Or you can use the export function and export in a larger resolution. This is a must if you plan to use it for large prints.

Ok, jsut to warn you, this is a pretty bad way of doing it, and im sure there must be far more elegant solutions to this. Also you'll need fred06's ruby, joint push/pull, which you can find here: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=153&t=6708 Step 1: draw a circle and push/pull it in to a cylinder (i only used 12 segments to my circle to speed up the process, use more if you want a smoother ramp/cylinder) [image: 2427666689_00286a8651.jpg?v=0] Step 2: Turn on hidden geometry (view->hidden geometry) [image: 2428479614_3dd928ba04.jpg?v=0] Step 3: Using the line tool, draw a line to connect the hidden lines, also notice that ive stopped the spiral just short of the top of the cylinder. [image: 2427667087_d552812b10.jpg] Step 4: Select the spiral and move a copy up. [image: 2427667223_359db73038.jpg] Step 5: Using the line tool, close all the faces by drawing a line between the upper and lower spiral, following along the hidden line (note ive turned of hidden geometry for clarity) [image: 2428480026_8bcf616f05.jpg] Step 6: Soften all the lines you just drew, this will effectively turn it in to one big face. [image: 2427667445_e5900f7f0f.jpg] Step 7: select the face and use fred06's joint push/pull ruby to push/pull the ramp out. [image: 2428480250_967c359cd3.jpg]

Also, as a quick workaround, you can take a GE snapshot (you can toggle it off any time) and that will set your location in SU. Even "more also", Jim has created a plugin that will allow you to set the location on the free version of SU. Also he has a Sun tool and a Map Sun plugin for shadow studies. Finally, have you tried the new version of GE for shadow studies? Have a look at this thread (and the link in the first post). It seems to be really cool! And well, as it turned out that it's not a "bug", I'm moving the topic to the main forum now if you don't mind.

very cool

I always keep my Styles dialogue in my window and mainly to access this feature (and sometimes profiles as well).

Hi folks. Personnaly, I would simply: 1 - Make the component from one of the group. 2 - Copy it, using the groups to help in positionning, rotating, etc. 3 - Delete the groups. Just ideas.

hmm... I was using shaded view when I tried the export...

A very marginally quicker modification of Boo's method is to just use a selection window around the face (including the outer edge) and then de-select the outer edge by double shift clicking one of the outer connected faces.

You know...? I do KNOW that... I think my brain went on vacation. Thanks for stating the "usually" obvious! Good grief...

sometimes that has something to do with layers. did you get a whole bunch of layers, when you imported? if yes, some of them may be hidden. the easiest way to get your model a bit more clearly arranged is to select them all (except layer0) and delete them. SketchUp will ask you, if you want to move the contents to the default layer (layer0). Confirm. perhaps that was the only problem...

That was the culprit! I always export large and resample down because I don't like the SU AA, but I'd never turned it off.

and I thank you too! your instructions are really great! I think you gave me something to do this weekend...

Drag and drop is the way to go. However, SU doesn't like being partly minimised in order to do that...it tends to send the toolbars all over the place. If you want to avoid that happening, simply import the image file...but not as a texture; import it as an image then explode it. Whenever you choose an image format for import you get a set of radio buttons on the right of the dialog box which enable you to choose the manner of import. In fact I hardly ever import an image as a texture, even when that is how I intend to use it.

I read about it here on SCF' Corner Bar first a bit earlier in the year.

I just tried it with a still locked terrain - it worked perfectly fine. but Gaieus is right. try it with an unlocked one. perhaps that works.

Thanks a lot for these helpful information. I can really export 2D images quite easily now.

Stuart, you cant do everything with ruby. As good as ruby is, id much rather have the SU team working on getting a really good base program than have them working on things that can be achieved with ruby.

Thank you for your comments about this issue. I am starting to learn how to deal with it.

Ok thanks.

Open the old SU file with the camera position you want / need, save the model under a different file name (so as to not mess up the old one you're keeping for record), save the camera position as a scene, delete unwanted scenes. Use PageExIm available from Smustard to export the scene. Open updated SU model, use PageExIm to import the scene into your new model. That should do the trick, make sure you don't have conflicting scene names.