SketchUp has a robust 3D inference system that automatically generates many inference points and inference lines that are calculated from your model and the axes. In addition, you can use the Tape Measure and Protractor tools to create Guides.
- By default, Guides are created automatically when you use the Tape Measure and Protractor tools. To toggle measure-only mode:
- Tape Measure tool. Press the Ctrl key (Mac = Alt key) while measuring.
- Protractor tool. Press the Shift key while you are measuring the angle.
Tape Measure tool
With the Tape Measure tool, you can draw both Guides (a continuous dashed line with no endpoints) and Guide points(the endpoint of a fixed-length dashed line).
- To draw a Guide, click on any point on an edge between its two endpoints, draw away from the edge, and then click to set the position of the guide, which is a dashed line parallel to the edge. As you are drawing, you can also determine the position of the guide by typing an exact distance in the "Measurements Box", or "Value Control Box (VCB)" in previous versions of SketchUp.
- To draw a Guide point, click an endpoint, for example, the end of a line or the corner of a rectangle, draw out to the point where you want the Guide point to be placed, and then click to set that endpoint.
As you are drawing, you can also determine the position of the Guide point by typing in the "Measurements Box":
- An exact distance, for example, 10" or 30m.
- An offset relative to the starting point of the Guide using relative coordinates, for example, <73',8',14'>.
- An offset relative to the origin point (the point where the red, green, and blue axes intersect) using absolute coordinates, for example, [17m,26m,5m].
Protractor tool
With the Protractor tool, you can draw a Guide that is positioned along the final leg of an angle.
