In this tutorial, we will learn how to taper a cylinder in SketchUp. Tapering is a useful technique that allows you to gradually decrease or increase the diameter of a cylinder along its height. This can be handy when creating various objects such as vases, lampshades, or custom-shaped columns.
Step 1: Creating a Cylinder
To begin, let’s create a basic cylinder shape in SketchUp. Start by selecting the ‘Circle’ tool from the toolbar on the left side of the screen.
Click on the ground plane and drag your mouse to define the base diameter of the cylinder. Release the mouse to complete the circle.
Next, use the ‘Push/Pull’ tool located at the top of your screen or press ‘P’ on your keyboard to activate it. Click on the circle you just created and drag your mouse upwards to specify the desired height for your cylinder.
Step 2: Selecting and Scaling
Now that we have our basic cylinder shape, let’s select it by clicking on any face or edge of the object with the ‘Select’ tool (the arrow icon) from your toolbar. The selected object will turn blue.
Once selected, right-click on your cylinder and choose ‘Scale’ from the context menu that appears.
Substep 2.1: Scaling Handles
You will notice that several scaling handles appear around your selected object. These handles allow you to adjust different aspects of your shape independently.
Note: Make sure you have activated proportional scaling by pressing ‘S’ on your keyboard before proceeding further.
Substep 2.2: Tapering
To taper our cylinder, we need to scale it in one direction while keeping the other dimensions intact. To do this, select one of the scaling handles on the top or bottom face of the cylinder and drag it towards the center of the object.
The more you drag the scaling handle towards the center, the more pronounced the tapering effect will be. You can experiment with different values until you achieve your desired result.
Step 3: Finalizing
Once you are satisfied with your tapered cylinder, click anywhere outside of your object to deselect it. Your cylinder will no longer be highlighted, indicating that it is no longer selected.
Congratulations! You have successfully tapered a cylinder in SketchUp. Now you can further manipulate this shape or use it in your 3D model as needed.
Tapering objects in SketchUp opens up a world of possibilities for creating unique and custom designs. Whether you want to create organic shapes or architectural elements, mastering this technique will give you greater control over your designs.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have learned how to taper a cylinder in SketchUp using scaling techniques. By selecting and scaling specific handles of our object, we were able to create a tapered effect while maintaining other dimensions. With practice, you can apply this technique to various objects and unleash your creativity within SketchUp.