Component mystery/at least to me.

barry gray

My newest newby modeling exercise has a number of components that I made.

Some (about 1/2) can be put in any layer and show just fine. Others show up as an empty blue 'group bounding box'. They are usable/complete only on the layer they were originally created on. What's the diff.? What did I screw up this time.

Another?
My model has a number of window shutters currently shown closed on one layer. I would like to have another layer showing them open. Is there a simple/fast way to copy or duplicate that layer so that I can then rotate them open. I've tried copy/paste, and using components. However both have left me with that same empty blue bounding box in the first ?.

Thanks for any help'
Barry

tomsdesk

Barry, I'd need to have a look at your model, can you post it: doesn't sound like anything I've run into...?

Gaieus

Barry,

What I suspect is that the raw geometry within your components is on some weird layer therefore if you turn that layer off, the content of your component (on another layer) won't show either. This is why the general advice is: always model everything on Layer 0 - and keep all raw geometry on it - and only put groups/components on other layers. But as Tom says; we can only tell what's up if you attach a component.

The other problem; you will need to put an instance (copy) of the component onto another layer (as you did) but if you want to show a different state of it, you will need to make it unique (right click...) otherwise the change you perform in one instance will be reflected in another one.

Chris Fullmer

Tig wrote a script that goes through your model and puts all geometry on to layer 0 while leaving all groups and components on the layer they are already on. I HIGHLY reccomend it.

So you should install the script, then run it. Then only ever move components and groups onto other layers. Like Gaeuis says, work on layer 0 always. And only put groups and components on other layers.

Here's a link to the thread where Tig shares the script:

http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=7638&p=123182&hilit=layer+0#p123182

Hope that helps,

Chris

barry gray

Thanks for your time

here's a stripped down file(reduces the size) showing a sampling of the problems I've encountered.

I've apparently screwed some things up pretty good.
Note: the "window double hung" and the "lever latch" comp.s will import fine to the layer0 the others will only import if the layer they're on is on and only to that layer. Some like the "doubleshutterdoor" are only partially there when the "inner door/trim" layer is off.

Now if I can figure out how to fix this I think I may really learn something.

These are the worst of them the rest of the model (not shown) seems to be in pretty good shape.

Attached: stripped down .skp file and .jpg of the whole thing so far.

AspenLumberTexted copy.skp

Chris Fullmer

Hi Barry, I'm not quite sure what you're seeing wrong. Maybe provide a more detailed list of things to do to recreate the problem.

I was able to fix everything I thought was wrong by running the script I gave a link to on your model. THen turning off all layers except layer 0. Then you can see the loose geometry that is lying around, ungrouped. Select it and put it in the group it should go in. Don't change the layer it is on. It should be on layer 0. Just copy and paste it into the component you want it in. Does that help?

Chris

barry gray

Chris,

I'll give that script a try later today and see how it goes. Hopefully I'll learn something.

Much thanks for your help,
Barry