Greg Guarino wrote:
On Apr 22, 7:24 pm, "dadiOH" wrote:
I've had the program for a number of years, never took the time to
actually learn to use it. Due primarily to various posts here, I've
been spending some time with it.
They say it is "intuitive"; IMO, some of it is and some of it isn't.
Let me give an example...
Suppose I draw a simple table: four legs, four aprons and a top.
Each of those items is an "entity". I decide that I want my table 1"
wider which means I need to make the top wider and both end aprons
longer I can't scale the aprons, deforms the legs. I could move the
legs, then scale the aprons and move the legs back. Not too bad on
this but on more complex things it could be a PITA.
Is there some simple, fast way to do it.
Please don't mistake me for someone who knows what he's talking about;
I'm just about exactly as experienced as you are.
I had drawn a very simple farmhouse-style table as a first sketchup
project also. I justr tried doing exactly what you are attempting.
Here's how I did it, shown in four exported images:\
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdguari...n/photostream/
Use the right arrow to scroll through the set. Please ignore the
white- shaded parts in the background.
First I selected the table top. The top is itself composed of four
"sub-components" (my own term - I have no idea what the proper word
is), four 1x6 boards. I discovered that you could group components
into larger multi-piece assemblies at some point.
With the entire table top selected, I used Resize to stretch it. When
I did it originally, I grabbed one of the handles on the top edge.
This made the task harder, as I was then able to stretch the top in
two dimensions at once: horizontal and vertical. I typed in scale
numbers of "1.5,1" to enlarge the top by a factor of 1.5 in length
while keeping the thickness the same. A better idea (which I just
checked) would have been to grab the handle in the center
(horizontally and vertically). Then I'd be changing one dimension
only; the length.
Then I selected a pair of opposing apron pieces (see pictures) and
stretched them simultaneously. I did this by eye. As the entry box
just has a scale "factor", I think I'd have needed to draw a temporary
line where I wanted the two apron pieces to stretch to in order to get
them to be an exact length.
Yeah, that works fine. However, if the legs and aprons had been butted it
would have been a problem
The answer seems to be *COMPONENTS*
_____________
Now all of this was made a little easier by the simplicity of the
design; it has no mitered corners. (it's for a stage prop). I just
confirmed a suspicion I had. I drew a "board" with corners mitered at
some angle. I then made a component of it and tried to stretch it
horizontally. Sure enough, the angle changed, as would be expected
since the program is essentially stretching (or compacting) the
lengths of the two faces by the same factor.
Try this:
1. Make the mitered board
2. Make it a component
3. Position it so you see end, top and an edge
4. Select all
5. Scale using the center "handle" at the acute intersection of end and
edge.
________________
I share your view that calling Sketchup "intuitive" is only partly
accurate, at least for me. At my current novice stage I expend a lot
of brainpower trying to find clever ways to "trick" the program into
doing what I want.
That and trying to again find the way to do something I did previously.
It is an amazing program, though; especially since it enables duffers such
as us to actually draw things. So the basics I find intuitive; the niceties
much less so; eg, which handle on a "scale" does what? True, it tells you
which axes and what points but that means about as much to me - at the
moment - as does a treatise on quantum physics. So *many* handles, so much
to remember
Another occasional difficulty for me is getting a line to go where I want
it. Fortunately, I found the arrow key restraints which help but sometimes
Sketchup seems to want to stick the end point not quite where I want it; the
result is that I wind up with something that is not quite a plane. Or a
plane that is slightly (1/16) off from where I want it to be. I've been
drawing fairly complex large rooms and my solution was to really zoom in so
I can see where stuff is going. Of course, zoomed in like that, I sometimes
get lost in s sea of blue or white, no idea where I am. The solution to
that was to add the "Views" toolbar...clicking one gets me a view that
enables me to orient myself to the axes.
--
dadiOH
____________________________
Winters getting colder? Tired of the rat race?
Taxes out of hand? Maybe just ready for a change?
Check it out...
http://www.floridaloghouse.net