How to Use SketchUp Free: Step-by-Step Tutorial

SketchUp Free is a powerful tool for creating architectural models directly in your web browser. All you need to start using SketchUp Free is a free account. Its vast repository of free 3D models and extensive collection of materials allows you to design your models exactly how you envision them.

SketchUp offers both free and paid versions, but if you’re just getting started or unsure which will suit your needs best, the free option has plenty to offer.

In this article, we’ll cover the basics of designing in SketchUp Free by showing you how to model a basic bookshelf. This introduction will help you get acquainted with the program’s fundamentals, preparing you to explore more advanced tools and design numerous other models.

Creating a New Project

Since SketchUp is web-based, you can sign up for a free account from Trimble. If you have an old account from when the desktop application was still supported, you can use those credentials.

Once you’ve signed up or logged in, you’ll arrive at the homepage. Click on “Create New,” which will bring you to the main modeling page. Alternatively, from the drop-down menu attached to it, you can specify what dimensions you want before the project is created, but you can also change this later if you’re not sure yet.

It’s important to use as close to exact measurements as possible, especially if you plan on 3D printing anything you design in SketchUp in the future.

SketchUp has navigation modes for trackpads and mice. If you want to make any changes, click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top left, go to “App Settings > Navigation > Device” and from the drop-down menu, choose either “Trackpad” or “Mouse.”

After confirming your navigation settings, if you’ve selected the mouse, you can zoom (scroll mouse middle button), pan (“Ctrl + Shift” + hold mouse middle button), and orbit (hold mouse middle button). Of course, you can carry out the same tasks with a trackpad.

Once you’re set up on the project page, it’s time to have a clear idea of where different tools and features can be found.

UI And Layout: Getting Your Bearings

SketchUp’s user interface (UI) is very intuitive and easy to use. Here are the main parts:

1. Main Menu (red): Access file options from the drop-down list (e.g., opening or starting a new project), as well as undo or redo options and save the project. SketchUp auto-saves your work, but it won’t hurt to hit “Save” once in a while.

2. Toolbars (orange):

Turn On the Printer: Power up your Ender 3 S1 Pro. Navigate to Settings: Using the control knob, go to 'Settings' on the printer’s display. 3. Scale Figure (purple): Ty is used to add a sense of scale to the project, as he’s 6 feet tall.

4. Axes (dark red, green, blue): X-, Y-, and Z-axes can be snapped to while modeling by using the arrow keys. SketchUp shows which axes you are snapping a line or feature to with the appropriate color.

5. Measurements Box (black): Shows results of the Tape Measure tool. It can also be used to enter sizes for length, width, or height and the appropriate unit when creating features.

Having gotten our bearings around SketchUp, let’s get started with the tutorial.

Step 1: Creating the Base: The Bookshelf's Base Outline

Now that we’re familiar with SketchUp’s UI, we can get started with our bookshelf, which will be 8′ x 1.5′.:

1. Select the Rectangle tool (green).

2. Tap “Ctrl” on your keyboard until the bottom menu bar reads “Click to set the first corner. | Ctrl = Toggle Select Center.” This ensures that you place the rectangle’s first vertex at the center of the world, making future steps easier to align.

3. Navigate to the center of the world and hover over the center until you see a small blue rectangle outline snapped to the center.

4. Click on it and start dragging out the rectangle however you see fit. Let go of the mouse button and start typing 8′, 4′, and hit Enter. These dimensions will automatically be added to the Dimensions box and you should see the change to the rectangle.

You can also create the rectangle by drawing lines using the Line tool and typing the length of the lines as with the rectangle length and width. SketchUp provides helpful snap points for drawing shapes, so feel free to use whatever method you prefer.

Step 2: Extruding: Extruded Bookshelf

The extrusion tool (Push/Pull) lets you give objects a depth or volume by “forcing” material in a specific direction from a specific face. We will make the bookshelf 6 feet tall.

1. Select the extrusion tool from the right toolbar (orange).

2. Hover over the rectangle created in Step 1 until you see a pattern of dots emerge – that means you are highlighting the correct face.

