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.
Note: The interface for SketchUp for Schools on iPad closely resembles the one for SketchUp for iPad but with some differences. Find out about the differences in SketchUp Platform Comparison.
For more information about the SketchUp for iPad interface and iPad input methods like multi-touch gestures, see Getting Started.
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 the new name.
) options let you:Create and manage files
Adjust settings
Geolocate models through the Add Location feature. For more information on Add Location, see Geolocation and Terrain.
Print models.
) starts Presentation Mode. Through this mode, you can take a tour of your model. For more information about this feature, see Presentation Mode. 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. For more information about the Expanded Toolset, see SketchUp for Web's Expanded Toolset.
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
) to minimize them to only show their icons. To restore the icon names, hover and 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 it like measurements, type, and tags. For more details about the information available in this panel, see Inspecting an Entity. - Outliner (
) – The Outliner panel helps you organize, view, and manage groups and components in a model. For more information, see Hierarchies in the Outliner. - Instructor (
) – The Instructor panel provides a brief overview of how to use the currently selected tool or feature. - 3D Warehouse (
) – Opens 3D Warehouse in a popup window. 3D Warehouse is a great place to find models, components, materials, and lots more. Find out more in 3D Warehouse. - Materials (
) – The Materials panel provides predefined colors and textures you can apply to your model. You can also manage the materials you’ve already added to entities in your model. Learn more about materials in Materials, Textures, and Environments. - Styles – (
) – The Styles panel offers a variety of options to adjust various edge, face, and background settings. You can also choose from a set of predefined styles to enhance your model. For more information, see Choosing a Style. - Tags (
) – Tags can 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. Learn about using tags in Controlling Visibility with Tags. - 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. For more information, see Casting Real-World Shadows. - Scenes (
) – Scenes help you save different model views and properties. The Scenes panel lets you organize scenes and can even help you create a slideshow you can share with others or show off in Presentation Mode Presentation Mode (). Find out more about scenes in Creating Scenes. - 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. For more information, see Softening, Smoothing, and Hiding Geometry. - 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 ensure entities in your model are solid and don’t contain unnecessary empty space. The Solid Inspector is also a great way to check for gaps and verify a model is ready for 3D printing. Learn about Solid Tools in Modeling Complex 3D Shapes with the Solid Tools.
Status and Measurements
The Status bar is on the bottom of the SketchUp for Schools interface and includes the following three options.
- Help (
) – Provides links to the Help Center, the SketchUp Community Forum, and a Search option. - Language (
) – Click to change the language SketchUp uses. - Input (
) – Click to choose mouse or trackpad input.
The text on the status bar shows a brief description of your selected tool and what the modifier keys for the 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. For more information on how this works, see Precise Modeling with Measurements.