I can't even make a simple void

pamelagalli

I am trying to make a window in a wall. I have even done it in the past!

But when I follow the tutorials and push the "window" out the back I just get a box sticking out the box -- it is extruded but not voided. Any idea why I cannot do this simple thing correctly? It is SO simple I can't even see room for error -- but for me apparently so!

Thanks!

TIG

Are the parts in the same 'context'.
Draw a rectangle and pushpull it into a 'wall' box.
Draw a rectangle on top of that first rectangle.
PushPull [push] the second rectangle into the first [until it meets the back of the other 'wall'], and it makes a 'void'.
Now repeat - but with one difference...
Draw a rectangle and pushpull it into a 'wall' box.
Group the rectangle so it's no longer in the same 'context'
Draw a rectangle on top of that first rectangle.
PushPull the second rectangle into the first [until it meets the back of the other 'wall'] and it does NOT make a 'void' because it's now making a 'box' as it's not 'cutting' the 'wall'...

pamelagalli

Thanks -- I guess I need to find out what "context" means -- what I am doing is drawing an elongated rectangle and pulling it up to make a wall. Then I draw a rectangle on the wall face, and push it out the back. No void, just a box sticking out the back.

Dave R

The simplest possibility is that you aren't stopping the push when you get to the far side of the wall. Another possibility is that the back side of the wall isn't parallel to the front side.

By the way, when we talk about "context" in SketchUp it is a way of referring to the level of the geometry. If you have a bunch of loose geometry in your model and no groups or components, it is all in the same context. If you have have some entities inside a group or componet, they are in another context. You can only edit them if you open the group/component so you are working in that context. Of course while the group or component is open for editing, you can't affect entities that are not in the group or component context.

pamelagalli

Thanks Dave -- I don't even know what a compenent is yet I kind of have an idea but at this point I just need to make something that can be a component.

I don't see how, if I am drawing a rectangle on the floor with a rectangle tool, it can not be parallel. Or, if I pull that rectangle up to make a 3D wall, how the front cannot be parallel to the back. I can't even see a way to make them not parallel.

I have tried verrrrry slowly pushing the "window" back but no matter where I stop, no void.

I don't suppose it would have anything to do with using a Mac, but that's all I can come up with. It's just so simple I can't see any way to not get it right, but that's what I have managed.

Gaieus

Older versions of SketchUp did not even allow you to go further than the opposite face. Newer versions do but if you stop at the opposite face, it will automatically cut a hole on it. Always try to use some easy inferencing. If you get SU to snap to it, you will temporarily (until you release the mouse) see two faces (a blue back-face and a white front-face) "fighting" for visibility (aka "Z-fighting") as they seem to flicker a bit. Force SU to stop there and you are done. See some examples below.

TIG

As has been mentioned... IF the wall doesn't have parallel faces you can't punch the hole as the face you are passing through the wall is never going to be 'coplanar' with the back face.
If you draw a rectangle using the Rectangle tool you are guaranteed that its sides are parallel and any 'box' you PushPull from it will have opposite faces that are parallel and there capable of having holes punched. On the other hand if you draw something with four edges approximating to a rectangle and haven't paid heed to the inference hints of axis color etc and extrude that into a wall it might have non-parallel faces.
One simple test is make the wall a given thickness - say 6"/150mm - then PushPull the second rectangle though it and type in 6"/150mm rather than trying to pick on something - if the wall's faces are parallel then a hole should be punched right through it, if not then you should be able to see tiny parts of the extruded 'box' not aligning with the wall's back face [if you zoom in closely enough]...
Another tip - once you have got the required PushPull value you only need to use PushPull with a double-click to use the same value on another face - thus avoiding you having to type-in or re-pick etc.

pamelagalli

Thanks everyone for the very kind help -- yes, the "flicker" part was what I was missing!

It's always the stuff that's so obvious the tutorials don't bother mentioning, that trips me up!