Drawing and push/pull
Draw closed shapes to make faces, then push/pull faces into 3D. It’s how almost everything in SketchUp begins — from buildings to furniture.
In this lesson you will
- Create faces from closed edges
- Push/pull to exact distances
- Cut openings through walls
- Use Offset for thickness and frames
Faces form automatically
When edges form a closed, flat loop, SketchUp creates a face. Draw a line across a face and it splits into two faces. No face? An edge doesn't quite connect or isn't coplanar — check endpoints.
Push/Pull
- 1Select Push/Pull (P).
- 2Click a face, move the cursor, and click — or type a distance and press Enter.
- 3Double-click a face to repeat the last push/pull distance.
- 4Hold Ctrl (Option on Mac) to create a new face and keep the original (a stepped extrusion).
Openings
To cut a window through a wall with thickness: draw the opening rectangle on one face, then push/pull it back through the wall until it reaches the other side — SketchUp removes it. You'll see the inference On Face when you reach the back face.
Offset
Offset (F) creates a copy of a face's edges inside or outside it — for window frames, a wall thickness from a floor outline, or a tabletop edge. Offset then push/pull is a very common pattern.
Walls from a floor plan
- 1Draw the external outline with the Rectangle or Line tool.
- 2Offset it inward by the wall thickness (e.g. 250).
- 3Push/pull only the ring between the loops up to the wall height (2700).
- 4Draw internal wall footprints and push/pull them up.
Quick reference
| Command / tool | How to start it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Line | L | Draws edges |
| Rectangle | R | Draws rectangles |
| Push/Pull | P | Extrudes faces |
| Offset | F | Offsets face edges |
| Eraser | E | Deletes edges |
Common mistakes
Push/pull pulls the whole floor too.
Split faces first so you only pull the part you want; or use groups.
Opening doesn't cut through.
Push exactly to the back face (watch for On Face) — overshooting creates a new box.
Exercise
A room with a window
- Draw a 5000 × 4000 floor.
- Offset 200 inward and push/pull the wall ring to 2700.
- Cut a 1500 × 1200 window with a 900 sill through one wall.
- Cut a 900 × 2100 door opening.
- Add a 50 frame around the window with Offset and push/pull.
You should end up with: A simple room with openings.
Checklist
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Lesson quiz
A closed, flat loop of edges creates a face.
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