Martin, That is a clever approach -- great if you just need a rough representation of the model, but inaccurate if Guy needs to actually build from the model. Here is a picture (exaggerated scale) that shows what happens when you scale the top of the stool. The tops of the legs are scaled down as well, making them thinner at the top. [image: Click picture if scroll bars are present] Here's how I'd do it, sorry I've no time to make pics: Make the seat, turn into a group/component, move it up to the desired height. Use guidelines to mark where a leg will be on the bottom of the seat, draw the leg and push/pull to length. Make leg into a component as it will have more than one instance in the model and any changes will be updated in all copies. Select the leg and rotate out 15* using the top edge as the hinge. Ensure the leg is positioned correctly, then use 'intersect with model' to miter the top of the leg to fit the seat if necessary. Select the leg and rotate/copy by 120* the component around the center of the seat as Martin suggests in his description above. Guy, does any of this help...Martin's instructions or mine? If you need better descriptions, just ask...someone will help

The coplanar face removal is a cool trick. However, is it possible to (automatically) remove faces that are not visible? (Such as the interior of the tank.)

Thank you for your answers Shift+Ctrl+E fixed it indeed. I was not aware of this clipping issue. My Model is centered at the origin ; I have some other object at some distance away from the origin, but not so far (about the main object size). I did not import from another CAD system. Purging/fixing the model did not improve the situation. Component axes are fairly normal, except for 90° rotation. Z-axis is aligned with the main Z. I found out that clipping was coming back when using a Scene where the camera was positionned inside the model (close to the origin). I guess that is the primary reason ?

It can be done with SU on the Mac only. I see you have pro however so you can send the model to LayOut and from there, you can export a png with transparent background. Make sure however to turn off sky and ground first in your Styles dialog > > In model Edit > Background settings. If you make scenes (and save / update this style in SU with them), you can get the same scenes back in LO. Also, from LO you can export much bigger images.

Hi Siia, If that is the case, try to set something under your Window > Model info > Dimensions and Font settings. Maybe try to set them to height instead of pixels (or maybe the problem is that they are set to height...)

BTW, I installed SU3D on my xp machine and I was pleaqsantly surprised to see that previews of the models in the files were displayed as icons. Then I installed it on my vistugh machine and only got the regular icons. Is there any trick to getting SU3d icons to show the model in the file on a vistugh machine? I've downed a lot of models, it's be greeat to be able to see what I was opening before I did

Dam'! Csaba I missed the step the Scenes... I thought I might as well answer in one go everything he might think about over the next few days... PS: Some times my brain works faster than my typing... other times the other way round...

Hi Clement and welcome to SCF! Unfortunately there is no way to add plugins to LO yethowever the developers do not reject the idea so maybe some time...

@zaphodqb said: I have a detailed model (about 1.6mb) and when I try to place it in GE from inside SU, a large portion right in the middle of the model does not show up in GE. Anyone else had this problem of only part of the model appearing in GE, got an answer? NEVERMIND. After many attempts it seems that you have to have layer0 turned on even though there is currently noting on layer0. Once I turned layer0 on the whole model showed up in GE.

Sorry to post again... If it happens after adding shadow or a texture, then, it's definitely display card issue, because, it cannot take so much of loads. Switch off shadowing and do the same as mentioned above, it should be ok. Thanks.

Yep, all sorted But thanks for your suggestion anyway.

Found it! Thanks again.

Under View > Hidden Geometry in the menu bar you can show or hide geometry. Or if it's not hidden geometry you can right click the statue and choose soften/smooth to hide these lines. Let us know if these work?

Hi folks. SU allows that. To move an object, for example grabing a cube by one vertice and snapping that vertice to the endpoint of a line, you would follow these steps: 1 - Select the object to move with a click if it is a group or component, with a window select or with a triple click if all its geometry is connected but it is not a group or component. 2 - Select the Move Tool. 3 - Hover the cursor over the selected object's vertex that you want to grab untill you get a snap indicated by a pop-up stating "Endpoint". 4 - Click to grab the object. 5 - Move the cursor on the endpoint of the line untill you get a snap indicated by a pop-up stating "Endpoint". The object shall follow the cursor after being grabbed. 6 - Click to place the object. In all these steps, a click in a press THEN a release of the left mouse button (LMB). Do not press the LMB to grab the object and keep it down while draging the object. I suggest that you watch the video tutorials on the Move Tool, the Rotate Tool and, of course, that you read the help about these tools to get an idea of all the subtle modifications that you can add to these tools with the press of some modifier keys or the use of the Measurement Window to input exact values that can be used to specify distances, absolute coordinates or relative coordinates, just to name a few. By the way, watch the status bar on the lower left of the model window. It is always telling you what it expects from you. And finally, all the tools related to positioning the view like Pan, Zoom and Orbit are active even in the middle of an operation like Move, Rotate, Copy, Scale, etc. You can even change scene, rendering mode, turns shadows on or off, etc during such operations. Experiment and have fun. Just ideas.

