Navigating the SketchUp for Schools Interface

The SketchUp for Schools interface is a lot like other versions of SketchUp with a few differences. Each part of the interface is set up to help students and instructors start modeling as quickly as possible.

The Main Menu

The Main Menu is home to a few different features. The name of your model, along with the Undo and Redo functions appear here. You can easily change the name of your model and save it by clicking the title and typing in the new name.

The dropdown menu includes options to manage your files, start a new one, adjust settings, use Add Location, or print your model. With Present () you can enter Presentation Mode to take a tour of your model.

Toolsets

SketchUp for Schools arranges all of the available tools into toolsets. The Main Toolset is what you see by default and contains the most common tools. The Expanded Toolset contains everything else. To customize your toolsets you can drag and drop tools between them or click Edit to adjust the number of slots or add separators.

Panels

SketchUp’s panels appear on the right side of the interface. Each panel represents a different group of options that you can use to enhance your model. When you hover over the general area where the panels are, you can click Hide Panels () to minimize them down to just show their icons. To see their names again, hover then click Show Panels ().

SketchUp for Schools contains the following panels:

• Entity Info ()– After selecting an entity, the Entity Info panel will show basic information about that entity like measurements, type, and tags.
• Outliner () – The Outliner panel helps you organize, view, and manage groups and components in a model.
• Instructor () – The Instructor panel provides a brief overview of how to use the currently selected tool or feature.
• 3D Warehouse () – An easy way to open 3D Warehouse. 3D Warehouse is a great place to find models, components, materials, and lots more.
• Materials () – The Materials panel provides predefined colors and textures you can apply to your model.
• Styles – () The Styles panel offers a variety of options that can be used to adjust various edge, face, and background settings. You can also choose from a set of predefined styles to enhance your model.
• Tags () – Tags help organize the objects in a model and control their visibility. The Tags panel offers a way to create and manage the tags used in your model.
• Shadows () – The options in the Shadows Panel determine how parts of your model cast shadows and can even help you see how the sun would cast shadows on a geolocated model.
• Scenes () – Scenes help you save different model views and properties. The Scenes panel helps you organize those scenes and can even help you create a slideshow you can share with others or show off in Presentation Mode ().
• Display () – The Display panel helps you control hidden geometry in your model.
• Soften/Smooth () – Soften and Smooth are options that change how edges in your model appear.
• Model Info () – Model Info includes all the details that make up your model and allows you to change some of the basic template settings like units of measurement.
• Solid Inspector () – The Solid Inspector can help you make sure entities in your model are truly solid and do not contain unnecessary empty space. The Solid Inspector is also a great way to check for gaps and make sure that a model is ready for 3D printing.

Status and Measurements

The Status bar is on the bottom left of the SketchUp for Schools interface and includes three options:

• Help () – Provides links to the Help Center, the SketchUp Community, or an option to Search SketchUp.
• Language () – Click to change the language SketchUp will use.
• Input () – Click to choose either mouse or trackpad input.

The text on the status bar shows a brief description of the tool you are using and what the modifier keys for that tool do.

On the bottom right side of the interface you will see the measurements box. While drawing, you can type in a measurement to help with precise modeling.