Arc Tool Arc Tool Use the Arc Tool to draw Arc entities, comprised of multiple line segments (which can be edited as a single arc). Activate the Arc Tool from the Tool Palette or from the Draw menu.
Keyboard Shortcut: A
Arc entities consist of three parts: the starting point, the ending point and the bulge distance. The distance between the starting point and the ending point is also known as the chord length. To draw an arc:
Select the Arc Tool. The cursor changes to a pencil with an arc.
Click to place the starting point of your arc.
Move the cursor to the ending point of your chord.
Click to place the ending point of your arc. A straight line is created.
Move your cursor perpendicular to the straight line to adjust the bulge distance. A straight line will extend perpendicular from the straight line.
Note - Press the Esc key at any point during the operation
to start over.
Click to set the bulge distance.
Chord length can be specified after you place the ending point of your arc. Bulge distance, radius, and number of segments can be specified using the VCB immediately after a arc is drawn. See Specifying Precise Arc Values for more information on manipulating arcs using the VCB.
The arc temporarily snaps to a half-circle as you pull out a bulge distance. Watch for the Half-Circle inference help tag indicating when your arc is a half-circle.
The Arc Tool displays a cyan tangent arc while you are drawing from an unconnected end or start point of an existing arc. =
The VCB displays the chord length of the of the arc (after setting the starting point), then the bulge distance (after setting the ending point). Use the VCB to enter exact lengths for the chord length, bulge distance, radius value, and number of segments.
Note - SketchUp will use the current file units setting
if you only type in a numerical value. You can also specify either Imperial
(1’6”) or Metric (3.652m) units at any time, regardless the file's units
setting. Units are set within the Units
panel of the Model Info dialog box.
The VCB's label indicates "Length" after you place the starting point of an arc. Type the chord length into the VCB, after placing the starting point of the arc, and press the Enter or Return key. Specify a negative value, such as -6.5", to indicate that you want the length to apply in an opposite direction to the current drawing direction.
The VCB's label indicates "Bulge" after you place the ending point of an arc. Type the bulge length in the VCB, after placing an ending point, and press the Enter or Return Key. You can also enter the bulge distance after the creation of the arc as long as "Bulge" is displayed as the VCB label. Negative bulge values can also be used to create an arc in an opposite direction to the current drawing direction.
You can specify an arc radius instead of a bulge distance. Type the desired radius in the VCB, followed by the letter 'r' and press the Enter or Return Key. You can perform this action either during or immediately following the creation of the arc. For example: 24r or 3'6"r or 5mr.
You can also specify the number of segments in an arc. Type the number of segments in the VCB, followed by the letter 's', and press the Enter or Return key. You can perform this action either during or immediately following the creation of the arc. For example: 20s.