I’m trying to draw a rounded slot for a track. The issue I’m having is that I’m not not able to get the ends to be rounded only square. I thought about trying to draw two circles at the end, but not able to get the circle small enough to line up to the rectangle. The slot would about 3/4 wide.
Can you share your SketchUp model?
What you describe shouldn’t be difficult at all. Maybe you just need to zoom in first. And don’t use a circle on the ends. Use one of the Arc tools.
First with the 2-point Arc tool, then with the Arc tool.
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Or if you want a rounded groove.
But I see now yours are square slots, so mine is irrelevant.
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Thats great thanks,
Question for you is the 2 Point Arc tool, looks like it would work on both sides, so why then do you use the Arc tool on the other side?
I only did it with two different tools to show that there are two tools to choose without using the Circle tool as you had indicated. In practice I wouldn’t have done that. I would have used the same tool for both ends.
Trying to get a rounded groove
Rounded bottom or just the ends round?
In the real piece how would you cut that groove and with what?
Thanks that worked great, updated my drawing. No just the ends. I’m going to use a router.
The other question I had, is how do can you make them diagonal? I tried to click on each line and make it a group then rotate, but that did not work.
OK. So what I showed works?
Select all of the geometry for the slots and then use the Rotate tool. Don’t make them a group.
If I were modeling those slots I’d have drawn them at the desired angle in the first place but as you can see, they can be rotated after being made, too.
It would also be best if you forget adding the materials until your geometry is done and correct.
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It worked perfect what you created, thanks.
When you say draw them at the desired angle would you use the rotate rectangle tool, and then create the half arc. Was not sure how to draw them on a angle to begin with…started with basic shapes but now adding a little.
Maybe. I might have done something else, though. It depends on what I know about the slot. Angle, length, location on the part, etc. I might use the Protractor tool to set out a guideline at the correct angle. It also depends on what goes into the slot. If the slot is to be filled with something that I’d already modeled, I might use the the “filler” to create the slot. The exact method also depends on the exact version of SketchUp which determines the tools available to use.
I see, more to learn…Thanks
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Try not to think of the geometry as something magical with mystic properties, it’s all just edges and faces and you can move it around as such.
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See this SU file for a few more ideas on how to make such slots. Its good practice to learn the capabilities of SU.
Slots with rounded ends.skp (104.4 KB)
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One more, probably the quickest way to do that model.
Slots with rounded ends 2.skp (75.6 KB)
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