Draw a ceiling in SketchUp by using the "Line" tool to create a simple polygon and then using the "Move" tool to raise the polygon off the ground by an amount you specify. The techniques used for this project are essentially the same as those for designing a floor plan, except that a ceiling won't have the same quantity of objects that a floor plan does. To apply a texture or color to your ceiling, you use the Paint Bucket icon from the Tools panel. Then you click a texture from the gallery of swatches to apply the texture to the ceiling.
Instructions
1. Click the icon shaped like a line segment on the Tools panel to run the "Line" tool. This tool is used to create polygons from line segments. Click anywhere on the ground to plot the first point of one edge of the ceiling.
2. Drag the mouse to form the vertical portion of an "L" character. Your ceiling will have the shape of this character. You can draw other shapes, but this one introduces you to a shape that is one step beyond a plain rectangular ceiling plan.
3. Click the mouse to complete the vertical portion of the "L," then drag right to form the horizontal base. Click the mouse and drag up a short distance. Click the mouse again and drag left a short distance. You are now at the base of the vertical portion of the "L." Click again and drag upward until a dotted line appears, cutting across the mouse path. This line represents SketchUp's Inference system, which shows you when to click the mouse to align new points with existing ones.
4. Click the mouse and left to connect to the starting point of the "L." SketchUp will fill the shape with a medium shade of gray to indicate that you have formed the polygon for the ceiling's plan.
5. Click the icon shaped like a four-headed arrow on the Tools panel to run the "Move" tool, and upward on the "L" to raise it above the ground. Input "10" to specify a height of 10 feet and press "Enter." SketchUp will position the L-design exactly 10 feet above the ground, which is a common height for ceilings.
Tags: Click mouse, then drag, Tools panel, vertical portion, above ground, again drag