How To Draw An Arc In Sketchup

Drawing Arcs

Your model is more than than just directly lines. SketchUp can help you create curved geometry using arcs. Before you begin drawing arcs, here are a few handy details nearly the way arc entities work:

An arc contains multiple connected line segments, just exists within your model as a single entity.
An arc can both define the border of a confront and divide a face.
Although an arc is 1 entity, SketchUp's inference engine identifies each segment that makes up an arc and highlights any geometric betoken if y'all hover your cursor over one.
Each arc contains 12 segments past default. Still, you lot tin can tell SketchUp how many segments to use in an arc entity. More segments ways your arc may appear smoother, but SketchUp needs to work harder to brandish your model. Fewer than 12 segments keeps your model simple, but the arc may look a bit blocky.

SketchUp offers four tools to aid you describe arcs in your model, each with its ain unique method of creating an arc to all-time suit what you want to announced in your model:

Arc: When this tool is activated a protractor appears to assist you set the get-go and ending of the arc based on your desired angle. Your first click defines the eye point, the second your endpoint, and the third finishes the arc creating an open up arc made of straight-edge segments.
Pie tool: This tool works just similar the Arc tool, simply creates a closed pie shape that becomes a face.
ii Point Arc tool: Activating this tool changes your cursor to a pencil. Your kickoff click defines i cease of the arc, the second the other finish. The 3rd click defines the bulge of the arc.
3 Signal Arc tool: Activating this tool also changes the cursor to a pencil. The showtime click sets your starting indicate, the second a pivot indicate, and the third defines the endpoint.

You tin find the arc tools in a few different places:

The Getting Started or Drawing toolbars.
The Large Tool Gear up toolbar
The Depict > Arcs submenu
The Tool Palette (macOS only)

The following video introduces how you draw with the rainbow of arc tools and each tool's gold secrets. Or read on for details about drawing with each arc tool.

Drawing with the Arc and Pie Tools
Drawing with the 2-Bespeak Arc Tool
Drawing with the 3-Betoken Arc Tool
Editing an Arc Entity

Drawing with the Arc and Pie tools

The Arc tool and the Pie tool are handy when you need to know your arc's angle, rather than a burl or radius. The Arc tool draws an open up arc, and the Pie tool draws a airtight, pie-shaped arc.

To create an arc with the Arc or Pie tool, follow these steps:

Select the Arc tool () or the Pie tool (). The cursor changes to a pencil with an open arc or a closed arc, respectively, and a half-circumvolve protractor indicates the orientation of a drawing aeroplane.
Click to place the heart of your arc. A full circle protractor appears locking the orientation of the drawing aeroplane.
Motility the cursor to the starting bespeak of your arc. Discover that the Radius value in the Measurements box changes dynamically as yous movement the cursor. If yous like, you lot can type a number and unit of measurement and press Enter to ready a precise radius value.
Click to identify the starting betoken of your arc. A straight dotted line representing the radius of your arc appears, as shown in the figure. Notice that the Measurements box changes to have an Angle value.
Movement the cursor to the ending point of your arc.
Click to identify the ending point of your arc. Y'all may also blazon an angle value and press Enter or Return. If you used the Arc tool, SketchUp creates an open arc. If you used the pie tool, you lot will encounter a pie-shaped face up. The following figure shows an open arc on the left and a pie shape on the right.

Arcs created with the Arc or Pie tool are drawn with a fixed number of line segments by default. These segments grow or shrink in length depending on the completeness of the arc. Y'all can change the number of line segments or base the arc on circumvolve segments - the number of segments information technology would take for the arc to course a complete circle - instead. To alter the number of segments:

Immediately later on drawing the arc, blazon the number of sides you want and the letter of the alphabet S for sides then press Enter or Return.
- For example, typing 10s creates an arc with x line segments.
To increase the number of segments press Ctrl + (Microsoft Windows) or Selection + (macOS).
To decrease the number of segments press Ctrl - (Microsoft Windows) or Pick - (macOS). Please note, if you're using a French Canadian keyboard, press the Ctrl key (Microsoft Windows) and the +/= key to increase the segments. For macOS, press Command and = to increment segments or - to decrease segments.

To base your arc on circumvolve segments:

Immediately afterwards cartoon the arc, blazon the number of circumvolve sides and the letter C for circumvolve then press Enter or Return.
- For example, typing 20c tells SketchUp to base your arc on a 20-sided circumvolve.

