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Coming from SketchUp

SketchUp's mouse, keys and inference work in Stori3D. Here's how the tools map across and how to bring SketchUp models in.

Stori3D uses SketchUp's controls on purpose: its mouse, its default shortcuts, its inference keys and its Measurements box.

Use SketchUp's keys

These are SketchUp's default shortcuts, and they work here. Below, Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) is written as Ctrl, and Alt is Option on a Mac.

Draw: Space Select, L Line, R Rectangle, C Circle, A Arc, F Offset, P Push/Pull, E Eraser, B Paint Bucket, T Tape Measure.
Modify: M Move, Q Rotate, S Scale, G Make component, Ctrl+G group, Ctrl+Shift+G explode.
Camera: O Orbit, H Pan, Z Zoom, Shift+Z Zoom extents, Shift+W Zoom window, Alt+1 to Alt+7 standard views, Page Up and Page Down for the previous and next saved view.
Edit: Ctrl+Z undo, Ctrl+Shift+Z redo, Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V copy and paste in place, Ctrl+D duplicate, Delete erase, Ctrl+A select all.

Stori3D adds its own building tools on letters SketchUp leaves free: W Walls, D Door, N Window and X Section cut.

Print the shortcut card

Help → Keyboard shortcuts shows every command with its keys on one card. Click Print for a paper copy.

To change a key, go to Settings → Keyboard shortcuts → Change shortcuts. Reset all goes back to SketchUp's keys, and Export and Import move yours to another browser.

Search for any command

Press Shift+S (or Help → Search commands) and type part of a name: rectangle, zoom, walls. This is also how you reach commands that have no key, as in SketchUp: Protractor, Tag tool and Purge unused.

Draw with inference

Hold Shift to lock the direction the inference shows.
The arrow keys lock an axis: right for east–west (red), left for north–south (green), up for vertical (blue). Down locks parallel or perpendicular to the last edge you passed over.
Pass over an edge, then head the same way or square to it, and the line holds to it (magenta).
Tap Alt (⌘ on a Mac) to turn snapping off and on.

The Measurements box sits at the bottom right of the view. Right after an operation, type a new value and press Enter to redo it with that value, as one undo step. Typed forms include <x,y,z> and [x,y,z] in Move, and 5x or /5 for arrays.

Find the tools you know

Line, Rectangle, Circle, Arc, Polygon and Freehand are in the Shape tool. See Shapes and push/pull.
Follow Me and Offset are the Follow me and Offset buttons in the Shape tool's bar.
Solid Tools are under Edit → Solid tools: Union, Subtract, Trim and Intersect.
Glue To and Cut Opening are Glue to a wall and Cut an opening on a group or component. See Groups, components and tags.
Tags have their own Tags panel, with folders. The Scene panel is the Outliner.
Scenes are saved views, Styles are under the Shading chip, and Match Photo is Views → Match a photo…. See Styles and scenes.
Entity Info is the Properties panel.

Know what's different

Ctrl+T and Ctrl+Shift+W belong to the browser. Use Esc or Ctrl+Shift+A to select none, and Shift+W for Zoom window, as in SketchUp for Web.
Faces and edges live inside solids. Double-click a solid to open it and work on its faces and edges.
Walls, doors, windows, roofs and stairs are building elements with their own settings, not loose geometry. You change their size in the Properties panel.

Bring in a SketchUp model

Stori3D can't open .skp files, because the format isn't public. Export from SketchUp as COLLADA instead, and its materials, textures, groups and components come across.

In SketchUp on your computer, choose File › Export › 3D Model, then COLLADA File (.dae). Keep texture maps, two-sided faces and component hierarchies on.
From 3D Warehouse, choose Download, then Collada File. Drop the .zip in as it is.
Drop the .dae and its texture folder on the view, or use File → Import model….

File → Bring in a SketchUp model… shows these steps in the app. The model lands on the current level as one group. More in Importing.

Still stuck? Contact us, or ask in the app: Help → Contact support.