SketchUp for Interior Design

Lydia Sloan Cline is a professor at Johnson County Community College, where she teaches SketchUp, AutoCAD, manual drafting, and interpreting architectural drawings. She is also the author of Architectural Drafting for Interior Designers and Drafting and Visual Presentation for Interior Designers.

Foreword vii

Chapter 1: What Is SketchUp and How Do Interior Designers Use It? 1

What Is SketchUp? 1

Who Uses It? 2

Is It Easy to Learn? 2

What Is SketchUp Used For? 2

The Difference between Traditional CAD Drawings and Models 2

How SketchUp Displays the Model 3

Types of Models 3

What SketchUp Make (Free Version) Can Do 4

What SketchUp Pro Can Do 5

How Designers Use SketchUp 9

Chapter 2: Getting Started 13

Hardware, Operating System, and Browser Requirements 13

The Video Card 14

The Space Navigator 3D Mouse 14

Use a Tablet PC 15

Download SketchUp Make 16

The Workspace 20

Run Multiple SketchUp Files at the Same Time 22

Save Options 23

Backup Files 24

Chapter 3: Exploring the Interface 25

Select or Change a Template 25

Add the Large Tool Set 25

The Select Tool 27

The Rectangle Tool 28

The Inference Engine 28

The Push/Pull Tool 29

Input Numbers 30

The Pan and Orbit Tools 31

The P Modifier Keys 32

The Escape Key 32

The Zoom Tool 32

The Views Toolbar: Generate Orthographic Drawings 32

Select with Selection and Crossing Windows 35

Select by Clicking, Right-Clicking, and Holding the Shift and Control Keys 36

The Move Tool 37

Customize the Desktop 38

Make a Custom Template 41

The Help Function 42

Manage Dialog Boxes 42

Chapter 4: Modeling Furniture, Cabinetry, and Accessories 45

Faces and Edges 45

The Eraser Tool and Erasing 45

The Pencil and Freehand Tools 46

The Move Tool 47

Stickiness 48

Groups 49

Causes of a Non-Filling Face 51

Color-Coordinate the Model’s Lines with the Axes by Changing the Edge Style Setting 52

Model a Table 53

Model a Bookcase 62

Model a Clock with Radial Array 79

Chapter 5: Drafting, Modeling, and Furnishing a Floor Plan 85

Prepare a Raster File for Import 85

Draft a Plan by Tracing a Raster Image 85

Trace Interior Walls 93

Edge Styles Again 94

From Plan to Model 96

Flashing Planes 100

Draft a Plan from a Paper Sketch 102

Interior vs. Exterior Models. 108

Components in Single- vs. Double-Sided Walls 108

Create Plan and Elevation Views 116

Model a Building from an AutoCAD Plan 121

Interact with Revit, 20–20, and Other Programs 124

“Clipping” (Disappearing Geometry) 125

Model a Sloped Ceiling with the Protractor Tool 125

Chapter 6: Modeling a Two-Story House Interior 131

Model the Shell and First Floor 131

Model the Second Floor 137

Model the Living Room 145

Model a Cabinet 147

Model Crown Molding with the Follow Me Tool 151

Model a Stairs Guard 155

Edit a Downloaded Staircase 156

The Outliner 164

Chapter 7: Painting with Colors, Textures, and Photo-Matching 169

What Is Painting? 169

Paint with Native SketchUp Materials 169

Paint with Textures 174

Paint the Stairs 176

Import Swatches from Other Models 178

Put New Colors and Textures into the Software 178

Check Face Orientation on Painted Surfaces with Entity Info and Face Style 180

Apply a Real-Life Design Scheme to the Model 180

Import a Texture 183

Import an Image 188

Photo-Match an Interior Space 202

Chapter 8: Enhancing and Presenting the Model 209

Annotate the Model: Dimensions and Text 209

Dimension a Floor Plan. 214 Scenes 224

The Walk-Through Tools 231

What Are Dynamic Components? 233

Save vs. Export 236

Enhance with Other Software 238

Enhance with Hand-Rendering 238

Why SketchUp May Run Slow 246

Chapter 9: Plugins and LayOut 253

What’s a Plugin? 253

LayOut 265

SketchUCation Forum 277

Index 279