how to draw a 2x4x8 in sketup

This article is from Issue 32 of Woodcraft Magazine.

If you're a woodworker and ain a estimator, you lot may already take tried SketchUp, a software blueprint program which has become increasingly popular. If so, you may have adult into an adept user and have designed one or more than projects with the program. For the rest of you, consider this a nudge into the world of SketchUp.

We've asked Curt Vevang, a SketchUp teacher at the Chicago-expanse Woodcraft Stores, to provide helpful insights for using this program that tin help shorten the learning bend. Every bit nosotros do, we'll centre around the design of a bones cabinet similar to the one on folio 22.

What Is SketchUp?

SketchUp is a 3-D computer drawing or CAD (Computer Aided Blueprint) program. With it you can describe complete designs of endless projects. In one case yous finish your pattern, y'all can view it from whatever angle and from upward close or far away. You can render the same design as an exploded view; include front, side, and top dimensioned drawings; or depict full-calibration templates and patterns.

With SketchUp you tin sketch every bit piddling or design equally much as yous need and so hit the store to get-go building. If you later observe that you want more than detail, but get back to the drawing lath. You can either further detail your design or print it out at any scale and at any angle you desire. In SketchUp, draw simply what you need and no more—forget the cabinet hardware.

The really good news: SketchUp can exist downloaded free from Google at sketchup.com for a PC or Mac. Later, you may desire to purchase Google SketchUp Pro for $495, but the costless version serves most woodworking needs for project pattern.

Check the in a higher place settings to make the program easier.

Get-go with the basic settings

At that place are hundreds of combinations of settings and user preferences in SketchUp. Fortunately, about all default to "workable" settings. We'll change a few of these to run into your needs and make the program easier. (After all, SketchUp was designed for architects.)

• Your Toolbars

To begin with, select the toolbars as shown at right. Starting time, go to View-Toolbars to make your selections. Once your toolbars are fix, spend time passing your mouse over each icon until you see the tool name announced in a manila-colored box side by side to your cursor. Nosotros'll refer to these throughout.

• Click-move-click

Adjacent get to Window-Preferences-Drawing and select Click-motility-click. Also ensure that "Keep line drawing" is Non selected. There are multiple ways to describe lines in SketchUp, only Click-motion-click seems the easiest mode for new users to describe lines properly.

• Precision

Now become to Window-Model Info-Units and set Precision to 1/64". There are other settings, but these should help y'all immediately.

Draw lines quickly with the Click-move-click preference.

Let's see how this all works

Using a basic cabinet design, determine the overall sizes: superlative, width, and depth. Adjacent "sketch" a stick figure in SketchUp to ensure that your proportions look correct.

An Important Key to SketchUp: Zoom, Orbit, and Pan

Typically, we visualize a two-dimensional workspace on a two-dimensional mouse pad. But with SketchUp nosotros can move in a 3-dimensional environment drawing iii-D shapes. To practice this requires a new mindset, because sometimes we have to Zoom in or out, Pan up, downwards, right or left, or Orbit our line of vision around our design model. Fortunately, SketchUp provides special tools for all of these movements. You must acquire Zoom, Orbit and Pan or exist totally lost. To efficiently use them, rely on a mouse with a curl bike. Also, set up your scroll cycle to "Middle-click" if your organisation allows. Now, to Zoom, simply ringlet your scroll wheel back and forth. To Orbit, depress the whorl wheel and rotate your mouse. To Pan, depress both the scroll wheel and shift central. Notation that when y'all zoom in and out your cursor should be at the center of the area that yous want to change.

Almost all SketchUp commands are easier when y'all properly zoom, pan, and orbit to a convenient bending. So practice these tools, then that they get second nature.

Course an opaque face by connecting lines in the same plane.

Describe your lines

Goose egg is more basic or of import in learning SketchUp than being able to depict a properly positioned direct line of an exact length. When we set up our Preferences before, we learned that lines are drawn with Click-move-click. To depict a line, use the Line Tool (the Pencil) and simply click at a starting point, move to the catastrophe point, and click once more. Then, to specify the verbal length of the line, key in the length (24, for instance) and hit Enter. The value will appear in the Length box on the lower left of your screen.

For now, draw your lines on one of the three axes (red, light-green or blueish) or parallel to i of the axes. Later yous tin can describe all of the oblique lines you desire. Annotation that as y'all draw a line parallel to an centrality, the line will announced the color of that centrality. The line will plow blackness after the second click.

