Google® SketchUp® and SketchUp® Pro 7 Bible

Google® SketchUp® and SketchUp® Pro 7 Bible

by Kelly L. Murdock
Released March 2009
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470292297

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Google SketchUp & SketchUp Pro Bible will target design professionals who are increasingly turning to SketchUp and SketchUp Pro to easily create professional quality designs and design presentations. This book will cover creating 2D and 3D designs, exporting models to Google Earth, and using LayOut to create professional quality design presentations. Offering everything that a professional or hobbyist needs to know, Google SketchUp and SketchUp Pro Bible will include tips and tricks to make using this software easy and efficient.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Author
  3. Credits
  4. Preface
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. I. Getting Started with Google SketchUp
    1. Quick Start: Building a Windmill
      1. Finding a Reference Image
        1. Tutorial: Loading a reference image
      2. Building the Windmill
        1. Tutorial: Building the base structure
        2. Tutorial: Adding the fins
        3. Tutorial: Aligning the fins
      3. Adding Materials and Styles
        1. Tutorial: Applying materials to the windmill
        2. Tutorial: Adding a style
      4. Enabling Shadows
        1. Tutorial: Adding shadows
      5. Summary
    2. 1. Introducing Google SketchUp
      1. 1.1. Designing with SketchUp
      2. 1.2. Understanding the Different Versions of SketchUp
        1. 1.2.1. Google SketchUp
        2. 1.2.2. Google SketchUp Pro 7
        3. 1.2.3. Google SketchUp Pro 7 trial versions
      3. 1.3. Getting Help
        1. 1.3.1. Learn panel
        2. 1.3.2. Quick Reference Card
        3. 1.3.3. Help Center
        4. 1.3.4. The SketchUp forum
        5. 1.3.5. Self-Paced Tutorials
        6. 1.3.6. Accessing other tutorials
        7. 1.3.7. Viewing the video tutorials
        8. 1.3.8. Instructor window
      4. 1.4. Summary
    3. 2. Exploring the SketchUp Interface
      1. 2.1. Learning the Interface Elements
      2. 2.2. Using Menus
      3. 2.3. Accessing Toolbars
        1. 2.3.1. Docking and floating toolbars
        2. 2.3.2. Using tooltips
        3. 2.3.3. Using the toolbars
      4. 2.4. Interacting with the Interface
        1. 2.4.1. Using context menus
        2. 2.4.2. Getting help from the status bar
        3. 2.4.3. Using the Measurements Toolbar
        4. 2.4.4. Working with dialog boxes
        5. 2.4.5. Learning the color clues
      5. 2.5. Customizing the Interface
        1. 2.5.1. Customizing keyboard shortcuts
      6. 2.6. Summary
    4. 3. Navigating and Configuring the Drawing Area
      1. 3.1. Understanding 3-D Space
      2. 3.2. Learning the Standard Views in SketchUp
      3. 3.3. Managing Perspective
        1. 3.3.1. Axonometric versus perspective
        2. 3.3.2. Orthographic and Isometric views
        3. 3.3.3. Two-Point Perspective
        4. 3.3.4. Changing the Field of View
      4. 3.4. Using the Drawing Area Camera Controls
        1. 3.4.1. Orbiting a view
        2. 3.4.2. Panning a view
        3. 3.4.3. Zooming a view
        4. 3.4.4. Controlling views with the mouse
        5. 3.4.5. Moving between views
        6. 3.4.6. Tutorial: Navigating the active drawing area
      5. 3.5. Walking Through Your Model
        1. 3.5.1. Positioning the camera
        2. 3.5.2. Looking around the scene
        3. 3.5.3. Walking around the scene
        4. 3.5.4. Tutorial: Walking through a scene
      6. 3.6. Configuring the Drawing Area
        1. 3.6.1. Setting the drawing area style
          1. 3.6.1.1. Using the default Face styles
          2. 3.6.1.2. Using the default Edge styles
        2. 3.6.2. Displaying shadows and fog
        3. 3.6.3. Setting units
          1. 3.6.3.1. Setting Length units
          2. 3.6.3.2. Setting Angle units
        4. 3.6.4. Setting OpenGL preferences
          1. 3.6.4.1. Enabling hardware acceleration
