SketchUp Definition of Terms

Origin

Where the red, green, and blue axes meet. Also, the geometric coordinates 0,0,0

Rectangle
Click on the tool, and then click twice to define the size of the rectangle.

Edge
A line, arc, circle, or other linear element. You can have edges without faces in the middle, but a face always
needs to have a continuous boundary of edges.

Face
A surface. They always need to have a continuous boundary of edges. Remove any of the edges, and the face
disappears. You can also select and delete a face, leaving just the edges.

Smart cursor cues

The cursor guesses which axis (green, red, or blue) that you want to draw along. It also guesses if you want to
align with faces, lines, points, midpoints, or some other geometric point.

Push/pull
Click on a surface to extrude it in a direction perpendicular to its face. Hold down CTRL (Command) to make
a copy of that surface while you are extruding it, which is handy for things like countertops and kick spaces.

Direct numerical entry

This is when you enter an appropriate value immediately after some command, such as move/copy, push/pull,
rectangle, or zoom.

Selection tool
This button looks like an arrow, and allows you to click directly on objects that you want to modify. You can
also draw a "selection" window, or a "crossing" window, to select objects. Modifiers include SHIFT to add
objects to the selection set.

Keyboard shortcuts
These allow you to just tap the assigned key to activate a tool, instead of trying to find the button or the tool
under one of the pulldown menus. These can be customized in the Preferences dialog box.
Saved Scene
This is a view that you can return to your drawing. You find it under the animation tool grouping in the
pulldown menus. It shows up as a tab at the top of your screen. You should always start a project by saving a
few key scenes, to quickly navigate model.

Selection window vs. Crossing window

Options that are active under the Selection tool. Click and drag from left to right for a crossing window, and
right to left for a selection window. Everything that falls entirely within a selection window gets selected,
whereas everything that is touched by crossing window will get selected.

Context-sensitive menu
This is a menu which pops up when you right-click on something. Anything, really, and not just in sketch up -
try it, to see what options are available.

Component creation
Right click on a selection and choose Create Component from the context-sensitive menu. Then, a little menu
pops up with options for the component. Components can be glued to vertical or horizontal planes, if you like.

Move command
This command allows you to move a selection. First click on a base point, and then on the destination point.
You can actually use this command without anything selected, and the smart cursor will guess which objects
you want, based on what you are moving your mouse over.

Rotation grips on components

Select a component, and then activate the Move command. The rotation grips show up as little "x" marks on
whichever face of the component you are moving a mouse over. Click and drag on the grip to rotate - you'll see
a round protractor. Enter a number after you've rotated to specify an exact value.

Copy command
This is actually part of the Move command. When the Move command is activated, tap the CTRL key on PC,
or the ALT key on a Mac, to make copies. You can make this into an array, and also modify the copy
dimension, by typing in a value, and then hit ENTER.

Array modifiers to copy command (+, or /)

After making a copy, you can use either of these modifiers to create an array. The + modifier, paired with a
number, I will make that number of copies, the same displacement as your original copy. Using the / modifier
and a number to make a number of copies in between your copy in the original item.
Copy and paste to clipboard
This uses the CTRL (or Command) key plus the letter C to copy, and V to paste. This is handy for doors and
windows that are going into different walls.

Alignment inferences
This is when the smart cursor guesses when you want to align with different axes or faces. Very handy when
you want to align windows with each other, for example, or get pieces of furniture to sit on the ground.

Group
A group is similar to a component, but is a unique collection of objects. Copies of groups will each be
individual and unique, so editing one will not change any other copies of the group. These are generally used to
make it handy to move around a bunch of different objects. You must edit a group first to paint individual
parts.

Component
A component is a collection of objects, just like a group, but editing one instance of the component will make
all of the component instances change. You must edit a component first to paint individual parts.

Component editing
Using the Select command, double-click on a component to edit it. Click outside of the grey dotted bounding
box to close the component. Sometimes it's handy to hide the rest of the model (under Edit>Component Edit)
while editing - I have this assigned to a keyboard shortcut, because I use it so frequently.

Paint tool
This tool actually looks like a paint bucket. It opens the Textures selection menu, where you can choose a color
or an image based material. Then click on a face to dump the paint. You can also suck up paint that on a
surface using the ALT (Command on Mac) modifier.

Extract color modifier (the Eyedropper)

While in the Paint command, hold down the ALT (or Command on Mac) key and click on a surface to pull the
color off of it. You can now paint that color on other surfaces.

Selection modifiers (ALT/Command, Shift)

While in the select command, hold down any of these keys to either: only add to a selection set; only subtract
from a selection set; or add or subtract to a select set
Importing textures
Choose Import from the File pull-down menu. You can then load an image file in to use as either just an image,
which will be a single copy (for something like an oriental carpet), or as a texture (which will then become
something you can paint over entire surfaces).

Line tool
And click once to start the line, and once to in the line. That was easy, wasn't it?

Arc tool
There are several ways to draw arcs, but the easiest is to draw a three-point arc, where you click once for the
start, once for the end, and one more time to define how big the radius is on the arc. Be sure you can tell which plane
you're drawing the arc.

