Google Sketchup
http://sketchup.google.com/
Download Google SkepchUp 6 (Free)
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View → Toolbars → Large Tool Set, Face Style, and Views
Interesting Tutorials for Sketchup
How create a sphere
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=39024
How to create a pyramid
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39025&ctx=sibling
How to create a cone
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39022&ctx=sibling
Self Paced Tutorials
Help → Self-Paced Tutorials → Get More Tutorials
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=36e1fa0d054a15eecc725c514c21
d975&prevstart=0
Google search – How to create a ??? in Sketchup
Special Notes for Sketchup
To view as a WIREFRAME, View → Face Style → Wireframe
To remove axis lines, View → Axis (uncheck to remove lines)
How to Create a Pyramid in Sketchup
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39025&ctx=sibling
To draw a pyramid (pull up a pyramidal hipped roof):
1. Use the Rectangle tool to draw a square. You can tell you have a square
when a dashed line crossed the rectangle you are drawing and the word
"Square" is displayed.
Note: when you are drawing rectangular shape, you'll also see dashed line
when the rectangle is in the shape of a golden section.
2. Use the Line tool to draw a diagonal line across the face of the square.
3. Hover the Line tool above the diagonal line and move it until a light blue
inference point indicates the center point of the diagonal line.
4. Draw a line from the center point to one of the remaining corners of the
square.
5. Find the center point of the diagonal line again.
6. Draw a line from the center point to the last remaining corner of the
square.
7. Select the Move/Copy tool and hover over the center point until a green
inference point is displayed.
8. Click the centerpoint, start pulling up, click the Up Arrow key to lock the
move in the blue direction (up/down), continue pulling up until you reach
the desired height, and then click to finish the move.
Why draw the second diagonal line in two segments (steps 3 - 6)? When you
draw the first diagonal line, it merged with the face of the square. You can tell this
because the weight of the diagonal line is normal.
If you drew the second horizontal line across the first, the second wouldn't have
intersected with the face. In SketchUp, a line that is drawn across another line
doesn't automatically break into segments, so it doesn't merge with the face. You
can tell when this happens because the line is bold.
It's easy to merge a line like this, though. You just have to break it into segments.
To do that, you just trace another line over it from one corner to the centerpoint,
and then another from the center point to the other corner. By drawing those two
lines to begin with, you save an extra step.
How to Create a Cone in Sketchup
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=39022&ctx=sibling
In SketchUp, there are often multiple ways to draw the same thing. Here are two
ways to draw a cone.
Cylinder Method
1. Use the Circle tool to draw a circle on the ground plane. The first time you
do this, you'll find it easiest if you start your circle at the origin point (the
point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect). Then use the
Push/Pull tool to pull up the circle and create a cylinder.
Note: You don't actually draw curves in SketchUp; rather, you draw a
curved-looking line that is made up of segments. By default, the Circle tool
draws a 24-segment line. When you pull up the cylinder, you'll see that the
face of the cylinder looks pretty smooth. SketchUp smoothes curved
surfaces made up of rectangles or triangles in order to make them look
more like a real curved surface. You can actually see the rectangles that
make up a cylinder by turning on the hidden geometry: open the "View"
menu, and then click "Hidden Geometry."
2. Select the Move/Copy tool and point it at a point along the edge at the top
of the cylinder that corresponds with the red or green axis, and then click
that point and pull it into the center of the circle to make a cone.
Note: As you move around the perimeter of the circle, you'll see a green
inference point labeled "Endpoint" at each intersection of two segments.
Four of those endpoints are special: they are the cardinal points that are
aligned with the red and green axes. When you point at any other point
along the edge of the circle, including the other endpoints, the whole circle
is highlighted, indicating that it is selected. But when you point at one of
the cardinal points, the circle is not highlighted, indicating that the circle is
not selected. Instead, the cardinal points act as resize handles, so you can
click one and drag it to the middle of the circle to create a cone.
Follow Me Method
The Follow Me tool grabs the shape you click and follows the edges of a selected
face that the shape is perpendicular to.
1. Use the Circle tool to draw a circle on the ground plane. The first time you
do this, you'll find it easiest if you start your circle at the origin point, the
point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect. Then use the Line tool
to draw a triangle from the origin point to the edge of the circle, up to a
point on the blue axis, and then back down to the origin point. Once the
lines of the triangle are connected, a face should fill in the triangle.
2. Use the Select tool to select the face of the circle. Then select the Follow
Me tool (on the "Tools" menu, click "Follow Me") and click the face of the
triangle.
3. A cone should result.
Note: When you use the Follow Me tool to create a cone, the bottom face of the
cone is eliminated. It's easy to re-create it: select the Line tool, and then draw a
line from endpoint to endpoint of any segment along the circumference of the
cone's base. This "heals" the entire bottom face.
Creating a Sphere in SketchUp
http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=39024
1. Use the Circle tool to draw a circle on the ground plane. The first time
you do this, you'll find it easiest if you start your circle at the origin point
(the point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect). With the Circle
tool still selected, hover way out 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).
2. 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.
3. Select the Follow Me tool (on the "Tools" menu, click "Follow Me"), and
then click the face of the second, smaller circle. A sphere should result.
***I couldn’t get this step to work. Instead go to the “Little Trick” on the next page.
4. Use the Erase tool to erase a point on the edge of the first, larger, circle.
That circle should be entirely erased, leaving the full sphere.
Little Trick (use instead of Step 3)
Here's a little trick you can do with the Follow Me tool. Instead of preselecting the
original circle, select the Follow Me tool, click the face of the second circle, press
and hold the Alt key, and then click the face of the first circle.
Want to smooth the circle? If the circle looks a little jagged, try adjusting the
rendering options:
1. Open the "Window" menu.
2. Click "Display Settings." (I couldn’t find this setting)
3. Try reducing the size of the extensions and endpoints, or turning them off.
Ideas for the Elementary Classroom
Create a diorama
Example – Novel Study – Cricket in Times Square
1. Diorama of the Newsstand
Using a shoebox and other art supplies, create a replica of the
newsstand where Mario and his family work. Use the descriptions in
the book to determine what the newsstand looks like. We are looking
for quality work that involves time and effort. You may use these
suggested web sites for your project:
http://www.council-
bluffs.k12.ia.us/schools/wash/Webquest/diorama.htm
Create and Investigate Geometric Solids
Example - Create a rectangular prism. Label the faces,
vertices, and edges.