Dimensions and position - Missing features

#1

Hello!

Okay so this is my first forum post here and its regarding a feature I have felt SketchUp has lacked since I started using it a couple years ago.

Coming from other 3d packages there has always been the ability to interactively dimension and position an object relative to its anchor point.

Much like this tool in C4D:
20

This is extremely useful as it instantly shows the size of an object and allows you to resize to desired dimensions. I just wonder why SketchUp doesn’t have similar?

Are there tools available to do similar or is this a completely missing feature?

Currently it appears the best and only way to resize an object, whether it be a group or a component is to push/pull it or move faces individually. This is a tedious task as you need to know the original dimension of the object to decide how much you need to grow it make it the desired size. Or set guides lines down prior to resizing.

Dale.

#2

You can position things by moving them and typing in the coordinates you want.
You can resize an object in 3d or 2d with the scale tool by typing in the sizes you want including their unit.

#4

Box,

Thanks for the reply. Both are valid ways of moving and resizing.

The method of moving would only be relative to the the current position. Which is great in most cases.
Scaling and entering the dimensions is great also, but this deforms textures. Not ideal as in most cases you want the scale to remain 1:1

Thanks

#6

DaveR

Thanks for the reply. Im not a new user of sketchup, just new to the forum.

The point I was trying to get at is the missing ability to update a dimension to resize and object.

If you have an object that measures 10x50mm it would be good to be able to go into the Entity Info box and simply type 15x100mm for example. This would then resize the object.

The reason I mentioned the anchor point is because there has to be a point the model resizes from.

I agree model space is a good and fast way of modelling and moving objects. But having the coordinate feature is useful for re-centring object or moving particular ones back to zero.

Thanks
Dale.

#8

Isn’t this enough to reposition your object (say group or component) or your selection relative to or to global coordinates?

(part of the ‘Move Entities Around’ help text)
…
(Optional) To move your item a precise distance, you can type either of the following during or immediately after the move:

  • Distance: The number you type can be positive or negative, such as 20’ or -35mm . If you specify a unit of measurement, that unit overrides your template’s default units. For example, you can type 3’ 6" even if you are using metric system as your default.
  • Coordinates: The Measurements box accepts global or relative coordinates. To enter global coordinates, use square brackets, such as [3’, 4’, 5’] . To set relative coordinates, use angle brackets, such as <3’, 4’, 5’> .
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#9

I was unaware of the use of square brackets to enter global coordinates.
Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Thanks,
Dale.

#10

Scale tool and type, isn’t much different to clicking into Entity info and filling in the blanks. Note the texture doesn’t stretch.
Scale

1 Like
#11

Thanks Box.

The functionality may be similar yes. But you can’t see the current dimensions of an object. It would be beneficial to see this in the entity info.

e.g. click an object > Shows X,Y,Z size > Type new sizes > done.

Your example doesn’t work if using a component or grouped faces. Only for a simple plane.

Thanks.

#12

Scaling with this method works for any shape, whether it be raw geometry, group or component.

#13

Unfortunately I’m not seeing that.

Scaling a group or a component with the interactive tool stretches the texture.

#14

That’s why it’s usually recommended that you do all or most of your modelling before adding textures.
But there is always Tig’s Descaler to sort that out, set as a shortcut it’s one tap away.
Descaler