If you know the dimensions, there’s no reason you couldn’t start right in SketchUp. What information are you starting with to get the dimensions anyway?
How much detail to do you need to add to the model? Is this for construction drawings or just to show a free-standing ATM at a bank or something?
Illustrator. I’m an environmental graphic designer. So I always start with the general look of in Ai and then if I feel the client needs to see how it looks in 3D I will draw a model. That’s why I’m saying drawing from scratch takes longer because I have to toggle between SU and Ai to confirm dimensions.
When I do this the ‘Measurements’ dialog box does not appear.
I guess I’d do the whole thing in SketchUp and make it 3D from the beginning. You can always show just 2D views if you want.
The Measurements window is in the lower right corner of the SketchUp screen by default. I only moved it up into the model space so you could see it in the GIF.
I opened the component, used my measuring tape to measure from bottom to top, then typed in the dimension I wanted, but all that happened was it resized the tape measure guide line to 14’, not the component.
Did you click on points at both ends? I clicked on the origin at the bottom and the top corner for the second point.
Yes, that’s exactly what I did. Then I typed in the dimension I wanted.
Never mind, I got it to work. I had to import it to a new file.
Hmmm…
How critical are accurate dimensions in your model? I noticed the plinth and the sides of the building overlap. And with it sized to the correct height, other dimensions are not very precise.
For this particular exercise, it’s not very critical.
It’s so weird though, I just exported new outlines from Ai for this model at full scale and it imported to SU at the precise dimensions I exported it as. Before, I exported it smaller than full scale and it imported like 25 times bigger.
Did you change the units in the Import options?
I’m find lots of imprecision in your DWG file that would make it difficult to work with. Did you just make up the dimensions as you were drawing it in AI or do you have some other information you are working from?
Well the primary box (wood texture portion), is an existing structure, the canopy cap element I made up.
I see. I think I’d have started with a 3D model of the box drawn to the correct dimensions and then I’d add the canopy to it. Working in 3D from the beginning makes it easier to see how things are going to look and work and can help prevent designing something that can’t actually be built.
Out of curiosity, do you have something that shows the correct dimensions of the box and it’s plinth?
Not it’s plinth, but I have a previous drawing that shows the dimensions of the existing structure.
Double click material
Click in model material with eye dropper
Type in dimensions
Texture position (right click menu)
Drag green pin
Press enter
Thanks for the help, but we got this figured out. I know how to resize a texture, it was problem with my model.
