Resize object via measurements?

I’m going nuts trying to find what has to be the simplest feature in the app.

I’m doing a rough layout of my deck now, and then I will get the dimensions and input them later.

How do I do this? I seem to only be able to change the dimensions of an object by inputting measurements immediately after I create it. How do I select an object and change its dimensions to precisely what I want?

Obviously I’m missing something obvious, but what?

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SketchUp is not a parametric modeler. As soon as you choose a different tool or start another object with the current tool, the result is just geometry (edges and faces). For example, a rectangle is just four edges bounding a face; there is no rectangle object as such. To change dimensions later you have to move edges or in some cases use the scale tool.

Okay, but how do I set dimensions to what I want? The closest thing I can find is the tape measure, but that scales every dimension at once.

To resize existing geometry assemblies the most common tools used are the Scale tool or the Move tool, depending on what you want to accomplish. Scale an object in one direction randomly with the pencil, then type in the exact desired dimension with the units with into the input, like 3’4" or 2m, you can also enter a scale ratio like 1.25. The move tool is useful for moving some given selected geometry in a direction, again input the desired move distance into the input after. This .gif is from Pro but the tools work the same way on iPad.

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You could benefit yourself by spending some time at The SketchUp Campus. This is a site that will provide the basics for learning the SketchUp modeling process. Also, spend some time at the SketchUp SketchUp YouTube site. It provides much information including how to use each tool.