So I relaunched Sketchup manually removing the "20%" and replacing with spaces but it appeared to do nothing. Can anyone recommend the installation process on this? I would greatly appreciate it as there are some concepts I think would benefit my lectures on Native American canoe building in the Pacific Northwest region that building a 3d model would save some much still frame explanation.

Thanks for your Service to Our Nation Tom, Both Military and Civil... Dave is the man when it comes to wood working. He'll steer you right. Since he won't toot his own horn I'll do it for him. You might check out his new book. http://store.finewoodworking.com/fine-woodworkings-google-sketchup-guide-for-woodworkers-basics-download-067125.html Although this is a little more on the refined side. Also you might check out the textures in the Shop here on the site. http://sketchucation.com/shop/textures Once you have some textures and you want to make a "collection" look on your material browser window on the far right of the window there is a small arrow directly to the right of the drop down menu, this will allow you to save a library or collection of materials to your materials folder. Now since you're working in what looks to be a more rustic form of carving, if this is indeed a typical example of your work, I will suggest two plugins that will be of great help to you. Thomthom's Vertex Tools which is available here in the shop or on his website. http://www.thomthom.net/software/vertex_tools/ and Artisan http://artisan4sketchup.com/

thank you!

@cotty said: Gerrit wrote about the origins for the guides groups, not the beams origin. (@Trixta) Yes, I was only trying to explain why guides may not be displayed in certain cases: when their insertion point is too far off screen. Groups and components with real geometry (their edges and faces) are always displayed, even with the local origin not on screen. Just the guides may disappear. If you have things like beams that are mostly the same, start with one component. If the last 10% (or so) of the geometry of one beam slightly differs from the others, you can make this beam component unique and do the rest of the 10% editing only to this unique component. p.s. "Make unique" also applies to more than one component, to split a bunch into two groups of components.

Sketchup.active_model.path returns the full path to the SKP. and Time.now returns the time/date. To get the user try ENV["USERNAME"] C:\Users\TIG\Desktop\oxo.skp Tue Apr 02 15:50:39 +0100 2013 TIG You can tailor the 'date' by using things like: "#{Time.now.year}-#{Time.now.month}-#{Time.now.day}"giving 2013-4-2 It'd be straight forward to add some screen-text that included these text strings. Updating it could be done with an onStart observer ?

@pbacot said: Oh and the joints don't currently land on a joist. Ooo! Thank you. Don't know how I missed that. There goes the profit.

Get Jpeg of your actual design elements {tile,wall treatments, wood etc} and import them into sketchup and apply them to your model surfaces.

Okay, that was easy, simply uncheck loop to starting scene in export options! Shame Sketchup doesn't have a more efficient, multicore, video encoder.

Now that TIG has explained what is going on in your model... I would offer some tools to fix what has been done. TIG Fix Reversed Face Materials. http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=30107&hilit=reverse+faces+tool Fredo Tools (reverse face orient) http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42089 ThomThom UV Tool Kit http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18992 Thomthom Material Tools. http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=17587&start=90 and there are others too...

I wasn't clear, sorry. I was referring to the PC eyedropper icon that says "match color of object in model." Not the eyedropper/magnifying glass that samples a color from the screen. It seems to do the same thing as the eyedropper that samples colors and matches them.

@tig said: You can add Text labels to your SKP. You can then include Text in what is to be Exported as a DXF, under the Exporter's Options... Also ensure the DXF format chosen supports Text... Note how I deliberately mis-labeled two vertices as '5' ---oOo--- First thing TIG thanks for taking time and trouble to reply much appreciated, What I am trying to do is force SketchUp to change the internal numbering (not shown on the screen) of the vertices (points) before I export the 3D wireframe drawing For example if internally point 2 is X 0.0 Y 2.1 Z 1.3 I want to be able to export it as say 3 X 0.0 Y 2.1 Z 1.3 But want to change the 2 to 3 from the screen graphically. I am transferring geometry to structural computer models and want to avoid tedious re-numbering of the joints textually to rationalize them for design purposes. I did try tracing over the original model using a different layer in desired sequence and then deleting original layer which works but in practice is not a good solution. Maybe I am hoping for too much…………. Tony

http://issuu.com/rclub24/docs/catchup_5 Take a look in catchup 5 Good luck

I should downgrade to beginner!

Thanks every one, it appears that there is hope. @unknownuser said: Also it would be a good thing if you tell us what you want to create, it is difficult to advise you if we don't know where we go. gilles my original question has the .skp with the complete project and some pictures. I have been using SuSolid and have it down to just 5 or 6 errors, all of the obvious problems have been fixed. Possible with Solid Inspector and SolidSolver I can finish cleaning it up. Boy, I am going to have to start making some more donations, wish I had a income maybe I can make my 3D printer pay. Thanks again, I really appreciate the help and obviously need it, but I am getting there. Ralph

Thanks for your reply's again.. i had not thort of breaking it up.. i did solve the problem of massive size of final animation by exporting the animation as a png. rather than an avi and then used ImagesToVideo to combine to make the vid. (i did this with another model) but i tried exporting in both ways- 1 way was the avi and the other in png the avi file was 1.2 gig while the png that once converted was only 60 mb.. also the png exporting was alot faster. I will defiantly look at breaking up the animation into parts and try it that way and also look at the sphere background around the model

.. killed the cat .

lines are turned off? can you post the model?

I didn't use a plugin for it at all. [image: WiSx_blower1.png] I started with the lid and the shape of the base section. (I don't know what those parts are called so I'm making up names.) I also extended the curve at the base of the tab. I selected the inner face and its bounding edges by double clicking the inner face. Then I got the Move tool and while holding Alt to invoke AutoFold, moved the selection down the required distance. It is possible with a shape like this that the bevel won't be exactly accurate all the way around but by turning on Hidden Geometry, deleting some unneeded edges and adding some needed ones, the clean up will go quickly. After the bevel was finished, I just used Push/Pull to extend the base down as needed. To make it solid you just have to eliminate any internal faces and make sure there are no holes or stray line segments. Blower2B.skp

Box, I'm so glad i joined in on this thread, I had given up on orbiting with the MMB, but after talking with you and trying different approaches, I finally got the right one, and IT WORKS, I'm orbiting with MMB. Thanks box, thanks all. In case it might help someone else, the mouse is Logitech model MX310(an old one), go to Start, control panel, mouse properties,set point settings, select button, select middle button, set task to "other", when prompt comes up, select middle button. Good luck

Merci a vous pour la réponse rapide! Effectivement, cela semble refonctionner désormais. Je vais donc aller regarder tout cela. Merci encore.