          2. 3.6.4.2. Enabling anti-aliasing
          3. 3.6.4.3. Troubleshooting hardware acceleration
      7. 3.7. Summary
    5. 4. Working with Files
      1. 4.1. Starting with a Template
      2. 4.2. Opening and Saving Files
        1. 4.2.1. Saving files
        2. 4.2.2. Saving templates
        3. 4.2.3. Opening files
        4. 4.2.4. Adding objects to the current scene
        5. 4.2.5. Getting out
      3. 4.3. Setting File Preferences
        1. 4.3.1. Setting default folders
        2. 4.3.2. Backing up a project
        3. 4.3.3. Enabling Auto-Save
        4. 4.3.4. Checking for problems
        5. 4.3.5. Setting a default template
      4. 4.4. Importing Files into SketchUp
        1. 4.4.1. Importing 3-D files
          1. 4.4.1.1. Importing SketchUp files
          2. 4.4.1.2. Importing AutoCAD files
          3. 4.4.1.3. Importing 3DS files
          4. 4.4.1.4. Importing DEM files
        2. 4.4.2. Importing 2-D files
      5. 4.5. Exporting SketchUp Files
        1. 4.5.1. Exporting 3-D content
          1. 4.5.1.1. Exporting 3DS files
          2. 4.5.1.2. Exporting AutoCAD files
          3. 4.5.1.3. Exporting to Google Earth
          4. 4.5.1.4. Exporting Collada files
          5. 4.5.1.5. Exporting FBX files
          6. 4.5.1.6. Exporting OBJ files
          7. 4.5.1.7. Exporting VRML files
          8. 4.5.1.8. Exporting XSI files
        2. 4.5.2. Exporting 2-D graphics
          1. 4.5.2.1. Exporting PDF and EPS files
          2. 4.5.2.2. Exporting BMP, TIF, and PNG files
          3. 4.5.2.3. Exporting JPEG files
          4. 4.5.2.4. Exporting EPX files
          5. 4.5.2.5. Exporting DWG and DXF files
        3. 4.5.3. Exporting section slices
        4. 4.5.4. Exporting animations
      6. 4.6. Printing Scenes
      7. 4.7. Using SketchUp Viewer
      8. 4.8. Summary
  8. II. Working with Objects
    1. 5. Selecting Objects
      1. 5.1. Selecting Objects with the Select Tool
      2. 5.2. Selecting Objects with Menu Commands
      3. 5.3. Viewing Object Info
      4. 5.4. Selecting Objects with the Outliner Palette
      5. 5.5. Selecting Entities
        1. 5.5.1. Selecting surrounding entities
        2. 5.5.2. Expanding a selection
        3. 5.5.3. Tutorial: Practicing selecting objects
      6. 5.6. Summary
    2. 6. Transforming Objects
      1. 6.1. Using the Move Tool
        1. 6.1.1. Moving along a straight line
        2. 6.1.2. Moving a precise distance
        3. 6.1.3. Stretching entities
      2. 6.2. Using the Rotate Tool
        1. 6.2.1. Rotating to regular intervals
        2. 6.2.2. Rotating to a precise angle
        3. 6.2.3. Stretching entities
      3. 6.3. Using the Scale Tool
        1. 6.3.1. Scaling along a single axis
        2. 6.3.2. Scaling to a precise value
        3. 6.3.3. Stretching entities
        4. 6.3.4. Tutorial: Rearranging the furniture
      4. 6.4. Summary
    3. 7. Cloning Objects
      1. 7.1. Using the Cut, Copy, and Paste Commands
        1. 7.1.1. Cut, Copy, and Paste entities
        2. 7.1.2. Tutorial: Creating a row of sunflowers
      2. 7.2. Cloning with the Transform Tools
        1. 7.2.1. Cloning with the Move/Copy tool
        2. 7.2.2. Creating a linear array of objects
        3. 7.2.3. Creating a radial array of objects
        4. 7.2.4. Tutorial: Adding bolts to a flange
      3. 7.3. Summary
    4. 8. Grouping, Hiding, and Locking Objects
      1. 8.1. Creating a Group
      2. 8.2. Working with Groups
        1. 8.2.1. Editing a group
        2. 8.2.2. Exploding a group
      3. 8.3. Hiding and Unhiding Objects
      4. 8.4. Locking and Unlocking Objects
        1. 8.4.1. Tutorial: Locking multiple objects
      5. 8.5. Summary
  9. III. Modeling Basics
    1. 9. Drawing in SketchUp
      1. 9.1. Understanding the Drawing Axes
      2. 9.2. Drawing Lines and Faces
        1. 9.2.1. Understanding inference positions
        2. 9.2.2. Constraining inference
        3. 9.2.3. Tutorial: Building a hexagon tower
      3. 9.3. Drawing Arcs
        1. 9.3.1. Arc inference
