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MODEL A CELL FOR SCIENCE CLASS
Lesson for beginners • Time to complete: 30 mins
Lesson Plan :
Learn how to draw and present your cell wall, membrane, and organelles in 3D!
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5 Intro to SketchUp for Schools
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outline
Hi, I’m Temple
If you are new to 3D modeling, this lesson plan is for you! I’ll be with you the whole way, giving you tips and tricks for how to model like a pro in SketchUp for Schools.
Don’t forget, there’s also a video for this lesson plan. I can’t wait to see what you create… let’s do this!
Happy Sketching,
Temple
Learning Objectives
In this lesson, students will learn how to use the following SketchUp tools:
At the completion of this lesson, students should feel comfortable with the following on their own:
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pan
orbit
zoom
text
push/pull
freehand
paint
offset
views
circle
rectangle
rotated rectangle
Using SketchUp for Schools’ navigation tools to move around the model
Drawing basic shapes: circles, rectangles, and irregular shapes
Using the push/pull tool to make and edit objects in 3D
Using labels & scenes to present a 3D model
Understanding cell structure & terminology
K-12 Standards
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Common Core Standards
Geometry
>> Reason with shapes and their attributes
Science & Technical Subjects
>> Craft and Structure
>> Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
ISTE | Standards for Educators
Educators continually improve their practice by learning from and with others and exploring proven and promising practices that leverage technology to improve student learning.
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Educators facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement of the ISTE Standards for Students.
Educators dedicate time to collaborate with both colleagues and students to improve practice, discover and share resources and ideas, and solve problems.
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Learner
Collaborator
Facilitator
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Saving Files
Intro to SketchUp for Schools
5 minutes
Getting Access
Before we get started, let’s go through some of the basics together.
1 Go to https://edu.sketchup.com/app
2 Sign in with the Google or Microsoft email address provided by your school.
Note: If you have trouble logging in, check with your administrator that your school or district has installed SketchUp for Schools (Instructions for Google & Microsoft Admins)
Before you build your first model, go to your Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive and create a new folder.
Give your folder a name.
Whenever you start a new model, it’s a good idea to save your file first. Click on the folder icon on the top left, then click ‘Save As.’
Give your model a name, then press ‘OK.’
Next, you’ll be asked to save your model to a folder in your Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. Click on the folder you just created, then click ‘Select.’
If you’ve done everything correctly, you’ll see your file name in the top left corner along with a ‘Saved’ message.
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PRO TIP #1
Save often!
If you get into the habit of saving your work, you’ll be less likely to lose any progress if class ends and you close your laptop.
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The Scale Figure
Every time you open a new model in SketchUp for Schools, you will see Temple Grandin's scale figure. Temple’s job is to give us a sense of the size of the objects we draw in our model.
For example, Temple is 5’9”. If we draw a 3 foot cube next to her, the cube will be about half her height.
Drawing a Cube
Let’s test it: let’s draw a 3 foot cube next to Temple.
Select the rectangle tool from the menu on the left.
Click once on the ground near Temple’s feet to set one corner of your cube.
Without clicking again, move your mouse anywhere on the screen, then type
“ 3’, 3’ ”, then hit ‘enter’.
Select the push/pull tool from the menu on the left.
Click once on the face you just drew. Without clicking again, move your mouse to make your cube 3D.
Type “ 3’ ”, then hit ‘enter’ to complete your cube.
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Click
here
3’
3’
Click this face
3’
3’
3’
Rectangle tool
Push/Pull tool
PRO TIP # 2
Unless otherwise specified, a click in SketchUp is executed as “click and release.”
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Navigation Tools
One of the most important things to learn in 3D modeling is how to move around in your model window. Click the orbit tool from the menu on the left to expand all the navigation tools.
The Zoom Window tool allows you to select an area of your model to view closer. Click on the Zoom Window tool, then left click-hold-drag your mouse to highlight an area of your model.
The Zoom Extents tool allows you to see all the geometry in your model.
Click on the Zoom Extents tool and everything in your model will come into view.
The Pan tool allows you to move your model across your screen.
Click on the Pan tool, then left click-hold-drag your mouse from side to side in the model window.
Mouse shortcut: hold down the scroll wheel, then hold down the shift key at the same time. Move your mouse in any direction to pan.
pan
The Orbit tool allows you to rotate around your model.
Click on the Orbit tool, then left click-hold-drag your mouse from side to side in the model window.
Mouse shortcut: hold down the scroll wheel to activate the Orbit tool, then move your mouse in any direction to orbit.
orbit
The Zoom tool allows you to look closer at the details in your model.
Click on the Zoom tool, then left click-hold-drag your mouse up and down in the model window.
Mouse shortcut: use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
zoom
zoom window
zoom extents
PRO TIP #3
We recommend using a mouse with a scroll wheel when modeling in SketchUp. Using a trackpad is totally possible, but not as fun.
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The Instructor Panel
Open the ‘Instructor’ from the SketchUp panels for help with understanding how to use any of SketchUp’s tools.
The way it works: click on a tool with the instructor panel open and you will see a description of the tool and a step-by-step guide on how to use it.
Line tool
Instructor
That’s it for the intro.
You’re ready to get started on modeling!
step-by-step tutorial:
Model a Cell for Science Class
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pre-flight checklist
Here’s a breakdown of the steps required to complete this lesson plan:
You’re logged in at edu.sketchup.com/app
You’ve gone through the SketchUp for Schools intro and feel comfortable navigating around in the model window.
