Creating section animations with Scenes
Would you like to add a little magic to your SketchUp project? Ok... it’s not quite magic, but it could take your presentations up a notch. You can hide and reveal parts of your 3D model (with an animation effect) by using Scene transitions in conjunction with Section Planes. Rad!
There are lots of applications for this section animation technique. In this video, we'll look at an example where parts of a construction detail are revealed in the order that they might be constructed in the field.
Consider following along with a SketchUp model of your own (or by downloading one from the 3D Warehouse that might lend itself to some section animation action). You'll want to make sure your project is set up with Scenes and Layers similar to how I start this video. Note: this is a more advanced technique, so don't get frustrated if it takes you a few tries to get things right!
If you’d like to follow along with the same .SKP file that I use in the video, you can download it from the 3D Warehouse. This model was originally created by the International Masonry Institute; I just moved geometry to different Layers and made some new Scenes.
Here are some resources to browse if you need a refresher on Section Planes before you follow along with this Skill Builder:
- SketchUp Skill Builder: Section Planes
- SketchUp Help Center: Section Planes
- SketchUp Training Series: Section Tool
- SketchUp Training Series: Advanced Sections