SketchUp Q: handling dados? / exploded drawing?

[Art Mulder]

(Background: downloaded Mac Google SketchUp on Wednesday, and have been learning a lot, it goes quick, but still lots to learn)

I haven't seen this in any of the tutorials that I browsed through...

#1) What is the recommended way to handle dados in a project?
Last night and this morning I was doodling up a bookcase. It came together quite quickly, but it is not accurate to build from, since it shows but joints throughout, rather than dados.

Do you draw the upright, then start marking out the dado's and pushing them into the sides with the push/pull? (Still needs to find a way to throw up the equivalent of rulers, so I know where to put in the dados)

Is there a better way?

#2) and once I'm done, is there a simple way to have the drawing "explode" so I can see the individual components?

Directions and guidance humbly accepted,
best,
...art

[Dave Richards]

Art, to answer your first question, using Push/Pull to cut dadoes and rabbets is the easiest way. Just draw the edges of the cut and push in the surface between. Read the help files regarding construction geometry. I don't know how you activate the tape measure tool to give you construction linbes but it can be done. Might require holding the Option key while dragging with the tape measure tool.

I think of construction geometry in the same light as drawing layout lines with a pencil. You can draw construction lines parallel with reference to other lines. With the Protractor tool you can draw lines at angles to other lines. These will help you layout the locations of your joinery.

As to the second part, if you make each piece of the model a group or component, you can easily separate them with the Move tool. Alternatively, Todd Burch has written a neat Ruby script that will explode the model for you. You can purchase the script through http://smustard.com

Hope that helps.