Drawing with the 2 Point Arc tool

When yous draw an arc with the 2 Indicate Arc tool, you fix the starting point, the catastrophe point, and the bulge distance. The distance between the starting point and the ending point is likewise known as the chord length.

To draw a 2-point arc, follow these steps:

Select the 2 Point Arc tool (). The cursor changes to a pencil with an arc.
Click to place the starting point of your arc. The Measurements box is now ready to have a Length value.
Move the cursor to the ending betoken of your chord. (Press the Esc key at any signal during the operation to outset over.)
Click to identify the ending point or blazon a length value and press Enter. A direct line is created. The Measurements box changes to accept a Bulge value.
Motility your cursor perpendicular to the direct line to adjust the bulge altitude. If you desire to draw a half circumvolve, watch for the half-circumvolve inference, every bit shown in the figure. The inference tells you when the arc is a half-circumvolve. You lot tin can tap the arrow key to lock your movement to that inference; Upwards for Blue, Left for Green, Right for Cerise. Yous'll see a notification at the cursor that the inference is locked.
Click to set up the bulge altitude or blazon a value, such as 5' or 7mm, and press Enter or Return.

Note: If you lot demand to repeat the same 2-point arc in your model - for case if you're rounding all 4 corners on a rectangle - you can simply move your cursor to each corner and double-click. This activity repeats the previous arc parameters and even cleans out the backlog waste product.

Tip: Immediately after you draw a 2-betoken arc, yous tin can modify the bulge, radius, or number of segments with the Measurements box. Remember that you don't need to click in the Measurements box commencement; merely type a value and printing Enter or Render. Here's how to change each value:

Bulge distance: Subsequently you finish creating a two-point arc, the Measurements box is ready to accept a Burl value by default. Just type the value and units (if different from the default units in your template).
Radius: You tin specify an arc radius instead of a burl distance. Type the desired radius in the Measurements box and add the letter R for radius. For instance: 24r or 3'half-dozen"r or 5mr
Number of segments: Type a number and followed by the letter S for segments. For instance: 20s

Drawing with the 3 Point Arc tool

When you use the 3 Point Arc tool, y'all draw the arc based on a pivot point. Follow these steps to use the 3 Point Arc tool:

Select the 3 Bespeak Arc tool (). The cursor changes to a pencil with an arc.
Click to establish a starting point of the arc.
Move the cursor away from the starting signal.
Click again to establish the second signal. A small dot appears, which is a pivot point for the arc.
Movement the cursor away from the dot. An arc appears as you move the cursor. You can tap the arrow key to lock your move to that inference; Upward for Bluish, Left for Green, Correct for Red. You'll come across a notification at the cursor that the inference is locked.
When you similar the shape of your arc, click to finish creating the arc.
Note: Press the ESC primal at any point during the operation to start over.

Tangent Inferences for 2-Point and 3-Signal Arc Tools

You tin create a tangent arc using either the two-Point or iii-Point arc tools using inferences. Hover over an edge you lot want to utilize equally a tangent ground before clicking to brainstorm your arc. To lock your tangent inference, press the Alt key (Microsoft Windows) or the Command key (macOS).

Editing an arc entity

You tin can edit the radius of an arc entity using the Motility tool or in the Entity Info dialog box.

With the Move tool () selected, you tin can edit an arc entity as follows:

Arrange the midpoint: Hover the Move tool's cursor to locate the midpoint of the arc. Then click and drag to adjust the arc, as shown in the figure.
Motion an end point: Click and drag an arc's endpoint to adjust the arc'southward length and radius.

To admission your arc's Entity Info panel, context-click the arc yous want to edit. From the context menu choose Entity Info. In the Entity Info panel blazon a new value for the radius or number of segments.

Warning: If an Arc is transformed in a way that destroys its radial definition, such as with a non-uniform scale functioning, y'all can no longer edit the entity as an arc. At that point, the arc behaves similar a freehand shape.

When you use the Push/Pull tool to extrude a 2D confront that includes an arc, SketchUp extrudes a special surface entity whose radius tin can too be edited. Apply the Move tool to reposition the midpoint edge, and all the geometry that makes upwards the extruded arc will move accordingly, as shown in the effigy.