Getting Started learning SketchUp

Hey everyone,

I’m new to 3D modelling and Sketchup and I have just finished the two “Fundamentals” modules. Sketchup has me hooked, and I was wondering where to go from here as far as tutorials/learning modules are concerned.

I have no particular long-term goals. Perhaps if I develop my skills sufficiently, I’d tie this with my background in archaeology/heritage management, or gaming 3d modelling.

Thanks for your time and possible tips!

The Sketchup Essentials
This guy is a wealth of info.

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I would suggest that you look around for something reasonably manageable to model and start in on it. You can watch all the videos you can find but it’s the actual doing that will give you the skills. Utilize what you have learned and see how far you get. When you get stuck search for videos that might help or take advantage of the forum and ask questions. Start a new thread and go for it. Remember that this is a visual thing. Support your thread with your SketchUp file, screen shots or other images.

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Thanks everyone for the replies.

I’ll take advantage of my own thread to ask a question about something I’m trying to replicate:

I’m trying to create a column seen in this video How to Make Column In SketchUp | Design - 2 - YouTube

I had been knocking my hard trying to figure out how to make a spiral. For that I used this guide SketchUp Skill Builder: Modeling a Spring - YouTube

The problem I’m having is that my Spiral surface doesn’t stick to a single form as does in the first video (granted that in that case the person is using a plugin). The issue I’m facing is that as I use follow me to create the surface, it bends inwards as it goes, keeping me from matching the surfaces accurately as I make copies upwards.

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How can I remedy this? Or can I do it without the precision given by a plugin?

In the first video the author used Helix Along Curve. Are you using that extension?

In the second video Aaron is using a circle for his profile.

For the profile you have, you could use Upright Extruder to prevent the twisting which is normal with Follow Me.

By the way, please update your profile as to the version you are using. As it is it gives confusing information.

Thanks for the reply.

I’m using Sketchup Pro 2019.

I’m not using any extentions and created the spiral as exemplified on the second video. However, I couldn’t get the issue of the surface twisting inwards.

Is it not possible to achieve that without plugins/extensions?

Not easily or efficiently. You could model one segment and then rotate copy and move into place.

Screenshot%20-%2011_13_2019%20%2C%202_18_00%20PM

Thanks for the illustration. I’m not sure if I can pull it off though

I think you can do it. All I did is draw a half circle, extrude it with Push/Pull and move the end up a bit. Then I made it a component and used Rotate/Copy and Move to make a second one placed at the end of the first. After that I select both, rotate/copied/moved, selected all four and repeated the process, then 8, 16,…

If you use Upright Extruder…

Learning to model with only the native tools is a good thing but there are times when it makes more sense to use tools that are more suitable for the job. You can haul your entire harvest from your 10 acres of potatoes to market on your bicycle but it makes more sense to use a truck if you have it available.

I have here 3 copies of the same object. I’d like for their roofs to either be one continuous piece or join at the center without signs of overlap.

How do I achieve that?
First, i tried push pulling one of the “brick” surfaces into the middle (they’re all components). Then I selected everything and chose Intersect with model. Nothing happened, well, more accurately, Sketchup was taking too long/got stuck so I restarted.

Then I watched a quick video about the solid tools, and randomly tried Outershell but that just made the roofs into a single group.

I thought Intersect would do the trick, as then I could just X-ray it, zoom in and delete the leftovers inside.

Any tips?

Nearly 5am here so I’m going to bed. You need to think about what the finished result should be. Attempting to intersect multiple components inaccurately…

What is the shape you want to create. What version of SU do you wish to create it in.
Stop asking new questions in old threads.

Why wouldn’t I ask questions in an old thread which I created with the intent of clarifying beginner’s questions?
It would seem better to do so as opposed to spam a new thread for every amateur question I have.

The object is that corridor with a curved roof. I had the idea of creating 4 of it which would then come together at the middle, making it 4 corridors.

I want it to join at the middle section without overlap or leftovers at the middle.

Because then the thread cannot be check as solved.
We prefer that the topic title be more specific and (if possible) the best answer gets the solved check. (This also causes the solved post to be displayed in a box just below the original post.)

Fair enough

Actually make 1. Then off to the side draw 2 perpendicular faces and rotate them 45 degrees about the blue axis. Move them into place in the center of one end of your corridor. Then intersect with the model. Afterward, delete the “scraps”. When done select all and make it a component.
Then do a rotate copy 90 degrees of the component. Type x3 and ENTER.

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But is it made up of raw geometry and arrayed components or what?
It’s a complex question that deserves it’s own thread with uploaded example models.

But it can be an alsoran if you want.

Note that your blocks do not line up in the corners. This would result in ugly shapes.
image

It’s the scary hidden faces that worry me more, poor use of layer I guess.

It just seems that the approach (detailed construction of an archaic structure) is very complex, and the intersection shows the difficulty ahead. It is more an issue of understanding traditional masonry perhaps than software methods. I might attempt working with the surface skins of the structure, interior and exterior, since that would be the most illustrative, but if I had to determine every block I would begin working on one quarter of the vault, get the intersection right.

If you were working in the basic surfaces of the surfaces, there might be more help, there was a topic on a cross vault on the forum just last week. I wonder if someone can solve this for you. In this case we are asking about how a mason would approach this, and there’s probably more than couple ways.