Cut out image
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Import the image either as an image and explode it or as a texture applied to a face. Then trace around it with the Line, Freehand, and Arc tools as appropriate and delete the outside. There is also a plugin that can do it in some cases but as a beginner I would suggest doing it by hand to get familiar with the native tools first.
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@dave r said:
There is also a plugin that can do it in some cases . . .
There's a plugin for that?!?!
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@unknownuser said:
@dave r said:
There is also a plugin that can do it in some cases . . .
There's a plugin for that?!?!
Check your PMs.
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Thanks for your help, I've traced round the image but I'm not sure what to do next. When I select and delete the parts I don't want, I'm just left with the out line of the image. How do I turn that into an object I can edit?
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Could you do an "undo" (so that it is still with the unwanted part) and upload the model here? What I suspect is that there is some gap in the trace-around (or some stray geometry somewhere which prevents the face from creating)
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Adobe illustrator has a tool (rubber band tool?) that lets you surround an object then suck the outline tight to the object. Then you can export the resulting path to SU. Then you can scale the path to an SU image and then do an intersect followed by deleting all unwanted parts. IF you look up "SketchUp and FaceMe component on YouTube you will find a good tutorial.
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If you give your PNG image a transparent background and import it as an 'Image' into a SKP you can us my 'ImageTrimmer' tool to cut it out for you and make a component with a cutout face, with the image as a material applied to it - search for it in the Plugins Index...
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Thanks for all the advice, I just traced it again and it worked fine. I must of had gaps in the original somewhere.
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Glad you've got it worked out. Any little gap(s) will prevent a face from being created or prevent dividing one face into two. In fact, once you've traced around the portion you want to keep, if the inside isn't separated from the outside, that is your clue that you have a gap.
One thing I find helpful when tracing an image is to make the line color something that will show more easily than black. Red often works for me. You can change the line color by going to Styles>Edit. Click on the wire frame cube below the word "Select" to edit the edges. At the bottom of the dialog box you'll see a black square. Click on it and edit the color. I like red as in this example.
In this example I wasn't interested in keeping any of the image. I just wanted the profile. I imported the image as an image and traced over it. When I completed the loop, a face was created on the inside which obscures the image. As soon as I got the face, I knew I was done tracing.
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Also, at the same place in the styles panel, you can set profiles (if they are not on). When you trace something around on a bigger face, the lines will remain thick (displaying profiles) until they separate the inner face. This will give you some clue as well. Once they turn thin, you are done and can select the inner and outer faces separately.
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Excellent! Thanks all for you help
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