Hello, I was recommended SketchUp, installed it, watched introduction video. Looks cool. Installed Make version. But the first problem I encountered is that while I can beautifully draw, I can not see any coordinates, and can not place points into manually specified xyz location. If this feature is not available in Make version, then it will be good-bye… Please confirm or tell me the way to proceed.
Injecting accuracy into your model — Aidan Chopra Video
Measurements Toolbar — SketchUp Help
http://help.sketchup.com/en/article/70071
Measurements Toolbar Options — SketchUp Help
http://help.sketchup.com/en/article/151558
Thank you.Not an easy and intuitive tool.
I can create circles, but it requires several operations. Selecting circle tool, then choosing number of its sides, then drawing circle and writing radius (did not find I can put diameter there - a kind of hassle if measuring with calipers, always need to /2). Then another hassle - I can not grasp created circle by its center, pointing with move tool into it always shows “on face”. I create several tape rules around, and only then it can find circle’s center, and I can manually re-position it using measurement box. Could it have been made easier?
Tool also misses rules, misses grid, anything which would point to the present scale. No dimensioning so that I can see the dimensions and sizes.
Now I understand one guy saying me that even if I buy the tool I will anyway return to him for design, because it requires enormous experience and beyond usual user interface to understand how to work and what is the right sequence of drawing (aka best practice) so that at the later steps I would not be forced to redraw everything losing ton of my time.
I must say I installed FreeCAD, it’s even worse, complete mess.
I am not moaning, I am trying to give you feedback from the starting user.
The starting user is perhaps least qualified to evaluate the program. Hey, you don’t know anything–no one expects you to think it’s easy at this point, but no one expects you to come up with any particularly incisive comments about the way it works, either. And really, how much depth could there be to a program that a complete novice finds easy to use?
Give yourself a chance to learn how it works–then provide informed feedback.
In the meantime, ask specific questions, not generalized rants, and you’ll be surprised at how much this forum can teach you. However, if you simply deliver a soliloquy, you will learn nothing new at all.
-Gully
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I actually asked if I perform property creating precise circles. If I can, on the stage of its creation, define its diameter (rather than radius) and coordinates of its center). For example, clicking circle tool, and then entering into measurement window the following text: “10d 48s [15;8]” and circle appears with the center x=15 y=8 and diameter 10 having 48 sides.
Regarding my feedback - listen or ignore. Up to you.
Edit: I see the tool so far is great drawing views and images, not precise parts. After drawing something, I either need to keep it in mind, or have replica drawing on the paper, which is 2* work.
It would be useful if tool would have a kind of scripting capabilities, so that instead of editing part’s layout constantly using different buttons and boxes I would be able to amend script, run it and have part drawn from the scratch, but in fully controlled way. For example:
circle name=“bottom” 2d 48s [0;0]
select “bottom” [0;0]
pull 6
…
BTW, I just started “layout” by mistake, and it says trial version expires in 235 minutes. Given I installed it 12 hours ago… Trial is when I am able to create small product from its idea to the tangible - only then I can evaluate power of the tool. I am astonished it gives me only drawing several polygons and circles as a trial.
The Pro time limit is on actual time using the program - SU Pro + LayOut + Style Builder. I knew I wanted the program after the first Push Pull, so 8 hours was more than enough time. Everyone is a little different…
Model with the Entity Info window open. Some things can be changed there. To use it, first select the item you want info on and it will give you information about it, including some things that can be changed.
You also can change the radius by moving the cardinal points. See https://sites.google.com/site/sketchupsage/master/catamountain/master-the-cardinal-points.
You can customize the program with plugins, like 2ptCircle.
Hello, I’m a new user sampling the Layout. A very basic question: I can’t seem to get Dimensions work. In Preferences, I have selected a scale of ¼"=1’. Under File>Document Setup, I have selected Fractional. I then make sure the Dimension Tool is selected. Now at the Dimension window, I see the scale I’ve selected does indeed appear. But when I attempt to dimension a drawing, it does not correlate. For example, as I draw a dimension, when I’ve drawn ¼" worth of line, it shows 1’7"? I’m wondering what I’m missing or doing wrong? I’m using Mac OS X