let me start by saying that I’m brand new to the software, working on my first project within it, a custom table I’m trying to build in my workshop. I have a 3 dimensional shape created, a rectangle representing a piece of plywood that’s 8 feet long, 3.6 feet wide, and 5/8" deep. What I need is to cut a 28.8" x 19" rectangular hole directly in the center of this shape. Intuitively, I thought it would be easy enough to make another rectangle on the shape itself using the shape tool, and then use the push/pull tool to remove the hole.
Unfortunately I have not been able to figure out how to make sure this shape is directly in the center of the larger rectangle. I can try and eyeball it, but that’s not going to work for me, since the purpose of this sketch is to give myself accurate measurements for cutting.
How should I go about achieving this goal? I can take some screenshots if that helps?
If I was doing it I would use inferencing and draw the smaller rectangle from the center. Look at the lower left of your SketchUp screen when you have the Rectangle tool selected. It’ll tell you that you can draw it from the center by tapping the Ctrl key.
Thank you both for your help! You used the word inferencing and after googling how that works in sketch-up, I’m far more dangerous now. I’ve cut my hole just as you demonstrated Dave, thanks again. Thank you also RLGL for the references, I will definitely dive in there the next time I get stuck.
Are you making your parts into Components as you finish drawing them?
For example, the ply table top, one long apron, one short apron, and a leg… Then copy and rotate or mirror the original component to complete the table.
I was not, and as a result lots of components in my design are kind of ‘stuck together’. I just discovered the group and component features, and really wish I had used them, as I need to change some 2x6’s to 2x4’s and it’s all but impossible now the way I created it all without any separations for groups/components, but the design is coming along anyway and I’m very pleased. This software is very robust, and I’m learning every minute I’m in it.
Generally the best practice it to make each part you’d make in the shop as a component or group. My preference is to use only components. That makes it much easier to work with the model when you need to make edits or if you want to do things like create exploded views, detail views, or cutlists.
BTW, for identical or mirrored counterparts, you would copy the component (flip it for mirrored ones) instead of modeling each part individually.
I agree completely with @DaveR. I make every individual part of a model a component as soon as there is enough geometry to make it clear how to continue editing it. That matches actual shop practice, in which there is no such thing as portions of two different boards being in the same geometry collection (how would an edge of board b somehow share its existence with a face from board a? The boards are separate objects, so model them that way). Especially for furniture, there are almost always multiple parts that differ at most by a flip/mirror, which is one of the reasons I prefer components over groups.
