The Official "How to_____" in SketchUp thread

[SQMonte]

Everybody's using SketchUp to make scale models of their boxes now before building it so I figured I'd start a thread where we can all contribute our tips/techniques to using the program to either teach others how to do something or maybe even learn a thing or two yourself. For those of you who have no idea how to do even the basic box, here's a video that teaches you how.

Things I don't know that I'd like to know how to do are

rounded edges

aero ports

It would be even better if you could do a video tutorial

[Mario928]

Good video

[Airborne]

I started messing with it and got frustrated!lol I need to just get to it

[412 CVX]

didn't you post this same video last week?

[Torres]

easiest way i found to do round overs is on the edge of the piece you want rounded, mark it off with as a square. most likely it'll be a .75" x .75" square. then find the middle of the square and use that as the center of your circle. so now you'll have a .75" x .75" square with a tiny circle inside of it which is touching each side of the circle. now you can erase the inside line that made the square, inside part of the circle, and 2 ruler lines used to find the center of the square and use your push/pull tool to push the two edge pieces marked out all the way down. then you'll have 3 lines on the piece itself left over. just right click and click the 'hide' option.

sounds kinda complicated, but it's really not. i can post a pic by pic process if needed. it's really easy

[SQMonte]

didn't you post this same video last week?

I didn't, but even if I did, what's your point? Either add something useful to the thread of GTFO

[IKnowImLost224]

I posted this video a couple weeks ago. He shows in the video how to do rounded edges. It starts around 9:18 or so.

I wanna know how to make the box have layers, get the carpet looking right, and find out where I can find some W7's to import like how this guy does with his Type R's. He makes a really nice box.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB6hV0-4rc4

[SQMonte]

I posted this video a couple weeks ago. He shows in the video how to do rounded edges. It starts around 9:18 or so.

I wanna know how to make the box have layers, get the carpet looking right, and find out where I can find some W7's to import like how this guy does with his Type R's. He makes a really nice box.

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=KB6hV0-4rc4

The video is only 7:03 long....wrong video?

[Lucky4Designs]

This is how I do my rounded edges:

At the top of the box where each plate meets, there is a line that seperates the different plates. I use the "draw line" tool and draw a second line that'll make a perfect square on the corner. Then, there's another tool directly to the right of the "circle" tool called "create arc", click on this. For example, if you want to round off the front right corner of the box with the "create arc" tool, click on the top right corner of the small square you created with the "draw line" tool and drag the line to the bottom left of that square and click to end the length. Then, slowly drag towards the front of the box a little outwards and the small dot will turn blue, indicating the midpoint. Click on this to create your arc which will round the corner of the box. From there, you will have a small triangle shaped line outside of the arc'd corner. To eliminate this, simply click on the "drag/drop" tool, click on that triangulated area, and drag it past the bottom of the box and it will erase the corner of the box.

[412 CVX]

I didn't, but even if I did, what's your point? Either add something useful to the thread of GTFO

Take a chill pill, bud. it was a question, asked out of curiosity. no need for the hostility.

my input-

- port length is measured from the opening of the port to the end of the port via the MIDDLE of the port, not the sides. the inside "wall" of a slot port that isn't an existing outer side of the enclosure. the physical port length is measured by the inside part of the inner port wall (i.e. the part that potentially bends)

- when doing 45's or other angled pieces, the protractor is your best friend. to make the angled piece the right thickness, use the protractor tool to make a perpendicular line to it; go up .75 (or however thick it needs to be) then use the protractor again to make a line parallel to the original line, connect the dots, then bingo.

- Wood is 3 dimensional, not two, make sure you account for wood thickness in your model. easiest way to do this is to use the push/pull tool. you can enter the amount you want to push/pull things just like you would a regular line.

- to make a 45 in the port: with your line tool, click on the Inside part of the port bend, then place the other end of the line on the corner of the box (inside the port) don't click, enter the port width, then hit enter. from there make a perpendicular line from the endpoint of the line you just made. this will be the outside of your 45 degree corner.

i'll let you know if i think of anything else.