        2. 9.3.2. Tutorial: Drawing arcs within a hexagon
      4. 9.4. Using the Freehand Tool
      5. 9.5. Using the Eraser Tool
      6. 9.6. Drawing Shapes
        1. 9.6.1. Creating rectangles and squares
        2. 9.6.2. Circles
        3. 9.6.3. Polygons
      7. 9.7. Drawing Preferences
      8. 9.8. Using a Graphics Tablet
      9. 9.9. Summary
    2. 10. Modifying Objects
      1. 10.1. Using the Push/Pull Tool
        1. 10.1.1. Creating 3-D objects
        2. 10.1.2. Tutorial: Extruding faces of a column
        3. 10.1.3. Creating holes
      2. 10.2. Using the Follow Me Tool
        1. 10.2.1. Following a path
        2. 10.2.2. Tutorial: Creating a sink drain pipe
        3. 10.2.3. Beveling an edge
        4. 10.2.4. Lathing about a circle
      3. 10.3. Using the Offset Tool
      4. 10.4. Detecting Intersections
      5. 10.5. Summary
    3. 11. Adding Text
      1. 11.1. Creating 2-D Text
        1. 11.1.1. Creating Leader text
        2. 11.1.2. Creating Screen text
        3. 11.1.3. Editing text
        4. 11.1.4. Tutorial: Labeling the height of a vehicle
      2. 11.2. Creating 3-D Text
      3. 11.3. Summary
    4. 12. Using the Construction Tools
      1. 12.1. Measuring Distance with the Tape Measure Tool
        1. 12.1.1. Using guide lines
        2. 12.1.2. Using guide points
        3. 12.1.3. Editing and removing guide lines
        4. 12.1.4. Tutorial: Creating guide lines for a keypad
        5. 12.1.5. Using the Tape Measure tool to rescale the scene
      2. 12.2. Measuring Angles with the Protractor Tool
      3. 12.3. Adding Dimensions with the Dimension Tool
        1. 12.3.1. Configuring dimensions
        2. 12.3.2. Using the Expert Dimension Settings
      4. 12.4. Using the Axes Tool
      5. 12.5. Summary
    5. 13. Matching a Background Photo
      1. 13.1. Aligning the Current Model to a Background Image
      2. 13.2. Modeling to a Background Image
      3. 13.3. Editing Matched Photos
        1. 13.3.1. Working with multiple photos
        2. 13.3.2. Hiding the background photo and model
        3. 13.3.3. Projecting textures
        4. 13.3.4. Working with grids
      4. 13.4. Summary
    6. 14. Working with TIN Surfaces
      1. 14.1. Creating TIN Surfaces
        1. 14.1.1. Creating objects from contour lines
        2. 14.1.2. Creating TIN surfaces from scratch
      2. 14.2. Modifying TIN Surfaces
        1. 14.2.1. Using the Smoove tool
        2. 14.2.2. Stamping objects into surfaces
        3. 14.2.3. Using the Drape tool
        4. 14.2.4. Increasing surface resolution
        5. 14.2.5. Flipping edges
        6. 14.2.6. Tutorial: Creating a terrain object
      3. 14.3. Summary
  10. IV. Organizing Scenes
    1. 15. Using Component Libraries
      1. 15.1. Using the Components Browser
        1. 15.1.1. Working with collections
        2. 15.1.2. Moving components between libraries
        3. 15.1.3. Using the Edit tab
        4. 15.1.4. Using the Statistics tab
      2. 15.2. Creating Components
      3. 15.3. Accessing the 3D Warehouse
        1. 15.3.1. Getting more components
        2. 15.3.2. Getting 3D Warehouse models
        3. 15.3.3. Sharing models
      4. 15.4. Summary
    2. 16. Working with Dynamic Components
      1. 16.1. Using Default Dynamic Components
        1. 16.1.1. Enabling Dynamic Components
        2. 16.1.2. Manipulating Dynamic Components
      2. 16.2. Creating Dynamic Components
        1. 16.2.1. Using the Component Attributes dialog box
        2. 16.2.2. Adding new attributes
        3. 16.2.3. Creating formulas
      3. 16.3. Summary
    3. 17. Using Layers
      1. 17.1. Accessing the Layer Manager
        1. 17.1.1. Creating new layers
        2. 17.1.2. Deleting layers
      2. 17.2. Working with Layers
        1. 17.2.1. Setting an active layer
        2. 17.2.2. Learning the layer properties
        3. 17.2.3. Hiding layers
        4. 17.2.4. Identifying objects on layers
        5. 17.2.5. Moving objects between layers
        6. 17.2.6. Tutorial: Separating into layers
