On the Select tab (which is open by default), choose a styles collection from the Styles Collections drop-down list. Open the styles panel by clicking its right-pointing arrow in the Default Tray (Windows) or choosing Window ⇒ Styles (Mac).Ģ. As you go through this section, you’ll no doubt get ideas for your own styles, and that’s where the fun begins.Īpplying a SketchUp style to your model is a three-step process that goes like this:ġ. You find scads of them, which is great because seeing what’s been done is the best way to see what’s possible. The easiest way to start applying styles is by using the premade styles that come with SketchUp. Remember that the purpose of styles is to help your model communicate, not to make it look “pretty” or “cool.” If the style of your work overpowers its content, tone down the styles. No matter how tempting it is to go hog-wild with the styles settings, please resist the urge. Styles’ essential purpose is to provide these clues, so here’s a guideline: The more your audience knows about design, the simpler you should keep your styles.īefore you dive into styles, remember also that a little style goes a long way. Design professionals are more experienced at understanding 3D objects from 2D representations, so they don’t need as many visual clues to help them along.
How much your audience knows about design: An architecture-school jury and a nondesigner client who’s building a house for the first time perceive styles differently.In this way, styles can communicate how much input an audience can have and what decisions still need to be made.
The message that a sketchy style sends is “this isn’t permanent/I’m open to suggestions/all this can change if it has to.” As a design gets closer to its final form, styles can make your model appear less rough and more polished.
This section offers guidelines for using styles and explains how to apply, edit, create, and share styles. You can also customize styles, which is a little more work than simply applying a style to a model, but arguably more gratifying. Styles also enable you to watermark a model and control how on-screen modeling cues appear.įIGURE 10-1:Use styles to make your model look any way you want. Even cooler, changing a model’s style is a one-click operation. For example, Figure 10-1 shows four different styles applied to the same model of a house. To change a model’s whole look, all you need to do is apply a different style. In SketchUp, a style is a collection of settings that control how your model’s edges, faces, and background appear. When you add shadows to your model views, they look more realistic, more accurate, and more readable. Displaying shadows is also an easy operation it’s a matter of clicking a button.
SketchUp’s Shadows feature is another awesome tool for presenting models. SketchUp styles are all about deciding how your geometry - all your faces and edges - will actually look. If you can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, you’re in for an even bigger treat. If you’re the sort of person who likes to draw, you’re in for a treat. The first half of this chapter is about styles. Deciding how your models should look - loose and sketchy, quasi-photorealistic, or anything in between - can be lots of fun, and making the right decisions can help your models communicate what they’re supposed to. SketchUp is a very capable tool for presenting the stuff you build. Chapter 10 Working with Styles and Shadows Save different looks for a model by applying and customizing styles.Ĭreate realistic shadow studies that reflect the location, day, and time.Ĭreate cutting plans and sections to peek inside a model. SketchUp For Dummies (2017) Part 3 Viewing Your Model in Different Ways