MaterialConsolidator is probably the best tool ever to get rid of redundant materials. There are two ways to apply a material, either by using the paint bucket (which changes the UVs) or by selecting the faces and choosing a different material from the entity info. As for my experience this preserves the UVs.

Thanks for your posts. They are so interesting. Finally I found this wonderful thread...Great job, guys

I've never been inclined to use any Hotkeys...can't be bothered to remember them. I've always used the scroll wheel on the mouse for navigation, with the middle finger of my left hand resting pretty much permanently on Shift...within easy reach of Ctrl and Alt if necessary. That's one reason why I keep my toolbars reasonably spartan...I can normally reach the drawing tools with the cursor in less time than it would take me to move either hand from its usual position in order to hit a hotkey....unless I'm changing the resolution of a circle or curve as well. All the beta team got Space Navigators one year. It's good, but I've never been able to use it as efficiently or accurately as a decent wheel mouse. Each to his own, I guess.

Email support@chaosgroup.com and give them your serial number with error summary.

@rock1 said: well i'd make my question more specific. i'm talkin' about the linear dimension that appear, using the dimension tool. i want them to appear in metres We all understood your question. I don't know how much more simply we could have answered it. Thank you Gerrit. You're right.

No. Use preset scene-tabs to quickly flit between views, and Pan/Orbit too...

YOU SAVED ME HUGE AMOUNT OF TIME! One whole hour for lower lip of pharaoh statue! Jesus! TNX MATE!

Thanks guys I haven't used the technique much, but imagine it will work in most circumstances.

The DXF's imported 'text' isn't Text it's 3dText which is geometry that looks like text. It will import as 'geometry' [on layers corresponding to the DXF] - ensure that the layers are 'on' in the scene-tab used in the Layout viewport and that everything has been saved and the links updated across to Layout etc... You really shouldn't be uses lots of 'Text' in the SKP if you are using Layout. Layout has lots of Text tools of it's own that are better suited to this 'sheet' work...

My model is located in Melbourne (UTC +10)and i am following the shadow chart as attached. we always use this chart while drawing shadow diagrams on 2D models in Cad, however we found that the shadows that are shown on the sketchup model does not match up. [image: shadow diagram.jpg] Funny thing is considering the shadows in the previous image i attached are captured at the same day and coordinates, only the 9am one seems to go wrong while the other two are close enough. I was wondering if this is the possibility of Sketchup having a bug. Or is there any 'Horizontal Shadow Angle' settings or similar that i can play around with to get the accurate angle.

There are cases when after reaching that limit, it allows you to go on. Then if you press Ctrl, it should also let you on - although now you are left with a face in there. Ultimately grouping the PP'd face first will let you PP it wherever you want. All will get you out of rhythm though. There's no way to switch it off.

thanks Dave

Ben I thought I had the issue with SP sorted - obviously not it has many many files and I thought that by adjusting that one we'd sort out the issue - I'll have another look - so at the moment it's SP OT 2Dfillet [or Mirror] for some of you till I get to the bottom of this...

The SectionCutFace faces are placed on the Section-Cut's plane [actually they are inset from the cut-plane by a tiny amount, this is so that they are kept within the visible-objects set - otherwise if they were exactly on the cut-plane then they'd have a 50:50 chance of being considered by Sketchup as being behind the cut-plane and not show up]. They might appear to 'z-fight' with the Section-Cut itself... BUT since you are almost certainly going to have the Section-Cuts switched to 'hidden' in any render etc then this is not likely to be an issue. Dave simply showed all of the separated Section-Cuts 'visible' within their groups so you could see how it would restrict their extents... The group containing the SectionCutFace faces is always made in the same entities 'context' as the Section-Cut itself; as you must have selected that to activate the tool in the first place, and you can't select it without being in its 'context'. and the entities 'context' that will contain this group of faces is set to be the 'active_entities'.

Thanks Dave, I was trying to do it without doing anything to the rib. Larry

Thank's TIG for the answer, I found my missing script, and thank you for sharing your amazing scripts.

@3dmodellers said: @honoluludesktop said: It appears to me that SketchUp will forever be linked to its roots, that is a easy to use architectural building modeler. I think it would be even easier for architectural modeling if curves are introduced (A sketchup newbie still thinks that the curves are real till he sees the 'input sides' option. By that time he has already spent 3-4 days into sketchup and gained some level of proficiency). Also, import and export to and from other softwares would be seamless and it would not split the 3D max models into ten thousand triangulations. While it has little to do with SketchUps roots, many of the curves in the Architectural built world are segments of straight lines. Curved masonry wall, curved building faces, etc. Even concrete, which is considered an organic material, is built from plywood, or steel sheet forms. As an Architect, I have not had any problems with the absence of curves in SketchUp. I like the price, its ease of use, its support base, and the user programing language. I was a beginner once, and too crossed that bridge, but the problem with maintaining 2 versions of SketchUp databases (one with line segments (free,) and one with curves (pro)) is real. @3dmodellers said: @honoluludesktop said: It would double (I think) the physical size of every new model in the Warehouse, and on Google Earth. Wounder if that could be a problem? I think the size of the NEW files would actually be smaller. Suppose with the CURRENT sketchup if you have a curvy architectural model worth 10MB, then with the NEW sketchup the file size would hardly be 4MB. I recall the subject of my quote regarded going from 32 to 64 bit hardware. As follows: @honoluludesktop said: It may be the reason that Google has resisted the move to a 64 bit application. It would double (I think) the physical size of every new model in the Warehouse, and on Google Earth. Wounder if that could be a problem? However, if Google provides curves, along with curves of segmented lines, provides both free and pro access to one database, ease of use, low cost, etc., what is there not to like about curves? Nothing.

What's a hnad Dave?

ALAN, As a result of your help I got my pattern on the 3DWH plates etc. Thanks! [image: Pattern.png]

Just guessing, but I suppose this is where a solid modeler would shine, as a sphere would be a single entity, instead of hundreds of entities.