SketchUp for Interior Design

Chapter 5

Drafting, Modeling, and Furnishing a Floor Plan

Objective: This chapter shows different ways to draft and model a plan, and how to import ready-made components.

Tools: Section, Text, Protractor

Concepts and Functions: camera, prepare and import a raster image and AutoCAD file, view the model orthographically, apply a transparent face style, change line color, inference-match line length, tracing techniques, scale a model, reverse faces, explode, stretch a line, Trimble 3D Warehouse, Components browser, import components, native and local collections, link a local collection to the Components browser, model porch steps, paste in place, purge unused components, move geometry with coordinates, clipping, make a sloped ceiling, measure an angle

In Chapter 4 we modeled furniture. Now we’re going to draft and model a two-story space. We’ll do it three ways: (1) by tracing over a raster file, (2) by drawing it from a paper sketch, and (3) by importing an AutoCAD file (a Pro feature). So, open a new SketchUp file.

Prepare a Raster File for Import

SketchUp Make/PC can import jpg, png, tif, and bmp raster files. SketchUp Make/Mac imports the same plus pdf. The common gif format is not supported. SketchUp will resample (downsize) anything larger than 1024 × 1024 pixels. However, that size is much larger than what’s usually needed. Since large files slow down the software, crop and resample them yourself before importing.

To further keep file size down, use compressed file types. ...