@tig said: @haynesc said: hi all is there a way to create a shortcut to deselect and close all open groups and components ? i know you can select the model from the outliner dialog ... is there a way to create a keyboard shortcut for this or a little ruby? thanks First you need to be editing a group/component. Next you open Window > Preferences and click on Shortcuts Now in the filter window type close. You should see Edit/Close Group/Component. Select it and add you preferred shortcut to it - I use Alt+B. From now on pressing Alt+B will close the current edit session - if you are nested into edit a number of levels then repeat the key until you are back at the Model level... To assign a shortcut that is context specific first get that context, then filter to find it - e.g. hiding the rest of the model toggle on/off when editing is also very quick and useful as a shortcut... or you can select a face and then Reverse or Orient become available for shortcutting - these are both useful too... thanks thats what i need ... i used Alt+Q (Q for Quit)

@squarewhite said: Is there any plugins or extension that allows sketchup users to set a folder as the place where sketchup is supposed to save your skb files ? I find annoying to have so many files in my folders. For Autocad users, i suppose that i´m nostalgic from the MOVEBAK command line. It will always make the SKBs in the Model's folder. You can switch off backup making in Preferences. If you do that but want to still have some comfort that your precious concepts are safe from crashes etc then as well as making regular saves find my Archiver.rb script [ http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=149749#p149749 ] - this loads Archiver into the File menu - you can easily shortcut key to it, so then pressing a key before you make any major changes will make a silent backup into a folder called Archives - the Archive file is named as the model_name[yy-mm-dd-hh-mm-ss].skp so you can readily work out which one is which. Unlike SBDs earlier versions are not overwritten and they can also open directly in SUp if desired. Also the Archive is a snap shot of your model as it was at the exact moment you make the Archive - not the last 'saved' version - unlike an SKB which is always the previous saved version. There are also some other useful Archive tools added to the File menu - one opens the 'Archive Folder' and another is an 'Archive Option' - this makes an Archive of the model as it stands that second and then lets you save a version of it as model_name[Option_1].skp and carry on working on it with perhaps alternative ideas, without loss of the original scheme... Archiver isn't for everyone, but some find it suits their workflow much better that SKBs or even save_as'ing...

@meezo said: when you right click for creating a component, in front of the make component there is a letter G. What is the key to use with the G? None. You just press G. If you need to use more modifier keys it'll say. You define you own hotkeys under Preferences->Shortcuts.

Thanks Chris and Rick for resolving the problem and thanks for the great Ruby.

@alz said: In d12dozr's example above, when unfolding and combining the hut to create the UV sheet, you create a copy. This becomes a separate object and doesn't link to the materials on the original. So, the missing step is taking the new UV sheet and re-mapping it to each face of the original hut, correct? (seems kinda obvious, but I wanted to call out this missing bit) In my last post above, I give a link to a tutorial by Colonel Klink where he describes how to link materials to the original component. It works but is labor-intensive and not something you could do on a hi-poly model. Here is the link: http://www.resentmentpublications.com/downloads/SUUVMAP.pdf

@mitcorb said: If the microscopic camera is a whack idea, I don't think is such a whack idea at all, but, could it not be implemented as a 'Scene Style' SU can already change pretty well everything else through styles, you can even drag an old styled drawing into a new one. I for one already use a testing style, a watertight style , a rendering style all in one drawing, so having a `Let's Get #nnal' would be one approach. If drawing in that environment everything 'off screen' could have a scale factor applied to it and so when I input 20 microns radius, SU just scales it up by 'X' (behind the scene), once small geometry is drawn, I've never noticed SU to reject it, so, you could then import/export from any style... is this whack??

There was a post a few weeks ago, where someone had developed some posing models for sketchup. It was like he had rigged some mannequins with operable joints. I believe there was both female and male, like base models. The male was a bit buff, and he was talking like he was going to do one a little less brawny. On another front, perhaps Sketchyphysics can do what you are seeking. Search this forum.

