How to Draw Contour Landforms in SketchUp
- 1). Click the "File" menu and select the "New" command to create a new SketchUp document. Click the person at the intersection of the red, green and blue axes, then press "Delete" to delete the person. This step prepares the scene for creating your terrain.
- 2). Click the "Window" menu and select the "Preferences" item to display a dialogue box that lets you customize the appearance of SketchUp's application window. Click the "Extensions" item in the left pane of the dialogue to display a list of plug-ins that extend the functionality of the application. Click the "Sandbox" check box and then click "OK." The Tools and the Draw menu now display additional commands available through the Sandbox extension.
- 3). Click the "Camera" menu and select the "Standard Views" sub-menu to display a list of views that enable you to view objects in your scene at a direct angle. Click the "Top" item to move the viewpoint to a position that looks directly down at the ground.
- 4). Click the “Tools" panel icon, shaped like a squiggly line, to run the Freehand tool, which you can use to draw any arbitrary curve. Click anywhere on the ground to establish the starting point of a curve, then drag to draw a curve with any shape you'd like. Release the mouse to complete the curve.
- 5). Draw at least two more curves, separated from one other by a short distance. Press "Space" to run the Selection tool.
- 6). Press and hold the middle mouse wheel, and then drag forward to move the viewpoint away from top view and toward a view that shows the ground at an indirect angle. This viewpoint will let you see the three dimensions of the landform you'll create.
- 7). Press "M" to enter Move mode, then drag upward on the curve to raise it above the ground. Raise the remaining curves above the ground as you did the first curve but ensure the height of each curve is different. Doing so will guarantee a terrain object with varying height.
- 8). Press "Space" to enter Selection mode, then drag a selection region around all curves. SketchUp will turn the curves blue to indicate that they are selected. Click the "From Contours" command on the Draw menu to turn the curves into a landform.
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