How to Select a Part of a Model in SketchUp

3D modeling on SketchUp involves easy steps to help you draw a perfect model. The tools and extensions save your time and keep the designing process smart and simple. SketchUp, like other 3D design applications, follow the common processes at the initial level of your design. ‘Selection’ is one of the basics and most necessary features designers should be well-acquainted with. The content brings to you different applications of the ‘selection’ tool for designing a perfect model.

To move anything in your SketchUp model, you have to select that object first. Through selecting the model, you inform the SketchUp that you are working on that portion of your design. You can rotate, copy, move or anything want after selecting the model.

Things you need to know for using the ‘selecting’ tool:

Selecting entity in your SketchUp: You must know that every single thing of your SketchUp model is an entity that is also categorized in a few names as per their appearance. Elements, objects and annotation are the three basic parts of the selection.

Elements are similar to edges and faces in a design and they together make an object. An object should contain a separate name and meta data that defines it. Annotations are texts, guides and selection planes. The remaining things other than elements and objects are called annotation.

Selecting a thing (lines or faces) is not easier, though. Experts have also taken time to know how to select only edges in SketchUp. If you, too, are wondering how to do this, go to the wire frame mode and select the object by dragging. Since only edges will appear in wire frame mode, it will be easier for you to select an edge.

Click to select things you want: The easiest way to select an object is to click on that particular thing while you are using the select tool. To select more than one object, you need to hold the shift key and click the objects you want. Knowing the usage of shift key in selection will help you learn further about SketchUp. You can add and subtract both with the shift key.

The entities look differently as per their character: After selecting an edge, a face or an object, you find a few changes in its appearances. Selected edges transform into blue, selected faces covered with blue dots, and selected groups and components are surrounded by a blue box – these changes are visible by designers.

Double or triple click for the selection: Double click or triple click can be termed as the SketchUp select tool shortcuts. Double clicking an edge allows you to select edges and adjacent faces both. Through this, you can also select connected lines in SketchUp very well. Triple clicking an edge or a face selects the entire model.

Select many at once in SketchUp: When you need to select many things in your SketchUp design, Selection boxes will help you. Such selection is two types – window selection and crossing selection. Window selection is called when you click and drag from left to right. This way, you can select things inside your selection box.

Cross selection is when you click and drag right to left. It selects anything that touches your selection box.

Knowing properly the application of selection tool will resolve complicated problems like how to select edges and more. The basic of the selection tool is to move an object in your model.

Article Source: www.dummies.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Use SketchUp for Developing an Amazing Game environment

Till date, SketchUp has made a remarkable name as a simple and easy 3D designing tool. As the time goes, the software application pushes its boundary. Designers start using the 3D tool in fields other than known ones. SketchUp as a game environment developer is an added application that evolves gradually in the gaming industry. Professional developers love SketchUp as it offers a trouble-free way of designing complex models. The use of SketchUp in the gaming industry has already been started by Studio Olemingus – an independent game studio introduced by Dhruv, a designer and SketchUp artist, and Kevin, a programmer.

Get started with SketchUp

Dhruv, the small town boy from Chala in Gujarat, is the man behind this innovative thought of using SketchUp as a game developer. He learned SketchUp in 2009-10 as a part of his course. He goes deeper to know how to use the 3D tool in an innovative way like no other does. He used the tool for outlining a gallery for the first time and came to know that the file size generated by the application is less than the other software. The designing is rather simple to understand and to craft. The software application has become an inevitable part of his designing since then.

From outlining just a gallery to developing gaming environments, the journey was a learning one that sharpens his skills and makes him comfortable with the features and plugins. For Studio Olemingus, SketchUp is the main crafting tool that completes the base of the gaming environment flawlessly. The work, though, follows a few steps – developing meshes in SketchUp, painting them with textures designed in Photoshop, and finally compiling them in Unity.

The game ‘Somewhere’:

Somewhere – the game explores the mythical stories of India that enrich the country’s culture. It is an effort to bring back those strange folklores that faded away from the time. The stories are beautifully represented through Kayamgadh – the story teller of the game. The narrative-based game is new in its genre and brings a different perspective from the conventional ones. The game is an escape to the forgotten stories that revealed the India decades back.

The modeling tools that have been used for developing a gaming environment:

Scaling: Resize plays a very important role in this field, and scaling tool helps designers to modify the size that fits in the environment. Studio Olemingus has used its creativity and resized small objects to bring a new shape in its design. In this way, they turn tooth brush into trees and teacups into boulders in a landscape.

Repetition: Repetition modeling tool helps you create homogeneity in your design. The parts that do not need to identify as a single object can use repetition tool. Repetition tool is excessively used in developing a forest environment and a wall structure where homogeneity prevails.

