I’m wondering if Sketchup Pro allows for “driven dimensions”.
What I mean by “driven dimensions” is that if I create a model, can I change a model by adjusting the dimensions?
For example if I have an Arch, and I model it with a width and a height. Can I later go in and adjust those dimensions and the model automatically changes?
Simple example attached.
No it does not.
So if you have a big model, and one component is out, you have to manually drag and manipulate the entire model and all the little details?
Parametric modelling by setting the dimensions like in Revit is not possible. All of the same component will all change in a model if you alter one, but you cannot modify a model by changing the dimensions…
Thanks!
In certain cases, with Scale tool, you can modify bounding box of any objects by entering units follow the number, just like when you modify by edit dimension.
As your simple example above, just pick a grip scale at corner, then type to VCB “2,2m” you’ll have an arc with 1-meter radius.
This description sounds a bit like a parametric modeling, in which objects are defined by a series of adjustable parameters which dictate the shape and relationship of all objects in a model. SketchUp is not a parametric modeling program, as such the relationship of geometry is not adjusted using parameters in that way. However…
Certainly all geometry in SketchUp is editable with precision, it would be a poor CAD platform if nothing could ever be changed. As a surface modeler most geometry is manipulated directly, with a few exceptions, and all operations accept direct input of exact dimensions by typing them in at any time.
It is likely that you are confusing the word “component” which has a specific meaning as a linked discrete object in SketchUp, for the idea of a general part of a larger assembly. Groups and components are methods of isolating geometry and organizing the relationship of various part of a larger assembly. They are all editable and their size and shape can easily change, how much of the rest of the model is affected by that change is a product of how you have organized the hierarchy of the model.
Yes and No. Input can be done by dragging and using inference points or by directly typing in desired dimensions at any time during a tool operation. If you model is well organized using groups and components then subsequent changes are generally easily done. If not, if a complex model is left un-organized as a big pile of raw geometry then later changes can be more complicated.
If you’re just getting started with SketchUp it really pays off later to spend a little time learning the core concepts in the beginning.
