Tutorial
Tool Overview

Tutorial

Spheres in Sketchup

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Spheres

Method 1

  1. Select the Circle tool to draw a circle on the ground plane.

    Start your circle at the origin point (the point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect).


  2. With the Circle tool still selected, move your cursor along the top edge of the drawing until the circle cursor turns red or green, and then press and hold the Shift key to lock that inference direction (both of these inference directions are perpendicular to the ground plane).

  3. With the inference direction locked, draw a second circle inside the first, but make it a little smaller than the first. Then use the Select tool to select the face of the first, larger circle.


  4. Select the Select tool and click on the first circle.

  5. Select the Follow Me tool, and then click the face of the second, smaller circle. A sphere should result.

  6. If the sphere looks dark, you'll need to reverse the faces. CTRL+click on the sphere, select Reverse Faces
  8. Use the Erase tool to erase the edge of the first, larger, circle. That circle should be entirely erased, leaving the full sphere.


Method 2

  1. Use the shapes plugin. Go to the extension warehouse and search for sphere.
  2. Click on Shapes:
  3. Click Install

  4. To use the plugin, select Draw>3D Shapes
  5. Enter values
  6. Click to create
  7. These spheres will be components.
  8. CTRL+click on the component and select explode



Making Domes

  1. Select the Circle tool to draw a circle on the ground plane.

    Start your circle at the origin point (the point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect).


  2. With the Circle tool still selected, move your cursor along the top edge of the drawing until the circle cursor turns red or green, and then press and hold the Shift key to lock that inference direction (both of these inference directions are perpendicular to the ground plane).

  3. With the inference direction locked, draw a second circle inside the first, but make it a little smaller than the first. Then use the Select tool to select the face of the first, larger circle.


  4. Select the Pencil tool and click on the first circle.


  5. Draw a line on the under side of the two circles


  6. Select the Eraser tool and erase the lower half of the second circle


  7. Select the Select tool and click on the first circle


  8. Select the Follow Me tool, and click on the face of the second circle. A dome should result.


  9. Select the Eraser tool and erase the edge of the first circle


  10. Select the Pencil tool and draw a line across the bottom of the dome


  11. Select the line with the Select tool, then erase it



  12. If your form is dark, you might need to reverse the faces. CTRL+click on the form and select Reverse Faces




Now what?

  1. Create a model with spheres