Google Style Builder 1 Help

Google Style Builder 1 Help
Contents
Contents ....................................................................................................................... 1
Welcome to the Style Builder Getting Started Guide............................................... 2
Concepts .................................................................................................................... 3
Creating a Sketchy Edge Style .................................................................................. 8
Generating a Style Template (Microsoft Windows) ................................................... 9
Generating a Style Template (Mac OS X) ............................................................... 11
Drawing and Editing Strokes.................................................................................... 13
Transferring Strokes to the Template ...................................................................... 17
Creating a Sketchy Edge Style File ......................................................................... 19
Welcome to the Style Builder User's Guide............................................................ 21
Adding Strokes to a Style......................................................................................... 22
Deleting Libraries of Strokes (Mac OS X)................................................................ 23
Deleting Library of Strokes (Microsoft Windows)..................................................... 24
Deleting Strokes....................................................................................................... 25
Welcome to the Style Builder Reference Guide ..................................................... 26
Style Builder Menu (Mac OS X) ............................................................................... 27
File Menu (Microsoft Windows)................................................................................ 28
File Menu (Mac OS X) ............................................................................................. 29
Edit Menu (Microsoft Windows) ............................................................................... 30
Edit Menu (Mac OS X) ............................................................................................. 31
Strokes Menu (Microsoft Windows) ......................................................................... 32
Strokes Menu (Mac OS X) ....................................................................................... 33
Preview Menu .......................................................................................................... 34
Help Menu (Microsoft Windows) .............................................................................. 35
Help Menu (Mac OS X)............................................................................................ 36
Preferences Dialog Box ............................................................................................ 37
Sets Pane................................................................................................................. 38
Settings Tab ............................................................................................................. 39
Strokes Tab.............................................................................................................. 44
Strokes Tab Context Menu (Microsoft Windows) .................................................... 45
Style Builder User Interface...................................................................................... 46
Styles Preview Window............................................................................................. 47
Page 1 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Welcome to the Style Builder Getting Started

Guide
The Style Builder Getting Started Guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to use
Style Builder. The following sections appear in this guide:
• Concepts - Defines the concepts you need to understand before using Style Builder.
• Creating a Sketchy Edge Style
1. Generating a Style Template (Microsoft Windows) and Exporting a Style Template
(Mac OS X) - Explains how to create a style template.
2. Drawing and Editing Strokes - Defines how to draw and edit your strokes.
3. Transferring Strokes to the Template - Identifies how to transfer your strokes to a
style template.
4. Creating a Sketchy Edge Style File - Explains how to create a sketchy edge file from a
template containing strokes.

Concepts
This section of the Getting Started Guide covers the concepts found within the Style Builder
product and in the user community. This section was written for users who are new Style
Builder.
What are Styles?

A style is a predefined collection of display settings that can be applied to a model and the
drawing area. Styles give a model and the drawing area a specific look-and-feel. For
example, a style can consist of the blue sky color, brown ground color, gray default front
face color, and purple default back face color.
One of the building blocks of a style is the edge style or the appearance of edges that will be
applied to your model. One specific type of edge style is the sketchy edge which is an edge
that appears to be hand drawn.
The following image shows a SketchUp model with standard vector edges.
The following image shows a SketchUp model with sketchy edges.

SketchUp 6 comes with several pre-created sketchy edge styles. To view the library of pre-
created sketchy edge styles:
1. Select the Styles item from the Window menu. The Styles Browser is displayed
2. Click on the Select tab.
3. Select the Sketchy Edges item from the drop-down list. All of the pre-created sketchy
edges styles are displayed.
4. Select a sketchy edge style to change the edge-type used in your model. Remember,
sketchy edges are only part of a style. Therefore, other items, such as the background
color might change depending on which style you choose.

You can create your own sketchy edge and apply it, as part of a style, to your models in
SketchUp. This customization feature allows you to create models that appear as though
you drew them by hand.
Note - Style Builder saves styles with hidden line face style (to
emphasize edges in the thumbnail image).
Note - Sketchy edge styles created with Style Builder can be mixed into
other styles using the Mix tab of the Styles Browser.
How are Sketchy Edge Styles Constructed?