      3. 17.3. Summary
    4. 18. Using the Scenes Manager
      1. 18.1. Accessing the Scenes Manager
      2. 18.2. Working with Scenes
        1. 18.2.1. Adding new scenes
        2. 18.2.2. Learning the scene properties
      3. 18.3. Animating Scenes
        1. 18.3.1. Exporting animations
        2. 18.3.2. Exporting to video
        3. 18.3.3. Exporting to sequenced images
        4. 18.3.4. Tutorial: Animating a view change
      4. 18.4. Summary
  11. V. Working with Materials, Styles, and Effects
    1. 19. Creating and Applying Materials
      1. 19.1. Using the Material Browser
        1. 19.1.1. Selecting a predefined material
        2. 19.1.2. Exploring the default materials
        3. 19.1.3. Changing the browser display
        4. 19.1.4. Moving materials between libraries
        5. 19.1.5. Creating a new material library
      2. 19.2. Applying Materials to Objects
        1. 19.2.1. Using the Paint Bucket tool
        2. 19.2.2. Sampling existing materials
        3. 19.2.3. Tutorial: Applying materials to a truck
      3. 19.3. Editing Materials
        1. 19.3.1. Creating new materials
          1. 19.3.1.1. Changing colors
          2. 19.3.1.2. Loading textures
          3. 19.3.1.3. Adding transparency
        2. 19.3.2. Editing current materials
      4. 19.4. Using the Position Texture Tool
      5. 19.5. Summary
    2. 20. Using Styles
      1. 20.1. Using the Styles Browser
        1. 20.1.1. Applying a style
        2. 20.1.2. Changing the browser display
        3. 20.1.3. Moving styles between libraries
      2. 20.2. Editing Existing Styles
        1. 20.2.1. Changing edge style
        2. 20.2.2. Changing face style
        3. 20.2.3. Changing the background style
        4. 20.2.4. Adding a watermark
        5. 20.2.5. Changing modeling colors
        6. 20.2.6. Mixing styles
      3. 20.3. Summary
    3. 21. Using Style Builder
      1. 21.1. Learning the Style Builder Interface
      2. 21.2. Loading Sample Strokes
      3. 21.3. Defining a New Style
        1. 21.3.1. Selecting a stroke set
        2. 21.3.2. Controlling the preview
        3. 21.3.3. Setting preferences
      4. 21.4. Summary
    4. 22. Adding Effects
      1. 22.1. Adding Fog to the Scene
        1. 22.1.1. Enabling fog
        2. 22.1.2. Setting fog distance
        3. 22.1.3. Changing fog color
      2. 22.2. Sectioning an Object
        1. 22.2.1. Defining a section plane
        2. 22.2.2. Manipulating the section plane
        3. 22.2.3. Reversing the section cut
        4. 22.2.4. Extracting a cross section
        5. 22.2.5. Hiding the section plane
      3. 22.3. Exporting Section Slices
      4. 22.4. Summary
    5. 23. Using Lights and Shadows
      1. 23.1. Accessing the Shadow Settings
        1. 23.1.1. Turning shadows on and off
        2. 23.1.2. Setting shadow time and date
        3. 23.1.3. Brightening lights and shadows
        4. 23.1.4. Controlling where shadows fall
      2. 23.2. Allowing Which Models Cast and Receive Shadows
      3. 23.3. Summary
  12. VI. Presenting SketchUp Scenes
    1. 24. Using LayOut
      1. 24.1. Learning the LayOut Interface
        1. 24.1.1. Learning the main toolbar
        2. 24.1.2. Using document tabs
        3. 24.1.3. Using trays
      2. 24.2. Working with LayOut Files
        1. 24.2.1. Creating a new LayOut file
        2. 24.2.2. Opening existing files
        3. 24.2.3. Inserting content
        4. 24.2.4. Saving LayOut files
        5. 24.2.5. Export to Images
        6. 24.2.6. Export to PDF
      3. 24.3. Configuring the LayOut Document
        1. 24.3.1. Establishing grids
        2. 24.3.2. Setting paper size, margins, and orientation
        3. 24.3.3. Referencing external content
        4. 24.3.4. Setting layout units
      4. 24.4. Printing a LayOut
      5. 24.5. Working with Pages
      6. 24.6. Navigating the LayOut View
      7. 24.7. Customizing the LayOut Interface
        1. 24.7.1. Altering toolbars
        2. 24.7.2. Setting interface options
        3. 24.7.3. Adding keyboard shortcuts
