Google SketchUp: The Missing Manual

Chapter 1. Building a Bench: Your First SketchUp Model

At first glance SketchUp doesn't look much different from other programs you use to work with photographs, drawings, or even words. You have menus, toolbars, and a large work area. The difference, of course, is that SketchUp's work area is a window into a three-dimensional world where you can build just about anything. It can be as big as the Empire State building or as small as an iPod. By using SketchUp you can design your new beach house inside and out, and build all the furniture for each room. It's your world, and this chapter is your first-class introductory tour.

In the first part of this chapter, you'll learn about SketchUp's menus, tools, and the drawing window. You'll see how to customize your workspace to make it easier to follow along with the exercises in this book. The rest of this chapter describes how to build a simple bench made from just four pieces of wood, as shown in Figure 1-1.

Tip

If you'd like to see how the finished bench looks in SketchUp, you can find the document file bench_finished.skp at http://missingmanuals.com/cds.

Even though the bench is simple, the step-by-step exercises introduce many of SketchUp's drawing and navigation tools. You'll get a taste of how much fun it is to push and pull your 3-D drawings into shape. You'll also learn some valuable techniques for navigating a 3-D workspace and for moving and aligning 3-D objects. Don't worry if it seems that the exercise moves quickly. In later ...