I think that is a possibility, in my work flow texturing is the last thing i do

Welcome, there is a wealth of knowledge here for you hope to see some work soon

Thanks for the reply rob.. Yes the nested components (Vertical and Horiz. Mullions) do exist in the main component. I thought by hiding them, it would be more like a "Exist/don't exist" scenerio. Everything works great visually it's just when I generate a report all these pieces show up. what I guess I need to do is find a way to make these sub-component exist or not exist, maybe with an If-Then statement.. I'm not a programmer so I haven't had any luck yet. Thanks again Rob.

A few clicks and the "thanks" is on it's way. [image: http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s296/storeben/Smilies/food-smiley-005.gif] And a verbal thanks too Chris.

Hi Dahmani and welcome to SCF! For the first problem (sincethe Follow me tool - as you noticed - only works properly with 2D curves), here is a plugin called "Follow me and keep" (i.e. face orientation...) For the second, have you tried the (native SU) Sandbox tools yet? There could be more advanced plugins but I do not want to overwhelm you with them yet.

Every SKP [model] has a 'default' layer - it's called 'Layer0' in English, and the equivalent names in other locales. By default its the active [current] layer and it's visibility is 'on' [you can't switch the active layer's visibility 'off']. So at its simplest every bit of geometry [lines/faces/etc] that you make are on made on 'Layer0'; as are any groups or components that you might also make/add to the SKP. You can make new layers at any time and set their visibility to 'on' or 'off'. You can 'move' objects to any another layer by selecting the object[s] and then using 'Entity Info' or the 'Layer Toolbar' drop-down list. If their new layer is 'off' then the objects will 'disappear' until that layer is turned 'on' again. The on/off settings for layers can be saved with different scene-tabs and thereby you can navigate around you model seeing just what you want - for example if all of the 'roof-level' layers are turned 'off' then you can see the things on the lower-levels more easily... You can reset the 'active layer' to any layer... BUT this is dangerous, as anything you make subsequently will be on that layer and you might not want it to be there. Later when you switch layers on/off things could disappear unexpectedly - including partial geometry - this could still be linked to visible geometry, so if a face is on one layer and its edges are on another layer you could hide the face by switching off its layer but its edges will remain visible - now as these edges then seem 'unfaced' erasing them might seem attractive... BUT the temporarily hidden face on the 'off' layer still relies on these edges for its very existence and so it will erase with them - when you switch that face's layer back on it's not there surprise! So it is recommended that 'raw' geometry is always made on Layer0 [or moved onto it]. It just so much easier to get your head around! Unlike CAD - where layers separate geometry and visibility etc - Sketchup's layers are used only to control their members' visibility. Groups or components placed on different layers will be seen or be hidden as the layers' visibility settings are changed. Exceptions to the rule... Some 'un-grouped' entities like Text or Dimensions will probably be easier to manage if they DO have their own layer[s] which you can turn on/off - I'd still recommend making them on Layer0 initially and moving them onto their own layers later, there are several 'selection' tools to help select them en mass, but if you temporarily switch the 'Text' layer 'off' and highlight Text entities and Layer toolbar them to that layer they disappear as you go on - when there's no Text left it's all been moved over. If you save layer settings with scene-tabs you can easily revert to those layers - this makes it easy to have all layers temporarily 'off' except Text [and the active layer Layer0] and then you can check that you haven't accidentally moved say a Door onto the Text layer ! Another exception is 'color by layer' - personally I never use this but with some imported CAD data it can be useful - then everything takes its material from its layer, so placing stuff onto the right layers becomes important... Don't try this unless you are supremely confident! Another use of layers is 'pseudo-animation', where you have copies of an object, e.g. a component, each on a different layer and in a different location, by swapping their layers' visibility through a series of scenes, so that only one version of the object is seen, it will look as if it is one instance moving as you animate through the various scene-tabs in order - there are several tutorials covering this... Hope this has helped...