If you’re using SketchUp to create 2D designs, you may come across the need to scale your drawings. Scaling allows you to resize your design while maintaining its proportions. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through the steps of scaling 2D in SketchUp.
Step 1: Open Your Design
First, open the SketchUp application and navigate to the file containing your 2D design that you want to scale. You can do this by clicking on “File” in the top menu and selecting “Open”.
Step 2: Select the Design
Once your design is open, use the selection tool to select the entire design or specific elements that you want to scale. To do this, click on the selection tool icon in the toolbar or press “S” on your keyboard. Then, click and drag a box around your design or individual elements.
Note:
If you only want to scale certain elements:
- Select multiple elements by holding down the Shift key while clicking on each element.
- To deselect an element, hold down Shift and click on it again.
Step 3: Access Scale Tool
After selecting your design or elements, go to “Edit” in the top menu and choose “Scale” from the dropdown list. Alternatively, you can right-click on your selection and choose “Scale” from the context menu that appears.
Step 4: Scale Your Design
A bounding box with green handles will appear around your selected design or elements. To scale proportionally, click and drag one of the corner handles while holding down Shift. This ensures that the width and height are scaled proportionally.
Note: If you want to scale non-proportionally, hold down the Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) key while dragging a corner handle.
Step 5: Enter a Specific Scale Value
If you want to scale your design to a specific value, you can enter it in the “Scale” box at the bottom-right corner of the SketchUp window. Simply type in the desired scale value and press Enter. This will instantly resize your design accordingly.
Note:
You can use both decimal and fraction values for scaling purposes.
Step 6: Apply the Scale
Once you’re satisfied with the scaling of your design, click outside of the bounding box or press Esc on your keyboard to apply the changes. Your 2D design will now be scaled according to your specifications.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we’ve explored how to scale 2D designs in SketchUp. By selecting your design, accessing the scale tool, and either dragging handles or entering specific values, you can easily resize your designs while maintaining their proportions. Experiment with different scaling techniques to achieve the desired results for your projects.