Select what you want mirroring and group it and move to one side. If they are 'axial' use the context-menu to flip - you probably what red or green axis. It can be undo it wrong. You can also mirror by using the Scale Tool - start stretching in the direction you want to flip and type -1. Relocate your grouped stuff as needed. There is also a Mirror Plugin that lets you Mirror about any plane you choose by three points if your orientations are non-axial... Do a Search for it in Plugins...

ah ha so thats what the problem is thank you very much i really appreasiate it

Please post at least an image, but more importantly a .skp of your model, so that someone can examine it and make suggestions for a solution.

The good thing about the i7 processor is that it has a feature called turbo boost. That means that it can selectively overclock its processor cores when the overall processor load is low. This is a benefit for single-threaded applications like 3D modellers (like SU). I haven't got an i7 laptop myself, but I helped a friend choose one, and I seem to remember that the 1.73 GHz processor he finally chose can turbo-boost up to something like 3 GHz (you can find the exact specs in the Intel webpages). So it is likely that you shall be OK, but that there will not be a mind-shattering increase in SU performance. Anssi

The objects aren't in groups unfortunately. I've decided to write a matlab script to identify the objects automatically in the VRML. I'll still need to simplify it though, as unfortunately this file is formatted to include every point (no curves/cylinders, just lots of fine grained vertexes). Thanks anyway!

I don't know. I've been using SketchUp for about 8 years with a simple mouse. No problems for me. I just use keyboard shortcuts and they seem to work just fine. I guess it's just what you get used to. I've had complex mice and found them to be a pain.

Yes, the sandbox tools would be the "native" way to do it (although those are actually plugins themselves, too). If you are in to such curvy modelling; it has never been easy with simple SU tools. Either you need to "hand stitch" the curves from endpoint to endpoint (often triangulated) or use different trick of autofolding or intersecting faces... It is not the best thing to try these techniques (while learning) on a real model you are working on but if you can separate individual examples (preferably simple ones from scratch), we can go through a couple of tips and tricks. And there are of course those different, marvellous plugins nowadays. Go to the Plugins subforum under Resources and check out one of the sticky posts: "Plugin index" (or what). Search for loft-ing, skin-ning etc.

Even better!

I would love such a tool, but alas, as far as I know, there ain't no such tool for SU. The closest I know of is Sketchyphysics. This will allow all sorts of joints and controls, BUT, does not allow you to set the position of parts in the drawing proper. You can only move parts via a run-time module within SU. Stop the run and everything reverts back to its start point. It's a great tool, and can do a lot of wondrous stuff, but the learning curve is quite steep and quite frankly, although I loved it, I gave up on it. So now, if I need to see an articulation I create layers for each position, and rotate copies of the component around the axis point, with each position on its own layer. Making the rotated part a component allows you to edit the part in any of its positions and the change ripples through all the positions. Great for fitting parts in complex geometries.

I finish my tutorial : So after you can open it into Sketchup, you will have perhaps some things to do like re-textured some very little parts of your object or character, little details then... To use this into well textured 3ds, you need to have the pro version of shetchup which permit to export into 3D Studio (.3ds). This last registering into 3ds permit to have a well textured object. So for resume, for having well textured object you have to pass by several steps : DAZ Studio --> .obj Accutrans --> to register first time into 3ds SU --> to register second time into 3ds = well textured object 3ds !!! That's i use and it works very well !!! But may notice that the characters are often heavy in sizes into 3ds and obj. DAZ studio sell a little plugin with DAZ called DECIMATOR, you can easily use it in order to put off or hide some polygons.

Great advice... There nobody left in my office so it's really about time to head back home-> where SU is all about fun I will first learn it the hard way and come back for plugin advice...but it's written down in my list for wanted plugin. Have a nice day/evening

welcome.

Thank you I will upgrade, I also notice SU 8 is available too. Sean

@gaieus said: What we meant here is this setting in the Model info dialog: Thanks for clearing that up! I've set up the same shortcuts for me now, too. @gaieus said: One uncomfortable thing however; even when the rest of the model (and all similar components) are hidden this way, the Orbit tool still behaves as if they were there (i.e. "weighing" the orbit tool when you do not use it exactly on the geometry you are editing). Using the orbit tool can get really aggravating anyway. I'm lucky I have a SpaceNavigator at work so I don't need the orbit tool.

My 2Dtools contains a Fillet/Chamfer tool, with the radius set to 0 it trims/extends the two selected intersecting edges rather than fillet/chamfer them... In fact using AutoCAD's Fillet tool with a 0 radius is a way of doing the same thing. 2Dtools also has 'Adjust' which lets you select sets of edges to trim/extend to and then sets of edges to 'adjust', you can pick individually or use a 'wiping action' to do multiples...

@wo3dan said: Alphabetic order up or down gives two options. Visibility order (visible=)up or down forms the other two.. Aha I got it now.... Sorry to waste your time folks, I feel like a dummy now. I had my layer box not wide enough so I was pressing the visibility option all the time, not realising that the( name) panel to the left was an actual panel... thinking it was just a header for all the layer names...sheeesh Maaaan, almost two years using sketchup and such a basic thing ...... anyhoooo, all is well now and I learned something new today ...Always a good thing Thanks for setting me straight... :O)

Thanks for the quick reply, that is what i was worried would be the response (having to edit every layer)

There are a few commercial tools where developers have only made a 'Windows' version... Without more info we can't take it further... Why doesn't he contact the originators and ask them ?? You can't easily change a PC tool to a MAC tool if it's using Windows sockets, dll files etc...

Ah, cool! Thanks!

Well, I do not know what you can achieve with V-ray but I guess displacement could work just fine if done correctly. With displacement, you can even use coplanar meshes without serious Z-fighting - one mesh could be textured with a wireframe pattern withOUT displacement while the other with the continents (and the rest transparent) WITH displacement (but this is only my theory - I have not tried).