Here are a few tricks and principles I’ve been using in my SketchUp workflow over different projects, in the spirit of always optimizing my time and efforts. This covers the fundamentals as a solid basis for future works.

If it finds you and somehow helps you, I’ll be happy.

Preliminary : the machinery

1. Shortcut assignment + Gaming mouse
2. Do not overwrite your files
3. Always model in components
4. Choosing axes and snapping to them
5. Switching scenes using layers

Preliminary : the machinery

It might be a good idea to make sure the computer you’re running SketchUp on is already powerful enough to sustain a good speed of input and visualization. In other tems :

Recommended hardware (= minimum to not get frustrated and shout at the screen)

• 2+ GHz processor
• 8+ GB RAM
• 3D class video card with 1 GB of memory or higher

On top of having a fast enough computer, it’s always a better set up to get 2 screens in front of you to always get the maximum screen space possible. Very useful when you’re looking at reference images on the left while you’re drawing on the right.

#1 Shortcut assignment + Gaming Mouse

Top shortcuts in Sketchup

Use of shortcut is obviously an indispensable method of gaining time and efficiency, whatever the software. In sketchup some functions are very often used but the shortcuts aren’t as well known. Good thing is you can customize them by renaming the keys in preferences.

Here’s the list of the most useful ones of my personal shortcut keys :

• Draw line : L
• Move : M
• Group : G
• Transparency : K
• Erase : E
• Cancel : Ctrl+Z (Duh)
• Hide rest (while working in group/component) : Alt+I
• Update Scene : Shift + M
• Zoom Extent : Shift + Z
• Hide Section Cut plan : Shift + S
• Cut : Ctrl + X
• Paste in Place : Ctrl + Shift + V
• Pan : H

Powerful Combination with Gaming mouse

Once this is done the best way to opitimize the workflow by going one step further is to link those shortcuts to a gaming mouse with multiple additional buttons. For instance, I use a Razer Naga Trinity, which allows to add almost a dozen more buttons in the mouse with keyboard inputs into them.

That way, with only one hand, I’m able to to a whole lot more actions which ultimately saves a lot of time over long hours of modeling.

Depending on your preferences, the customizable aspect of shortcuts in SketchUp and its association with a gamig mouse type is really effective long term.

Here’s an example of how I model in Sketchup using those tips in this timelapse modeling of Michelangelo’s library in youtube.

Bonus tip : Navigation with 3D mouse

Use a 3D mouse to improve on navigation in the 3D space (ont only in Sketchup) : it’s incomparable with the sometimes painful scrolling and orbiting of the regular mouse.

Especially useful when working on details that are very small and very scattered around the model. Might be an other investment but worth it over time.

#2 Do not overwrite your files

From the V0 to the VF

It’s almost an automatic habit to save your file over and over again by overwriting it, the same way you’d do on any other type of file (text, photoshop, etc.).

In SketchUp, there’s always a point where there is stuff you drew that you know is not gonna make the final picture, but that is still worth saving in case you need to get it back for modifications. Without having pieces of the model like that polluting your “working” file, you can always save as a new version (going from V0 to V1) and erase them in the new one, keeping them in the old one.

Then, if you ever need to get it back, yo can just open the old one, copy, and get back in the new one to paste in place. This is a very useful tool in SketchUp that I really like is the ability to copy and paste really quickly in the same place from file to file.

Restore missing pieces

Another case in which it’s useful to save the file under evolving versions, is when you’re zooming into something and by mistake delete something in the background (like surrounding walls for instance).

You save it, then realize that something is missing.

Instead of having to redo it all over, you can safely return to one of the previous versions (the latest one), locate the missing component and copy to paste in place in the new file, thus restoring it with the missing piece.

I’m not saying to save as a new version each time you save, but only to proceed carefully and save as a new version each time you start making very important modifications and want to have the old version at your disposal if necessary.

That happened to me enough time to make it into my most important tips.

Once your project is done and done, you can delete the first versions and only keep the last one. In the meantime, it’s not like it takes to much memory space to get like 15 skp files instead of one.

#3 Always model in components

Unattached geometry makes it easier to model

A great feature in SketchUp is the use and versatility of components. You should always consider modeling an object by :

1. Starting to draw a small simple form like a triangle
2. Double clicking it and grouping it fast
3. Going into that group
4. Keep modeling inside the group (use Alt+I= to hide the rest of the model while doing so
5. Create a component from the group
6. Rename the component in a way that will be easy to recognize anytime later

This way, the created geometry inside the group never merges with another part of the model (but can snap to it), and is easy to modifiy later. It’s more practical for material applying and layers organizing.

Also, it makes it easier when the file is imported in another software (like 3dsmax) to recognize each elements by name.

When several versions of the components are in the model, it is possible afterwards with the “make unique” function to apply changes on one or several of those versions, turning them into one another component entirely.

