In this SketchUp quick modeling video, we’ll talk about how to create gears in SketchUp using the circle, offset, and rotate tools.
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When we’re creating geometry like this, the first thing it’s important to understand is the number of segments in your circles. SketchUp doesn’t draw “pure” curves. Instead, the curves are made up of a series of individual segments, which can be set by typing a number with the circle tool active. By adjusting the number of segments in your circle, you can adjust the number of teeth in your gear.
For example, let’s say I draw 2 circles with the same radius, one with 24 sides, and one with 36 sides, like this.
If I then use the offset tool to create a slightly larger circle and draw in some teeth, I can use the rotate tool to copy the teeth around the radius. As you can see, the circle with more segments has more teeth.
Once you’ve drawn your circle, use the offset tool to draw a slightly larger circle. Then, draw lines to the corresponding segment points to start a tooth. You should be able to use the scale tool to shorten this line (hold the control key for uniform scaling).
This is a good time to select your circle, right click and select make center. This will place a control point at the center of your circle that you can use to copy your tooth in rotate mode.
Once you’ve detailed out one tool, use the rotate tool in copy mode to create the rest of your teeth. You’ll probably have to go in and delete out some remaining geometry.
Now we can go in and detail out the rest of our gear. To do this, it’s important to understand the math of how you’re dividing your gear up.
If you want to draw 6 holes in your gear, you’d have to divide the number of degrees in a circle (360) by the number of holes you want to create. Then, you can draw whatever you want your hole to look like, then create copies along the number of degrees you calculated.
Once you’ve done this, you can delete out your remaining geometry and use the push/pull tool to extrude your gear into 3d.
Once you get these basic principles down, you can start getting more complex with the kinds of shapes you can create.
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About Justin Geis
Hi, I'm Justin Geis, and I'm the founder of The SketchUp Essentials. I started using SketchUp as part of my work as a general contractor in 2008. I quickly realized the power of the software and started using it for personal projects. I started The SketchUp Essentials as a place to share easy to follow SketchUp tutorials and tips to help everyone harness the power of 3D Modeling in their lives. When not working with SketchUp, I enjoy playing soccer and spending time with my wife and our two dogs.
