In SketchUp LayOut, locking movement to one axis or direction is not as explicit as in SketchUp’s 3D modeling environment, where you can lock axes using keyboard shortcuts. However, there are ways to restrict movement and ensure precision when working in LayOut:
1. Use the Shift Key to Constrain Movement
- When you start dragging an object, hold down the Shift key.
- This will constrain the movement along the initial axis (horizontal or vertical) based on your starting direction.
2. Use the Arrow Keys for Axis Locking
- Arrow keys can help lock movement to specific directions:
- Left Arrow: Locks movement along the horizontal axis.
- Up Arrow: Locks movement along the vertical axis.
- After pressing the arrow key, drag the object, and it will only move along the locked direction.
3. Snapping to Grids or Guidelines
- Enable snapping to the grid or guidelines:
- Go to Arrange > Grid Settings, and ensure snapping is active.
- Create guidelines using the Line Tool or Guide Tool to manually define constrained paths for movement.
- When snapping is enabled, LayOut will align your movement to the nearest gridline or guide.
4. Precise Movement with the Measurements Box
- Instead of dragging, you can specify an exact distance for the movement in the Measurements Box:
- Select the object.
- Drag it slightly in the desired direction to activate movement.
- Type the exact value in the Measurements Box and press Enter.
By combining these methods, you can effectively restrict movement to a single axis in LayOut.