A sketchy edge style is composed of multiple strokes of some length and width. Each stroke
is a grayscale image that is painted on top of SketchUp’s vector edges to give the edges a
hand-drawn appearance. Two or more strokes of the same length are referred to as a stroke
set or just a set. For example, your style might contain a stroke set of 3 strokes that are 32
pixels in length, a stroke set containing 3 strokes that are 64 pixels in length, and a stroke
set containing 3 strokes that are 128 pixels in length.
Tip - Nice hand-drawn looking sketchy edge styles have five or more
stroke sets (32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 lengths). It is also best to have three or
more strokes in each set. The more strokes in your style, the more hand-
drawn the style will appear when applied SketchUp.
Note - All stroke sets must have the same number of strokes.
The following image shows a sketchy edge style with 5 stroke sets (32, 64, 128, 256, and
512 pixels in length). Each stroke set has 3 strokes.
The slight variation of strokes in each set allows for a hand-drawn look-and-feel for your
models.

How are Sketchy Edges Applied to a Model?

The following image shows three checkered strokes of varying lengths: 32 pixels (labeled
with an A), 64 pixels (labeled with a B) and 128 pixels (labeled with a C).
SketchUp matches the appropriate stroke length with each edge in a model when applying
strokes. Longer stroke lengths, such as stroke “C” will be used along longer edges in a
model, shorter stroke lengths, such as stroke “A” for shorter edges. The following image
shows a SketchUp model with the A, B, and C, sketchy edges painted on the vector edges.
SketchUp often stretches or shrinks the stroke to fit the edge because there is not a stroke
with a length that is exact to the edge length. For example, when the user zooms out of the
previous model, all C strokes, become shorter B strokes to accommodate the new view.

What are Templates, Style Files, and Stroke Files?

Strokes can be stored in template files, style files, or stroke files.
A template file is a single image file (.png) containing fields where you can draw your strokes
or place previously drawn strokes. Templates help you ensure you draw your strokes to the
correct dimensions for proper alignment in SketchUp.
A sketchy edge style file (.style) contains a series of strokes that form the edge style.
Predefined style files are located in the styles directory beneath the SketchUp installation
directory.
Individual strokes can also be stored in image files, such as JPEG (.jpg) files. These files,
termed stroke files, cannot be used directly in SketchUp, but can be opened in Style Builder
and combined with other strokes to create a new sketchy edge style.

Creating a Sketchy Edge Style

Sketchy edge styles can be created from strokes you draw yourself or from existing strokes
(either found in a .style file or in individual stroke files). The most common method to create
a new sketchy edge is to draw your strokes and copy them into a template for import into
Style Builder. This method consists of the following steps:
1. Generate a style template in Style Builder. This template contains fields for the exact
number and size of strokes for your style.
2. Draw and edit your strokes. There are two ways to draw your own strokes:
a. Draw strokes digitally, such as with a tablet device in an image editor.
b. Draw strokes traditionally, with pen and paper, and then scan them into a digital
format. Import your scan into an image editor. This method, while more tedious then
method a, is the reason for sketchy edge styles: marrying the uniqueness of
traditional line drawing with digital media.
3. Transfer strokes from the image editor into template.
4. Create a sketchy edge style file.

Generating a Style Template

(Microsoft Windows)
One way to create a new sketchy edge style is to generate a style template from Style
Builder for use in your drawing program (where you will paste your strokes). A style template
is a PNG file containing drawing fields for every stroke you decide you want in your style.
For example, if you want three strokes per set and you want 5 different sizes, you will have
15 drawing boxes in your template.
Note - The number of strokes you choose to have really depends on

the variation of your sketchy edge style. If you have a simple style, with no
variation in width per stroke, you might only need one stroke (that SketchUp
can then stretch or shrink to fit a model).
To create and export a template:
1. Select "File > Generate Template..." The Style Template Generator is displayed.
2. Enter a comma-separated list of stroke lengths in the first field. Stroke lengths and widths
must be multiples of 4 pixels and should increase by 2x, such as 16, 32, 64, and so on.
3. Select the number of strokes per set (number strokes of a specific length) in your style. It is
common to have at least three strokes as three will provide SketchUp with enough
variation to render an authentic hand drawn look.
4. Select a stroke width for the strokes in your style.
5. Click on the "Save As" button. The Save As dialog box appears.
6. Navigate to the location for the template file.
7. Type the name of the template to save in the file name field.

8. Click on the "Save" button. The template will be saved at your predefined location as a
PNG file.
Note - You can also create a sketchy edge style by combining pre-
drawn strokes (strokes that appear in other styles or collections). Generally,
however, most users will want to create a whole new sketchy edge style by
drawing their own strokes.
The following image contains a style template file. This template has 15 fields for 15
strokes.

