Google SketchUp: The Missing Manual

Making Complex Profiles Follow a Path

The earlier examples have all shown how easy it is to add geometry to your models when using the Follow Me tool. You can also use Follow Me to remove geometry from an existing object. In this next exercise, you build a planter. It looks a little like one of those concrete planters that might appear in an Italian garden. First you add molding to the top of the planter. Then you remove a curved section from the middle of the planter. This second step shows that the path and the profile don't necessarily need to be connected to each other.

Follow these steps to go into the garden furnishings business:

1. Open a new document using the "Architectural Design – Feet and Inches" template.

   Again, you can send Sang, the SketchUp model, on an errand while you tackle this project. Select and delete him, or right-click and choose Hide from the menu.

2. Using the Rectangle (R) tool, draw a rectangle.

   A 4-foot square works well, but the size isn't that important for this example, so you're free to be creative.

3. With Push/Pull (P) click the face of the rectangle, and pull it up into a box.

   This box serves as the basic shape for the planter before you add ornamentation. It should look something like Figure 8-18.

   

   Figure 8-18. Draw a rectangle off the top edge of the box using the Line (L) tool. This shape, after it's modified, will add geometry to the model.

4. With the Line (L) ...