Toolbars
Toolbars group and organize buttons that activate commands and tools in SketchUp. They are available for most default commands, like drawing and editing tools, and also for installed 3rd party extension. I prefer a clean screen, so I keep most toolbars closed while working and only open what I need on demand.
Accessing Toolbars
- There are two ways to open toolbars.
- Right-click on any toolbar, then choose a toolbar to open from the list (PC only)
Click on the View dropdown > Toolbars (Tool Palettes on a Mac), check on the toolbars to open
You can close toolbars in the same way, just uncheck the toolbar you wish to close.
I usually keep SketchUp’s Large Tool Set open at all times. Some of the functions come in handy, but most of them I have keyboard shortcuts for. This toolbar is most helpful for teaching. Once you finish the course, you can decide.
HEADS UP! If you have multiple monitors and don’t see the Toolbars you are trying to open within your SketchUp window, take a look around at your other screens.
Organize Your Screen
On a PC, you can dock the toolbars to organize your workspace.
- Click and drag an undocked toolbar to the top, bottom, or side of the screen, or double-click on a toolbar name. The toolbar will lock itself to the SketchUp window.
- To undock a toolbar, click and drag the dotted line at the left of the toolbar, move it away from the perimeter of the SketchUp workspace, and release to place it where you want.
Maximize your 3D workspace by minimizing your toolbar footprint. Select View > Toolbars, then click on the Options tab, and check on Large Buttons to toggle the large icons on and off. I have big monitors with lots of pixels, so I actually prefer the large tool buttons turned on.
DIG DEEPER… Check out page 131 in “The SketchUp Workflow for Architecture”.