A further note: if you change your shortcuts, SketchUp does not generally save the changes to the properties file until you close SketchUp (at least on Mac). As a result, the sketchUcation tool TIG mentions (which reads the file) won't see the changes until you close and restart SketchUp.

That's a stumper because I don't think it will be easy to do in sections and put together aftewards. Instant Terrain by Valiarchitect might give a finer grid but I don't know if it can show more accurate detail. I couldn't say without seeing the file, but you do realize that contours are only approximations themselves. They don't represent reality and your model doesn't either. For example, parts that (I suspect) are absolutely flat in your model are not coming out perfectly flat in the results, but is it still reasonably close and usable for your modeling? I've suggested to Fredo that the grid be set by dimension and always orientated to the x-y axis. Then one could do smaller portions and join them more easily, with the grid lining up. I have no idea if that is a reasonable request.

@box said: To be honest Hellnbak, if you have really decided you want to use SU8 then I think the easiest way to restore SU8 as the default is to uninstall 2015 and reboot so that SU8 is recognised and works. Then reinstall 2015 making sure during the installation to tell it not to be the default. From memory it does give you that option during the install process. You can rename the .exe to force things to work but it can get confusing. But I'm fairly certain that 2015 respects the default choice during install. I remember that when I installed it I chose not to have it as default and kept 2014, then when I wanted it to be default I had problems so just reinstalled and made the choice. One of the other new additions (I think) is the ability to right click on a file and choose which version you want to open it with, directly in the context menu. I think you misunderstood. I'm not primarily using SU8. I use 2015 for almost all of my modeling (still loving it, by the way). but for some things (such as being able to edit textures using my old trusty Microsoft Picture It Pro 9 when I don't need the advanced features (and much longer loading time) of PS)), I use SU8. So I save all of my models as SU8 to give me the option of opening them in either version. @rexworthy said: I have had this problem as well. I like using 2014 but everything opens with 2015 instead. What you need to do is right click on the file. Go to properties then click "Change" where the Opens with option is. Browse to find the 2015 location (Program Files\Sketchup) rename the start up file and add a 1 after it so it becomes "Sketchup1" Now locate the sketchup 8 folder (Program Files (x86)\Google\Google Sketchup click the Sketchup application. Hit open then OK and Apply. From now on any skp file should open with Sketchup 8. Hope this helps dave Well, I just discovered that even with my new installations of everything on a fresh hard drive I still have this problem. And I made sure to install SU8 first, hoping that might take care of it, but no such luck. So I took your advice and renamed the Sketchup.exe file to Sketchup 8, and that seems to have put the smile back on my (incredibly handsome) face For some reason, when I do open a model in SU8 I get this message [image: WjWI_2015-01-10_110613.png] but I consider that a small price to pay for getting things to work the way I need them to. Now BOTH versions have a nag screen It looks like the weather has calmed down and the roads are actually useable so I'm gonna leave the house for the first time in three days. There is absolutely no reason for me to stay in Michigan other than inertia, so why am I still here????

@hellnbak said: ......., and since I never had the plugin installed before I would really like to know how that feature got turned on in the first place....... Even if you never had 'Solar North' installed on your computer, you could stiil be stuck with that orange line in your model. That is when downloading a model with the line activated (and maybe rotated to the new solar north). It may sound silly but yes, that's the way it happens. The way to get rid of it is to have someone re-upload the same model without orange solar north for you to download, or to install the plugin yourself. p.s. I found this out myself some 6 years ago, not knowing that there was the possibility to set/adjust north. I had just begun with SketchUp. Someone "gave" me a model to work on.

I don't fully understand your question but I'm guessing that when you move the model, outliner is updating and the names of the reloaded models are updated to their new names. When you reload a component and it has nested components that have been edited on the external model, sketchup will assing new names to them when reloading. This is to prevent that these specific components might be switched on other parts of the model, possibly ruining it. Unfortunately, the opposite behaviour could be prefereable sometimes but that is a feature of sketchup, not a bug. The advice I have for you is to not depend on the #n on definition name numbers for organizing your model. If you want to tag tag the model (for instance), it's better to use Component Name, Rather than Definition Name, though it's probably more dificult. A great plugin to do that is Rename By Layer (wich also renames by selection or by other options) Again, I'm only guessing here so I hope I've helped...

