Google SketchUp: The Missing Manual

Chapter 9. Advanced Techniques for Groups and Components

Groups and components are such an integral part of SketchUp that they’re used in just about any project you’re likely to tackle. That’s why you’ve seen them in Chapter 1 and throughout this book. Chapter 5 covered components and Chapter 7 showed how the Outliner keeps a running list of groups and components, including their relationships when they’re nested inside of each other.

This chapter explores more advanced techniques for working with and managing components. You’ll explore the mysteries of SketchUp entities’ sticky behavior and learn how that’s different from components’ “glue to” options. (Yes, they’re two different subjects.) You’ll learn how to use collections to organize and store the components you use the most, as well as tips for managing the components in folders on your own computer or network. Along the way you’ll learn how to share components and how to move components between two computers—like an office computer and a home computer.

Making Groups and Components

You can create groups and components in any of several ways. In this section, you’ll try the different commands so you can settle on the ones that work best for your style, computer equipment, and the job at hand. For example, if you’re a one hand on the keyboard and one hand on the mouse artist, you may find that the keyboard shortcuts work best for you. Then again, many people prefer the speed of right-clicking a selection and choosing either Make ...