Thanks guys I watched that video. Just to save face here I didn't model the can light it's from KT's component lights to use in with KT and the walls in the .skp was just a fast way of showing my predicament with the can light but thanks TIG for your explanation. I think instead of using there's I'll model my own.

123D Catch ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aU2s85Zw3A

[off:2me34y7u]@thomthom your icons and ui styling etc always stand out.. they're pretty [image: zoC2_tt.png][/off:2me34y7u]

Also i've been trying to import .kml and .kmz files with no luck! I get to 75% then get an import failed dialog?? any suggestions?

If you still can't master it with the native tools and views... try '2dTools', and also 'WorkPlane'...

thanks, i knew it had to be something ridiculously simple like that, but it had me stumped.

No Mike, if u have alredy a dwg there is not problem but if u have a jpeg or a pdf, from an image, when u redraw, the line that u are drawing are not accurate, u must correct a lot and if u have some quote u can re draw the floor plan but I think SU is slow in this if I compare it to a cad.

Hi jpalm32, hi folks. @jpalm32 said: @jean lemire said: Hi folks. If you right click on the name of a group or component in the Outliner windowto get a contextual menu and then choose Zoom extentsin this menu, the view zooms on this particular group or particular instance of this component. Just ideas. Wow! Didn't know that . I posted that to show that there are a lot of usefull functions that are often overlooked since many new (and not so new) users forget to check if a context menu is available for objects or items or dialog or tools, or whatever. The first thing that I teach new users for any software is: 1 - Open each and every menu and sub menus and sus-sub menus to read what lays there. Judging by the questions aked here and also in the Google hel groups dedicated to SketchUp (SU), many have never done that. Having done that, they would have found the Help Menu that gives access to the Help Center. 2 - Place the cursor on each tool icon to read its name which, usually, is a good clue to its use. 3 - Right click on all objects, icons, menus, buttons, items that are shown to see if any context menu lies somewhere. 4 - Print the Quick Reference Card. 5 - Read the help, especially about the user interface. For SU, you soon discover the extreme importance, especially for beginners, of the status bar that sits at the bottom of the Model Window where SU is constantly giving clues as what to do after the selection of a tool, for example, and also about the Measurement tool bar that sits also at the bottom but the right of the Model Window. 6 - Take a few hours to view all the video tutorials that can also be accessed from the Help Center. 7 - Search the Youtube channel dedicated to SketchUp Just ideas.

One last try, this may be something near what you want or just be a another work around The inner working of axes tool [image: tFcb_pic_0024.jpg] I just leaned this today about axes tool, iso view, gives a perpendicular alinement.(cool). Help you to set red axes in step 1 Correct step 2: I sorry not a front view but a ground view of axis (one axis in front of other) . Rotate axes by orbit tool, the green axis into the red at ground level. This help you move the green and blue axis in step 3 [image: sqnC_Movie_0003.gif]

I would definitely recommend purchasing at least Photoshop. I've always stayed far away from costly subscriptions if I can. I don't have extended, and I don't know if it's of much use. I also have Lightroom, I think there's some feature overlap there, but LR in itself is really awesome. One huge difference between earlier versions of Photoshop and cs5 and 6 is 64bit support. I went from cs2 to cs5, and the difference in file handling between the two versions was night and day. Of course this was comparing 150Mb many layered files, so it depends on the kind of photo editing you use. I didn't find a whole lot of practical difference in Illustrator versions, but image tracing works really great. I don't remember it from cs2, I didn't use it much then. Acrobat and indesign conversion features are vastly improved. jm2c Andy

Not all the faces are the same size. I would rather have an option to place at the bottom, or have an offset value. I will keep searching. Thanks.

If you want moving water Lumion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhOvBICNE9Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-8sePgziRY

i would say make an extrusion (follow me or curviloft) of a triangle shape along the spline path (bezier spline and maybe Curvizard) and then scale it a bit along the z-axis - eventually using the FFD plugin since it seems to be more distorted on the upper part.

Nifty, thanks Jim. Do you mean the script could be adapted to link the numbers to the component? That would be beyond me at the moment.

If you just want to create spiral stairs, have a look at this one witch can also screw components: http://rhin.crai.archi.fr/rld/plugin_details.php?id=357 http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=15784#p240238

@mwm5053 said: Steve WOW hell of a job man Thanks!

oh.. for the trackpad parts of this thread, let's not forget we don't need a laptop to utilize their features.. we have this option as well.. http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/ those things are sweet

Not all of us have appple quick time to run untitled.mov I did this gif as a aid to your posted format, Dave Most of the time I think Apple has a better video output I started with apple long ago but never made it to the mac so I dont know all the in and outs of is Mac OS Now answering Peter's question from a pc point of view? I have 3 thoughts to add 1} I think, in his case, it maybe the 3d setting of the graph card, if his frame is 10 fps and above for a video 1032 x 774. [image: oJXp_pic_0077.jpg] 2) or he may not have the right video grabber or using the right movie format for getting a constant 10fps and above. [image: SZvS_pic_0079.jpg] 3) or if its random and drop frame when he records his machine maybe doing things in the background Task Manager Change your SU or Recorder, set priority, to high or real time [image: pi6T_pic_0080.jpg]

Different operating system. Jason is showing the Materials window on a Windows machine. On Mac they use the native OS-supplied colors window doodad. As to the material showing as a flat color, you must be in shaded face style instead of shaded with Textures. Change that under the view menu orin the Styles Edit tab and you should see it.

Now that really is weird. It must be a bug. Thanks Jim, I never thought of importing to Layer0...but see no logical reason why that should make any difference.