This is a very good way of creating variations of the same component without starting from scratch every time.

Bonus tip : Reloading component files

Saving component as a separate file, allows to make modifications precisely within the file and make lighter or more complex versions of it. When you reload from the project file, it substitutes all components with the version you want.

Components within components : Inception time

Once a component or group is created, it is also possible to group it with other components, and then create a component out of that big group. This can make very easy to work on repetitive elements that are more complicated and composed of several elements : each change inside those elements are immediately applied to other versions of it all over the model.

Whenever using that ‘layered’ component method, you must always keep aware of where you are in the hierarchy of components and you can go up and down the layers with Escape or Double Click, then using cut / paste in place to move objects up and down the layers.

Symmetrical components

Another big use of this technique is modeling a project that is symmetrical : make a component out of each half. Integrating smaller components into one half applies it on the other.

#4 Choosing Axes and Snapping to them

At the very beginning of any model, it must be cleared to choose the X Y axes based on the form of the project. If the floor plan follows an orthogonal framework obviously you choose to model alongside the main axes for X and Y, Z always being the height.

90% of the lines that will be drawn in the model will follow axes so those axes must be correct from the get go.

When inside a component which doesn’t share the axes of the model, which happens very often, it is possible to change axes inside the component (thank god) to better suit the geometry and the drawing. This will only applies inside the components.

Snapping vertices with axes and the arrow keys

The importance of axes doesn’t only come in handy when drawing but also when moving objects. When moving an object, it’s most of the time going to snap at something, vertex to vertex. But in most cases, you need to move something to align one of its vertices to another point in the model, along one axis : width, depth or height.

Especially useful when moving while copying. You can snap to vertex or even to middle points to align objects.

When moving, you must then use the arrow keys < ^ > to find the right axis, green, red or blue. Once it’s found (the axis appears in bold dotted line) you can just select the point you want to align your object to.

It will not be moved outside of the chosen axis.

Bonus tip : the pink axis

Using the down arrow key once allows to create another axis (the pink one) based on one line you can choose before. It can be useful when you draw or move outside of the 3 main axes, whether in the model or in the component.

You can also do the same on the perpendicular axis of any line you choose by double typing on the down arrow.

#5 Switching scenes using layers

Why create scenes in Sketchup?

My favorite feature in this modeling software that puts it on top of others like 3dsmax or Revit (which I suck at) is the use of Scenes.

The scenes are like photographies of your model that :

• Can be taken at from any angle (orthographic, perspective, top, left, etc.)
• Can contain a variable amount of details (using tags)
• Can have different styles of representation

This feature allow to move very quickly around a model, especially when combining it with the use of tags.

You can create working scenes as well as render directed scenes.

Why use layers/tags in Sketchup?

The tags in Sketchup (that really should be called layers) are indispensable to keep a model organized, and should always be used to qualify groups and components, which can be drawn using only the layer0 tag.

Once a large group/component is inside a tag, everything on it will respond to that tag, even the sub-components are in another tag, as shown below.

You can then create sort of folder tags (like the Structure Façade one in the exampleto regroup objects of different nature (group them and assign the group to the folder tag) to better organize your model.

When comes the importing part though, those kinds of folder tags will not be relevant in another software. Just works in Sketchup, but good enough to optimize the workflow.

The Perfect Combination of both

When creating scenes, which is very easy and unlimited, you can then choose, on top of the angle that you want the scene to be saved as, the number of tags that will be shown. If you’re only working on elements of one or several of those layers (let’s say you want to hide the roof part and the exterior walls), it’s possible to save or update de scene with the tags you want to keep as visible hiding all the rest.

As long as you advance your modeling and need to change the “Work in progress” scene a bit, you can just update it (use a custom shortcut).

That way, the scene is saved and can be accessed anytime you want to focus on the elements in that scene immediately. That’s just awesome.

Also, you can use section cuts in your model to see inside your model from anywhere, and then save the scene. You’ll get right back in the cut model without having to reactivate the section cut, even if it’s deactivated in another scene.

Stylized scenes

Finally, you can use the style you want to represent the scene, whether it’ in regular 3D composition style, showing the textures or in hidden line style.

The hidden line style, edited with color by material, combined with the use of colored tags (color by layer option) makes it really easy to see the layers in colors the same way it works in Autocad.

Conclusion

All those fundamentals tricks are aiming at the optimization of time and efficiency while working in Sketchup. From the time I started to use this software that I enjoy the most for drawing architecture, it took me a lot of time to figure them out.

Which is why I’m putting this out there hoping it might help someone else who’s starting and wanting to improve the use of this great modeling software.

For more precise advice on modeling techniques, those will be the subject of future mini posts looking into some of the tools and tricks of Sketchup while drawing some famous and instructive architecture.

See you.