Unhiding objects in SketchUp is a straightforward process that allows you to reveal geometry you've previously hidden to simplify your model or workflow.
There are a few primary ways to unhide objects in SketchUp, catering to different situations: unhiding the last object(s) you hid, unhiding all hidden objects, or unhiding specific selected objects.
Methods to Unhide Geometry
SketchUp provides convenient options within its menus and via the context menu for unhiding geometry.
1. Using the Edit Menu
The Edit menu offers quick ways to bring back hidden geometry, particularly useful when you've only recently hidden objects or want to reveal everything at once.
- Unhide Last: This option allows you to unhide only the geometry you hid most recently. As mentioned in the reference, if you've hidden multiple different objects, this option lets you "unhide. Just the last. Ones." This is useful if you accidentally hid something or only need to reveal the very last set of objects you concealed.
- Go to Edit > Unhide > Last.
- Unhide All: This command will reveal all hidden geometry in your entire model, including any hidden groups, components, edges, or faces.
- Go to Edit > Unhide > All.
Note: These Edit menu options apply globally to your model.
2. Using the Context Menu (Right-Click)
For more targeted unhiding, you can use the context menu. This method requires you to make hidden geometry visible first so you can select it.
- Make Hidden Geometry Visible: To see what's hidden, go to View > Hidden Geometry. This will display hidden edges and faces as dashed lines or a translucent overlay, but they will still be hidden (unselectable normally).
- Select Hidden Geometry: While Hidden Geometry is enabled in the View menu, you can now select the hidden edges or faces you wish to unhide using the Select tool.
- Unhide Selected: Right-click (context-click) on the selected hidden geometry.
- Select Unhide from the context menu.
This method is ideal when you only want to unhide specific parts of your model without revealing everything else.
Summary Table
| Method | Steps | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Edit > Last | Go to Edit > Unhide > Last | Unhide only the most recently hidden object(s). |
| Edit > All | Go to Edit > Unhide > All | Unhide all hidden geometry in the model. |
| Context Menu | 1. View > Hidden Geometry 2. Select hidden geometry 3. Right-click > Unhide |
Unhide specific selected hidden geometry. |
By utilizing these methods, you can effectively manage the visibility of objects in your SketchUp models. Remember that hidden geometry can sometimes interfere with modeling operations, so it's good practice to unhide elements when you need to interact with them directly.
