Sketchup TutorialDesigning for Construction

The Parts of a Wall

Everyone at a laptop follow along…

Designing a Wall

110mm

10mm

3mm thick

110mm

3mm

Draw a rectangle that is 3mm thick x 110mm long.

PULL your rectangle up 10mm.

Make a “2x4” piece of lumber.

Double check the measurements with dimension lines but then delete them. You’ll see why in a minute...

To make sure every piece of this shape stays together, draw a box around it or choose “Edit -> “Select All”, then“Edit -> “Make Group”.

You could copy and paste the first 2”x4”until you had enough for a wall, BUT, it takes a lot of time to get them all an equal distance apart. There has got to be a better way!

1. With the MOVE tool selected, hold the CTRL key down.2. Click on the first 2”x4”.3. Move your mouse to the right and you will see a copy of the first 2”x4”. (Make sure the copy is on the RED AXIS like the first one.)4. Before you click to place it, type 203mm.

You now have two 2”x4”s 203mm (8 inches apart).

203mm

With the second 2”x4” still highlighted, type /12.

The /12 copies the first object makes 12 more and places them and equal distance apart!

Pretty sweet, right?

Draw a flat rectangle on the bottom of all the 2”x4”s.

Use the PUSH-PULL tool to pull the bottom rectangle out 3mm.

ROTATE around to the other side and add another 2”x4” to the top of the wall.SAVE this file as “back wall your name”

Highlight everything (or select all) and go “Edit -> Make Group”.This locks it all together into one piece so it cannot be ruined!

Choose the “Rotate” tool and click on one end of the wall. Make sure the horizontal bar inside the Rotate tool is parallel with the 2”x4”.

Rotate the Rotate tool until the wide bar is now perpendicular to the 2”x4” (vertical).

The wall is now vertical!

However, it is below the RED axis.

To align the wall back to the ORIGIN, select the MOVE tool and drag the bottom left corner to the ORIGIN.

Show Mr. Johns your vertical wall.

Because we are drawing blueprints, they don’t

need to be 3D.

GOOD NEWS!No reason to design a new wall, just use the PUSH-PULL tool and lower the wall to about .25mm.

(Zero (0) mm would be nothing)

Finished Back Wall!

Your Assignment: Build a...

Man CaveDIVA DEN

akaOR

Get in a group of Eight (8)Each person takes one of these JOBS:

• Print and build the back wall• Design, print, and build 2 side walls• Design, print, and build 1 front wall • Electrical (Solar lighting/Working ceiling fan)• Fencing• Interior Design (furniture, wallpaper, flooring, etc.)• Landscaping (trees, bushes, paths, pond, etc.)• General Contractor (helps where needed and keeps

everyone on task)

1. Use the back wall drawing we did together and cut off several inches of the wall to create two side walls!

2. Copy the back wall and use it to make the front wall.

10 points each:

• No glue is visible• Windows are built correctly with trimmer studs, king studs, & headers• Door is built correctly with trimmer studs, king studs, & headers• Exterior walls are covered with siding material• Interior walls are covered with material• Neatly labeled: one stud, cripple stud, king stud, sole plate, trimmer stud, rough

sill, header.• Door with working/hidden hinges• Windows, doors, and corners are trimmed• You have a double top plate• Shed is finished with four walls

50 points:A 50mm tall neighbor-friendly fence is installed on two sides of the property.

(5 points each)___ Plastic in the windows with window “panes”___ Scaled artwork on the walls___ Scaled TV on the wall___ Sidewalk/walkway/stepping stones___ Curtains on the windows

___ Other?

150 points total (180 points possible)

Want to see how to use the BACK wall to make an easy SIDE wall?

1. Open your BACK WALL again.2. Re-save this file (SAVE AS!) “Sidewall yourname”.

Notice the measurement at the bottom, where I’ve measuredover to the end of the 8th stud. 121mm.

In order to cut part of the wall off, you need to draw a line all the way around the end of the 8th stud.

Rotate (ORBIT) your wall so you can draw a line on the bottom too.

Now that there is a clear line drawn all the way around the 8th stud,simply start DELETING all the studs to the right...

The easiest way to delete part of the wall is to remove the top and bottomsection just to the right of the 8th stud then SELECT the last four (4) studsand press DELETE.

Here’s a SIDE WALL! SAVE the file again.Print one. Build two!

Delete the three MIDDLE walls.

Delete the SOLE PLATE where the

door will be.

Create a HEADER that is 70mm above the ground and 6mm tall.

Design a TRIMMER STUD inside the door next to the KING STUD and beneath the HEADER.

Copy and pastea second TRIMMER STUDon the other side.

Design CRIPPLE STUDS above the door HEADER too - and then space the remaining CRIPPLE STUDS as evenly

as possible.

To create a window HEADER, draw a rectangle thatis even with the door HEADER.

Delete all the little lines on the studs to make the HEADERstand out as one separate piece.

Can you see where I missed drawing a line?

Create a window SILL 25mm below the window HEADER.

Clean up the window by deleting the unnecessary linesand the filled in spaces.

Finish the left window by inserting CRIPPLE STUDS and STUDS above and below the window.

It is faster to copy and paste the entire window structure and paste another one over on the right side of the door.

Follow the same steps for printing it and then BUILD it!

You should now have:• One back wall• One side wall• One front wall

(with door and 2 windows)

You can use my templates

NEED SOME IDEAS?

Printing Blueprints

Find the Windows “Snipping Tool”(START -> Search for “Snipping Tool”

Use the Snipping Tool to draw a rectangle around your wall.

Copy the wall from the Snipping Tool into Word

Re-size the wall until it is the correct height.

“Page Layout” -> “Orientation” -> “Landscape”

PRINT!

Make sure all four walls are the same height! Make sure the front and back walls are the same width!

Make sure both side walls are the same width!

ConstructionDownload or open the “Shed Construction” file

found on my website to build your shed!