3. Click the face to begin extruding. You can drag up and down manually until you get to the right height, or you can minimally drag it up and once again type 6′ and hit Enter.

You should now have a block.

Step 3: Outlining Shelves: Adding Inset Lines

Next, we will create the shelves. This involves a few different stages. To keep things simple, the walls and base of the bookshelf will be 1″ thick.

1. Rotate your view to face the front of the bookshelf directly (Ty should be facing you, too). You can use the panning or orbiting tools from the left toolbar or use the mouse buttons previously mentioned.

2. Select the Line tool and start a new line on a vertex of the bookshelf, drawing a short line on top of the one already making up the edge of the block, until a red box and a message appear reading On Edge 1″.

3. Let go and, from that point, which should become a green circle, draw a line toward the opposite side, so that a line is drawn 1″ parallel to the edge.

4. Repeat this on the other three sides until you have four lines all set one inch into the bookshelf.

Creating Shelves Now, let’s get to the most essential part of this bookshelf: creating shelves. As with the walls and base of the bookshelf, for simplicity’s sake, we’ll use a shelf thickness of 1″ and a shelf height of 1′ (or 12″).

1. Draw a line on top of the right or left vertical inset lines, with a starting point on the base’s inset. Drag the cursor and a message should appear, reading On Edge 1′.

2. Let go, click on the point again, and drag the line to the opposite inset line until the cursor snaps to it.

3. Go back to the starting point of the shelf’s baseline and draw another line, 1″ upwards. You can drag the mouse a little and then let go and type 1″, which will change the measurement. This line will denote the first shelf’s thickness and create the next shelf’s starting point.

4. Extend this line to the opposite side.

5. Repeat these steps until you have created as many shelves as will fit or you need.

Once you’ve gotten your bearings, for example, if you have extra space below the last shelf, you can make it bigger than the other to store larger items.

Step 4: Extruding the Shelves

First Shelf Extrusion Now, we will make the physical shelves. In Step 2, we used the extrusion tool to heighten our outline. Now, we will use the extrusion tool to cut into the block and create shelves.

1. Orbit to the back of the bookshelf where no lines are visible and click the extrusion tool.

2. Select the back of the bookshelf and move your mouse until the bookshelf’s back becomes thinner.

3. Type 2.5′ to shrink the back and hit Enter.

Face Snapping Now we can extrude shelves.

1. Click in the workspace to ensure you haven’t selected anything.

2. Select the extrusion tool and click on the first shelf face to modify it.

3. Move the mouse back until the shelf starts to move backward, type in 14″ (to create a shelf 14″ deep), and hit Enter.

You can repeat this process for each shelf, but there’s also a faster way:

1. Follow the steps above for the first shelf.

2. With the extrusion tool enabled, click on a second shelf to select it.

3. Move your cursor (without clicking on anything) to the face of the first shelf that’s been “pulled” (the red square should become blue).

4. A message should appear that says On Face; press the left mouse button.

5. Snap each shelf extrusion to the face of the previous one to create the rest of the shelves.

Step 5: Adding A Material

Erasing Extra Lines Before we finish the model, erase any unnecessary lines created during the drawing and modeling process. Zoom into the areas as shown (if they exist in your model) and use the Eraser tool to remove extraneous lines carefully.

Adding Texture With that out of the way, we’ll be adding a texture to the bookshelf. We’ll use wood, but even within this option, there are multiple types, so pick one you like.

1. Go to the Materials tab (5th down) on the right toolbar.

2. Go to the search bar, type in “Wood,” and hit Enter.

3. Select one that you like and click on each face of the bookshelf to color it.

You can see how simple this is in SketchUp. Experiment with adding colors and patterns to the shelves. Save your project and feel free to share it online for the community to admire.

Step 6: Saving and Exporting Now that you have a fully modeled and textured bookshelf, it’s time to save and export it.

1. Click the main menu in the top left.

2. Select “Save As” to save it to your account or download it as a .skp file.

3. To export it, go back to the main menu and select “Export.” Choose your desired format, such as .stl for 3D printing, and save it to your device.

How to Use SketchUp Free: Step-by-Step Tutorial

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