You’ve setup at least one folder in Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive for your SketchUp models
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PRO TIP # 4
Undo! Did you mess up? No worries! Just click the undo button on the bottom left of your screen to go back. Command/control +z works, too.
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Draw a 3D cell
First things first: save your file!
Now we can start drawing your cell. Since most cells are irregular in shape, we will choose a tool that lets us draw freeform. Select the freehand tool from the menu on the left.
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(Left)click-hold-drag your mouse to start drawing the shape of your cell. Be sure to “close the loop” by connecting the beginning and the end of your line. When done correctly, you will get a “face” as shown in the image.
If you don’t like the shape you made, check out Pro Tip #4 below to start over.
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undo
Cells are the basic unit of life, and are responsible for all of life’s processes. There are many, many different types of cells, but they all have the same general characteristics and structure. In this lesson plan, I’m not drawing a specific type of cell, but rather, I will give you the tools to build any cell you like. Let’s get started!
�Freehand tool
Now let’s make your cell 3D!
Select the push/pull tool from the menu on the left.
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Push/Pull tool
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Move your mouse anywhere inside the top surface of your cell to activate the offset tool. You’ll know that your mouse is in the right place when the top surface of your cell is highlighted with blue dots, like in the image.
Tip: check out the navigation tools if you need to orbit, pan, or zoom your view.
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Click once to start the offset, then click again inside the surface to set the offset width.
Tip: In this step, you are setting the thickness of your cell wall. Make sure your offset lines aren’t too far (super-thick walls) or too close (super-thin walls) to the original lines. Don’t forget about the undo tool if you need to try again!
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�first, click once on this surface
move your mouse up, then click again
Click anywhere on your shape, then move your mouse upwards on the screen to “pull” your shape up into 3 dimensions. Click again to set the height of your cell.
Now that you have your basic cell shape in 3D, let’s create the cell wall.
Click the push/pull tool from the menu on the left to expand all the tools in the flyout. Then, select the offset tool.
Offset
tool
�Push/Pull tool
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�first click anywhere inside the shape
�then click here to set the wall thickness
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Select the push/pull tool and “pull” up on your nucleus, cell wall, and cell membrane to give them some depth.
Next, let’s draw the cell membrane!
Repeat steps F and G with the inside shape to create another offset.
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Now let’s draw the organelles in your cell interior! Every cell has a nucleus, the main organelle, but other types of organelles include chloroplast, ribosomes, and mitochondria -- all of which have different shapes.
First, let’s draw the nucleus. You can use the freehand tool for this. Go back to step B if you need help.
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�first click anywhere inside the inner shape
�then click here to set the membrane thickness
Next, let’s draw a circle-shaped organelle. Click the rectangle tool from the menu on the left to expand all the drawing tools. Then, select the circle tool.
Circle
tool
�Rectangle tool
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Now select the rectangle tool from the menu on the left and draw a few rectangular-shaped organelles.
Click once anywhere within your cell’s cytoplasm to set the center of your circle. Click again to set the radius. Repeat to make as many circle-shaped organelles as you like.
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Click once to set one corner, then click again to set the opposite corner.
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The rectangular tool will default to drawing rectangles along the red, green, and blue axis. To draw an off-axis rectangle, select the rotated rectangle tool from the menu on the left.
�Rectangle tool
�Rotated
rectangle tool
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Now that you have a bunch of organelles, let’s make them all 3D. Select the push/pull tool again and “push” or “pull” each of your newly created organelles.
The rotated rectangle is three clicks: first click sets the first corner, second click sets the angle, and third click sets the opposite corner.
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Keep going! This lesson continues
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The materials panel will automatically open on the right side and a few default colors will appear. Click the magnifying glass to browse the material library, then search for your favorite colors and textures.
Paint tool
Browse
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Add colors
Select the paint tool from the menu on the left.
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Have fun with it! Color your cytoplasm with “Water” or your cell wall with “Grass.” Just click on a face to apply the color or texture you have selected.
Tip: make sure to orbit around your model to get the faces on the back and bottom, too. Check out this page for more info on orbiting.
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Jazz up your model with fun colors and textures
Keep going! This lesson continues
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Present your cell
Click the tape measure tool from the menu on the left to expand all the tools in the flyout. Then, select the offset text tool.
Click on a part of your cell that you want to label, the click again to set the label. By default, the label will display a dimension.
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To change the label from a dimension to the name of your cell part, double click on the text and rename it.
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If you want to edit the font type, font size, arrow type, or color, click on the text, then select the entity info panel on the right.
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Your model is complete! Now let’s make sure it’s ready to present to your class.
Text
tool
�Tape Measure tool
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Repeat steps B-D for all the parts of your cell.
Notice that as you orbit around your model, the text rotates in 3D so that it’s always facing you. That way, the text remains readable on the screen even if you orbit to the exact opposite side from where you placed the text.
For the last step we will create scenes, which are basically snapshots of your model. When you orbit around your model, you can always return back to an exact view by creating a scene.
Go to your views panel on the right, then click the ‘+’ button to add a scene. Your current view will be stored as a scene.
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Orbit around, then click on the scene you just created from the scenes list. Your view will update to show exactly what was on your screen when you added the scene.
You can rename your scene by clicking on the default name ‘Scene 1’, and typing in your desired name.
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Views panel
Add scene
Orbit, pan, and zoom to views that you like and create as many scenes as you need to showcase different parts of your model.
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You can present your model directly from SketchUp for Schools by clicking through the scenes you created.
Transitions from scene to scene will be smooth, and are a much better way to present your model than simply using the navigation tools.
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