        4. 24.7.4. Changing tool color
      8. 24.8. Getting Help
      9. 24.9. Summary
    2. 25. Editing LayOut Presentations
      1. 25.1. Assembling Content
        1. 25.1.1. Working with SketchUp files
        2. 25.1.2. Working with image files
        3. 25.1.3. Inserting text files
      2. 25.2. Transforming Content
        1. 25.2.1. Selecting objects
        2. 25.2.2. Deleting objects
        3. 25.2.3. Moving objects
        4. 25.2.4. Rotating objects
        5. 25.2.5. Scaling objects
        6. 25.2.6. Duplicating objects
        7. 25.2.7. Snapping objects
        8. 25.2.8. Aligning objects
        9. 25.2.9. Spacing objects
        10. 25.2.10. Centering objects
        11. 25.2.11. Flipping objects
        12. 25.2.12. Changing the stacking order
      3. 25.3. Using the LayOut Tools
        1. 25.3.1. Using the drawing tools
        2. 25.3.2. Drawing arcs
        3. 25.3.3. Drawing rectangles
        4. 25.3.4. Drawing circles, ellipses and polygons
      4. 25.4. Editing Shapes
        1. 25.4.1. Copying style
        2. 25.4.2. Erasing shapes
        3. 25.4.3. Splitting and joining vertices
      5. 25.5. Working with Text
      6. 25.6. Summary
    3. 26. Using SketchUp with Google Earth
      1. 26.1. Installing Google Earth
      2. 26.2. Using Google Earth
      3. 26.3. Retrieving the Current View
      4. 26.4. Placing Models
      5. 26.5. Exporting Models
      6. 26.6. Sharing Models
      7. 26.7. Getting Models
      8. 26.8. Summary
  13. VII. Extending SketchUp
    1. 27. Scripting with Ruby
      1. 27.1. Understanding Ruby Scripting
        1. 27.1.1. Accessing the Ruby Help files
        2. 27.1.2. Getting Ruby help
      2. 27.2. Reviewing the Ruby Samples
      3. 27.3. Accessing the Ruby Console
      4. 27.4. Summary
    2. 28. Expanding SketchUp with Third-Party Plug-Ins
      1. 28.1. Enabling Extensions
      2. 28.2. Locating Plug-Ins
        1. 28.2.1. Exploring popular commercial plug-ins
      3. 28.3. Installing Plug-Ins
      4. 28.4. Using Sample Ruby Scripts
        1. 28.4.1. Bezier curves
        2. 28.4.2. Rotated Rectangle
        3. 28.4.3. Adding new shapes
        4. 28.4.4. Creating windows
        5. 28.4.5. Creating grids
        6. 28.4.6. Making onion domes
        7. 28.4.7. Simplifying contours
      5. 28.5. Summary
  14. VIII. Appendixes
    1. A. What's New with Google SketchUp 7
      1. A.1. New Features in SketchUp 7
        1. A.1.1. Dynamic Components
        2. A.1.2. Search in Components Browser
        3. A.1.3. Custom Templates
        4. A.1.4. Georeferencing
        5. A.1.5. Style Builder
        6. A.1.6. Improved LayOut interface
        7. A.1.7. Better performance
      2. A.2. Minor Improvements in SketchUp 7
        1. A.2.1. Model Credits
        2. A.2.2. Measurements Toolbar
        3. A.2.3. Help Center
    2. B. Installing and Configuring Google SketchUp 7
      1. B.1. Choosing an Operating System
        1. B.1.1. Installing to Windows
        2. B.1.2. Installing to Mac
      2. B.2. Understanding System Requirements
        1. B.2.1. Minimum requirements
        2. B.2.2. Graphics cards
        3. B.2.3. Other requirements
      3. B.3. Installing Google SketchUp
        1. B.3.1. Authorizing Google SketchUp Pro
        2. B.3.2. Authorizing a network version
      4. B.4. Updating SketchUp
      5. B.5. Contacting Support
      6. B.6. Moving SketchUp to Another Computer
    3. C. SketchUp Keyboard Shortcuts
      1. C.1. Main Interface Shortcuts
      2. C.2. Miscellaneous Shortcuts
    4. D. What's on the CD
      1. D.1. System Requirements
      2. D.2. Using the CD with Windows
      3. D.3. Using the CD with the Mac
      4. D.4. What's on the CD
        1. D.4.1. Author-created materials
        2. D.4.2. Applications
      5. D.5. Troubleshooting
      6. D.6. Customer Care

Product information

  • Title: Google® SketchUp® and SketchUp® Pro 7 Bible
  • Author(s): Kelly L. Murdock
  • Release date: March 2009
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470292297