Discovering shortcuts

People like toolbars. They like to set up their programs, especially 3D modeling programs, with all of their toolbars out on display.

It makes it easier to click on a button if the toolbar is visible at all times. It also looks nice! It is usually colorful and reminds you of all the power you have available to you at the tip of your finger.

But it is also a waste of space and an inefficient way to call up commands.

If you want to be a master modeler, you need to be able to jump from one command to the next, taking only a fraction of a second to change commands. Relying on finding a button for a command on a toolbar takes too long for a SketchUp ninja, and adding a bunch of toolbars to the screen shrinks your usable modeling area. Look at this SketchUp workspace:

Figure 7.1 – SketchUp for Windows with every native toolbar enabled (and Default Tray pinned)

Not only does it eat up my usable space in SketchUp – it also...