Hi, I’m learning Sketchup Make 2017 on windows to draw woodworking plans.
I often need to resize a piece of wood in only one direction (length or width or thickness) and also need to specify the measurement for the resize. These pieces are components and often might have a dado, rabbet or some such on them.
Despite all my searching I can not figure out how to do this, and have to revert to recreating my piece from scratch, can anyone assist?
I’ve tried the tape measure but it seems like that also won’t let me resize just one dimension. It changes the side i specify but then also changes the dimensions of the other side
I’ve tried scale but it seems like scale won’t let me resize just one dimension, and entering measurements seems to have unpredictable results.
I’m sure there’s some easy straight forward way to do this if someone would be kind enough to enlighten me, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to figure this out thanks
Scale and the Tape Measure tool are generally the wrong thing for what you want to do. Instead use the Move tool with a limited selection of geometry. For example if you want to change the length of a table apron that has tenons on the ends, drag a left to right selection window around one end of the apron and then move that selection the required distance.
You can scale in a single direction by grabbing the appropriate handle and you can scale to a specific dimension if you enter the units but, again, generally scaling isn’t the right approach because it scales parts you don’t want to scale.
Triple clicking with the Select tool selects all connected geometry. It also first opens the component for editing if the thing you triple click on is a component. The L to R selection window only selects the entities that fall fully within the selection window. R to L will select anything that the window crosses. Note in the example I provided that the components that are getting resized are first opened for editing with a double click of the Selection tool. Then the L to R selection window is made.
doh Jinxed myself I guess. I thought this was working but actually I just moved things didn’t resize, nor can I get it to let me resize as you illustrate. I suspect it has something to do with components or grouping or some such. I have been making components rather haphazardly and not even looked into grouping yet, I’ll have to check those out.
A component is just a special group that is linked to another component.
Groups and components are just wrappers for loose geometry.
You wrap them up this way so they don’t stick to other parts, and so you can name them and make copies etc
But basically it is all just edges and faces that can be selected and moved around. If those edges and faces are within a group/component you need to open the g/c for editing before you can interact with the edges and faces.
So, double click to open, select the edges and faces you want to move, get the move tool and move them.
It really is as simple as that, there is nothing magical about it.
thanks for the reply yeh I have no idea why it doesn’t work for me. You can see in all three below, double click, L to R select, hit M and moving does only that move, no resizing
You’re missing one of the fundamentals of sketchup, how to select things.
Dave explained it in an earlier post but you are using left to right incorrectly. It selects only what is within the fence, and right to left selects whatever it touches.
In each of your vids you are selecting everything.
Look here how I select just one face or 5 faces or the whole thing. Notice the difference in the look of the fence, one way it is solid the other way it is dashed.
Here’s a little vid that might help explain the difference between Raw Geometry, Groups and Components.
Raw is loose and available to interact with, grouped is wrapped up and needs to be opened to edit, and a component is like a group but edit one and it edits the others.
The context menu item off screen at one point is, Edit Component, which is the same as double clicking with the select tool but you can do it while holding any other tool.
thank you very much for taking the time to describe and illustrate this in depth, I think I get it now and have been able resize things now, have a great day.
