If section planes don't do it for you, you can always fall back on layers. The only reason for layers in SU is to control visibility...not to separate geometry...so that is pretty much what you want. You need to draw everything on Layer0 then move it to other layers you create...preferably after grouping it first. The only reason I haven't grouped stuff in my example file is that the house is only 1 skin thick so you'd see the edge of the groups all over the outside walls...very messy. You can see in the example that you can reveal whatever you like by hiding the appropriate layers. Different requirements would obviously call for a different layer structure. layers.skp

@bungo198 said: I still hope to return to the tool at some point . And when you do, post whatever it is you're playing with so that we will have something tangible (in a virtual sort of way ) to work and help you with.

That is a really good video explaining Follow Me, thanks for the link Bob.

Dear TaffGoch, Please to meet you. So kind to you for thinking about this topic and bring back from your surf this woodmaker volute. Appreciate a lot. Well, in another way, i cannot go back right now: i must do the job. This everythingcurved Stair is in my head. I just need further little time to work on tuts i found here and there on SFC before begin. slb

Hi Gale, SU Free is capable of all the modeling features of SU Pro. The only difference is in 3D and 2D vector format export possibilities and (for a funny reason only PC version) the Location tab in the model info. See a detailed "distinction" between the two programs here. Note however that if you succeed to use SU in your current project, you will never uninstall it from your HD Should you have any specific question or problem, please, be encouraged to as them here! Also, we have "collected" a few links where you can pick up ideas easily - at the top of the "Newbie" Forum, see the "Getting started" topic.

Thanks for all the help! This forum is really great, I must say! So many people trying to help others out with problems. I hope I can someday return the favor, but for now I'm just a newb! BTW, My skatepark is slowely coming along. Typical problems of fustration, but I did have a few breakthroughs recently. Sometimes the skin tool works and sometimes it doesn't, for me any how. When I master this and controlling the bezier curve's axis, I will be golden! Sometimes you draw a curve and realize that it went a different direction. I feel guides and referencing off of other objects make it easier. Also, I think if I group objects that are completed and delete guides I'm finished with, will make life easier. Thanks to all!

If you want to extend a line or curve to form a face then it needs a ruby - unless you want to make a face and pushpull it up then erase the edges that are not needed to leave what you want - see Jean L's ideas... Didier has a script - see: http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/em_geo_page.htm extrudelines... Pick the edges and run the script - it makes the faces you want.

Dear Gaieus and Tig, This pack is beginning to make a good toolkit. It seems that Weld.rb by Rick Wilson is responsible for a large number of developments: Chamfer_Along_Path.rb , PipeAlongPath.rb , ExtrudeAlongPath.rb , TubeAlongPath.rb etc,,, where it appears that mister Tig is not for nothing... simonlebon

@mlammert said: My next desire is to create curves and circles on the TIN surface and "bend" those... Mark This was done quickly with a low-poly count so the curves are not as smooth as they could easily be. It was made by placing TIN beams on a vertical TIN surface and then using Smoove to curve the beams in the vertical plane. When I had the curves I wanted I rotated everything together back to the horizontal plane... did the various other steps in the tutorial, etc.. For other shapes you could either build them from TINs or use intersect as described in Alan Fraser's original response. Good luck! [image: curved lines small.jpg] curved lines on surface.skp

As Remus said, all these (and more) video tutorials have already been linked to the sticky in the Newbie forum. Yet anyone who finds new resources of SU tutorials or help pages, please, let us know and we'll add them to our "link database" there. Ah yeah, and I also have Aidan Chopra's "SketchUp for Dummies". Excellent book for a beginner and is supported by his video tuts mentioned above.

i have windows vista. have connected to internet and downloaded many times.su gets downloaded but when i try installing it it doesnt work.

Thanks for that, very helpful. The horizontal weatherboarding lines were done in a hurry and some ended up stood off the surface by an inch in the plane of the window frames rather than on the surface of the walls. Could to better if I tried. I didn't know about front and back surfaces so thanks for that. I've been looking for a problem with the materials or something like that to explain the colour difference! Yes I built it slightly oddly. Basically I built a plain box then fitted an oak frame the same size into it so there will be coincident faces and lines that aren't merged properly. That's ok for my purposes. I'm doing ths model because I need to get approval from my local council to build it. They only want 50:1 elevation drawings and an isometric sketch to approve the appearance. Sketchup's sketchy line styles will be great for the isometric. Once the basic style is approved I'll probably go back to an earlier version which has the frame seperate to help with the design of that. Currently the roof has no structure. Regards, Colin

To avoid the boxes being greyed out ensure you have on one of the pre-defined views obtained with the little 'house' icons at the top of the page. You would use the top view for a plan view for example. Secondly on the menu along the top ensure you click 'camera'then 'parallel projection'. You can't print to scale in perspective. It should work for you now. Kenny

he he, not that good my friend! not especially technically minded, i seem to be a bit of an instinctive modeller. i.e. i am a bit funny in the head! ha ha. i'll try my best though... pav

Hi Molly, I answered your other question regarding the user profiles here in that topic. There are a couple biiig projects a lot of stuff of which has been posted mainly in the Gallery Forums (this was posted by me for instance ). as for animation export - this must be different with every application. SU creates camera viewpoints and connects them with a smooth camera move. In some application these viewpoins get through and can be used for animation - but I'm not sure aboul all. Kerkythea can do it for instance.

Hi Molly, It's the "Profile" tab in your User Control Panel in the top left corner. Go through all the tabs to create your custom settings in different things.

Hi Greg, here is "BezierSpline.rb"; the most advanced and complex bezier tool you can get. As for layers; yes, try to use them extensively. The most importand things however; [list=][]always model everying on the default Layer 0; []only move grouped geometry (or components) to other layers (thus even your rectangle ground plane); [*]create several layers to control visibility and if you have a really big and heavy model, try to keep only the items (layers) that are relevant at your current work turned on[/list] As for ram and processor; both are important at computing geometry. Also, leave shadows and colours/textures turned off while modeling to save on video card memory. Search these forums for these hardware issues, there are a ton of discussions about them.

Note that with the very latest maintenance release you should be able to import cad 2007 formats as well.

you need putonlayer.rb and layerchange.rb plugins. groups+components+putonlayer+layerchange = perfect control layers.