Advanced Inferencing in SketchUp

The inference engine is always running in the background and is there to help keep your geometry aligned in accurate and meaningful ways. Mastering inferences is essential to fast and efficient drafting in SketchUp. The inferences discussed in this section are advanced techniques; becoming familiar with each of these inferences will make you much faster at drawing in SketchUp. Try to think of ways to eliminate clicks from your own modeling techniques. Often, inferences can eliminate guides and clicks. Many of the following inferences work with both the Drawing tools and the Move tool.

TIP : The inference engine cannot be turned off, but why would you want to? once you master the available inferences, you will wonder how you ever lived without advanced inferences.

Multiple Points

Figure 4.44  Encouraging two inference points to use a meaningful starting point

You can encourage an inference from a point, a midpoint, or even two points (Figure 4.44). Follow these steps:

1.  With the Line tool active, hover on an endpoint until you see the Endpoint notifica- tion. When you see the notification, the edge is loaded into the inference engine. Move your cursor away from the point and you will see a dotted inference line repre- senting the axis it is on.

2.  Hover on another endpoint until you see the Endpoint notification. When you see the notification, the edge is loaded into the inference engine. Move your cursor away from the point and you will see two dotted inference lines project- ing from the two inferenced points.

3.  Click where the inference lines meet to start the line at a mean- ingful point. Now you can go on to encourage more inferences and click to finish.

Parallel to Edge

Figure 4.45  A Parallel to Edge inference

Draw parallel to an existing edge by encouraging a Parallel to Edge inference (Figure 4.45). Follow these steps:

1.  Click once to start a line.

2.  Position your cursor on the edge to which you want to draw a line parallel. Wait for the On Edge inference to appear; this lets you know that SketchUp loaded that edge into the inference engine.

3.  Position you cursor roughly parallel to the edge. The active line will turn magenta and you will see the Parallel to Edge notification appear. At this point you can hold down the Shift key to lock the inference.

4.  Position your cursor over a point, edge, or surface to specify the distance and click to finish.

Constrained on Line

Figure 4.46  A constrained inference on a line

The Edge Constrained inference allows you to either start or finish an operation along a specific edge (Figure 4.46). Follow these steps:

1.  Using the Line tool, hover on an edge. When you see the On Edge inference, hold down the Shift key.

2.  Move your cursor off of the existing geometry and notice that the starting point is constrained on the edge. Click to start the line.

3.  Hover on another edge. Once you see the On Edge inference, hold down the Shift key to constrain the next point along that edge.

4.  Click to finish the line.

TIP : you can also constrain an operation on a surface by first hovering on the surface and then holding the Shift key. This will limit any line that you draw to be coplanar with the inferred surface. constrained inferences, both edge and surface, are especially helpful when you’re working out complex roofs in three dimensions.

Line Intersect

Figure 4.47  The Line Intersect inference

Use the Line Intersect inference to take the place of guides and project intersections between lines (Figure 4.47). Follow these steps:

1.  To encourage the inference, use the Line tool to hover on an endpoint until you see the Endpoint inference notification.

2.  Move your cursor down away from the Endpoint on the green axis and click to set the starting point.

3.  Move your cursor to the left until you find the red axis. Once the active line turns red, hold down the Shift key to lock the axis.

4.  Position you cursor on the angled line. The endpoint of the line has been projected to the intersection of the locked axis and the inferenced edge. Click to finish.

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