@majid said: also an small tip about those 2d trees of sketchup (i.e like ths one : http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=225cd184c144ad3189319f015ffd8b7&prevstart=0) :to achieving shadows for trees , for sure, you must have those trees above the ground. i.e 2m (or more, to preventing intersection with cars, like the first image) above the ground level. and delete the shadow part from your model. That is exactly what i do, Majid. See the attached component. 2D-Shrub01.skp 2/components nested within one, 2D elevation component casts and receive shadows. The 2D Plan component cast shadows but does not receive shadows. Both 2D elevation and 2D plan components is set 600mm above the ground plan and is on a unique layer. This is done so when in plan view the elevation component can be switched off. [and visa versa for elevation view] There are three layers; Master layer for Landscaping - LANDSC Layer for 2D elevation component - LANDSC-Elev Layer for 2D Plan component - LANDSC-Plan Finally, both components have materials that are minimum of 70% opacity. That way they both cast shadows.....

The edges Drape creates will end up on the current layer. So if you create a temp layer for the drape and set it as active, then you can afterwards select one of the draped edges and Right-Click -> Select -> All On Same Layer. That way you can be 100% sure you get all draped edges.

Honoluludesktop is right - this is the way to export every scene in "batch mode". What TIG refers to is a plugin you can download here as ado.zip.

Not surprised. SU is actually pretty powerful, with the right plugins you can make a whole lot of amazement.

@Anssi: Yes, you are right about the limitations of the hardware for in/out transactions, not to mention the physical plugging in and out. Thank you for your comments. @mac1: Yes, I understand the skp/skb file structure. skb is the backup file, and is used by SU to retrieve work after a crash. I do not believe that the version of SU is part of the issue for this thread. I mostly use the last version of SU6, because I have free version at home and Pro version at work. Since I do not have SU7 pro, I do not do as much in that version, so Dynamic Components do not exist for me, nor does the new Collada export, which replaces the dxf/dwg export. And, of course, Layout is not part of my workflow--currently. I do understand and appreciate the GoogleSU policy about promoting newest versions, however, expounding on this is probably for another thread. Thanks to all who responded, mitcorb

@fymoro said: Is there a solution to export a SU file in a solid object format ? no solids in SU, mesh based faces only, better use a 3D NURBS surface and volume modeler instead. hth, Norbert

Nstocks, There are 2 ways to print at a specific scale.... From SketchUp: -Set your camera settings to parallel projection and find the view you want to print out. -> With this setting ON, your print options menu will now have fields available to you to allow for printing at different scales of your choice. From LayOut: Chose your paper size. Embed your model into the paper space and set your embedded model to parallel projection and find the view you want to print out. -> Under the SketchUp Model menu, chose your scale from the dropdown menu. I hope this helps CMD

thanks for the replies!

@chris fullmer said: I foten take the best info I can get. In your case, that is the .shp files that are outdated. Then go through and identify all the areas that are innaccurate. Then see if Google Earth has image info for those blocks. If it does, then use G.E. to trace the footprints of all the buildings. Also update any city block outlines that need to be updated. And also any road centerlines that need to be updated. Just make sure to keep everything organized well. Keep the same layers that you got from the .shp files. They probably gave you a block outline, road centerline, and hopefully bldg footprint files. So when you add your data, just follow the same scheme so that it is all organized correctly. Then you can export your block layer (or component) out as a .shp file. And same for all the other layers you have changed. To recap: Take base .shp file info Determine the blocks, parcels, roads, buildings that need to be updated. Use Google Earth Images as a new base for those areas. Just trace what Google Earth shows Export everything as .shp files. And that is probably how I would approach it. If there are areas that Google Earth is not current on either, you will just have to go out and measure it by hand if possible. Thanks so much Chris, Used older version of SketchUp (version 5 with .shp plugin) to read the shapefile, and saved it to a skp file. It shows building foot prints, and that is all. They are like a component, and I can double click on them to open them, and then right click to edit, and pull up a building. The zip file I got from the city has other files besides the shapefile. How do I read those, and glean the information from them? Can I overlay a graphic pulled in from GE with the shapefile now turned .skp file, or the reverse so I can reference one with the other? The city says the GIS file I recieved is all they have, and would be more then happy to get updated information, and also mentioned getting that information of GE would be accurate enough for them. Is that true? And can I export a Sketchup model out as a shapefile? OK! The biggy Chris. Can I get you to create a plugin that could automate all of that? LOL! I heard you could! Chris

http://sketchup.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=60107 Here you'll find the v6 Pro that'll resort to the free version once the trial period is over!! And here you'll find a discussion on this very subject http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=24045

