Strictly speaking, scaling only "works" when the target object is symmetrical to all three axis. And that is a very rare situation. Look at your screen capture of S forms, EscapeArtist. What you need to do is not scaling, but offsetting, in 3D. Like Gaieus said, JointPushPull by fredo6 is designed exactly for the purpose. Beautiful, isn't it?

@cholme said: Sometimes they work fine and other times ... First, for setting your own shortcuts: Bravo! Shortcuts rule. Second, they can also be a bit of an insect colony. From the link below, scroll down until you get to the red box that starts, "Complaints." http://www.martinrinehart.com/models/tutorial/tutorial_10.html#defining It's quite a long bug list for one small area. Can I add yours? Martin

See if this roofing texture will be better (I could still imagine something much better but it's still better than that "Spanish tile" you use) And a preview of it on a basilica we've just found ("strongly" WIP) [image: DFIT_Bazilika.jpg] The stone/brick opus mixtum is not mine but I will ask my friend who made it to share. Roofing_Tile_Roman.skm

If I had to do something like this, I would project the image on the wall in SU and make it emit light that way in Podium. Should work fine I guess.

yes i do it might come from the way Maxwell plugin interferes with SU when it controls camera views then. What i just do is use magic wand in pshop, with 1 neighbour pixel setting ( neighbour pixel setting off) then i can remove the grey stripes... Hope this can be solved in future SU or MR versions! N

Thanks guys!!!

Thanks Guys for info. Learn something new each day, never really paid much attention to the smooth option before, so had ago and you can create some interesting effects on faces when selecting various combination's of edges to be smooth - almost creating soft shadows on faces, but not on ground. [image: oZPx_cubes.jpg] [image: X2pH_cubes1.jpg]

I'm taking guess but if your models are generated by a modeller that uses solids these entities may require translation into meshed equivalents which could be producing the additional size/elements.

Nobody said you where a "sub par" designer. I think your designs are great. No need to show us your resume to prove it. But when you come to a group and ask this... @fitz said: I work a lot with models that intersect at angles,(crown moulding as one example) and use the "intersect model" tool quite a bit, as its the only method I've found for making compound miters in models. Then after i gave you some great advice you go off on some tirade with the notion that i somehow slandered you, well that's just childish! Then later you even admitted your mis-communication problem here.... @fitz said: the so called "miter action" I speak of, especially using "crown moulding" as an example was a massive oversimplification on my part, as what I REALLY am refering to is different models "intersecting" at angles. Makes me wonder of your intentions...? After looking over your pictures (and man are there a ton of them!) i noticed some errors that i would like to point out. You will probably think i am being mean but you need to know these simple facts about construction before you go off claiming to be some kind of superman! In the next picture i annotated some horrible mistakes in framing that would cause you to surely fail a structural inspection... and get laughed off a job site... http://jjsenlightenments.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-not-to-frame-door.html This proves to me your lack of construction knowledge. Your a designer with no formal training in the feild. Sometimes what looks good on paper is nothing more that wishful fantasies and pipe dreams. Not only do you not have the all encompassing knowledge of a project manager, you lack even the basic skills of a 12.00hr carpenter. Don't try to challenge me at my game!

As to processors, the newer Xeon and i7 processors seem to have a slight edge compared to older dual- and quadcores. I tested a 2.53 GHz Xeon a couple of months ago, and it seemed equal or a bit faster with my small models than a 3.6.GHz P IV. Anssi

Ah fantastic!! thank you very much

mirami: The disappearing faces may have something to do with the scale of the model. Small size models with microfacets are a known limitation in Sketchup. The workaround is to scale up by some factor like (10), perform the operations, and then scale down by (0.1). There is a native tool to "repair tiny triangles" in a right click menu after selecting the perimeter edges. If it does not show up, there is also top line menu Tools>Utilities>Create face. This could end up being a lot of "knitting", as I call it. (It may be better for you to direct your questions in the other thread "on designing a shoe".)

Select the grouped helix in the attached model > right click > explode and while its segments (and nothing else) are still selected, "apply" the scale tool and start scaling. Cool effect indeed. Pottery.skp

Google's intent is to support dxf/dwg in the Pro version Collada import is "only" going to be an additional tool for Pro users while it will be a "change" (from dwg/dxf) for Free users.

I realise it does not run as well in VMWare or Parallels, but for the 2d drawings I am working with, I come across no problems. If things were to get much heavier, I would have to use Bootcamp, but the ease of use of being able to instantly switch between operating systems far out weighs any performance hit for the ACAD drawings I'm currently working with. As honolulu says, try it both ways, although vmware does cost money!

Hi Tommy, Thankyou for your answer. Than i have switch between the DWG/DXF Viewer and Sketchup during modelling. Karlheinz

I only render to show materials and oftentimes reflection of light. The "weight" of materials is important to me and a rendering helps convey that to a client. Otherwise, sketchup provides a nice visualization tool for the geometries and how materials come together. Tracking a reveal through 10,000 S.F. is difficult enough, but to actually SEE and make visually informed decisions based on how it looks within a space is critical!

And...That! Makes perfect sense..thank you!

Which instrument is the best : A sax or a trumpet? The best choice is the one that you like and can/will master as a tool.

Let's nor forget that we are modelling stuff here... The clue is in the word 'model' - it's an approximation of reality - we can't*** ever reproduce every screw in the fitments, every bug on the windshield, every scratch on the chrome fender, or even every molecule in the paint finish... 'sufficient is fit' to quote John Donne ? Make your models as detailed as is necessary to let them 'look right' when rendered as you want them... ***'can' = 'would be bonkers to try' !!!