Hi, did you manage to solve your issue? I am facing a similar dilemma and hoping to find a solution. Thanks!

I don't know if there was a joke related to that or not. I suppose it could be confusing to some that components have definition names and instance names.

Sorry for giving you news you didn't want but I'm happy if it saves you time. I'm not sure if it will have an impact but you might experiment with Transparency Quality settings in the Face seetings under Styles>Edit.

Thanks everyone, this seems to have been resolved.

Okay actually the lines are many many segments......they are one polyline in CAD so not sure why they came in that way. I discovered if I use simplfy contours but instead of the default 10, i use 1, its almost perfect but not still problems in some sreas with the tin not touching the contours. the computer freezes if I try to use sandbox without simplfy first

Kept scanning and just skipped the very top, I guess. Thanks!

Sadly, burkhard's expreience sums up our own. We got one in at work for our software development team to look into - after a few hours playing with the provided examples, it went into a drawer, never to be seen again, without so much as a line of 'integration code' being written. Even in the videos, you can see how slowly everyone does everything. It looks like it ought to be intuitive, but everyone's opinion here was the same - you seem to need to develop some kind of special motor skills that don't come very naturally (hopefully before your arms drop off from fatigue!). The idea is really sweet, but the actual experience of every single one of us was "gimme my mouse back!". One has to wonder wonder just just how much practice the demonstrator's had, and how many takes it took to make their marketing videos! As you say "pushing the boundaries", and surely the technology will improve. However, consider this... 'Gestural' technology is not as new as all that. The Theremin (wave your hands in the air musical instrument) is getting on for a century old. Moog had a good stab at popularising it, it was used by many composers (lots of cool sci-fi movie soundtracks especially!), and they're cheap as chips to make. Yet, theremin players are rare as hen's teeth - and ones that can play in tune and expressively rarer still!

@pipingguy said: OK - here is my understanding: To modify a color in a custom collection: Tools menu > Paint Bucket. Display the secondary pane by clicking the icon directly below the exit button. In the secondary pane, scroll thru the drop-down list and choose the custom library. In the primary pane, scroll thru the drop-down list and choose the “In Model” library. Or, if you're lazy, click on the little house icon to the left of the drop down list. @pipingguy said: In the secondary pane, right-click the color icon that you want to adjust and pick ‘Add to model’. Said color icon now appears in the Model Library; click it and then click the Edit tab. Adjust color and/or transparency……also rename if you wish. Click the Select tab Drag the color icon back into the Custom Library and choose ‘overwrite’ when prompted. No need to do anything else. You can exit SketchUp without even needing to save the drawing. The modified color will appear in the Custom Library when you re-start the program. Note- if you change color transparency, do not expect the color icon, when it’s displayed in the custom library, to show the two-tone diagonal slash as normally shown in non-custom palettes. That's pretty much it. I'd never saved a color with transparency before so never noticed but you're right about the thumbnail. Maybe there's a way to change that, though.

So add details by hand!

And in 2015 You can customise your toolbars so you don't need to have all the buttons you only use rarely. Not to mention sets, part of the sketchucation tools which let's you load tools selectively.

Thanks for that INFO.

@pilou said: By Fredo6 Again, thanks for sharing.......still another approach.

@john2 said: Yes I know sir, I was discussing the possiblity for making a plugin which helps mediocre SketchUp people like me. It sounds like you'd rather stay a "mediocre SketchUp" person, as you describe yourself, and hope someone will make a plugin to overcome that for you.

@tallbridgeguy said: Hi, is there an easy way to place 3d text so it faces forward (toward the viewer like normal text on a page)in the current view? I have different scenes at different view angles and I would like to place 3d text in each view without having to place it and then try to guess the angle to rotate it to get it straight in my scene. (Like typing over an image?) Thanks! s Plugin had a coding error and had been removed.

@krisidious said: 5k? Are you insane? You thin this is insane? My way to the toilet is longer than 5k mm ...