SketchUp For Dummies, 2nd Edition

SketchUp For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Bill Fane, Mark Harrison, Josh Reilly
Released September 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119617938

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Book description

The first step in making your ideas a reality

SketchUp offers a vast array of tools that help you get your building, woodworking, and design plans out of your head and into a real model. Even if you’ve never dabbled in the software, SketchUp All-in-One For Dummies makes it easy to get started as quickly as the ideas pop into your head!

Providing real-world insight from top SketchUp insiders, these six-books-in-one teach you how to tackle the basics of the program and apply those skills to real-world projects. You’ll discover the basics of modeling as they apply to either free or paid versions of SketchUp before diving into creating models to use for making objects, constructing buildings, or redesigning interiors.

  • Navigate the SketchUp product mix
  • Get familiar with the basics of modeling
  • View and share your models
  • Make your architecture, interior design, and woodworking dreams a reality

You have tons of great ideas—and now you can harness this powerful software to bring them to life.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. Icons Used in This Book
    4. Beyond the Book
    5. Where to Go from Here
  3. Part 1: Getting Started with SketchUp
    1. Chapter 1: The SketchUp Setup
      1. Picking a Version of SketchUp
      2. Navigating SketchUp
      3. Taking the 10-Minute SketchUp Tour
      4. The SketchUp Frame of Mind
    2. Chapter 2: Getting a Running Start
      1. Making a Quick Model from Scratch
      2. Slapping On Some Paint
      3. Giving Your Model Some Style
      4. Switching On the Sun
      5. Sharing Your Masterpiece
    3. Chapter 3: Establishing the Modeling Mindset
      1. All about Edges and Faces
      2. Drawing in 3D on a 2D Screen
      3. Warming Up Your SketchUp Muscles
  4. Part 2: Modeling in SketchUp
    1. Chapter 4: Building Buildings
      1. Drawing Floors and Walls
      2. Staring Down Stairs
      3. Raising the Roof
    2. Chapter 5: Falling in Love with Components
      1. SketchUp Groupies
      2. Working with Components
      3. Taking Advantage of Components to Build Better Models
    3. Chapter 6: Going beyond Buildings
      1. Extruding with Purpose: Follow Me
      2. Modeling with the Scale Tool
      3. Making and Modifying Terrain
      4. Building a Solid Tools Foundation
    4. Chapter 7: Keeping Your Model Organized
      1. Taking Stock of Your Tools
      2. Seeing the Big Picture: The Outliner
      3. Discovering the Ins and Outs of Tags
      4. Putting It All Together
    5. Chapter 8: Modeling with Textures, Photographs, and CAD Files
      1. Painting Faces with Image Files
      2. Modeling Directly from a Photo: Introducing Photo-Matching
      3. Adding Geographic Data
      4. Working with Imported CAD files
    6. Chapter 9: 3D Printing with SketchUp Models
      1. Building Up a View of 3D Printing
      2. Knowing Your 3D Printers
      3. Designing for Successful 3D Printing
      4. Preparing a SketchUp Model for 3D Printing
      5. Exporting Your SketchUp File
      6. Using Your 3D Printer
      7. Going beyond Basic 3D Printing
      8. Designing Things That Move
  5. Part 3: Viewing Your Model in Different Ways
    1. Chapter 10: Working with Styles and Shadows
      1. Styling Your Model’s Appearance
      2. Working with Shadows
    2. Chapter 11: Preparing Models for Presentation
      1. Exploring Your Creation on Foot
      2. Taking the Scenic Route
      3. Mastering the Sectional Approach
  6. Part 4: Sharing What You’ve Made
    1. Chapter 12: Creating Images, Presentations, and Documents in LayOut
      1. Building a LayOut Document
      2. Creating Your Own Templates
      3. Putting Together Your Own Scrapbooks
      4. Getting Your Document out the Door
    2. Chapter 13: Other Ways to Share Your Work
      1. Exporting Images from SketchUp for Web
      2. Making Sure You Export Enough Pixels
      3. Exporting Enough Pixels for a Digital Presentation
      4. Printing from SketchUp for Web
      5. Printing to Scale in SketchUp for Web
      6. Making Movies with Animation Export
      7. Exporting a CAD File
      8. Working with the 3D Warehouse
  7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 14: Ten SketchUp Traps and Their Workarounds
      1. SketchUp Won’t Create a Face Where You Want It To
      2. Your Faces Are Two Different Colors
      3. Edges on a Face Won’t Sink In
      4. SketchUp Crashed, and You Lost Your Model
      5. SketchUp Is Sooooo Slooooooooow
      6. You Can’t Get a Good View of the Inside of Your Model
      7. A Face Flashes When You Orbit
      8. You Can’t Move Your Component the Way You Want
      9. Bad Stuff Happens Almost Every Time You Use the Eraser
      10. All Your Edges and Faces Have Different Tags
    2. Chapter 15: Ten SketchUp Quick Wins
      1. Setting Your Click Style to Click-Move-Click
      2. Customizing Shortcuts
      3. Using the Inference Locking Force
      4. Transporting Yourself across Space and Time
      5. Rounding Off Edges with the Arc Tool
      6. Using the Scale Tool to Set Length for Simple Objects
      7. Ten Extensions for Dummies
      8. Getting SketchUp on Your Smartphone
      9. Turning Off Your Profiles
      10. Connecting with the SketchUp Community
  8. Index
  9. About the Authors
  10. Connect with Dummies
  11. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: SketchUp For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Bill Fane, Mark Harrison, Josh Reilly
  • Release date: September 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119617938