Entity Info
This menu will display any properties of whatever objects you have selected. Some types of objects, such as
circles, have properties that you can change right there, such as the radius. To access, right-click on an object,
and choose Entity Info from the context sensitive menu.

Follow me tool
Activate the tool and then click on a profile to extrude. Then, drag your mouse along the path that you want the
profile to follow. Use the ALT (or Command) modifier while moving your mouse over a surface to make the
profile wrappe entirely around that surface.

Component Library
A vast warehouse (actually called the 3D Warehouse) of components that random people have uploaded, and
that you can use for free. If you create something custom, you can upload your own component, and become
famous.

Value control box

This box on the lower right of the SketchUp window. Gives you information about the command currently
being used, typically a numerical value. These are things like the distance you have just moved something, the
size of a rectangle you've just drawn, the current eye height, or the current field of view. You don't need to
click in that box to change those values - just start typing, and then hit Enter when you're done.

Save
Do it early, and do it often. And then back up your work right away! Or, better yet, use Dropbox or something
like that to automatically back up.
Large tool set
Under the view pulldown menu under toolbars, you can choose this handy and much larger set of buttons to
click on. All these commands are typically available under the pulldown menus, and also via keyboard
shortcuts.

Tool modifiers
If a tool has some options, such as keys you can tap or hold on during the command for different effects, these
will show up on the lower left of the sketch up screen.

Section tool
This creates a slice through the building and hides anything behind it. It allows you to easily manipulate objects
inside what would otherwise be a box.

Section planes display

This button toggles whether or not you see the Visual representation of any sections that you may have placed
your drawing.

Section cut activate

This button toggles whichever is the current section plane on or off. The same effect can be achieved by double
clicking on the graphic representation of the section plane.

Standard views
This tool grouping, under the camera pulldown menu, allows you to access standard views of a model from the
outside. If you are in orthographic view, as opposed to perspective view, these correspond to elevations and
plans.

Scenes
These are saved views of your project that you can access via tabs created at the top of your screen. You can
add as many as you like. You should always start with a few saved scenes when you begin a project, so that
you can have easy access to different parts of your project for planning and design.

Styles
These are a ready-made set graphic parameters that change the look of the sketch up model, without changing
any of the geometry. They are handy for creating more interesting presentation drawings.

Offset tool
Allows you to make a copy of some continuous boundary, Such as a circle or rectangle, that is either inside or
outside of the original boundary.
Rotate tool
Allows you to spin a selection around, either randomly, or by typing in an exact numerical value for the angle.

Circular array
With the rotate command activated, tap the CTRL (or Command) key to make copies that go around the central
rotation point. You can also type in the same modifiers as with the regular copy command to create an array.

Seamless texture
When hunting for images on the Internet to use in your model, be sure to type in seamless, so that when you
paint them, you will see funny lines where the pattern repeats.

Scale
This tool will activate a grid of green grips on whatever you have selected. Click and drag on the grips too
stretch your selection in one or another direction, Which will depend on which grip you grab.

3D text
Text which is extruded out from the base outline of the letters. This is which is great for things like signage,
which needs to stick out from wall.

Preferences
This menu has many different sections for controlling the way that the software behaves. It's where you find
the keyboard shortcuts, also, and most programs that we use have this menu, to control behavior.

Toolbars
Collections of tool "buttons," arranged for convenience. On a PC, right-click on a blank area of the toolbars
area to access a list of toolbars. On a Mac, you'll have to drag in individual buttons onto your own toolbars.

Zoom extents
This will zoom you out as far as there are objects in your model. It's great when you are stuck inside a wall or
piece of furniture.

Parallel projection
This is telling SketchUp to give up on perspective, and only display either axonometric, plan, or elevation
views.

Position camera
This tool looks like a little person, and allows you to view the inside of a model. Immediately after you've
clicked inside a model with this tool, the Look Around tool becomes activated, to control the perspective
composition.
Zoom command
This looks like a magnifying glass. Click and drag up to zoom in, and down to his amount. Type in a value for
the field of view, which shows up in the Value Control Box.

Field of view
With the zoom command activated, this value shows up in the value control box. Just type a new number to
specify an angle for the field of view - 60 degrees is pretty typical for an interiors project. You can also enter a
photographic lens measurement.

Look Around tool

Looks like an eyeball - click and drag in the direction that you want to look in the model.

Two-point perspective tool

Forces the view to become a true two-point perspective, and not the three-point perspective that is the default
view. This looks more like the types of drawings we learned how to do by hand.

Profile
This is a continuous two-dimensional surface, often in the shape of a piece of trim, or a whole wall outline,
with moldings, etc. It is used in a number of tools, including follow me, the wall tool, and the opening tool.

LayOut
Program that comes with SketchUp Pro. Used for laying out sheets of drawings, using views of your model.
Can create both perspective drawings and scaled orthographic views.
 Microsoft Project

Project management
is the process of planning, organizing, and managing tasks and resources to accomplish a defined objective, usually
within constraints on time, resources, or cost.

 A project plan can be simple, for example, a list of tasks and their start and finish dates written on a notepad.
Or it can be complex, for example, thousands of tasks and resources and a project budget of millions of dollars.