Color and Textures: Though Studio Olemingus has used Unity for color and texture, it creatively used texture mapping with SketchUp Paint Bucket tool for prototyping objects with different colors and textures.

Follow Me Tool: Follow Me Tool works as a loft tool to develop a surface that stretches across the edge. The Studio uses this tool in two different ways – radial symmetry and symmetry across the loft axis.

Terrains: Generally, line, polygon, scale and move tools have been used t carve out the terrains in the design. Designing these is easier in SketchUp and takes less time than the other applications.

SketchUp Extensions: Studio Olemingus use ThomThom’s QuadFace Tools to modify the geometry with adding subdivisions and unsmooth faces. CLF Shape Bender by Chris Fullmer helped the team create leaves by cut out surfaces. Tree maker has been used for creating small plants and leaf components.

Studio Olemingus explores SketchUp in a new way like no other did before. The tools and features of the 3D modeling software application have the potential to design a complete gaming environment in an easy way.

To read more about the Studio and the game, visit blog.sketchup.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published By

Rajib Dey

www.sketchup4architect.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Architectural Design with SketchUp

Alex Schreyer, the author of the book “Architectural Design with SketchUp” has introduced it talked many things about it at SketchUp’s 3D Basecamp and he had authored some new SktechUp extensions. He also published a second edition of the book to shaping SketchUp in a new way. Updated editions from beginning to till last one can be found in the SketchUp’s site: SketchUpfor Design.com and this article is simply a review of the book.

About the book: As like SketchUp team, this book is also has the same motto: It’s for everyone. It is very useful for architectural design and also has aimed for all kind of designers. There are various topics in the book such as; applying and shaping textures, mastering components, extensions, rendering etc. all are very useful for everyone.

This book don’t have the aim to teach form the beginning but it has very important information for the SketchUp users. There is a chapter named ‘SketchUp Refresher’ for the beginners. The book has aimed for exploring principles of SketchUp which are not yet covered by any other books and have lots of experienced SketchUp modelers. The website ‘SketchUpfor Design.com’ is associated with the book and here people can get much resource for SketchUp tips, news and insight.

The book has divided into five main sections, they are, component-based modeling, extensions, rendering, making and Ruby scripting. Here are some details about the sections:

1. Component-based modeling: This section is a great part which consists the information of using various groups and components for building clusters of objects and pervades models with information. As per the author, he has a thought to model every element of a difficult construction like floor detail should be designed in the software before actually building it. In the digital model there is a chance to correct the mistakes and change some things for making it even better than before.

Though it is not a new technique for the SketchUp’s users but Alex gave it a new look by applying the concrete guidance to model the design in a better way with detailed information and objects. This modeling is technically very easy one but important as it explores the main things in the book briefly. This section also gives an idea about the broader category about information modeling. We all know that BIM can be used as per the need of the design but this section casts the idea at the most basic level and the book has the instructions of doing the work, utilizing it and also organizing the items. There is also information about dynamic attributes, organizing things with industry schemes and generating departs from the model.

2. Utilizing extensions: There are lots of extensions in SketchUp and identifying the extensions and their work is not an easy job. This book has a good collection of information about assembling the models in the alphabetical order with a brief description about them. There are also step-by-step tutorials suitable for workflows which can work between extensions.

3. Photo-realistic rendering: Renders don’t have many choices and it is a complicated thing, not a simple thing like clicking button and waiting for few hours. There are lot of things than this like the settings, presets, lighting environments and many other appliances which can go with making a halfway decent rendering and it need an improper amount of background knowledge, as it’s the mixture of science and craft both.

4. Making: The second edition has come with a new chapter called ‘Making Things with SketchUp’ which proves that the book is more than only the architectural field. In this section, some famous digital fabrication techniques like 3D printing, CNC, laser cutting and 2D printing etc. has surveyed by Alex and all of these has guided with a book for modeling advice, file prep, export considerations and pre-fabrication advice in working with other kind of programs. This long section has concluded with many pages and tutorial videos.

5. Scripting: This section looks little weird for the readers and users as reading and writing simple codes is a very simple thing and don’t need any special attention. But Alex has kept this section with the title of ‘Ruby for Designers’ here Alex has focused on the use of scripts for achieving forms which can become exhausting for the models in SketchUp. Using Ruby for writing codes is to increase the using power of algorithms in making stuff when there is no other way and Alex describes it with a tutorial step-by-step process with brief description.

Lastly it is an approach to the SketchUp lovers to go through this book without any confusion as it will enhance the SketchUp using skills as it the processes are clearly-written, briefly described and completed. In the website there are sample files, about 30 tutorial videos and a direct way to communicate with author.

Article Source: blog.sketchup.co



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Published By
Rajib Dey
www.sketchup4architect.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~