I am having trouble with what should be extremely easy and feel like an idiot. I am attempting to draw a floor plan of a bathroom with walls that are varied in length and thickness but finally connect at an endpoint. My challenge is, on a few walls, because of wall thickness, tile, or taking the measurements without my glasses on, I entered the initial wall length incorrectly. For a simple example: I draw using the line tool, a straight wall, and enter 51.50 inches and hit enter, and move on to the next point and maybe 2 or 3 more. Then I realize, the 51.50-inch measurement, was actually 58.50 inches and want to go back to change that wall section to the correct length.
I have tried clicking the wall with both the Shift key or Ctrl key and trying single and double clicks and then choose the entity info screen. But the measurements box won’t accept any changes and the Entity info wall measurement is grayed out showing 51.50 inches, but won’t let me change it.
I know this is a simple task, I have looked through the list of topics, searched Youtube, and watched dozens of bright people, never mentioning how to do this and much less the actual steps. I also reviewed the help guides and so forth. I am using Sketchup Free, which in reality, should be all I need, but I almost upgraded to Pro this morning, just to do this task. I am a DIY’er, I need a simple way to draw floor plans and some easier building plans to change a few walls or build a deck or garage. I am not a pro designer, but I do have a mechanical drawing and blueprinting background. Apologies if this is glaringly simple, but I would be grateful for some help.
Select the geometry that will be affected by the change in the length of the wall and use the Move tool. Move the geometry in the required direction and type 7 to increase the length of the wall from 51.5 to 58.5. Press Enter.
I added dimensions in this example only so you can see what dimension got updated. They aren’t required.
Note: in case it’s not already clear, there’s never any need to click in the Measurements window for any tool. If it’s ready to accept input from you the label will change from Measurements to a specific prompt as to what information it’s looking for.
Thank you, that is a massive help! I have been playing with that after your example. I see the logic in having to select & move the additional connected wall segments. A couple of follow-up rookie questions as I have been trying to smoothly accomplish that.
When I have selected the segments, then select the move button and click on the appropriate place to change the measurement, my mouse is moving it before I can even get a change entered. I know you mentioned not having to enter anything in the measurements box, but now what’s happened a few times is the mouse moves the intersection before I can move the wall in the right direction. Then I have to start all over because I don’t know how much the original wall measurement has now moved. I then start over and go back to the select pointer, look at the original wall measurement to see where it landed, add or subtract what I need the wall to be, and then go back through the whole move process.
I think two questions may fix this for me. Can I click and enter the measurement I want, vs sliding the wall? The last time I tried, I only needed to move .25", and sliding the mouse in that small increment is brutal and I missed it again. The other question applies to all the tools, once you have moved the wall to the exact right place, how do you release the move tool? Or that question was also from the line tool and all the rest? For the line tool, I know you click where to start and where to finish, not drag the mouse, but the move tool appears to be you drag the measurement to where you want and then click to release it? Is there a simple key entry to disengage a tool? Sorry, you are probably rolling your eyes about now, but I really like the program and after trying Planner 5D first, then Room Sketcher, I love SketchUp and really want to make this work. Unfortunately, I am on a deadline or I would enroll in some of the classes, I hope to do that soon. Thank you for your help!
You need to start the move in the desired direction before you type the distance. Otherwise SketchUp doesn’t know which direrction you want to move the selection. If it’s on axis as in my example, you could hit the appropriate cursor key to lock the direction. right for red, left for green and up for blue.
No. Again, you have to actually move the selection so SketchUp knows which direction is required.
Click and release to start the action, move the cursor, click and release to stop. Or click and release to start, move the mouse, let go of it, type the required value and press Enter.
After the above you can select another tool with a keyboard shortcut or a button on the toolbar.
By the way, in your first post you mentioned you are a DIYer so I presume this is your own bathroom that you are working on. SketchUp Free could be enough for you to get the gist of what you are doing. SketchUp Pro could be a good option, though, particularly if you need to create documentation such as CDs and permit drawings.
Awesome, thank you for the tips and time to answer! I know most of this is OE, but it’s the small things that discourage a new user I think. Much appreciated!
Understood but like anything, it’s worth the time to learn how to use the tools before you dive in. On the bright side you aren’t likely to remove digits using SketchUp incorrectly like you might with a tablesaw or CMS.
Thank you, just checking it out! One of the things that brought me over from Planner 5D and Room Sketcher is I didn’t like the training content at all. I needed a different training style and the amount of content and help with SketchUp is astounding. The minute I started to watch several of the YouTube training from various people and then looked at the guides themselves, it was a clear choice to move and bury in and learn it. I am still vacillating between Pro and the Free version. With the current sale, it makes Pro $225 a year. My concern is that I will find it more confusing vs a more logical for my brain layout than the Free version. But I do like some of the features of Pro. I think maybe the bigger question is, after I learn the free version to a comfortable point, is the logical move to Pro? If so, then I might as well start at Pro and just learn one. I know that is a question only I can answer based on my expected uses and the possibility of additional uses. But it does seem that Pro is more straightforward, but I think what I was stumbling on here, is the same in both versions.
Probably the biggets difference between SketchUp Free and SketchUp Pro regarding the basic tools is the user interface. The tools work the same way but they are found in different places. There are more tools as well. You’ll find that tools are in different locations and the addition of the menus across the top. There’s also a lot more customization available between UI arrangement and the option to add extensions that add tools and capability to the program.
Yes, regarding the use of the Move tool, it’s the same.
If you like to learn from YouTube, check out the official SketchUp YouTube channel…
The square One series is for beginners.
Offcourse you have to make your own choice, I myself don’t like the SketchUp Free version as I am used to the desktop version for too long to get used to the very different user interface…
The tool layout and customization is a fairly big help for me. Also the additional tools. I will admit, when in SketchUp free and I find something I want to sort out like earlier, the different versions make it a little confusing. There have been 3 or 4 times when I did see what I was looking for was not offered in the free version. I have looked at the layout of Pro, and it makes more sense to me based on other programs I have used. I can get around in AutoCad, PhotoShop, Illustrator and so forth, but only a more rudimentary basis, but enough to fumble through a small project. The Pro GUI, is set up more like those to an extent, as least to this novice…lol.
The other big help is to be able to upload and build elevation plots and landscaping plans. The aerial shots also, those would be a big help, but also fairly complex. Right now, it takes me more time to sort out how to build the plans, than to do the projects themselves, but that will change with use.
I have looked through those for sure, and have taken a bunch of them. Also a few of the other popular presenters. At this point, I am usually searching for the answer to a specific question, so it’s not about the whole session, but rather a function such as earlier. That will change for sure.
I will check out what the sand box features also! No, this is all for me. I am restoring my 1952 house which is a giant restoration project and a complicated 3/4 acre lot in the hills of Chattanooga. I work in Corp America to pay for the mortgage, tools, therapy and beer…
larsrocket1, one thing that helps me when I use the move tool and other tools is the use of guide lines and guide points. This helps whether you’re moving something .25" or more. Learn about that and inferencing to help control things. Square One, SU Fundamentals and Skill Builder videos have a lot to say about all of that.
Hi @Royce , if you know how much you want to move something you don’t need guidelines or guidepoints…
Just move and type the distance you want to move things…
