How do you make an exploded view??????
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I am getting so frustrated with this sketchup. About half of it works fine but about half of it just does not comply.
For example - I make a completed cabinet, each piece is a component. I make a copy of it and move it to the side and give it a separate scene. I am trying to take it all apart and give dimensions to each piece to make a cut sheet. It will not come apart. Either the whole thing moves, or sections of it moves or after I click click click click until something finally happens and I can separate one piece it separates it from the original as well. On the copy whether I make it unique or not - does not help. It should not take me 3 hours to try to take this thing apart. Right now I have three different cabinets drawn (three separate files), I can not spend three hours on each one trying to take them apart. The "Woodworkers Guide to ShetchUp" is no help it just states make a copy and move it. It states that it is the easiest thing to do - then why does it not say how to do it and whatever I try it does not work right and is taking forever.
I am using the latest version of SU on a Mac.
Can someone please help me or give me info on a good manual that teaches how to use SU. I also have the dummies guide to SU but that leaves out a lot for woodworking specifics.
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I have also tried the "explode" function which has not helped. But then I don't really have any idea what it is suppose to do since I can not find any explanation about it in "SU for Dummies" or "SU for Woodworkers" or the SU Users Guide.
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Read up on Groups/Components in the Dummies book. This will help with the sticky geometry scenario.
Click the big red Plugin Index button at the top of this page.
Find the Eclate_Displace(Fragmentation) plugin by Pilou.
Download and install into your plugins folder.
Thank Pilou
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As you have discovered, Explode is absolutely not what you want. It basically destroys all of your component/groups and makes all the geometry one big lump.
The plugin Rich suggested will work. There's also one available from smustard. I have both of them and prefer to make exploded views by hand. In fact, nearly every model I draw these days gets at least one exploded view. Here's the general process I use.
Complete the assembled model.
Make layer associations for the components dividing the model into logical layers. e.g. top, case, legs, back, drawers, etc.
Make a copy of the entire model moving it off to one side. I typically move it down the red axis and then back along the green a bit. This is the model for the exploded view.
Then I drag selection boxes around some of the components (maybe the right side components) and move them away from the rest of the model. I might reduce the selection set a bit and move the remaining ones more. Then I might make a new selection for say the front components and move them forward. You don't need to explode every joint and, in fact, it is better not to do that.Here's a couple of examples.
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Can you upload the skp file to the post. Me or someone else can look at it and help you out. Man I feel your pain SU gave me fits until I watched these videos at http://www.srww.com/blog/?p=1335 . He's a woodworker and very good with SU got me off to a good start. One of the videos no.6 I think about dim. he does just what your doing.
Dave R is very good and a woodworker he's a Global Moderator here.
Upload that file and let one of us help.
Walt
Edit Dave's on the ball
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Thank you guys for all of your help. I have started checking out those videos and I will also check out the plugin.
How do I upload the file?
One of the problems that I am having is that when I am working on a copy and I do get pieces separated which is taking too much time sometimes it happens on the original as well. I don't know what is happening.
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Ken, to upload your SKP file, click on the Upload attachment tab below the window where you type your message.
I suspect that the problem you are having with the things moving on the original is due to using nested components. Like any other component, what you do to one gets done to all the other instances.
Check your PMs.
Dave
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Indeed. as I surmised. You have nested components which would account for the original being modified with the copy.
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As usual, Dave has the answer. This happens a lot to students in my classes, they inadvertently make components inside other components, sometimes a complete copy of a component on top of the original. Be careful when you click and double-click. The first click will select a component or group so you can move it. If you double-click instead (easy to do if you're getting frustrated) you open it up for editing.
Look for the visual clues that will tell you what you're working on, and if you're inside a component or group. The rest of the model will dim if it's open for editing. You can also select an object and the Entity Info window will tell you what it is. It also pays to pay attention to what becomes highlighted when you select, if the whole cabinet is highlighted when you click on a part of it, that means you have combined it somewhere along the line into a group or component.
The explode command will take a group or a component apart one step at a time. If it's nested (made up of other groups or components) the first click with explode will reduce it to those sub-groups or sub-components. If you keep exercising the explode command, you will eventually get down to edges and faces and a sticky mess to deal with.
A common scenario I see is this: you want to move a component, but you're a little jittery and double-click. Instead of selecting it, you've opened it to edit, and when you move something, all the other instances of that component change. Even worse is if you let your finger hit the CTRL key and you make a copy when all you wanted to do was to move the thing. Then you realize that isn't what you want to do, and click again instead of hitting the ESC key. Now you have a copy you don't want inside a component that wouldn't move.
SketchUp can be quick, but as you're learning the best thing you can do is slow way down and be sure of what you're doing before you click.
hope this helps,
Bob Lang
Bob Lang
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You guys are helping to clear things up. I am going through the "chiefwoodworkers" videos. Wow, it really helps a lot to be able to see how things are done while being thoroughly explained. For one, before seeing his presentation, I was never able to get a good understanding of how layers worked or how to use them.
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It is confusing when I open a component to edit and it gives me to option to "make a component".
Yes, I have been making nested components such as: I have all of my interior cabinet box components assembled and then I make that whole thing a component before I make the face frame right on the box. After I have all the face frame components made I make the whole face frame a component. The idea is so that I can copy the whole face frame, move it to the side, make another copy that I can take apart to show the individual parts. Is this how I show be doing it?
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You have too many things in nests and components that contain components and loose geometry. The back panel for example is not a component but all that geometry is included with components in a nested component. Nested components have their place but what I saw in your model is something I frequently see in other beginner's models. It is easily repairable and we'll cover that when we talk.
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