Are you a complete beginner to SketchUp? Never tried 3D modeling before? In this series of videos, I’ll walk you through how to create a medicine cabinet using SketchUp Free. You can use SketchUp Free right in your browser, just go to https://app.SketchUp.com, then follow along the videos below.
SketchUp Free looks different than the desktop versions of SketchUp, like SketchUp Make (now discontinued, but 2017 version still available) and SketchUp Pro. SketchUp Free runs right in your browser, no downloads needed. This tutorial series uses SketchUp Free, but the commands and processes are the same for SketchUp Make & SketchUp Pro.
After we create the medicine cabinet together, I’ll show you how to isolate each part of the cabinet in their own scene, where we can add dimensions, and then open the model inside of the free SketchUp viewer app on our phone. I’ll then show you the build process I took while building this medicine cabinet, including some design changes made along the way.
If you’d like to download the completed medicine cabinet, you can download it below.
SAMPLE FILE
Click the button to download the file.
Part One
This is the first video in this SketchUp beginner’s series where I teach you how to 3D model using SketchUp Free in your browser to design, model, and build a medicine cabinet from scratch. You don’t need any SketchUp experience at all to follow along. Just go to app.SketchUp.com, create a free account, then follow along this video series.
Part Two
You’ll continue to learn SketchUp while we model the sides of the medicine cabinet in this video. We cover the inference system in more detail, how to use components to create identical copies, creating selection boxes around entities, creating copies with the move tool, and much more.
Part Three
We model the back panel in this video, which involves modifying existing components. You’ll also use Push/Pull in a different way, to remove geometry from a solid shape. Snapping your cursor to at an interval distance can make it so you don’t have to type in dimensions every time. We also add shelves to the cabinet by making an array copy. Learn this and more, in this video!
Part Four
Create the door to the medicine cabinet in this video, learn new ways to do things, such as mirroring components and rotating objects using the Rotate tool. The Offset tool will come in handy when modeling the mirror, and the Tape Measure tool will allow us to create guides in our model. Learn all of this and more inside this video.
Part Five
In this final video of the SketchUp modeling part of this series, we’ll model the crown molding on the cabinet. The profile will be drawn from scratch, where you’ll learn some new drawing tools. We’ll then create a path, and use the Follow Me tool along that path to extrude the crown molding around the cabinet.
Dimensions, Scenes, and Layers
Now that the model is completed, we can organize it using scenes and layers in order to create an exploded view, and a view of all the parts to make this medicine cabinet. This will allow us to view each part in the shop, on our phone, using the free SketchUp mobile app.
Next Week
I’ll be sharing the build video of this medicine cabinet. Check back soon.