Generating a Style Template (Mac OS X)

One way to create a new sketchy edge style is to generate a style template from Style
Builder for use in your drawing program (where you will paste your strokes). A style template
is a PNG file containing drawing fields for every stroke you decide you want in your style.
For example, if you want three strokes per set and you want 5 different sizes, you will have
15 drawing boxes in your template.
Note - The number of strokes you choose to have really depends on

the variation of your sketchy edge style. If you have a simple style, with no
variation in width per stroke, you might only need one stroke (that SketchUp
can then stretch or shrink to fit a model).
To create and export a template:
1. Select "File > Generate Template..." The Style Template Generator is displayed.
2. Enter a comma-separated list of stroke lengths in the Sets field. Stroke lengths and widths
must be multiples of 4 pixels and should increase by 2x, such as 16, 32, 64, and so on.
3. Select the number of strokes per set (number strokes of a specific length) in your style. It is
common to have at least three strokes as three will provide SketchUp with enough
variation to render an authentic hand drawn look.
4. Select a stroke width for the strokes in your style. The width must also be a multiple of 4
pixels and is identical for all strokes in the style.
5. Click the down arrow next to the Save As field. The file navigator is displayed.
6. Navigate to the location for the template file.
7. Type the name of the template to save in the Save As field.

8. Click on the "Save" button. The template will be saved at your predefined location as a
PNG file.
Note - You can also create a sketchy edge style by combining pre-
drawn strokes (strokes that appear in other styles or collections). Generally,
however, most users will want to create a whole new sketchy edge style by
drawing their own strokes.
The following image contains a style template file. This template has 15 fields for 15
strokes.

Drawing and Editing Strokes

Creating strokes for import into a template is a two part process: draw your strokes and then
edit your strokes to ensure they will appear correctly as a sketchy edge.
Drawing Strokes
To draw your strokes:
1. Load a drawing program, such as Adobe Photoshop.
2. Create a series of strokes. You will want to create a minimum of 5 stroke sets (each of
varying length) with 3 strokes per set. You can create as many strokes as you like during
this step, the goal is to achieve strokes that are similar in length, as straight as possible,
and look as though you drew them by hand. There are two ways to draw your strokes:
a. Draw your strokes by hand on paper and scan to create an image file.This method
will obtain the most hand-drawn strokes.
b. Draw your strokes directly in a drawing program.

The following image represents a series of strokes that were drawn on sketch
paper using a pen and scanned to create an image file. The vertical line on the
left of the scan is the edge of the paper.

Editing Strokes
The strokes that you draw by hand will likely not be of the correct number of pixels when
scanned. Also, these strokes might be askew or contain a background color other than
white. Therefore, you must edit the strokes as part of placement into the Style Template. To
edit individual strokes in an image editor, such as PhotoShop:
1. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool ( )
2. Change the Style to Fixed Aspect Ratio .

3. Enter a width (length) representing the length, in pixels, of the stroke you will edit. The
width and height should match one of the sizes used in your template. For example, 128
width and 16 height. These dimensions will constrain the selection box to your particular
aspect ratio (and allow you to reduce the stroke to the correct size in pixels).
4. Zoom in on the stroke. The stroke in this example is the stroke with the asterisk in the
previous image.
5. Draw a selection box around the stroke you want to edit. Ensure the selection box just
touches the ends of your stroke. The following image shows the selected stroke.
6. Copy the stroke to the clipboard.

7. Select "File > New" to create a new document.
8. Paste the stroke to the new document window. The following image shows the stroke
before adjustments.
9. Make adjustments to the stroke. The following adjustments might be made:

• Ensure the background is white by removing as much gray as possible.
• Ensure the stroke is straight such that both ends end at approximately the middle of
the document area.
• Ensure the stroke fills the full length of the document area.
• Scale the stroke to the correct size in pixels.
The following image shows the stroke after it has been edited. This stroke is
now officially 128 pixels long by 16 pixels wide and has been rotated slightly to
be straight.
10. Select "File > Save" to save your stroke file as a bitmap file. You should end up with a
stroke file for each individual stroke you edit.

11. Repeat steps 1 to 10 for each stroke in your sketchy edge style.
Note - You might wonder why you simply do not draw your strokes
directly in the style template. Generally it is hard to create a good, natural,
stroke when you are confined to the border of the template boxes. That’s why
it is recommended that you draw the strokes first, edit them, and then paste
them to the confines of the template boxes.

