Since the rising popularity of sketch-up I have decided to make a thread dedicated to teaching you how to use sketch-up. It is addicting so beware. Do not post set-ups, there is already a thread for those.
To start, you need sketch-up. Go to this link and download the pro trial version. It is better because you can export your things to the Google warehouse.
FIRST LESSON:
Basic knowledge and creating quarter pipes.
To start, open up the program. Notice the white bar in the corner on the lower right side. That is your friend. Know that before you start, otherwise everything will be out of proportion. When drawing lines watch it and get it to the distance you want or enter in your own values simply by typing. Learning that is something you need to learn. Then start learning the colored directions. Blue is up and the red and green are to the sides. You can "lock" yourself into these by hitting the corresponding arrow keys once, and twice to "unlock". This simply means it will go that direction unless you unlock it. Start making upright rectangles. Make one like 5' tall and 8' wide to start. You now learn how to use the push/pull tool. It is the one with a block with an arrow pointing away. Choose it and then choose the face of your rectangle. Drag it away and to and fro and whatnot. Then choose a distance outward that you want for a deck of the quarter. I normally use 2-3'. Once that is drug out, make a line extending out from a corner of the base. Since your quarter is 5' tall make it anywhere from 5.25' to 6' depending on how mellow you want it. If you were making a bank you would add about 2' for every 4'. Take this line, and use the rectangle tool to make a base for the transition. Select the corner of the line and drag it to the opposite corner on the bottom of the deck. Now take a line and connect one corner of the base to the top corner of the deck on the same side. Do this to both sides. You should now have a steep bank. Use the curved line tool to connect one end of the triangle to the other and drag it downwards on the face of the bank. Once you have a transition, use the push/pull tool to drag the extra part out to the opposite end so it basically disappears. Once it is gone you have a quarter pipe. Use this to make simple parks.
Next lesson: Bowl corners.
To start, you need sketch-up. Go to this link and download the pro trial version. It is better because you can export your things to the Google warehouse.
FIRST LESSON:
Basic knowledge and creating quarter pipes.
To start, open up the program. Notice the white bar in the corner on the lower right side. That is your friend. Know that before you start, otherwise everything will be out of proportion. When drawing lines watch it and get it to the distance you want or enter in your own values simply by typing. Learning that is something you need to learn. Then start learning the colored directions. Blue is up and the red and green are to the sides. You can "lock" yourself into these by hitting the corresponding arrow keys once, and twice to "unlock". This simply means it will go that direction unless you unlock it. Start making upright rectangles. Make one like 5' tall and 8' wide to start. You now learn how to use the push/pull tool. It is the one with a block with an arrow pointing away. Choose it and then choose the face of your rectangle. Drag it away and to and fro and whatnot. Then choose a distance outward that you want for a deck of the quarter. I normally use 2-3'. Once that is drug out, make a line extending out from a corner of the base. Since your quarter is 5' tall make it anywhere from 5.25' to 6' depending on how mellow you want it. If you were making a bank you would add about 2' for every 4'. Take this line, and use the rectangle tool to make a base for the transition. Select the corner of the line and drag it to the opposite corner on the bottom of the deck. Now take a line and connect one corner of the base to the top corner of the deck on the same side. Do this to both sides. You should now have a steep bank. Use the curved line tool to connect one end of the triangle to the other and drag it downwards on the face of the bank. Once you have a transition, use the push/pull tool to drag the extra part out to the opposite end so it basically disappears. Once it is gone you have a quarter pipe. Use this to make simple parks.
Next lesson: Bowl corners.
