CheatSheetsHero

Browse / SketchUp Pro Cheatsheet

April 24, 2025 00:03
3d modeling
design
shortcuts
sketchup
Download PDF
Missing something?

SketchUp Pro Cheatsheet

A handy reference guide for SketchUp Pro, covering essential shortcuts, tools, and techniques to enhance your 3D modeling workflow.

Navigation & Viewing

Basic Camera Controls

Orbit

Shortcut: O or Middle Mouse Button
Rotates the camera around the model.

Pan

Shortcut: Shift + Middle Mouse Button
Moves the camera view parallel to the screen.

Zoom

Shortcut: Mouse Wheel (Scroll)
Zooms the camera in and out.

Zoom Extents

Shortcut: Shift + Z
Zooms to show the entire model.

Zoom Window

Shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + W
Zooms to a selected area.

Previous View

Shortcut: Alt + Left Arrow
Returns to the previous camera position.

Next View

Shortcut: Alt + Right Arrow
Navigates to the next camera position.

Standard Views

Top View

Shortcut: Shift + 1
Displays the top view of the model.

Front View

Shortcut: Shift + 2
Displays the front view of the model.

Right View

Shortcut: Shift + 3
Displays the right view of the model.

Back View

Shortcut: Shift + 4
Displays the back view of the model.

Left View

Shortcut: Shift + 5
Displays the left view of the model.

Iso View

Shortcut: Shift + 6
Displays the isometric view of the model.

Drawing & Editing

Basic Tools

Line

Shortcut: L
Draws straight lines.

Rectangle

Shortcut: R
Draws rectangles.

Circle

Shortcut: C
Draws circles.

Arc

Shortcut: A
Draws arcs.

Polygon

Shortcut: Shift + P
Draws polygons.

Freehand

Shortcut: F
Draws freehand lines.

Modification Tools

Push/Pull

Shortcut: P
Extrudes faces to create 3D forms.

Move

Shortcut: M
Moves entities.

Rotate

Shortcut: Q
Rotates entities.

Scale

Shortcut: S
Scales entities.

Offset

Shortcut: F
Creates offset copies of lines and faces.

Follow Me

Extrudes a face along a path.

Selection Tools

Select

Shortcut: Spacebar
Selects entities.

Eraser

Shortcut: E
Erases entities.

Components & Groups

Groups

Create Group: Select entities, then right-click and choose ‘Make Group’. Groups isolate geometry.

Edit Group: Double-click on the group to enter edit mode. Any changes made within the group will not affect geometry outside the group.

Explode Group: Right-click on the group and choose ‘Explode’ to dissolve the group, merging its geometry with the surrounding geometry.

Components

Create Component: Select entities, then right-click and choose ‘Make Component’. Components are instances of a master definition.

Edit Component: Double-click a component to edit it. Any changes made to one instance of a component will automatically update all other instances of that component.

Replace Component: You can replace all instances of one component with another using the Component Browser.

Component Browser: Access pre-made and custom components through ‘Window > Components’.

Detach componentRight-click on the component and choose ‘Detach’.

Key Differences

Groups vs. Components: Groups are for isolating geometry. Components are for creating reusable and linked instances of geometry.

Materials & Textures

Applying Materials

Paint Bucket Tool: Activate the Paint Bucket tool (B), then select a material from the Materials Browser and click on a face to apply the material.

Materials Browser: Access the Materials Browser through ‘Window > Materials’. Here you can select from pre-loaded libraries or create your own materials.

Editing Materials

Edit Material: In the Materials Browser, select the ‘Edit’ tab to modify the properties of a selected material, such as color, texture, opacity, and size.

Texture Positioning: Right-click on a face with a texture and choose ‘Texture > Position’ to adjust the texture’s placement, scale, and rotation.

Match Color in Model: Use the ‘Match Color in Model’ eyedropper tool to sample a color from your model and apply it to other faces.

Tips & Tricks

Seamless Textures: Use seamless textures to avoid visible edges when tiling materials.

Purge Unused Materials: Periodically purge unused materials (‘Window > Model Info > Statistics > Purge Unused’) to reduce file size.