Transferring Strokes to the Template

You can transfer your strokes to the template file once you have an edited set of strokes. To
transfer a stroke:
1. Load the style template in an image editor, such as PhotoShop.
2. Load a stroke file in an image editor, such as PhotoShop.
3. Copy and paste the stroke to its respective place in the template file. Ensure stroke fits the
boarder of the template field and that ends of the strokes align with middle of template
field. The following image contains a style template file containing the new stroke.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the template is filled. The following image shows a filled
template.

Creating a Sketchy Edge Style File

You can create a style file from within Style Builder. This style file will contain your sketchy
edge and default values for other style attributes, such as sky and ground color, front and
back face color, and so on. To create a sketchy edge style file:
1. Use the "File > Load Template" (Microsoft Windows) or "File > Open Template..." (Mac
OS X) menu item to load your previously created template (now containing strokes). Each
of the strokes appears in the Strokes tab, within sets in the Sets Pane, and are applied to
the sample model in the Style Preview pane. The following image shows Style Builder with
the strokes from TestStyleTemplateFilled.png template.
2. (optional) Use the menu items in the Strokes menu to load additional strokes from folders
(collections), other styles, or other templates.
Note - Strokes loaded using these menu items will appear only in the
Strokes tab. Then you must drag-and-drop the strokes from the stroke tab to
the Sets Pane to include them in your style.
3. Zoom, pan, and rotate the model in the style preview window to examine how your sketchy
edges will be applied. Refer to the Style Preview Window section for further information on
using the zoom, pan, and orbit functions with a three-button mouse.
4. Click on the "Settings" tab and provide a style name.

5. (optional) Adjust other style settings within the Settings tab. Refer to the Settings Tab
section for further information.
6. (optional) Zoom, pan, and rotate the model in the style preview window to examine how
additional style settings affect your style. Make adjustments as necessary.
7. Select "File > Save" to save your new style when you are satisfied with the result.
Note - You will receive a warning if your style contains any empty grey
boxes (unless you turned off the warning by unchecking the checkbox in the
"Edit > Preferences" (Microsoft Windows) or "Style Builder > Preferences"
(Mac OS X) dialog box. You will also receive a warning if your style does not
contain a style name (refer to the Settings Tab section for further information).

Welcome to the Style Builder User's Guide

The Style Builder p User's Guide contains step-by-step instructions on how to perform most
all basic Style Builder tasks. The content in this guide answers the "How Do I..." questions of
end-users.

Adding Strokes to a Style

You can drag and drop strokes from the Strokes tab directly into empty grey boxes in the
Sets Pane (if they exist). You can also drag and drop strokes from the Strokes tab, above or
below current strokes in the Sets Pane. Keep in mind, however, that all sets in the Sets
Pane, must have the same number of strokes. So, if all sets in the Sets Pane have 1 stroke,
and you add another stroke to one of the sets, the Style Builder will automatically create a
blank stroke in the remaining sets to even out the sets. The following image shows the Sets
Pane with four sets, each with a single stroke.
The following image shows the Sets Pane after a second stroke has been added to the first
set (the set whose stroke size is 32). Notice that all of the other sets (64, 129, and 256) have
been expanded to accommodate the same number of strokes as the first set. This
expansion is accomplished by adding empty grey boxes, or blank strokes, in the remaining
sets.
Note - You will want to have the same number of strokes per set
before you save your style, otherwise the empty gray boxes will appear in
SketchUp as part of your style. You can fill in the blanks by adding duplicate
strokes as in the previous image where two of the same 32 pixel strokes were
used.

Deleting Libraries of Strokes (Mac OS X)

Highlight a stroke library name in the Strokes tab and then select the "Strokes > Remove
Stroke" menu item to remove the stroke library from the Strokes tab.

Deleting Library of Strokes (Microsoft Windows)

Click on the "X" ( ), next to library of strokes in the Strokes tab, to remove the library.

Deleting Strokes
Click on the eraser icon ( ) next to any stroke,in the Sets Pane, to replace the stroke with
an empty gray box.

Welcome to the Style Builder Reference Guide

The Style Builder Reference contains descriptions for all of the features in Style Builder. The
reference specifically addresses all features found in the user interface, from menu items to
specific dialog box options.

