Managing Units of Measurement

For about SketchUp 3D models, the unit of measurement is critical to the success of your last project. For example, buildings are typically modeled in feet or meters; woodworking projects in inches or centimeters.

This article introduces the ways you can command units of measurement in your sketchUp model and points you to other relevant articles for more than detailed information.

Table of Contents
  1. Understand templates
  2. Gear up units and precision in the Model Info window
  3. Find other measurement tools

Understand SketchUp templates

When you start a new 3D modeling project in SketchUp, you select a template. The template determines the unit of measurement for your model as a whole. You can encounter and change the unit of measurement for your template in the Model Info window.

In Getting Started in SketchUp, you larn the basics of selecting a template. If yous're interested in creating a custom template with your preferred unit settings, see Setting Up Templates.

Set units and precision in the Model Info window

After you lot start creating a 3D model in SketchUp, you tin view and change the units of measurement for the model as a whole via the Model Info window. Follow these steps:

  1. With your model open in SketchUp, select Window > Model Info.
  2. In the sidebar on the left, select Units. The Units console appears.
  3. From the Format drop-downwardly listing, select your desired unit format: Architectural, Decimal, Engineering, or Partial. Depending on the format yous select, unlike options on the Units panel are available, every bit explained in the post-obit listing.

Here's what the Units options in the Model Info window practise:

  • Format: Choose your desired format. The options are Architectural, Decimal, Engineering, or Fractional.
  • Length, Area, and Book: Select your preferred unit for each type of measurement from the drop-downwards lists. When y'all select the Decimal format, you're able to fix different decimal units of measurement for length, area, and book. For example, yous might want length measured in centimeters just area and volume measured in meters. In this case, you could draw and measure line lengths in centimeters by default, but an entity's area or book would appear in meters.
  • Brandish precision: For each format, you can select how precise you lot want measurements to be. For example, the Architectural option lets you fine-melody measurements upwardly to i/64 of an inch, and the Engineering option lets you cull upwardly to six decimal places.
  • Enable Length Snapping: When this checkbox is selected, your cartoon tool will snap to the closest unit at the level of precision indicated in the text box.
  • Display Units Format: This option is bachelor when you select the Decimal or Fractional option. When the checkbox is selected, the unit of measurement appears in ToolTips. When the bank check box is cleared, but the number appears.
  • Force Brandish of 0": This pick is available when y'all select the Architectural format. When the checkbox is selected, trailing zeros appear in unit of measurement measurements (such as iii' 0" instead of three').
  • Bending Degrees: Use the drop-down listing to select how precise your angles need to exist, up to 3 decimal places.
  • Enable Angle Snapping: When this checkbox is selected, angles you depict or measure volition snap to the closest unit based on the level of precision indicated in the text box.

For details near other options in the Model Info window, see Exploring the Model Info dialog box, which is a department in Setting Up Templates.

Every bit y'all describe with the SketchUp 3D modeling tools, you'll find lots of means to model precisely, check measurements, and label dimensions. The following tools and features are especially useful:

  • Specify a unit of measurement in the Measurements box: The box works differently depending on which tool you lot're using. When yous draw an entity, like a line or circle, the Measurements box lets yous specify the precise dimensions and unit. To use a unit other than the default unit (specified on the Units panel in the Model Info dialog box), yous tin can type a unit of measurement along with the measurement. The Measurements box also helps yous position entities precisely, with the Move tool for instance. This introduction to the SketchUp interface is helpful for beginners.

    See the articles about accomplishing specific tasks in Drawing Lines, Shapes, and 3D Objects for details well-nigh how the Measurement box works with a specific tool or bank check out this Measurements box quick reference.

  • See an entity'southward measurement in the Entity Info panel: Want to know how long a line is? Demand the area of a confront or the book of a solid? Only select the entity and open up the Entity Info panel, which displays a relevant measurement for the selected entity.
  • Mark measurements with dimensions: Dimensions are dynamic measurement labels that update automatically as you lot create a model. These details about marker dimensions dynamically explain how SketchUp dimensions work.
  • Understand the Record Mensurate and Protractor tools: These tools can assistance you model precisely. The Tape Mensurate can also scale your model.