Background and speed...
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I'm new to Sketchup. About a month ago I knew next to nothing about 3D modelling and yet presently I'm already deep into a relatively complex model. I'm mostly interested in using Sketchup to create models of science fiction hardware designs I've drawn 2D using Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. No, I still haven't gotten to a CAD program yet. (-:
Anyway I have too baby questions so to speak. Firstly, can I change the background colour in Sketchup? And can anyone tell me why Sketchup can sometimes run soo slow when I'm trying to intersect faces? It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes it can run for a few minutes before I get results and sometimes it can run for over half an hour before I force quit out of frustration and try again.
Some background: I'm presently using Sketchup 8, but not the Pro version (which I'm considering). I have a new 2.5GHz iMac with over 400GB free on my hard drive and 8GB RAM. I don't have any other programs or unneeded Sketchup panes open when I run into the spinning beach ball of death. And my models are relatively simple and not large in size.
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Welcome abroad
You can change it via 'Window > Styles > In Model
As for that intersection issue...some model might indeed require you to take a nap before the operation ends. -
Hi Warped9, hi folks.
An Intersection with model will try to find all intersections that may exist in a model.
If you are working insidea group or component, try using Intersect with context instead. This will minimise the amount of geometry that the intersect function has to consider.
Intersect with selection has the same use, minimise the amount of geometry to use by the intersect function.
With a large and complex model, the time saving can be enormous.
Also, consider using smallers localised intersections instead of large and complex ones. Doing 10 small intersections may prove much faster than trying only one massive job.
Just ideas.
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I now try to keep intersections restricted strictly to the faces and edges and/or components needed. But that doesn't solve my other speed problem. Now I have my model made and I just want to mirror it so I can add the two halves together and then add a few asymmetrical details, but all I get is the "spinning beach-ball of death." It's brutally slow and so annoying. I like using Sketchup, but this is quickly becoming unworkable. I've turned off all extras like shadows and edges and whatever else. I've purged unused elements. I've hidden what I don't need. I just want to copy and mirror the model so I can finish it off and render it, but it's just so slow. I've gone away for more than a half hour lunch and when I come back I still see the spinning beach-ball.
Is there nothing that can be done about this? When I check my Activity Monitor it looks like it's using nearly 100% of the CPU (assuming I'm reading it correctly). Is this even normal?
I have an older 1.42GHz eMac with Snow Leopard on it and 2GB RAM, but it isn't convenient for me to install Sketchup 8 onto that and transfer the files. Seems rather silly for me to have to consider going back to that from my current iMac with OSX Lion and 8GB RAM.
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