Style Builder Menu (Mac OS X)

The Style Builder Menu contains menu items that control the Style Builder application,
including items to show and hide Style Builder and application preferences.
About Style Builder

Use the About Style Builder menu item to display the About Style Builder dialog box,
containing the Style Builder version number, technical support contact information, and a
link to the SketchUp web site.
Preferences
Use the Preferences menu item to display Style Builder's application preferences for setting
various global settings for the program.
Check for Update

Use the Check for Update menu item to check if you have the most current version of Style
Builder. You will be prompted to download the current version if your version is out-of-date.
A Internet connection is required to use this feature.
Services
The Services menu item provides access to Mac OS X's system-wide services, which might
vary on different computers depending on additional functionality of your other applications.
Hide Style Builder

Use the Hide Style Builder menu item to hide Style Builder and all of its open windows,
allowing you access to other programs running in Mac OS X. Clicking on the Style Builder
icon in your Dock returns Style Builder to view.
Hide Others
Use the Hide Others menu item to hide all visible applications except Style Builder allowing
you to focus on Style Builder alone. Clicking on any icon in the doc will return that
application to view.
Show All
Use the Show All menu item to unhide all running programs in Mac OS X.
Quit Style Builder

Use the Quit Style Builder menu item to quite Style Builder and close all open documents.
You will be prompted to save any unsaved work before Style Builder exits.

File Menu (Microsoft Windows)

The File menu contains menu items for creating and loading templates. This menu is also
used for loading and saving styles.
New
Use the New menu item to start a new style.
Open...
Use the Open menu item to open an existing style, such as from the installation directory for
SketchUp. The opened style will populate the Strokes tab, Sets pane, and Style Preview
window.
Save
Use the Save menu item to save the current style, as it appears in the Sets Pane and
preview window, to a file (.style).
Save As...
Use the Save As… menu item to save the current style, as it appears in the Sets Pane in the
preview window, to a file (.style) with a new name.
Load Template...
Use the Load Template menu item to load a previously created template. The opened
template's strokes will populate the Strokes tab, Sets pane, and Style Preview window.
Generate Template...
Use the Generate Template menu item to create a new template image. Refer to Step 1:
Creating a Style Template for further information.
Exit
Use the Exit menu item to exit the Style Builder program.

File Menu (Mac OS X)

The File menu contains menu items for creating and loading templates. This menu is also
used for loading and saving styles.
New
Use the New menu item to create a new, blank, Style Builder window.
Open...
Use the Open menu item to open an existing style file, such as from the installation directory
for SketchUp. The opened style will populate the Strokes tab, Sets pane, and Style Preview
window.
Open Template...
Use the Open Template menu item to load a previously created template in a new Style
Builder window. The opened template's strokes will populate the Strokes tab, Sets pane,
and Style Preview window.
Open Recent
Use the Open Recent menu item to select a recently opened file from a list of files.
Close
Use the Close menu item to close the currently active Style Builder window.
Save
Use the Save menu item to save the current style, as it appears in the Sets Pane and
preview window, to a file (.style).
Save As...
Use the Save As… menu item to save the current style, as it appears in the Sets Pane in the
preview window, to a file (.style) with a new name.
Generate Template...
Use the Generate Template menu item to create a new template image. Refer to Step 1:
Creating a Style Template for further information.

Edit Menu (Microsoft Windows)

The edit menu contains menu items for undoing and redoing your changes.
Undo
Use the Undo menu item to undo your previous command.
Redo
Use the Redo menu item to redo your previously undone command.
Preferences
Use the Preferences menu item to display the Preferences dialog box. Refer to the
Preferences Dialog Box section later in this document for further information.

Edit Menu (Mac OS X)

The edit menu contains menu items for undoing and redoing your changes.
Undo
Use the Undo menu item to undo your previous command.
Redo
Use the Redo menu item to redo your previously undone command.
Cut
Use the Cut menu item to remove text from the Style Builder window and place it in the
clipboard. The contents of the clipboard can then be inserted back into any open
Style Builder document by using the Paste menu item.
Contents of the clipboard will remain on the clipboard until replaced with other content using
an additional Cut or a Copy command.
Copy
Use the Copy menu item to copy text to the clipboard without deleting the items from the
Style Builder window. The contents of the clipboard can then be inserted back into any open
Style Builder document by using the Paste menu item.
Contents of the clipboard will remain on the clipboard until replaced with other content using
an additional Cut or a Copy operation.
Paste
Use the Paste menu item to paste text from clipboard into the current Style Builder
document. The pasted items will be placed at the location of the cursor.
Delete
Use the Delete menu item to remove the currently selected items from your document.
Select All
Use the Select All menu item to select all selectable items in the document.
Special Characters...
Use the Special Characters menu item to insert special characters, such as mathematical
symbols, letters with accent marks, and arrows into your document. Refer to the Mac OS X
help system for additional help on this feature.

