Sure you can put those edges on separate layers, too (although it's typically not a very good idea to put elements of a certain group hierarchy onto different layers because if you are a messy person like me, you can easily end up confused). The reason for an ultimate hide for these edges is generally that you are really unlikely to need them (especially with nicely modelled foliage where image files of leaves and such are much more spectacular without edges). Even from a medium distance those condensed edges are very ugly looking. BTW the same "tip" goes for 3D Text. Make something and watch it from a certain distance without hiding the edges. It will soon become illegible.

I used to wonder why SU opened with Sang, and decided that it must have to do with initializing default conditions, and values. I once tried to customized opening SU with command files, special templates, and unique desktop icons, and had problems with drag and drop because of Sang, so now I use my system in the manner that SU intends.

That's encouraging, thanks. I am not able to share the drawings I have, though.

What I do when importing cad to SU is do a save as and change all the linetypes to layer 0, make sure my model is on the 0,0 origin and then purge. Then do a LAYDEL command and delete any remaining layers. Make sure your drawing units are set up correctly otherwise it will come into SU not how you want it. In SU do a purge and group the floor plan. I never draw using the geometry from ACAD, it has always resulted in larger file sizes and corrupt drawings. Hope this helps.

I just checked and it appears to be able to simulate a camera movement similar to what I am asking. I am going to see how it works with V-ray. Chris, I am wondering about this because in order to use the vray spawner, you need to use a work around and I am trying to completely avoid the scene transitions that causes the dreaded jerky SU camera movements. That leaves me with only 100 scenes to work with for the parts in my animation and results in 3 second segments that are just too quick for an entire animation. I use post processing to help lengthen some of these things, but being able to set a number higher than 100 would be great because it would give me more frames to work with.

Has anyone else got stuck on the part where he scales the horn out. It's about 30 seconds into the flexible horn tutorial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoKwcvm_2r8&feature=channel_page. I haven't figured out how to do the scale like he does with out the inner plane sticking to or intersecting with the outer portions of the model. Here is what it looks like . [image: KImt_KitoRauppsm.jpg]

@alan fraser said: I know that SU now has its own 3D text tool, but that tool is fairly basic. Don't forget the solution of choice before the built-in option (or the Smustard Ruby) Elefont will automatically add a variety of bevels and chamfers that can be exported in dxf and brought into SU. http://www.armanisoft.ch/webdesign/elefont/Elefont.html Dear Alan, I have found time to test this "Elefont" from "Ingenieurbüro" Armin Müller you were talking about. [image: Elephantroselunette.jpg] [image: Elefont_001_550.jpg] This last 1.4 version dated from 7July 1998 begin to be may be a little outdated . It is not too much handy because its display is very small and the previsu doesn't give a great control. But in making small tries, we can do number of interesting variations. At the end the saving format in DXF is perfect to import in SketchUp. [image: Elefont_002_550.jpg] These subdivided letter shapes are perfect to use directly with S&S , avoiding the previous Offset, Scale and Skin stages I have tried to reach my goal: the molted letter. In taking the letter at this stage, making a real flare isn't possible (?) anymore. So if we satisfied with the approximative Scaled flare, it is OK. [image: Elefont_003_550.jpg] [image: Elefont_004_550.jpg] [image: Elefont_005_550.jpg] simon

Link to thread on Hatch lines with links to hatch skm files etc - might help.

I've not tried this myself, but it looks like there's a lot here: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=20949

If we didn't rely on (many) undocumented things, there wouldn't be need for a forum.

David - Differing lines thicknesses can be sort of done in (I think) three ways. a) line weight in the LO 'Sketchup model>styles' palette, but that appears to scale the thickness of all the lines derived from the model b) obviously SU styles can do their thing with line weight, wobbliness, scratchiness etc. BUT to use them in LO requires using raster or hybrid rendering which can make your LO files and pdf output huuuuuuuuuuuuuge. Since I'm making working drawings to be printed at 24x36" for builders, I didn't bother with artistically scribbled lines. c) the profile, depth cue and section cut line thicknesses can be set in the styles anyway LO can do more with lines created with its tools but obviously they are not involved directly in the model. I've used them for a few added details in the drawings - I think all of the ones I added happen to be dashed lines in this case. Oh - one more small variation I just thought of - it you use the 'add section cut face' plugin, the edges of the added faces can be given a thickness. Red - You can insert a variety of files into an LO doc (not exactly sure of the list, I've used jpegs, text and pdf so far) and LO will spot updates in the same way as it does for skp files. It's not quote automagic but pretty useful. So use excel or Numbers to make your table and print to pdf (unless LO can handle csvs or excel files?) and insert away. I'm sure someone that is familiar with ruby and the SU api (not me; I spent 25 years programming Smalltalk and damned if I'm going to descend to mere ordinary languages now) could find components marked in some fashion, derive details and produce a table to be inserted. The cutlist plugin used by many woodworkers (including me) does something related. It's just a question of finding a victim - I mean 'interested programmer' - and beating them with a stick - er, 'motivating them' - correctly. Money often works, or so I'm told.

Thank you very much Gaieus. I will experiment with the method in the video.

Got it! I had not even thought of sectioning it in the true sense. I was using the term "section" incorrectly. This will work perfect. Appreciate it!

@quantum said: That says nothing relevant. of course, what do they know at all... @unknownuser said: Integrated graphics solutions, or shared graphics solutions are graphics processors that utilize a portion of a computer's system RAM rather than dedicated graphics memory. Computers with integrated graphics account for 90% of all PC shipments[6]. These solutions are cheaper to implement than dedicated graphics solutions, but are less capable. @quantum said: And no, this chip is -not- shared. Don't you have any sense? There is no other GPU in this system. no, I do not have any non-sense do you have read and understood anything of the links I have posted above? obviously not! sharing means sharing the working/main memory with the system instead of using own, fast video memory as dedicated solutions do. @quantum said: You clearly do not understand this chip, or are badly behind the times. of course, what else... @quantum said: Are you meaning to say that my IGP does not meet these specs? at least in connection with Wine and the used driver: @quantum said: In XP when I start it, I get 'OpenGL failed'. @quantum said: Do you think that this is an ATI Radeon or an Intel based card? no, why should I do this? @quantum said: Wrong. right. @quantum said: Think I'm helping you, with this attitude? Think again. not really... it was meant as a rhetoric question, I did not have expected an answer... simply because there is none. 've made my day, again Norbert

Hey Emiliano, Please to meet you. Thanks for the pleasant word. I consider this thread as a constant "Work in Progress" [image: const017.gif] due to the news plugins our developpers are imagining everyday... I consider it also as a collaborative work. If anything interesting is missing, just tell about it and I shall put it up in addition on the "Front Post" I take the opportunity of this post to add in this Front Post a reminder rather than a trick taken from "Creating a Swaying Curtain" by Dirk de Jongh On How to subdivide a shape Using Drape Tool from Sandbox Tools.

Some 3D formats can swap the axes etc.

It is probably just how SketchUp shades surfaces. You might try playing with the sun and shadows settings to see if you can get it to the level you would like. Do you have a small example file to look at? Chris

Hi, i don't know if it was posted before, i found at the Spiral Graphics page a free Viewer with a high resulation texture library. The textures can also be modified. In the free version the resolution is limited to 2048 x 2048 pixel, but i think that enough. The terrain texture in the image below is from this´viewer. http://www.spiralgraphics.biz/viewer/index.htm Karlheinz [image: PE2c_Burg.jpg]

I have also found the Francis Ching has some similar books which are excellent!

@unknownuser said: Try to adjust the Transparency quality in the Styles window. yea thats it. thank you