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SketchUp

Move Tool

Move Tool: Moving precisely

Moving precisely

The Measurements Toolbar at the bottom right corner of the SketchUp window displays the length of the move operation (displacement) in the default units, as specified under the Units panel of the Model Info dialog box, while moving, copying, or stretching entities. In addition to creating arrays, you can also specify an exact displacement or a relative or absolute 3D coordinate for the finishing point during, or immediately after, a move operation.

Entering a Displacement Value
You can specify a new displacement length during or directly following a move operation. To enter a displacement value during a move operation:

  1. Select the Select tool (Select Tool). The cursor will change to an arrow.
  2. Select the entities to be moved.
  3. Select the Move tool (Move Tool). The cursor will change to a four-way arrow.
  4. Click once to select the start point of the move operation.
  5. Move your mouse to begin moving the entities in the correct direction. The selected entities will follow as you move your mouse. Also, an inference line will appear between the start and ending points of the move, and the distance of the move is displayed dynamically in the Measurements Toolbar.
  6. Type the positive or negative displacement value (such as 20' or -35mm) in the Measurements Toolbar and press the Enter (Microsoft Windows) or Return (Mac OS X) key.

Note: You can type values in the Measurements Toolbar using an alternate measuring system than the default system. SketchUp will convert the value to the default system. For example, you can type in 3' 6" even if you are using metric system as your default.

Entering a 3D Coordinate
SketchUp can move your entities to exact (using [ ]) or relative (using < >) coordinates in 3D space. To enter a 3D coordinate during a move operation:

  1. Select the Select tool (Select Tool). The cursor will change to an arrow.
  2. Select the entities to be moved.
  3. Select the Move tool (Move Tool). The cursor will change to a four-way arrow.
  4. Click once to select the start point of the move operation.
  5. Move your mouse to begin moving the entities in the correct direction. The selected entities will follow as you move your mouse. Also, an inference line will appear between the start and ending points of the move, and the distance of the move is displayed dynamically in the Measurements Toolbar.
  6. Type the exact or relative coordinate.

    Global Coordinates: [x, y, z] of the current Sketch Axes:


    Relative Coordinates: relative to the start point:


Note: You can define only one or two values as part of your 3D coordinate. For example, to move geometry to 2 feet in the z or blue direction enter the following in the Measurements Toolbar: [,,2']

Note: The exact format for values typed in the Measurements Toolbar will vary depending on your computer's regional settings. For some European users, the list separator symbol is a semi-colon instead of a comma. For example, [x; y; z]

updated 10/16/2012

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