Strokes Menu (Microsoft Windows)

The Strokes menu contains menu items for loading strokes from folders (collections), styles,
and templates. Strokes loaded using these menu items only appear in the Strokes tab.
Load From Folder...

Use the Load From Folder menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a folder.
Simply select a folder of stroke files (individual files, each containing a single stroke) to load
all the strokes in the folder. The opened stroke will populate the Strokes tab.
Note - Files containing strokes can be of the png and jpeg file type.
Load From Style...

Use the Load From Style menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a style file.
Simply select a style file (.style) from the file system to load. The opened stroke will populate
the Strokes tab.
Load From Template...

Use the Load From Template menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a template
file. Simply select a template file (.PNG file) from the file system to load. The opened stroke
will populate the Strokes tab.

Strokes Menu (Mac OS X)

The Strokes menu contains menu items for loading strokes from folders (collections), styles,
and templates. Strokes loaded using these menu items only appear in the Strokes tab.
Load From Folder...

Use the Load From Folder menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a folder.
Simply select a folder of stroke files (individual files, each containing a single stroke) to load
all the strokes in the folder. The opened stroke will populate the Strokes tab.
Note - Files containing strokes can be of the png and jpeg file type.
Load From Style...

Use the Load From Style menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a style file.
Simply select a style file (.style) from the file system to load. The opened stroke will populate
the Strokes tab.
Load From Template...

Use the Load From Template menu item to load a collection of strokes stored in a template
file. Simply select a template file (.PNG file) from the file system to load. The opened stroke
will populate the Strokes tab.
Remove Strokes...
Use the Remove Strokes menu item to remove the currently selected stroke set in the
Strokes tab.

Preview Menu
The Preview menu contains a menu item allowing you to load a different SketchUp model
into the Style Preview window.
Change Model...
Use the Change Model option to load a new SketchUp model into the Style Preview window.

Help Menu (Microsoft Windows)

The Help menu contains items relating to receiving help with the product. These items
include theStyle Builde r on-line help, a quick reference card, and video tutorials.
Online Help Center

The Online Help Center menu item invokes your default web browser and connects you to
the Online Help Center. The web site contains support articles, additional training
information, and links to user forums and other resources.
Contact Us
Select the Contact Us menu to contact Google SketchUp technical support.
Check for Update

The Check For Update menu item checks to see if you have the most current version of
SketchUp. You will be prompted to download the current version if your version is out-of-
date. An Internet connection is required to use this feature.
About Style Builder...

The About Style Builder menu item activates the About Style Builder dialog box. This dialog
box provides information about your Style Builder version.

Help Menu (Mac OS X)

The Help menu contains items relating to receiving help with the product. These items
include the Style Builder on-line help, a quick reference card, and video tutorials.
Online Help Center

The Online Help Center menu item invokes your default web browser and connects you to
the Online Help Center. The web site contains support articles, additional training
information, and links to user forums and other resources.
Contact Us
Select the Contact Us menu to contact Google SketchUp technical support.

Preferences Dialog Box

The Preferences dialog box (Edit > Preferences) contains settings for Style Builder.
Saving
The Saving section of the Preferences dialog box contains warning settings appearing when
saving a style.
Warn When The Style Contains Blank Strokes
Check this box if you want to receive a warning when your style has blank strokes. Blank
strokes will appear as 50% transparent gray boxes, that are as wide as the stroke width, in
SketchUp.
Warn When the Style Has No Name
Check this box if you want to receive a warning when your style has no name.
Strokes
The Strokes section of the Preferences dialog box contains settings affecting the
appearance of strokes in your style.
Apply Auto-Contrast to Strokes When Added to the Style
Check the Apply auto-contrast to stroke when added to the style when you want pixels
added automatically to the stroke to achieve a better balance between bright and dark
pixels.
Always Warn Me When the Length of a Stroke Image Must be Adjusted
Check the Always warn me when the length of a stroke image must be adjusted checkbox if
you want Style Builder to warn you when you place a stroke in a set whose set length is
larger than the stroke length.
When the Width of a Stroke Image Must be Adjusted
Select one item from the list to identify how Style Builder should adjust the width of a stroke
(when it must do so automatically).
Scale the image: Select the Scale the image option to have the stroke stretched to fit new
width.
Crop or pad the image: Select the Crop or pad the image to either remove pixels to make
stroke thinner or add pixels to make it wider.
Ask me what to do: Select the Ask me what to do option to have Style Builder prompt you
for an option when the width of a stroke must be adjusted.

