Hi Patrick - welcome! protolabs FAQ[1] says they accept .stl file also. Have you tried that format? You can get the .stl extension from the Extension Warehouse from in SketchUp. Your model will likely need to be a "solid" for best results. [1] http://www.protolabs.com/resources/molding-and-machining-faq

@mathieuweekes1 said: I have turned off extensions in Preferences and also removed everything out of the plugins folder in the library via Applications leaving the extensions that come with SU (sandbox, dynamic components etc) and Shaderlight. The result is that it is still crashing? Does this mean there is a problem with the renderer? well, what happens when you turn off Shaderlight? does sketchUp still crash? or, sketchUp is crashing while rendering with / using shaderlight? because to me, it's starting to sound more and more like shaderLight is causing the crashes as well as the odd toolbar behavior you're seeing.. you probably should contact shaderlight support.. @unknownuser said: Is it worth uninstalling SU14 and Shaderlight and reinstalling? if it were me, i'd try to narrow down the cause a bit more and if i concluded shaderlight was the problem, i'd ditch it and go find another renderer but that's just me.. another problem is that shaderlight may be doing something 'bad' to the .plist ..so if you do decide to uninstall it, you should probably reset the .plist again as outlined earlier in order to get rid of any possible corruption the plugin may have caused. @unknownuser said: To improve my understanding of best practises; What is the best method of installing plugins in SU. 2014? Is there anything I should avoid doing? the 'best' is to just use the sketchucation plugin store and trimbles built in extension warehouse.. if you get plugins from elsewhere, always try to get .rbz versions then install them via Sketchup->Preferences->Extensions->install Extensions.. doing that will eliminate any install errors.. unfortunately, it won't prevent errors in the plugin's code though

Makes sense. Thanks, I'll download a new Dibec plugin copy.

There's a whole raft of plugins you can use for this...once you get into it. Thom's QuadFace Tools has a great usability too. http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39442

Do a google search on "Rocksolver" This is a plugin, but I cannot tell if it has a price or it is free. I did not search too far.

are all your plugins the latest version? v2014 uses Ruby 2, ANY old plugins may break... if they are all fresh downloads with v2014 compatibility, on a mac the first suspect will be a renderer. [any breed] john

@dave r said: With Mac there's a native option. With the PC there isn't but ThomThom's Export 2D With Alpha will do it if you export PNG files. JPGs don't support transparency. Thanks Dave - does EXACTLY what I want. This should be a standard part of SU (IMHO).

BVox beat me ! Look at the Style set for the view. Edit it... 'Edge Settings'... It probably has 'Back Edges' ticked ? Un-tick that. Also un-tick 'Extensions' and 'Endpoints' if they are set too... Also, if you have not given external-walls a proper thickness then that can also lead to edges bleeding through...

@jeff hammond said: @unknownuser said: Thanks guys! What I mean is: it's usually best to think ahead in these situations.. copy the lines when they're more selectable then paste in place once the surface is made.. [attachment=0:18rbck4m]<!-- ia0 -->untitled.jpg<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:18rbck4m] perimeter curves curviLoft's geometry options -- generate only junctions or intermediate lines (or both) using curvizard (other plugins available for this) , select a segment on the curve you want and it will automatically select the rest of the segments then weld.. do that for the lines you want visible then Copy make the surface - smooth if necessary Paste in Place . Thanks Jeff, that is what I want!

My pleasure William.

Hi, masmark: Thanks for responding. Good to know I wasn't totally wrong

You can try thrupaint from Fredo tools. SketchUV will do it. Quadfacetools from Thomthom will work in this situation too.

hi my friend Zooen has find how to ... Please , take a look there: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/Ruby-API/BGMwYIN83CM/FOxrRZ-3fBoJ it works also for the plugin "Align tool 3D". french post : http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=51%26amp;t=57160%26amp;p=519494#p519494 chri

A fellow Okie... Welcome to the forum Jamie.

Try welding the lines. Curvizard will let you batch weld them.

Delete whatever is in the filter box.

@leminilab said: 3dita, I thank you, it works perfectly! I just need to find the best spacing in the sandbox to make sure my computer doesn't die rendering this but it is what I needed! Thanks a bunch! Glad I could be of help! Again, make sure the CDs are Proxies, otherwise I think it's gonna be hard to handle that scene.. Looking forward to see how it turned out, ok? Cheers

need more detail or post sample of file What are you exporting to??

I just installed it on my Mac and it works fine for me, too. Maybe it's an installation error? Did you also install the required support file?

@syburn said: Looking at the 3D warehouse, its still lacking for furniture selection. Where is a better place to get furniture. lights and props for interiors? The SketchUcation Shop? Podium Browser? Form Fonts? Lots of furniture to choose from.