Google SketchUp: The Missing Manual

Assembling the Bench Components

Okay, now you're an expert at selecting points on components and moving them. It's time to piece this thing together. The first step is to connect one of the bench legs to the bench support.

1. Move (M) one bench leg and the support so that they're relatively close to each other, but not touching.

   Remember to use the click-move-click technique (Moving, Copying, and Deleting Components) instead of dragging.

2. Zoom (Z), Pan (H), and Orbit (O) so you can see the objects from the top with a little bit of perspective to help you judge depth.

   You may want to jump to a different view: Front, Left, or Top. Just make sure the objects are relatively close to each other. If necessary, use the Move (M) tool to readjust.

3. Press the space bar, and then click an empty portion of the drawing area.

   This is a quick way to make sure nothing is selected. You can also use the shortcut keystroke (Ctrl+T for Windows or Shift-⌘-A for Mac).

4. Choose the Move (M) tool, and then hover over the top edge of the bench support closest to the leg.

   When the center of the Move tool is over the edge, you see a tooltip message, like "On Edge in Component".

5. Move the cursor toward the middle of the edge until the tooltip says "Midpoint in Component".

   When you're at the right spot, you see a message like the one in Figure 1-25.

6. Click to select the midpoint as a reference point for the move.

   Once the bench leg is selected, it becomes attached to the cursor. Move the cursor and the leg follows. If your bench ...