Sets Pane
The Sets Pane contains all of the strokes that will be contained in your saved style. The Sets
pane has five empty sets of strokes, 32, 64, 128, 256, and 512 pixel in length, by default.
There are empty gray boxes in the Sets Pane to accept new strokes. You populate the Sets
Pane by either loading a Template, using File > Load Template (Microsoft Windows), File
> Open Template (Mac OS X), or by loading Strokes using the menu items in the Strokes
menu and dragging and dropping those strokes into the Sets Pane.
Note - Strokes loaded using the File > Load Template

(Microsoft Window) or File > Open Template (Mac OS X) menu item will
automatically populate the Sets Pane. Strokes loaded using menu items in the
Strokes menu will populate the Strokes tab and must be dragged and dropped
into the Sets Pane.
Lengths
Click on the plus button next to the Lengths field to display a list of common stroke set sizes.
Select a stroke length to add to the style, or click on the Other option and enter a custom
stroke length.
Strokes
Select the number of strokes per set from the Strokes drop-down list. The greater the
number of strokes per set, the more hand drawn your model will appear.
Width
Click on width drop-down list to change the width of all of the strokes. Select a stroke width
from the drop-down list. Depending on the settings in the Preferences dialog box, a warning
message will either appear or your strokes will automatically be resized to the new width.
Refer to the Preferences Dialog Box for further information.
X
Click on the X ( ), next to any set, to remove the set.
Eraser Icon
Click on the eraser icon ( ) next to any stroke, to replace the stroke with an empty gray
box.

Settings Tab
The Settings tab contains global settings for all strokes appearing in the Sets Pane. The
following image contains the Settings tab. The following image contains an image of the
Settings tab:
Style Name
Type in a style name to appear in SketchUp when the style is loaded.
Strokes
The Strokes section contains settings that affect stroke length, fade, and color.
Dropout length
Type in a percentage value used to determine when strokes should drop from view. Dropout
length can be specifically defined as a percentage of the diagonal length of the Style
Preview Window from zero to 100 percent.
If the Dropout length is set to 5.0, edges will not be displayed when their length is shorter
than 5% of the Style Preview window's diagonal length.
Note - Dropout length is only editable from Style Builder (not

SketchUp).

Fade factor
Type a fade factor value used to determine when small strokes start fading from view. Fade
factor is a multiple of dropout length. If the dropout length is 5% and the fade factor is 4, the
edges will begin to fade when they reach 20% of the diagonal of the Style Preview window
in length.
If the Fade factor is then set to 4.0, edges will start fading from black to gray when their
length is shorter than 20% (5.0 x 4.0) of the Style Preview window's diagonal length.
Note - Fade factor is only editable from Style Builder (not SketchUp).
Color
Click on the Color swatch to change the color of the strokes (displayed in SketchUp). The
Color dialog box is displayed. Click on a new color. Click on the OK button.
Edge Effects
The Edge Effects section contains settings that affect a stroke's appearance.

Halo
Check the Halo checkbox to create a halo affect where lines overlap in your model by
ending lines, that would normally overlap, a certain distance away from the overlap point.
Type a number (pixels) in the halo text field representing the distance away from the
intersection where lines will end. The following images show two cubes with a sketchy edge.
The two cubes on the left have no special edge effects enabled. The two cubes on the right
have a halo effect enabled with the overlapping lines ending 15 pixels before they overlap.

Extensions
Check the Extension checkbox to extend each line slightly past its endpoint, giving your
model hand-drawn sketched appearance. This edge rendering style does not affect
inference behavior. Enter a length, in pixels, for the extension lines in the pixels field. The
following images show two cubes with a sketchy edge. The cube on the left has no special
edge effects enabled. The cube right has extension lines of 15 pixels enabled.
Profiles
Check the Profiles checkbox to emphasize the outer lines or profiles of major shapes in your
model. This style is particularly useful in ensuring the 3D nature of geometry is emphasized
and borrows from a proven traditional media drawing technique. The cube on the left has no
special edge effects enabled. The cube on the right has profile lines enabled. Notice that the
outer lines on right cube are slightly more emphasized (thicker).

Depth cueing
Check the Depth cueing checkbox to emphasize the lines of the sample model in the
foreground over the lines of sample model in the background. The following images show
two cubes with a sketchy edge. The cube on the left has no special edge effects enabled.
The cube on the right has depth cueing enabled. Notice that the edges on right cube get
progressively thinner from front to back.

