Review Steps #1 and
#2
#1. Each piece begins as a box. Start with a
rectangle, extrude it, then shape and modify the box to match the specifications
for that piece. When ready, group and
name the results. Make them SketchUp Components
when you know there are going to be several identically scaled clones of the
same piece.
#2. Assemble the grouped objects using one of the
many Inferences and Guidelines built into SketchUp. Use the Move and Rotate tools to snap the
pieces into position and the Control key to make copies as you build the model.
The Outliner
Use the Outliner to nest the named groups into subassemblies
that represent subcontracts or sequences that will be important to the processes
you may want to illustrate.
Group the pieces by selecting them in the Outliner with the
Shift or Control key. The Shift key lets
you select a series of pieces and the Control key allows you to pick and choose
the pieces you want to be in the nested group.
Once selected, use the Make Group command in the Edit Menu and immediately
name the new group. A Shortcut key makes
it possible to group objects by pressing a single key.
Once a group is formed in the Outliner, you can drag pieces
in and out of that group, double click a name in the Outliner to edit that
piece in the 3D model, or combine and reorganize several groups into more
complex subassemblies.
Setting up the Scenes
Use the Orbit and Pan tools to position the camera angle. Then select any piece or group in the
Outliner to Hide or Unhide it and change its visibility for each Scene.
When ready, use the “ + “ symbol at the top of the Scenes
Dialog Box to add a Scene along with the “Properties to save” with that
Scene. Scene names and descriptions help
identify content in the Scene, and the “Include in animation” check box will
schedule the Scene for export to an animation.
Transition and delay settings are found in SketchUp’s Model Info Dialog
Box in the Window Menu.
Annotations and dimensions can be added to each Scene. You can also capture or Export the Scenes as
a 2D Graphic or Animation for further editing in a draw or image editing
program, or insert them directly into a working document.
Controlling the visibility or motion of individual pieces in
the subassembly is a little trickier, I’ll cover that next time.
Tips
Use a library.
Every piece only needs to be made once when it’s saved to a
library. This means after a couple of
models, rapid assembly is possible because you simply drag and drop the pieces into
the model from your own collection of construction materials.
Annotate the images.
Use a Draw program to edit and annotate exported graphics. A free version is included in OpenOffice, or use any of the many free
screen capture and image editors found at Only Freewares. Faststone
and PicPick are probably the easiest to
use free programs for image captures and quick annotations.
Export animations.
You’ll find the Export Animation feature in the free version of Google
SketchUp produces a pretty basic low-resolution animation. Check out one of the many video capture
programs found at Freeware
Home when better results are important.
I use the free version of CamStudio
for AVI movies and Wink for Flash animations.
