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[davidtu]

Great tips.. thanks for posting. One thing occured to me... would you want it to be nominal 2x4... or actual dimensions?

I suppose it depends on what wood you will use. :-)

If you want it to accurately represent your project you should use the actual dimensions (i.e. 1.5 x 3.5, etc.)

One warning: SU is perfectly happy to let you make pieces overlap or pass through each other. Mother Nature is less helpful that way. Be careful that all your pieces are within the laws of physics.

[davidtu]

Btw, someone asked about adjusting the size of a rectangle above... I've already said that the easiest way to get the size you want is to simply type the numbers in whilst drawing it... but to be more specific, you can indeed click on the appropriate leg of the rect w/ the black arrow and then move it using the move too. The rect will drag out appropriate, but be sure to lock onto one of the axes as described above.

Most rects don't stay rects long, they "grow" into blocks using the extrusion tool. So, if you're really trying to make a 3D block, and you've already drawn the rect the wrong size, just ignore that and go ahead and extrude the rect into a block and then use the extrusion tool to adjust the sides of the block, its a lot easier than trying to click on the leg of a rect and move it. Does that make sense?

[RayintheUK]

First try with Google Sketchup

I thought I'd try to draw the project I've recently completed using Sketchup to see what it was like to use. I've been quite impressed with it overall, especially when compared to CAD programs (which I know it's not). After a very brief look at the included tutorials, I dived right in and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I had a bit of trouble figuring out how to attach one form to another, so I must do some digging on that.

Here's the 2D export from my effort (click on it to enlarge):



If you would like the Sketchup file (215Kb) to play about with in Sketchup, drop me a PM with an e-mail address and I'll ping it to you.

Ray.