Strokes Tab
The Strokes tab displays all of the available strokes that can be combined, in the Sets Pane,
to create a sketchy edge style. Click on the down arrow next to a library of strokes to
minimize or maximize the library of strokes. Drag-and-drop strokes to the Sets Pane to
design a new sketchy edge style. The following image contains the Strokes tab.
Note - An X ( ) is placed next to strokes loaded using items in the

Strokes menu. Click on the "X" to remove library of strokes from the Strokes
tab. This option is only available on Microsoft Windows. Mac OS X users must
select the stroke library name and then use the Strokes > Remove Stroke
menu item to delete a stroke library.

Strokes Tab Context Menu (Microsoft Windows)

Context-click (right-click) on any stroke library title to invoke a context menu. The following
menu items appear:
Add Strokes to Current Style

Use the Add strokes to current style to automatically populate the Sets Pane with all strokes
from the stroke library. You can perform this option on multiple stroke libraries as a way to
combine libraries into a single style.
Create New Style With Strokes

Use the Create new style with strokes option to automatically populate the Sets Pane with
all strokes from the stroke library. Unlike the Add strokes to current style menu item, this
menu item is not additive; it will not add strokes from two different libraries into the Sets
Pane.

Style Builder User Interface

The Style Builder user interface consists of menus (1), a Strokes tab (2), a Settings tab (3),
a Sets pane (4), and a Style Preview window (5).
Note - The user interface for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X is

identical except in two places: there are a few differences between menu
items and there is no icon ( ) on Mac OS X to delete an entire collection of
strokes (in the Strokes tab). Mac OS X users must select the stroke library
name and then use the Strokes > Remove Stroke menu item to delete a
stroke library.

Styles Preview Window

The Style Preview window provides a preview of a model with the strokes in the Sets Pane.
Refer to the SketchUp documentation for further information on these tools.
The Orbit Tool ( )

Click on the Orbit tool and click and hold the left mouse button in the preview window to
rotate the model. Alternatively, click on the middle mouse wheel and move the mouse to
rotate the model.
The Pan Tool ( )

Click on the Pan tool and click and hold the left mouse button in the preview window to pan
the model. Alternatively, press and hold the "Shift" Key, click on the middle mouse button
and move the mouse to pan.
The Zoom Tool ( )

Click on the Zoom tool, click and hold the left mouse button, move the mouse forward or
backward in the preview window to zoom in or zoom out. Alternatively, click and roll the
middle mouse button forward to zoom in on the model or click and roll the middle mouse
button back to zoom out from the model.
The Zoom Extents Tool ( )

Click on the Zoom Extents tool to center the sample model within the Style Preview pane.
The Show/Hide Shadows Button ( )

Click on the Show/Hide Shadows button to toggle the display of shadows.

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Google Style Builder 1 Help

Page 1 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Welcome to the Style Builder Getting Started

Page 2 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

What are Styles?

The following image shows a SketchUp model with sketchy edges.

Page 3 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 4 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

How are Sketchy Edge Styles Constructed?

Page 5 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

How are Sketchy Edges Applied to a Model?

Page 6 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

What are Templates, Style Files, and Stroke Files?

Page 7 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Creating a Sketchy Edge Style

Page 8 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Generating a Style Template

Note - The number of strokes you choose to have really depends on

Page 9 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 10 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Generating a Style Template (Mac OS X)

Note - The number of strokes you choose to have really depends on

Page 11 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 12 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Drawing and Editing Strokes

Page 13 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 14 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

1. Select the Rectangular Marquee Tool ( )

2. Change the Style to Fixed Aspect Ratio .

6. Copy the stroke to the clipboard.

9. Make adjustments to the stroke. The following adjustments might be made:

Page 15 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 16 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Transferring Strokes to the Template

Page 17 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 18 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Creating a Sketchy Edge Style File

Page 19 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 20 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Welcome to the Style Builder User's Guide

Page 21 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Adding Strokes to a Style

Page 22 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Deleting Libraries of Strokes (Mac OS X)

Page 23 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Deleting Library of Strokes (Microsoft Windows)

Page 24 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Page 25 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Welcome to the Style Builder Reference Guide

Page 26 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Style Builder Menu (Mac OS X)

About Style Builder

Check for Update

Hide Style Builder

Quit Style Builder

Page 27 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

File Menu (Microsoft Windows)

Page 28 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

File Menu (Mac OS X)

Page 29 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Edit Menu (Microsoft Windows)

Page 30 Copyright Google Inc. 2008

Edit Menu (Mac OS X)