SketchUp

Cubes in Sketchup

What is it?

SketchUp allows you to create forms with specific dimensions. This tutorial will show you how to make two different polyhedrons.

What's the tutorial?

Cubes

Open SketchUp
Click on an option to follow the associated tutorial:
- Basic Cube
- Truncated Cube
Basic Cube
1. Open a new document
2. Select the Eraser tool (E) and click on the figure to delete her.
3. Select the Rectangle tool (R)
4. Start at the origin and pull outward. As long as you see the diagonal, you will have a square:
5. Select the Orbit tool (O) and move around until the horizon line is more in the middle of your drawing:
6. Press spacebar to choose the Select tool and select the edge:
  $edge.png$
7. Select the Rotate tool (Q) and click on the endpoint-this is where you'll rotate from. The protractor should be green:
  $endpoint.png$
8. Click at 90° you should align the click on a dotted blue line:
  $turn.png$
9. Press ALT/Option to copy the line segment and begin to drag the protractor, release the ALT/Option key and type 90 so that your copied line aligns with the Blue axis. You should see that the angle equals 90° in the box in the lower right hand corner:
10. Repeat the process for the other corner:
11. Select the Orbit tool (O) and move around so that you can see your square as well as your two lines:
  $two_lines_orbit.png$
12. Select the Push/Pull Tool (P) and pull the square to meet the two lines:
  $pull_cube.png$
13. Make the cube a Truncated Cube.
Truncated Cube
1. Begin with a cube (see Basic Cube)
2. Press spacebar to choose the Select tool
3. CTRL+click on the right line and select Divide:
4. Move the mouse to make three segments
5. Divide the top line into three segments
6. Divide the bottom line into three segments
7. Divide the last line, then connect the endpoints:
8. Continue dividing and connecting:
9. Delete the corner pyramids:

Now what?

Create a model with cubes.