How Do You Do Parallel Projection in SketchUp?

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Parallel projection is a useful technique in SketchUp that allows you to create 2D drawings of your 3D models. It is commonly used in architectural design, engineering, and other industries where accurate representation of objects is required. In this tutorial, we will explore how to do parallel projection in SketchUp and the different options available.

Enabling Parallel Projection

Before we dive into the details, let’s start by enabling parallel projection in SketchUp. To do this:

  1. Step 1: Open SketchUp and navigate to the “Camera” menu.
  2. Step 2: Select the “Parallel Projection” option from the drop-down menu.

This will switch your view from perspective mode to parallel projection mode.

Adjusting the View

In parallel projection mode, you have control over how your model appears on the screen. You can adjust the view using the following options:

  • Option 1: Zoom In and Out – Use the scroll wheel on your mouse or the zoom controls in SketchUp to zoom in and out of your model.
  • Option 2: Pan – Click and hold the scroll wheel on your mouse or use the pan controls in SketchUp to move around your model.
  • Option 3: Orbit – Click and hold both mouse buttons or use the orbit controls in SketchUp to rotate your view around the model.

You can experiment with these options to find the best view for creating your parallel projection drawing.

Create a Parallel Projection Drawing

Now that you have enabled parallel projection and adjusted your view, it’s time to create a 2D drawing of your 3D model. SketchUp provides two methods for creating parallel projection drawings:

Method 1: Parallel Projection Scenes

This method allows you to save specific views of your model as scenes with parallel projection enabled. To create a parallel projection scene:

  1. Step 1: Navigate to the “Window” menu and select “Scenes” to open the Scenes dialog box.
  2. Step 2: Click on the “+” button in the Scenes dialog box to create a new scene.
  3. Step 3: In the “Properties” tab of the Scenes dialog box, enable “Parallel Projection”.

You can now switch between different scenes using the Scenes dialog box, and each scene will display your model in parallel projection mode.

Method 2: Export as Image

If you only need a single image of your model in parallel projection, you can export it directly as an image file. To do this:

  1. Step 1: Navigate to the “File” menu and select “Export” > “2D Graphic”.
  2. Step 2: Choose a location to save your image file.
  3. Step 3: In the Export Options dialog box, select “Parallel Projection” under “Views”.

You can customize other export settings such as image resolution and file format before exporting your model as an image.

In Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored how to do parallel projection in SketchUp. We learned how to enable parallel projection, adjust the view, and create 2D drawings using parallel projection scenes or by exporting as an image.

Parallel projection is a powerful tool that allows you to create accurate and visually appealing drawings of your 3D models. Now it’s time for you to try it out in your own projects!