Each time a group of lines connects to one another in a common plane, they form a face which becomes shaded and opaque. If the face up doesn't get opaque, you haven't drawn what yous remember you have. Investigate the problem with Zoom, Orbit, and Pan. Erase the bad line or lines and try over again. (Come across "More than Functions" below.) After cartoon 12 lines you will have drawn a rectangular solid, the periphery of the chiffonier. Later y'all'll learn to do this in two steps, but for now practice drawing lines this manner. With this skill to describe a rectangular solid, yous can draw any rectangular pieces of wood y'all want from 1×2s and 2×4s to a piece that's 13/16 × 25/eight × 371/two".

More Functions

Erasing Lines

To set up a bad line, simply utilise the eraser tool and click on whatsoever lines to be erased.

Calculation Dimensions

To dimension your drawing, click on the Dimension icon and begin adding.

This so-called 3-D component represents a project part.

Make every lath a component!

Once satisfied with the proportions of your stick effigy, depict the parts that brand up the cabinet. Draw a side starting time; it's just another rectangular solid. Once you finish the side you should immediately Triple Click on it with the Select tool. Then Right Click and choose Make Component every bit shown in a higher place, right.

Components are the lifeblood of SketchUp! Each function in your cartoon should be either a unique component or a re-create of one. Components tin only be changed past putting them in "edit" way. This is good! To do this, Correct Click on the component and cull Edit Component. With the component in edit fashion yous can put a 1/ii × one/two" rabbet on the dorsum of the side to receive the back panel of the cabinet.

You lot tin can draw the rabbet with the Pencil tool and the Eraser or, if you experience daring enough at this signal, effort the Push button/Pull tool. Discover that editing is much easier if you are skillful with the Zoom, Orbit and Pan Tools. Later you finish the rabbet, move your cursor away from the component, Right Click, and choose Close Component.

Move/Copy

Now that the cabinet side is a component, use the Move/Re-create control to make a copy of it for the other side. After selecting Move/Copy, tap the Ctrl cardinal one fourth dimension. Y'all should at present run across a + sign next to the Motion/Re-create icon. Click on the lesser right front corner of the component and a copy will sally equally you move your cursor along the ruby-red centrality (to a higher place). Without the + you volition only move the component. Key in 24, and the copy will exist set 24" to the right of the original on the reddish centrality. There are now two instances of this component.

You can make as many copies, or instances, of a component equally you need. If yous edit and make a change to one of the instances of a component—for case to draw shelf-pin holes—the change occurs on all instances of the component. Annotation here that the two cabinet sides that we accept are both left-hand sides. SketchUp allows us to Flip forth any of the axes to produce left- and right-hand parts without losing the component attributes.

A simple keystroke in SketchUp lets yous duplicate parts.

Print what you demand

Now draw each boosted part, the stiles, rails, shelves, etc. Remember to brand each part a component equally you depict information technology. Every bit components, these parts are easily moved, copied, edited, and printed. Prepare dimensioned drawings of these individual parts as needed by displaying one component at a fourth dimension (Hide the other components), setting the Camera to Parallel Projection and Standard Views to Top, Front, Left, or Right. Add all needed dimensions (beneath) and print using Fit to page and Utilise model extents.

Create an exploded view by pulling pattern components apart.

Utilise the Zoom Window to create a close-up view of joinery.

Finally, we tin produce an exploded view as to a higher place. To explode a view, simply apply the Move/Copy tool to pull your components apart as you wish. After including the amount of detail you need, push the Print button, and and then Exit but don't Save. Your "unexploded" design volition remain intact.

Above, right is a close-up (employ the Zoom Window) of role of the exploded cabinet view, afterwards Orbiting to the desired angle. Remember that all of these views and drawings come up from simply a unmarried SketchUp design.

The above covers simply 20% of the tools y'all will need, simply you will exist using them 80% of the fourth dimension. From here you should be able to grasp those that remain. You lot volition find unlimited boosted resource by but Google-ing "sketchup tutorials" at sketchup.com.

You can machine parts from print-outs of dimensioned drawings.

Most Our Pro

Brusque Vevang is an industrial engineer who uses his computer skills to provide consulting, systems and programming to companies. He does woodworking in the evenings and teaches a multifariousness of classes at Chicago-expanse Woodcraft Stores. To learn more about Brusque visit curtvevang.com.