 Microsoft Project helps you to meet the quality, timeframe, and budget goals by analyzing and summarizing
information about the project

Project Terminology
 A task is the specific action that needs to be completed
 Duration is the actual amount of time that passes before the task is done.
 Work is the effort required over a period of time to do the task.
 Resource effort is the amount of effort resources are assigned to the task and their allocation

Baseline cost
The original project cost as shown in the baseline plan. The baseline cost is a snapshot of the cost at the time
when the baseline plan was saved. Tracking and comparing baseline costs against actual costs can help you
track cost performance and calculate earned value information.

Gantt chart
A graphical element on the chart portion of the Gantt Chart view representing the duration of a task, each task
duration represented as a horizontal bar

Checking the project start and finish date

 The Start Date is the date the project will start
 Finish Date is the date that MS Project calculates the project will finish.
 You can either develop a project from a “Start Date” and work forward or from a “Finish Date” and work
backwards.
 The Finish Date is recalculated based the tasks entered and changes the estimated completion times, lag times
and work days.
Changing working days

 A project is scheduled according to the Standard calendar; it specifies working time, the hours and days during
which work can occur, and non-working time
 Change the Standard Calendar, click Tools on the menu bar, and then click Change Working Time
 To change working and non-working days, click the date on the calendar and then select the appropriate
nonworking or working option

Task information
 Task Information can be broken down into: General, Predecessors, Resources, Advanced, and Notes
 Under Constraint type, you can set each task to either an As Soon As Possible, or As Late As Possible,
parameter

Noncritical task
 A task that has slack time and thus can be completed after its end date by the amount of time equal to its slack
without delaying the project end date. Slack is the amount of time a task can slip before it affects another task's
dates or the project finish date.

Critical path
 The series of tasks that must be completed on schedule for a project to finish on schedule. Each task on the
critical path is a critical task.

Critical task
 A task that must be completed on schedule for the project to finish on time. If a critical task is delayed, the
project completion date might also be delayed. A series of critical tasks makes up a project's critical path.

Entering recurring tasks

 Click Insert on the menu bar, and then choose Recurring Task.
 You can modify the recurring task based on frequency and stop date.

Entering milestones

 A milestone is significant point in time during the life of a project.

 Enter a milestone, create a new task, and set the duration to zero and a diamond will appear in the project
timeline.
 A reference point marking a major event in a project and used to monitor the project's progress. Any task with
zero duration is automatically displayed as a milestone; you can also mark any other task of any duration a
milestone.
Task dependencies, predecessors
 Task dependencies define the relationships between the tasks in a project
 Finish-to-Start dependency, indicates that the first task must be finished before the second one can start
 Linking the tasks in finish-to-start relationships, you establish the required sequence of tasks
 When no dependencies are defined, all tasks start on the project Start Date in as soon as possible scheduling, or
finish on the project Finish Date
 The first task in the dependency is called the predecessor task, and the second task is called the successor task
 A predecessor task that must start or finish before another task can start or finish.
 Creating task dependencies will affect both the Start and Finish dates of the linked tasks

Lag and lead times

 A delay between tasks that have a dependency. For example, if you need a two-day delay between the finish of
one task and the start of another, you can establish a finish-to-start dependency and specify a two-day lag time.
You enter lag time as a positive value.
 An overlap between tasks that have a dependency. For example, if a task can start when its predecessor is half
finished, you can specify a finish-to-start dependency with a lead-time of 50 percent for the successor task.
You enter lead-time as a negative lag value.
 The number of days entered can be expressed as a positive or negative number

Outlining with summary tasks

 Summary Task is a grouping of tasks that logically belong together

 Indenting tasks creates a subtask relationship with the task above it

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

 A hierarchical structure used to organize tasks for reporting schedules and tracking costs. With Microsoft
Project, you can represent the work breakdown structure by using task IDs or by assigning your own WBS
code to each task.
 To create your WBS code, click Project on the menu bar, point to WBS, and then click Define Code

Baseline cost
 The original project cost as shown in the baseline plan. The baseline cost is a snapshot of the cost at the time
when the baseline plan was saved. Tracking and comparing baseline costs against actual costs can help you
track cost performance and calculate earned value information.
PERT analysis
 PERT (Program, Evaluation, and Review Technique) analysis is a process by which you evaluate a probable
outcome based on three scenarios: a best-case, expected-case, and worst-case scenario. The outcome in
question may be the duration of a task, its start date, or its finish date.

Changing the project view

 MS Project provides different reports and informational views.
 Selecting a new view from the toolbar, will automatically be reflected in calendar, diagram, or relationship
format

Printing a chart view

 The chart views of project’s can span multiple pages. Check work using the “preview page” before printing.
 Print Preview mode allows to you scan multiple pages.
 The Legend at the bottom of each page provides information about the bars.
 Print characteristics, including orientation, margins, legend, header, and footer in the Page Setup dialog box
using the Print Preview mode.

Exporting a Graphic of Charts

 Edit > Copy Picture allows you to export a GIF of a section of the project chart to post to a web page.

Save as Web Page

 You can save a Project as a web page, based on the type of report you wish to generate.