Locking axes (Shift vs. Arrow keys) - Sketchup Pro Tutorial

- [Instructor] When moving objects, it's important to lock in the axis to avoid accuracy issues. Locking in the axes, whether the red X, green Y, or blue Z, easily and precisely places objects in your model. We will use inferences such as axis colors, end points, and screen tips to move the refrigerator to its rightful position in the kitchen. Why should we lock in an axis and use additional inferences? If I try to move this refrigerator along an axis, it easily comes off either the green or the red. I can try just moving it over to the kitchen, but it will take a lot of extra steps to place it exactly right. Together, let's move the refrigerator first on the green or y-axis. With the object selected, activate the move tool. You can do that with the shortcut M or by clicking the icon here that has four red arrows going up, down, left, and right. We know we are in the move command because our cursor now looks like the move icon, just with black arrows. Zoom in using your scroll wheel, scrolling up, and click an end point on the refrigerator. Let's click an end point on the front of the refrigerator. We will click and release. We almost always need to click and release or click and lift up your finger because it allows for us to use other tools at the same time. Move the mouse in the direction you want to head and find the green axis. We're going backwards and finding the green. After you find the axis, hold down the Shift key. You can see that the green dotted axis line went from a lighter green to bold. That's how we know we are locked in on the axis. Now that it's locked in, I can move my mouse this way and that, and it stays locked in on the green axis. Because of that, I can move my mouse over to the front of the refrigerator cabinet and click an end point there, which tells my refrigerator where to stop on the green. Again, I have scrolled in using zoom on my scroll wheel, scrolling up. And now, click that end point to stop the move and get out of the command either by hitting spacebar or by clicking the select tool. The downside of locking in an axis with the Shift key is you cannot orbit, nor can you type in exact increments. Sometimes, a lot of times, when we are moving objects, we want to orbit around our model. And that's not something you can do with the Shift key held down. Let's practice locking in an axis using the arrow keys on your keyboard. This makes any type of modeling much faster, plus you can orbit with it. The refrigerator should still be selected. So let's zoom in with our scroll wheel and activate the move tool. I'm going to pan a little bit too. If you don't know the right way to pan, rather than clicking the icon and panning that way, the best way is to hold down your scroll wheel and the Shift key, and you can pan. Activate the move tool and click an endpoint at the front of the refrigerator, and then lift up your finger. Again, we are clicking and releasing. We want to move the refrigerator along the red or x-axis now. You don't need to move your mouse. You don't need to find an axis with your mouse. You can simply press the right arrow key on your keyboard one time, and you can see, that axis is locked in. You don't need to hold down your finger on the keyboard. It's just a simple tap. Now move your mouse. You can orbit. You can pan. You can do all sorts of things because you're locked in without holding down the Shift key. Move your mouse to the front of the refrigerator cabinet, again, I'm zooming in, and click an end point there. Voila. The refrigerator is in place with only two moves. Spacebar to get out of my command or click the select tool. Let me show you how to lock in the axis with other arrow keys. I will draw a square. Activate the line tool by typing shortcut L or by clicking the pencil tool here. Click and release to start the line and press the left arrow key. Now the line is locked in on the green axis. I will move my mouse in the direction to go. I'm going to go back towards the back door here and type in an increment, let's do six feet. Six feet, Enter. Now I want to go up on the blue or z-axis, so I will press the up arrow key. The blue axis is locked in. I will move my mouse in the direction I want to go and type in another increment, six feet, Enter. Going back on the green with my left arrow key, I can move my mouse to the starting end point of that very first line to use that point as an inference of where it should stop. It's always a good habit to zoom in for accuracy. Click to stop the line, hit your up arrow key to go down on the blue axis, and use that same starting end point for where to stop. My screen tip inference says end point, So I know that's where I should stop. And click there. And I will hit spacebar to get out of my command. There we have a square accurately made by locking in axes, using inferences, and typing exact increments. Now you know the secret to using the Shift or arrow keys to lock in any of the axes. The fastest way is using the arrow keys on the keyboard. The right arrow is the red or x-axis. The left is green or y-axis. The up arrow is blue or z-axis. And the down arrow is parallel to an adjacent object.