Yeah, hidden line is the way to go. You'll also have to go into your style editor menu and turn off the sky/ground and change the background color to white though. -Brodie

Is this what u re looking for? [image: nknv_spring.jpg] [image: leaV_springs.jpg]

In complement of Jean's "Idea", Here is a Youtube video which shows how it is interesting to make your globe a component before adjust the pushpull shapes of doors and windows. This way, you enter the component before make an intersection with the model and then you have no cleaning job to do [flash=560,340:3vpqnq8y]http://www.youtube.com/v/SUYN_Uqzvec[/flash:3vpqnq8y] (re:I have found this video on a thread where TIG was explaining to someone how to weld two tubes together but I don't recover this trhead.) ...I have found it again: [Plugin] Extrude Edges by Rails v1.1 simon

@mynameismatt89 said: Thanks for the plugin in TIG, I'll have to check it out. Though the ExtrudeEdgesByRails plugin isn't what I am looking for. What I am trying to do is after using the simple loft plugin, or your plugin, I want to edit the hidden geometry of the shape. In all of the images attached to your thread, and in all the shapes that I have created, the hidden geometry is triangulated surfaces. What I am trying to find is a plugin that will allow me to change the hidden geometry from these triangulated surfaces into a different shape (a series of hexagons for example) so that when I convert the hidden geometry to a series of tubes (using a plugin like "convert arcs, circles, curves, lines to cylinders") I am left with a mesh that is made up of a series of hexagons, not triangles. The "Terrain Reshaper" plugin allows something like this, but you can only convert the mesh to a different size and shape triangle, no other shapes. Is something like this possible? I have I not worded what I am looking for properly? Thanks, Matt The 'hidden geometry' is typically smoothed edges. You can make a mesh with my tool that is not initially smoothed but you can 'un-smooth' surfaces by selecting then and using the right-click context-menu smooth and putting the slider to the left so nothing is then smoothed - you can also un-smooth specific edges by having hidden-geometry switched on and using the eraser tool with shift+ctrl held down - any smoothed edges you rub over are made un-smoothed [the eraser tool can also be used to smooth [eraser+ctrl] and hide [eraser+shift] edges - to unhide a hidden edge select it when hidden-geometry is on and right-click context-menu 'unhide']... Many meshes need triangular faces to work because a four [or more] sided shape might have 'coplanar' edges and therefore it cannot have a face - a three-edged shape will always take a face. There are tools to erase coplanar edges - it's an option in EEbyR - using them will take out any unneeded triangulation. You can see if an edge is vital to any faces by erasing it, if faces disappear it is forming a boundary edge and cannot be dispensed with - if all faces remain then it was simply dividing the face into two coplanar pieces and so that edge can be erased safely. My tip on converting smoothed edges back to solid ones then allows you to convert then to tubes with other tools as desired. If you have for example a sphere made of triangles and manually change the edges of hexagonal units you can select those only and make the other inner smoothed part a glazed bubble... If you delete internal edges that are vital to faces you will get a hole as faces cannot survive the amputation... However, if the remaining edges of the hexagon are coplanar you might force a new hexagonal 'flat' face to be created by drawing over some edges, or making one subdivision and smoothing it...[image: FvoG_TrangulatedDome.png]TrangulatedDome.skp

Fredo's Sacle Tools has Taper Tool that could do this - is this the type of thing ?[image: VpMg_FredosScaleTools-Taper.png]

Hi Whitney, Yes, the Mac way of handling toolbars is totally different from the Windows system. We can have several rows but they get screwed up many times. You have neatly fixed toolbars but cannot display them all at the same time.

To change a Component's name you can select an Instance of it and Get Entity Info [right-click, first item on context-menu to open the E'Info dialog which shows info for anything you select], and you simply change the name in the 'Definition-Name' pane - it will rename the Component with that new name - note that changing the 'Name' pane gives specific names to individual Instances of that Component and not the name of the base definition itself. This Entity Info method is probably easiest, as you have it picked in front of you and therefore know what it should be called. You can also change the name of a Component Definition within the Model-tab of the Component-Browser as suggested below - select the component and change it's Definition-Name, you can also edit the description there too: BUT, this method is OK as long as the components are clearly identifiable - but the E'Info method above avoids any guesswork, when you have perhaps lots of doors called Group#1, Group#2 etc that might look similar in the preview icon, picking one off the model itself is less prone to error...

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=22161

Thanks Gaieus, I will play around with that. Yes that works. When you activate the "Measurement" Toolbar then you can put the VCB where you want it.

For a circle Don't very well understand : why not use copy Rotation by 15° then *23? (with a circle 24 segments by default) [image: VmHh_23.jpg]