Follow Me, intersect and solid tools
Beyond boxes: Follow Me sweeps profiles along paths, Intersect Faces and Solid Tools combine shapes, and Move/Copy arrays repeat elements precisely.
In this lesson you will
- Sweep profiles with Follow Me
- Combine shapes with Intersect Faces and Solid Tools
- Make linear and radial arrays
- Model curved elements with arcs
Follow Me
Follow a circle with a profile to make round objects — a dome, a vase, a column base.
- 1Draw a profile face perpendicular to the path (e.g. a skirting board profile at a wall corner).
- 2Select the path edges (e.g. the floor edge of the room).
- 3Activate Follow Me and click the profile — it sweeps along the path.
Arrays with Move/Copy
Move (M) with Ctrl makes a copy. Immediately type x5 to make five copies at the same spacing, or /5 to divide the distance into five. Rotate (Q) with Ctrl and a typed angle then x11 makes a radial array — twelve chairs around a table.
Intersect Faces
Where two shapes pass through each other, right-click › Intersect Faces › With Model creates edges along the intersection, so you can delete the unwanted parts. Useful for complex roofs and cut-outs.
Solid tools
A group or component is a solid when it's watertight (Entity Info says Solid Group). Solid tools — Union, Subtract, Trim, Intersect, Split — combine solids cleanly. Some solid tools require SketchUp Pro; check your version.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Follow Me | Tools menu | Sweeps a profile along a path |
| Move / Copy | M (+Ctrl) | Moves or copies; xN or /N arrays |
| Rotate | Q | Rotates; with Ctrl copies |
| Intersect Faces | Right-click | Creates intersection edges |
| Solid Tools | Tools menu | Boolean operations on solids |
Common mistakes
Follow Me twists or fails.
Keep the profile perpendicular to the start of the path and the path continuous.
Solid tools greyed out.
The group isn't a solid — find and fix holes or stray edges.
Exercise
Details
- Add a skirting to your room with Follow Me.
- Make a round table leg with Follow Me around a circle.
- Array six chairs around a round table with Rotate/Copy.
- Subtract a skylight shape from a roof with Solid Tools (or Intersect Faces).
You should end up with: A model with profiles, arrays and cut-outs.
Checklist
0 of 4 checked · saved on this device
Lesson quiz
After copying with Move+Ctrl, what does typing x5 do?
Finished this lesson?
Taking the quiz marks it complete too. Your course page picks up where you stopped.
Free KitWren tools that help
- Length ConverterConvert between metres, centimetres, millimetres, kilometres, inches, feet, yards and miles.
- Area ConverterConvert square metres, square feet, acres, hectares and more.
- Image ResizerResize images to exact pixel dimensions or by percentage, keeping the proportions if you like.
- Image CompressorCompress JPG, PNG and WebP images to make them much smaller — with a before/after preview and the size saved.
- Paint CalculatorWork out how much paint you need for a room’s walls and ceiling, in litres or gallons.
- Flooring CalculatorCalculate how much flooring, timber, laminate or carpet to buy, including waste and boxes.
Free, independent learning material written for KitWren. SketchUp and LayOut are trademarks of Trimble Inc. KitWren is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by Trimble. We never provide software downloads, licence keys or cracks — use the official sources.