Hi Jeremy, Soon I'll be able to put my work online, stay tuned !!

Radial dims are built in but for angular dimension see here http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=21730&st=0&sk=t&sd=d&hilit=angular+dimension&start=15

Here's a Z and a Y sliced version - might also be useful... The slices ~6" - I did that so it's symmetrical... Sorry for the gap in communication - even I have to go to bed...Helicopter body shell by EliseiDesignZY.skp[image: ehm5_HelicopterbodyshellbyEliseiDesignZY.png]

@tig said: You could probably find a suitable free model on the 3D Warehouse that would do ? http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=helicopter+huey&styp=m&btnG=Search&reps=2 http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=5ae11b134934f08a643ae903098a314&prevstart=0 ??? Perhaps you could do a bit of adjusting, simplification etc... Then use Slicer ruby to make the slices - it even lays them out for you to cut out - and 'bob's your uncle' http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=16694#p16694 Bob's your Uncle: roughly translates to 'there ya go - that's all there is to it!' Just press this big red button that says 'Launch Missile', and "Bob's your uncle".

While on the Daily Catch Up web site: On the Internet Explorer brouser, select Add to Favorites. In the add favorites dialog box, Select Add. When you want to go to the site, select Favorites on the internet Exploser Brouser. From the Favorites list, Select Daily Catch Up.

I'm with Chris on this one

Your best bet is probably to browse through the gallery...lots of stuff in there. Here are some quick links to get you started. http://forums.sketchucation.com/search.php?keywords=%22straight+su%22&terms=all&author=&fid http://forums.sketchucation.com/search.php?keywords=%22straight+sketchup%22&terms=all&author=&fid

Sqirlz Water Reflections 2.6 is also a great little post processing application http://www.xiberpix.net/SqirlzReflect.html

That did the trick! Thanks Thomas! What a great set of plugins you've developed!

If you want them to appear parallel in your view (e.g. not converging up or down), then you need to make sure your camera is level (Camera and Target are at the same height). You can eyeball this if you just want to be close, or start with a camera that is level, and never tilt it up or down.

I'd have the 'site' as a model - with nothing inserted into it. I'd have several site-option models: these would each have the 'site' inserted as a site-component. If you change the 'site' in its original model file you can then reload the site-component in any of the site-option models and it updates. If you change the site-component within a site-option model do not export it back out and overwrite the original 'site' UNLESS this change affects every option [at which point all option users must reload it to be in step] - if it's an option specific change then you must leave as it is in the site-option model and then remember never to update it from the external 'site' model again - you could of course then export an option version of the site if required. For each site-option you'll have a number of building models etc which are also external model files. You'd insert them into the appropriate option-site model as components. If you edit any of these in their original model files you can reload them into the appropriate site-option model. If you change the component within a site-option model AND it is a permanent change then export it back and overwrite the original [you could always make a backup copy of the earlier version first, in case you want to 'revert' later on]. You cannot have the site inserted into a building model because a reload of it into another model will bring the site with it - however, you can change building component within the site-option model and export it, them reload into another file... At its extreme you could have a site-option model for each site option version for each building [the other building would be inserted for context but never edited] - you edit the ONE building component and export it - a central site-option model would have all such building models inserted as components and reloading them will update all into this central site-option... All of this is pretty complex and needs to have a written document so users understand what they are doing and can do - unfortunately it's impossible to legislate for someone accidentally updating the wrong component in the wrong model and exporting it, overwriting something and reloading it elsewhere.... Setting it up this way separates both the 'site' and the 'building' models for the options but needs some pre-planning...

We drift off topic into the sunset.........

That is odd. Try opening SU first by double clicking the SU icon. Then from within SU, open up your saved model. See if that helps. If so, it might have to do with special observers the plugins try to load, and if they are failing on loading a saved model, this might be a bug that should be reported. Chris