Exercise 1 of 5About 10 minutes4 boards

Boards, not boxes

Draw the box: a top and a bottom, 1000 × 600, over two sides, 1964 × 600. Each one its own component. The box sits 100 off the floor: the plinth goes under it in exercise 2.

New in this exerciseFrom the exercises before

Do it here, step by step

The model is ready below, with SketchUp's own tools and keys. Watch a step beside it, then do it in the model: each step ticks itself, and Check my work measures every board to the millimetre. No download, no account.

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Measurements

Step 1 of 6

Follows the model you're drawing: each step ticks itself once it's done.

Press Set up the model in this window.
You should see: The floor, the wall and a dashed outline, 1000 × 600: the wardrobe stands here.
RectangleR Click the dashed corner at the front left, move towards the back right and type 1000,600 Enter. Push/PullP Click the rectangle, pull it up and type 18 Enter. SelectSpace Triple-click the board to select all of it, press G and name it Bottom.
You should see: A board on the outline. Entity Info says Component: Bottom.
MoveM Click a corner of the bottom and start moving it up. Press ↑ to lock it to the blue axis, so it can only go up or down, then type 100 Enter.
You should see: A gap of 100 under the bottom, the same all round.
RectangleR On top of the bottom, click its front-left corner and type 18,600 Enter. Push/PullP Pull it up and type 1964 Enter. SelectSpace Triple-click it, press G and name it Left side.
You should see: The side stands on the bottom, flush at the front and the back.
MoveM With the left side selected, tap Ctrl (Option on a Mac) to copy. Click its front corner, move right and press → to lock it to the red axis, then type 982 Enter.
You should see: Two sides, 1000 apart on the outside: 1000 − 18 = 982.
SelectSpace Click the bottom. MoveM Tap Ctrl to copy, click its corner, move up, press ↑ for the blue axis and type 1982 Enter. Then press Check my work.
You should see: A closed box, 4 of 4 right. The top is a copy of the Bottom component: the same part twice.

Keys and axes

Tools

RRectangle
PPush/Pull
MMove
LLine
SpaceSelect
GMake Component (select the board first)

Axes: an arrow key locks the way you're drawing or moving

→red axisleft and right: the width
←green axisfront and back: the depth
↑blue axisup and down: the height
ShiftAlready moving along an axis? Hold Shift and it stays on it.
CtrlWith Move: makes a copy (Option on a Mac)
EscCancels what you're doing

Sizes: just type, they go in the Measurements box at the bottom right, then Enter. Two sizes: 1000,600 (1000;600 if your computer writes decimals with a comma).

On a tablet or phone: press Full screen, tap to click, drag one finger to move the pointer while you draw (or to turn the view), pinch with two fingers to zoom, and type sizes on the keypad under the model (its red, green and blue keys lock an axis, as the arrow keys do). A mouse and keyboard is quicker.

Prefer your own SketchUp? The CabinetOS extension sets up the same model there and checks it the same way. Get the extension

What you draw

Board	Cut size (mm)	Why that size	Where it goes
Bottom	1000 × 600 × 18	1000 × 600, the full width and depth.	It sits 100 off the floor, for the plinth.
Left side	1964 × 600 × 18	2100 − 100 plinth − 18 top − 18 bottom = 1964 high, 600 deep.	It stands on the bottom at the left end, flush at the front and back.
Right side	1964 × 600 × 18	The same as the left side: 1964 × 600.	It stands on the bottom at the right end, flush at the front and back.
Top	1000 × 600 × 18	1000 × 600, like the bottom.	It sits on the two sides, its top 2100 from the floor.

Bottom1000 × 600 × 18
Why that size: 1000 × 600, the full width and depth.
Where it goes: It sits 100 off the floor, for the plinth.
Left side1964 × 600 × 18
Why that size: 2100 − 100 plinth − 18 top − 18 bottom = 1964 high, 600 deep.
Where it goes: It stands on the bottom at the left end, flush at the front and back.
Right side1964 × 600 × 18
Why that size: The same as the left side: 1964 × 600.
Where it goes: It stands on the bottom at the right end, flush at the front and back.
Top1000 × 600 × 18
Why that size: 1000 × 600, like the bottom.
Where it goes: It sits on the two sides, its top 2100 from the floor.

Stuck? A hint

Type the sizes as you draw: start the Rectangle, then type 1000,600 and press Enter. The top and bottom run over the sides, so the sides are 2100 − 100 − 18 − 18 = 1964.

What Check my work looks at

Each board is its own component, not a group or loose faces.
Each board is the size CabinetOS would cut it, to 1 mm.
Each board is in its place, to 1 mm.
Nothing missing, nothing extra.

When something's wrong it says which board and why, for example that a board is 21 thick instead of 18, or 3 mm too far left. Show it selects that board in your model.

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