Although SketchUp cames with several built-in spheres in the progam’s 3D warehouse, there may be times when you want to create your own spheres from scratch. If this is the case you may want to check out the guide below so that you can learn how to build your own sphere and get started with Google SketchUp’s editing tools.
Software/Hardware used: Google SketchUp 8.
1. Draw a circle on the “flat” plane, the plane that is formed by the red and green axes. For beginners, use the Circle tool and start the circle at the origin; this is the point where the three axes intersect. Still using the Circle tool, bring your mouse to the top line of the drawing until the cursor changes to red or green (the colors of the axes of the plane it is on).
To lock the inference direction, hold the Shift key while your mouse is still red or green. Now your sketch should be a circle that is “flat” on the red and green axes plane.
2. Draw a second circle, making it a bit smaller than the first one. Try to draw this circle inside the first, so they intersect. This may help you visualize what the sphere will look like.
3. Click Follow Me in the Tools menu to use the Follow Me tool. On the drawing pad, this will appear as a small tan cylinder with a red arrow. Click the face of the smaller circle, and a sphere-like object should form. Your image will look like Saturn. It will be a sphere with a disk of larger radius around the center. Another way you can use the Follow Me tool exists if you don’t preselect the original circle. Instead, click the second circle, hold the Alt key and finally click the second circle. This will give you the same result.
4. To get rid of this ring around the sphere, use the Erase tool to erase a point on this larger circle. The circle should entirely leave the image, and you will be left with a sphere.
5. If the sphere appears to have rougher edges, open the Window menu, select Display Setting and reduce the size of the endpoints and extensions. You may also turn them off. Look back at your image and see if either of these alterations fixes the appearance.
You’re set, you’ve created your own sphere in SketchUp. If you have any comments or questions please use the comments form below.
This guest post has been provided by Nicolas D’Alleva. Nicolas is the owner and CTO of Specialty Answering Service, a phone answering service and call center service for businesses and professionals.
