How Do You Draw a Curved Cone in Sketchup?

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Are you looking to add a curved cone to your Sketchup design? Drawing a curved cone in Sketchup may seem challenging at first, but with the right techniques, it can be a breeze. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of creating a curved cone in Sketchup, so let’s get started!

Step 1: Create the Base Circle

The first step is to create the base circle of the cone. To do this, select the ‘Circle’ tool from the toolbar or press ‘C’ on your keyboard. Click on the origin point (0,0) in your workspace and drag outwards to create a circle of your desired size.

Tips:

  • Hold down the ‘Shift’ key while dragging to create a perfect circle.
  • Use the measurement box at the bottom right of the Sketchup window to set precise dimensions for your circle.

Step 2: Push/Pull

Next, we need to give our base circle some depth by using the ‘Push/Pull’ tool. Select the ‘Push/Pull’ tool from the toolbar or press ‘P’ on your keyboard. Click on the base circle and drag upwards to extrude it into a cylinder.

Tips:

  • You can type in specific dimensions for your extrusion in the measurement box.
  • To create a hollow cone, select and delete the top face of your cylinder after extrusion.

Step 3: Creating Curvature

To create curvature on our cone, we will use Sketchup’s ‘Follow Me’ tool. Select the ‘Follow Me’ tool from the toolbar or press ‘F’ on your keyboard. Click on the curved path that you want your cone to follow.

Tips:

  • If you don’t have a curved path already, you can draw one using the ‘Arc’ or ‘Bezier Curve’ tools.
  • Ensure that your curved path intersects with the base circle of your cone.

Step 4: Cleaning Up

After using the ‘Follow Me’ tool, you may notice some extra geometry on your cone. To clean up these unwanted lines, use the ‘Eraser’ tool or press ‘E’ on your keyboard to remove any unnecessary edges or faces.

Tips:

  • Hold down the ‘Ctrl’ key (or ‘Option’ key for Mac) while using the Eraser tool to soften edges instead of completely deleting them.
  • You can also use the ‘Smooth’ and ‘Soften Edges’ options under the ‘Window’ menu to further refine the appearance of your cone.

And there you have it! By following these simple steps, you can easily create a curved cone in Sketchup.

Experiment with different sizes and shapes to add depth and complexity to your designs. Happy modeling!