automatically discards any elements in an imported CAD file that
have no 3D relevance, such as text, measurements, hatching, and etc.
SketchUp, on the other hand, will keep the layers that contain these entities.
To avoid lots of new empty layers in SketchUp, use Statistics on the Model Info
window to remove any unneeded layers.
3. MAKE THE GEOMETRY AS NEAR TO THE ORIGIN AS POSSIBLE
Geometry that is many miles or kilometers from the origin (0,0) can cause
performance issues with SketchUp. Check the arrangement of geometry in
your CAD file before importing it into SketchUp to avoid these issues.
For example, suppose you want to work with the contour lines in Autodesk
AutoCAD DWG files, such as civil site plans. Before importing the CAD file into
SketchUp, if the graphic or geometry is far from the origin, relocate it closer to
it.
4. IF NECESSARY, REDUCE THE FILE SIZE
When the file size is 15MB or less, CAD files usually import successfully into
SketchUp. Importing larger CAD files can take a long time or fail completely.
In contrast, the smaller your CAD file, the faster and easier the import will be.
Additionally, you may find that SketchUp's performance drops after importing
a sophisticated CAD file. This is because SketchUp lines and faces have more
data than their CAD counterparts.
NOTE: Keep the size of imported CAD files to a bare minimum for the best
results. Here are some suggestions for reducing the size of a CAD file before
importing it into SketchUp:
▪ Only import the geometry that is required.
▪ Varied CAD files have different levels of detail.
5. MAKE SURE THE UNIT OF MEASUREMENT IS CORRECT
Find out what unit of measurement was utilized to construct the CAD file if
possible. You'll need to know whether your CAD file utilizes inches, feet, or
metric units of measurement before you import it into SketchUp. That way, you
may keep the scale and dimensions of your imported CAD geometry by
USING SKETCHUP TO IMPORT A CAD FILE
matching the SketchUp model's units to the CAD file's units.
You're ready to import your CAD file into SketchUp after you've double-checked
and prepared it. The steps below will lead you through the process of importing
your operating system:
1. Open the SketchUp model that you wish to import your dwg or dxf file into in
SketchUp.
2. Choose File > Import from the File menu. A dialog window called Import opens.
3. Browse to the location on your hard disk where you saved your CAD file.
4. Select AutoCAD Files (*.dwg, *.dxf) from the Files of Type drop-down list.
5. Choose the file you'd want to import.
6. Select the Options tab. As seen in the image, the Import AutoCAD DWG/DXF
Options dialog box displays.
7. (Optional) Select the unit used in your CAD file from the Units drop-down box
to import geometry at the correct scale. Model Units, Inches, Feet, Yards, Miles,
NOTE: If you don't know what units were used in the original file, choose Model
Units and SketchUp will convert one CAD unit to one inch. Alternatively, a big
unit type, such as feet or meters, can be used. After the model has been
imported, you can resize it as needed.
CAUTION: If you choose a small unit, such as millimeters, when the model was
designed to be displayed in feet, you may unintentionally create tiny faces
that will be lost during import. A face must be.001 square inches or larger for
SketchUp to recognize it.
Millimeters, Centimeters, Meters, and Kilometers are all choices.
8. In the Import AutoCAD DWG/DXF Options dialog box, click OK
9. To begin the procedure, click Import and start on creating your model.
LEARNING HOW TO EXPORT SKETCHUP DATA TO CAD FORMAT
Before exporting a SketchUp model to a CAD file format (.dwg or .dxf), it's a good
idea to know how SketchUp data gets translated into the CAD format you want.
What you need to know is as follows:
▪ Faces in SketchUp are exported as a triangulated polyphase mesh with
selfsame concealed lines on the inside (if applicable). This converter helps
to imitate the appearance of your SketchUp file, even when all exported
faces are triangular.
▪ For translation to a .dwg or .dxf file, SketchUp uses the current units set in
the Units tab of the Model Info dialog box as a reference. If the current
Model Info unit setting is Decimal and Meters, for example, AutoCAD must
be set to decimal for the units to translate accurately to meters when you
load the exported file in AutoCAD.
CREATING A 2D CAD FILE FROM A SKETCHUP MODEL
You can set the scale and a variety of line options when exporting your model
view as a 2D CAD file. You'll get a 2D vector file in the .dwg or .dxf format that you
may open in your CAD program.
To export a 2D CAD file, follow these steps:
1. Select Camera > Parallel Projection in SketchUp to keep your model's scale in
the output file. Then pick Camera > Standard Views and choose an option
from the submenu that appears to change your view to one of SketchUp's
standard views. (For more information on the model view options, see Viewing
a Model.)
2. Select File > Export > 2D Graphic.
3. Browse to the location where you wish your exported file to be saved.
4. If you'd prefer to name the exported file something other than the SketchUp
file's current name, change the file name.
5. Choose between the .dwg and .dxf file formats. Select this option from the
Save As Type drop-down box in Microsoft Windows. Use the Format drop-down
list on a Mac.
6. To set the scale and line settings, click the Options button. The scale and line
options are detailed in detail in the following list. Click OK in the DWG/DXF
Hidden Line Options dialog box (Microsoft Windows) or the Export Options
dialog box after you're finished (Mac OS X).
7. When you click Export, your CAD file will be saved in the location you specify.
REFERENCES
Textbooks:
1. AutoCAD 2013: 3D Tutorials by Kristen S. Kurland
2. SketchUp: Advance Techniques – Modeling by TIMZC
3. SketchUp Tutorial by BGSU
Websites:
1. https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup/importing-and-exporting-cad-
files
2. https://www.sketchup.com/taxonomy/term/321
