To create a 3D model in SketchUp, you're constantly switching among the drawing tools, views, components, and organizational tools. In this article, you find several examples that illustrate ways you can use these tools together to model a specific shape or object.The examples illustrate a few of the different applications for creating 3D models in SketchUp: woodworking, modeling parts or abstract objects, and creating buildings. The examples are loosely ordered from the simple to the complex.

What distinguishes solid construction and design from an M.C. Escher optical illusion? Accurate measurements.In SketchUp, the Tape Measure tool, the Protractor tool, and the Measurements box enable you to model precisely:With the Tape Measure tool (), you can measure a distance and set precise guide lines or guide points.  

In SketchUp, you can copy geometry by using

When you move geometry that's connected to other geometry, SketchUp stretches your model.To stretch your geometry, select the Move tool () and click and drag any of the following:

When you're drawing a model in SketchUp, moving your model (or parts of it) takes on a third dimension. Literally.Here's your guide to moving things around in your 3D model, from a simple click-and-move operation to moving precisely with 3D coordinates.

Drawing a model in 3D is different from drawing an image in 2D. This introduction to drawing basics and concepts explains a few ways you can create edges and faces (the basic entities of any SketchUp model). You also discover how the SketchUp inference engine helps you place those lines and faces on your desired axis.