true thanks

The first time I hooked up an external monitor, I had the same trouble, I couldn't drag anything left to right from my lap top to the secondary. Then realized I had my laptop on the left and the secondary on the right, but in the control panel, I didn't notice that I had my secondary monitor on the left side and laptop on the right. Just identify and make sure they are oriented to match the 1--2 on the monitors and the control panel. Sounds elementary but sometimes the best answers to frustrating issues are the most obvious. [image: weDg_screenorientation.png]

Just found the SoapSkinBubbleTool and it's a little different to stop toolbar opening every time. In the plugins folder there's a folder called SoapSkinBubble, and in there is a file called SoapSkinBubbleMenu.rb. Edit that file and find the line: sbToolbar.show and change that to: ## start troypiggo edit # sbToolbar.show state = sbToolbar.get_last_state if (state == TB_VISIBLE) sbToolbar.restore end ## end troypiggo edit

The fourth possibility... Use a webdialog to receive your data-stream, running callbacks that do something inside the SKP... There are a few video examples, if you search the web. I've seen stock-prices streamed in to make a webdialog [off-screen] draw a 3d block graph in real time... Perhaps start looking from here https://sites.google.com/site/sketchupsage/resources

Bowls by the Follow-me tool [image: 7xr0_bol.jpg] With this method you can make all is domes, spheres etc... [image: 5eU1_bol2.jpg] Draw an arc on the front face angle Here for select perimeter: double click on the top face, then click on the top face again with Shift = perimeter selected [image: UDpY_round_corner.jpg] And for more elaborated rounded volumes Round Edge round Corner both by Fredo6 [flash=420,315:3c5aiqw1]http://www.youtube.com/v/q3LBWfLNopE[/flash:3c5aiqw1]

why not just copy and paste into the component temporarily?

Love SU but you need to spend $500 to print like a human in the 21st century!

Tig, Thanks for the prompt reply. I'll pursue your suggestion - could well do the job. I'm getting the impression that as with most things the devil is in the details, and that simple geometries exported to dxf by SU Pro will run easily - or with minimal handholding; however, there will be exceptions that will arise. Fair summary? Hugh

Just did the selecting units thing on the options button. Works like a champ to prevent it from being 12x as big. Still pretty new to the program so not really familiar with the drape tool. I'll read up on it and give it a shot. Thanks so much for the advice! bagger05

I believe that maybe the best for fill something between 2 arcs (or any curves) or more in the 3D space is Curviloft by Fredo6 (first tool: loft junction ) Call the tool, click arc1, arc 2, arc n , Enter that's all (curve 1, curve 2, curve n) And you will have a bunch of post parameters: Increase or decrease number of facets etc... Have fun curvilofting! (click image for zoom [image: i2ph_Curvi.jpg]

I think the best way to choose plugins is to let practical work make the decision for you. (for any app' with plugin facilities). Just get cracking on with some models using the standard tools, and identify.. A) Things you need to do, but the standard tools can't manage it. B) Complex actions that you need to repeat a lot, and really want a quicker way to do it. C) Recommendations from other forum users who are trying to solve the same problem as you. ...then do a targeted search for a plugin to fit exactly what you need. I find this much better than just loading lots of plugins "just to try them"; no matter how clever they are, they will just become HDD clutter if they are not truly useful to your models - and that clutter can be a real pain, as plugin file management (one big folder!) is a totally "manual" experience, and you will be glad that you have only a "slim" collection if you ever need to diagnose slow-boots or bugsplats! There also comes a point when you can have so many plugin, that going back to the standard tools becomes faster than looking for some tutorial videos, to remind yourself how a rarely-used plugin actually works! So my big tip is this - consider carefully which plugins you DO NOT need, and eliminate them from your HDD mercilessly so that SU boots fast, and you are not swamped by extra toobars/menu items etc. that are no longer meaningful. That will leave you enough (tidy!) room in your plugin folder for an occasional "experiment" with a new crazy plugin when you need inspiration to break out of "designer's block".

For solidgroups/components, the entity info will also report the volume. For a selected set of edges (or just one), it will report the length. [image: wKUO_volume.png]

Don't know this one [flash=560,315:ow574vca]http://www.youtube.com/v/tjQbQEXuonc[/flash:ow574vca]

You don't need to 'edit' a group to change its entities. So once you have an array of the newly 'grouped_faces' [made as you group them] just process it thus: thick=1.0 ### or whatever dim desired grouped_faces.each{|group| group.entities.to_a.each{|e| next unless e.is_a?(Sketchup;;Face) e.pushpull(-thick) ### -ve pushes against face.normal } }

This http://www.3drad.com/Google-SketchUp-To-DirectX-XNA-Exporter-Plug-in.htm?

@wo3dan said: @woodarc said: Can I align standard views to North, South etc even if the axis's don't align to them? If so how Besides TIG's method to align the view to a face, you can also align view to axis (green up). If you click on any axis in empty space and select 'Align View' in the context menu, the view will have green pointing up on your screen, blue pointing towards you and red to the right. The current drawing origin is the center of your screen's modeling space. This means that by simply adjusting the drawing axes, you have better controle over different views like top, front, left, right, etc. to see facades in 'heads on' view. Example: if you have a building rotated, not along red/green, then rotate the drawing axes about blue to get red/green along two perpendicular facades. TOP icon may be of no use. But right click an axis and select 'Align View' to get the right Top view, (green pointing up on screen). Thanks for your response. I tried what you said (I think!) This technique seems to give a top or plan view only which is great as I hadn't tackled the plan or top view until now. I have been trying to align vertical faces to show elevations and plans perpendicular or orthographic in Layout. I am working on a building that is square but with a diagonal ridge, the whole building is set at 327 degrees NW. Internal walls are set at two angles to the perimeter some perpendicular and some at 45 degrees. Many thanks for the guidance.

I'd worry about the terrain after the house is built but when you're ready, you can use the Sandbox tools to create that. Any chance you've got a survey of the lot with topographic info?

No there is not a direct option to do this. There is an .fbx importer floating around, or try collada. I found the best method is Deep Exploration through the .rh extension. Export out of Max as .rh and then use DE to convert to .skp. Expensive option, but works very well.

Thanks a lot. Just what I needed.

Cathy, it looks like Pilou and I are tag-teaming again. Normally folks do import components directly in a model and you can do that from either the Google toolbar or by searching in the Components browser. You can then save the component to a local library, including Components Sampler if desired. That said, I downloaded a tree component and saved it in the Components Sampler library as you described. The tree component does appear in the library as expected. Is it possible the component didn't really end up in the Components Sampler folder? Was that library already open in SketchUp? Those thumbnails don't dynamically update so the tree wouldn't show up there until SketchhUp had a reason to reload the thumbnails. Reopeing SketchUp would be one way to do that. Selecting a different library and coming back to Components Sampler should do it as well.