Finishing Door and Window Openings: SketchUp Tutorial

Now in this next video, we will finish our door and window openings for the main part of the building. Let's first change back our face view from Solid to X-Ray view.

Go to View in the top file menu, then go to Face Style and click X-Ray. For this step, we're going to create a window opening here, a door opening here, and a window opening here. We can use X-Ray mode to see where these lines are in relation to the wall.

We could use many of the same steps we used earlier—either using guides or using the Rectangle Tool to measure. First, let's double-click our wall so we're inside the group. Then go to the Tape Measure Tool, and make sure the plus sign is visible next to the cursor. This means it will create a guide when clicked.

If we don’t see the plus sign and click without it, SketchUp will just display a measurement. Pressing CTRL toggles the guide creation mode. Let’s make sure that plus is on before placing guides.

I'm going to deselect any selected objects so I can better see the window and door openings. I'll go back to my Tape Measure Tool, and with the plus on, I'll click here, then click along the red axis. Hover over the point we want to snap to, then orbit closer. Click on this guide, move the cursor to the point, and ensure you're snapping on the red axis. Finally, we’ll define the two vertical points for the window. Now we've created our vertical guides for our windows and doors.

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Next, let’s create horizontal guides for the tops and sills. We know the top of the windows and door is at 7 feet, so we’ll type 7' to designate feet. Remember, typing just 7 would result in inches. For the window sills, type 18, then press ENTER.

Now we have the guides for where we want to cut door and window openings. Use the Rectangle Tool, click from one guide intersection to another to define the openings—ensure you’re snapping to the green axis, not the blue. Create all the rectangles for the desired openings.

Now press Escape to cancel the current selection. Use the Push/Pull Tool to push into the wall. When you see "On Face, " SketchUp will automatically cut the hole. Double-click the other faces to apply the same Push/Pull depth and create the openings.

Go to Edit > Delete Guides. Then go to View > Face Style and disable X-Ray mode to check how the openings look. Press Escape to exit the wall group. Everything looks good—let’s save our file.

Now let’s orbit around to the back side of the building where we have three additional door openings at the bottom of the wall. We don’t need X-Ray mode since these are visible. Double-click into the wall group.

We’ll place one guide for this door and copy it to the others. Grab the Tape Measure Tool, click on one edge, and draw a guide to the end of the door. Do the same on the other side. If you accidentally snap to the wrong point, drag the guide along the red axis to the correct endpoint. You may need to view from underneath to confirm the snap. Measure the distance to ensure it’s 6 feet—it should say "Length: 6’" in the bottom right.

Create a guide from the base upward—type 7', Enter. Use the Rectangle Tool to draw the opening from corner to guide intersection.

Rather than repeat for the other doors, double-click the shape to select the face and edges. Then use the Move Tool, press CTRL to toggle Copy, and snap to a corresponding corner on the next doorway. Then type 2, Enter to create a total of three equally spaced openings.

Use the Push/Pull Tool to cut through each rectangle. Double-click the other faces to match depth. Go to Edit > Delete Guides. Exit the group and double-check—everything looks correct. Save your model.

Now our door and window openings are complete. Next, we’ll assign the walls to the correct tag and draw the floor and foundation footings.

Open the Tags dialog box. Click the plus icon to add a new tag. Name it "Walls." Then select the wall group and, in the Entity Info panel, change the tag from Untagged to Walls. Now the wall visibility can be toggled via the Tags panel.

To draw the floor, orbit below the building. Turn off the Floor Plan via the Scenes panel if necessary. We can use either the Line Tool to trace the perimeter or the Rectangle Tool to define the entire floor footprint by snapping to exterior corners.

Select the resulting face, triple-click to select all connected geometry. Right-click, Make Group. Double-click into the group and erase unnecessary lines to form one clean face.

Use the Push/Pull Tool to drag the face downward—type 6, Enter—for a 6-inch slab.

Now add footings. We want them to be 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep. Use the Offset Tool, click the slab edge, move the cursor inward, and type 12, Enter.

Use the Push/Pull Tool again, click the outer band, and drag it down—type 12, Enter. Then press Escape and exit the group.

Finally, create a tag for the floor. Click the plus symbol in the Tags panel and name it "Floor." Select the floor group, then in Entity Info, change its tag to Floor. Now both walls and floor can be toggled independently using the Tags or Scenes panels.

Save your file. In the next video, we will begin creating our doors for the clubhouse. I’ll see you in the next video.