RpTools Tutorial

This Tutorial if for RpTools from Render Plus

Contents

Overview

RpTools is an add-on application for SketchUp for placement and manipulation of components .

SketchUp was originally designed to make it easier to create 3D models. However, by using the Google 3D Warehouse and other component libraries, it can also be a good tool for creating layouts of components and creating reports (using RpReports .

New users who want to place components may not be familiar with the SketchUp Tools for placement, rotation and stretching symbols. RpTools provides wizard to make this functionality easier.

Download and Installation

  1. Proceed to Downloads Page to download a copy of RpWallMaker Free.
  2. After downloading the ZIP file, open it and click Click here to install RpTools to install it.
  3. After Starting SketchUp, Select 'RpTools from the SketchUp Plugins menu.


Start Up

RpTools does not load its toolbar into SketchUp until you click "RpTools: Load RPS" from the Plugins menu.

When you start RpTools, it loads a toolbar with all the RpTools functions.

Tutorial

Create Room

Make Room Wizard

The room wizard will add a room to your model. The room is created a a group and is placed outside the current model. You can move to to the location desired, or edit the group if you want to make other changes.

  1. Select the Room icon ( Room-icon.png ) to load the Create Room Wizard.
  2. Set parameters as desired.
  3. Click OK to create the room

The room is created as a Group . This allows you to glue components to the floor or walls, without inadvertently changing the room. If you want to change the room, right click on it and select Edit Group .

All the walls in the room are drawn as transparent from the outside and with a placement grid on the inside. You can change the materials on the walls when you are ready to complete your drawing.

Transparent Walls


RpTools Editing Wizards

The basic functions of RpTools make it easy to perform edits on components, or any set of selected items, using Wizards to enter precise dimensions and Arrow Icons to specify the direction or orientation of the edit.

Move

Move Wizard for RpTools .

The Move Wizard is useful for more exact positioning.

In this example, we want to move an component exactly 3' along the red axis.

  1. Select a Component or geometry to place.
  2. Click the Move icon on the RpTools toolbar.
  3. Type in a distance desired (or use the up and down sliders)
  4. Click an arrow for the direction to move.
    (The arrows are colored to match the red, green and blue axes.)
    (The angular arrows move the total distance at 45 degrees. If you want to move in two directions, move along one axis, then enter the other distance and move along the other axis.)


Ready to move selected object:
Rptools move1.jpg


Object moved 3' along Red axis:
Rptools move2.jpg

Notes:

Enter the distance to move below, and click an arrow to move in that direction.
If you make a mistake, you can clock the opposite arrow to return, or use Undo.
Use component axes - This is enabled only if a single component instance is selected. If it is checked, the component will be moved along its own axes. (For example if it has been rotated.). Otherwise the selection is moved along the model axes. (Red = X, Green = Y, Blue = Z.)

Copy

Copy Wizard for RpTools


Copy Selection works like Move Selection, except that a new copy of the selected items is created, rather than just moving the items.

  1. Select Component or geometry to copy.
  2. Load RpTools Copy Wizard from Toolbar
  3. Enter the distance to copy
  4. Click the arrow in the direction you want to copy,

Make a copy of a component 3' along the red axis
Rptools copy1.jpg

Notes:

  • Enter the distance to move when making the copy below, and click an arrow to copy in that direction.
  • If you make a mistake use Undo.
  • After the copy, the new entities are selected. If you click an arrow (again), a new copy will be made in that direction.
  • Use component axes - This is enabled only if a single component instance is selected. If it is checked, the component will be copied along its own axes. (For example if it has been rotated.). Otherwise the selection is moved along the model axes. (Red = X, Green = Y, Blue = Z.)

Mirror

Mirror Wizard for RpTools

Mirror works like Copy, except that the geometry is mirrored around an axis.

Note:Mirroring is only in the Red.Green plane not in the Blue Axis. (Useful for mirroring "handed" furniture components.)

  1. Select Component or geometry to mirror
  2. Click the Mirror icon on the RpTools toolbar
  3. Enter a gap to leave between objects after mirroring.
  4. Click the arrow for the direction of the desired mirror.


Ready to mirror "right hand" desk.
Rptools mirror1.jpg


Desk Mirrored along Red Axis with a 2' gap.
Rptools mirror2.jpg


Notes:

  • Quickly mirror components, etc. with the Mirror Wizard. Red and Green mirror operations are reflected through a plane perpendicular to the ground plane (red/green). Blue mirror operations are reflected through a plane parallel to the ground plane.
  • Click any of the colored arrows to mirror the current selection in along the corresponding red, green or blue axis.
  • 'Gap is the distance which will be placed between the selection entities and the mirrored entities. This can be used to mirror furniture in a room or workstation across a hall or aisle.

Rotate

Rotate Wizard for RpTools .

  1. Select Component or geometry to Rotate
  2. Click the Rotate icon on the RpTools toolbar
  3. Use the Rotate By settings in the lower half of the menu select or enter desired rotation.
  4. Select an arrow for the axis to Rotate about.
    (Solid Blue rotates clockwise around the blue axis.)


Ready to rotate selected item
Rptools rotate1.jpg


After rotation of item
Rptools rotate2.jpg

Notes:

  • Enter an angle to rotate by. The radio buttons will prefill some common angles. If you set a small angle such as 15 or 30 degrees, then you can click the arrow several times to get a larger rotation.
  • Click an arrow to rotate around an axis. To spin an item placed on the floow, use the positive or negative Z arrows.
  • Use Component Axes - If the selection is a single component, this option will rotate the selection about its original axes, rather then the model axes.


Stretch

Stretch Wizard for RpTools


Tutorial for Incremental Stretch

  1. Select the Component or geometry to stretch.
  2. Click the Stretch Icon on the RpTools Toolbar.
  3. Select the Stretch type desired - New Dimensions, Percentage, or Incremental Add-on
  4. Click one of the colored arrows to shrink or expand the component along that axis.


Object ready to stretch
Rptools stretch1.jpg


After Stretch
(Since this is a Dynamic Component, more rungs were added to the back.)
Rptools stretch2.jpg


Notes:

There are 3 tabs available for stretching.

Dimensions

Shows the current size of the component or entities selected.
Enter the desired size in any of the directions and click Apply to perform the stretch.
You can also return to this tab after performing a percentage or incremental stretch to see what the new dimensions are.

Percentage

Enter a percentage and click an arrow to stretch the component, or selected entities, along an axis. Click an arrow to stretch in that direction.
If you want to stretch in all 2 or more directions at the same time, check the Lock dimensions in these axes check boxes. You must check 2 or 3 axis boxes for locking to occur.

Incremental

Enter a distance to increase the selection by. Click an arrow to stretch in that direction.



Downloads and Installation

There is a 30 day Trial Version for RPS products. This is a fully functional version, with watermarks or other text added to indicate that it is a trial version.

Follow the links on the Downloads Page to download the latest version.

Support

If you have any problems or questions, post them on the: RpTools Forum

See also

External links