Graphic Design CoursesAfter you create some terrain via contours or by importing from Google Earth, you can then add vegetation or a site map via the Materials panel as usual. Drafted site details like roads and boundaries can also be added using the Sandbox’s Drape tool. We show you how in our SketchUp for town planning or architecture courses. 
First we import some site details: File > Import > browse to the DWG (for Pro users) or JPEG file. This site is of the Narara Ecovillage, NSW. Change your camera view to: Camera > Top, and Camera > Parallel. Then trace around the details with the Line tool. You can then hide the original image. Select the newly drawn lines making up your site > right-click and Make Component. Then copy it to one side and right-click or Window > Entity Info. Move the object to the Site plan layer and make the layer invisible by unticking.
Go to Camera > Top and Camera > Parallel again. Select the site plan details > move them over or under your terrain object. Then select the Drape tool (3rd from the right in the Sandbox tools) and click on the Site > then on the Terrain. You may also add colours to the Site, but you first need to select the terrain by right-clicking and choosing Explode. Then go to Window > Materials > Colours (or Ground cover) and apply to the Site shapes. Note: you can’t Push/Pull curved or smoothed surfaces, although free Ruby scripts and plugins have been developed for this purpose.
Useful tips and techniques can be found at the SketchUp website. And see many examples of our own clients’ work on our Facebook page.
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