Nothing is a Solid!
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I'm trying to get the hang of the Subtract feature. I draw a rectangle and use the push/pull tool to pull it up into a rectangular solid. I draw a circle and use the push/pull tool to pull it up into a cylinder. I move them so that they overlap, and I select the Subtract Tool. But then, when I point to either of them, the little message pops up and says, "not a solid". What on earth? If these simple extrusions don't count as solids, what does?? Do I have a bad version of the program?
Sketchup Pro 2014, version 14.1.1283 for Macintosh.
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hey Ken
you have to encompass the geometry into a group or component prior to it being considered a solid.
here's your example file with the box and cylinder as solids.. (note- right-click on one of them then choose 'entity info'.. you will see it's identified as a solid group)
when you draw the box, select all of it then right-click -> Make Group (or component).. do the same with the cylinder then you'll be able to use the solid tools on them.
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Thanks!
Boy that wasn't very clear in the first documentation I came to.
So I get that you have to do this Group operation – but why? Seems like an extra step, a waste of effort in the way of getting the job done! can you explain the rationale?
Ken
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i'm not sure if you've used other 3D software but if so, you'll begin to notice a key difference between sketchup and most other.. in sketchup, there's an auto-merge paradigm.. geometry that is drawn or placed directly on top of other geometry melts(?) together.
in your example file, certain parts of the cylinder and the box (the bottom faces) have merged into one item and if you try to select the cylinder and move it, the bottom face will stick to the face of the box.. sketchup has been this way long before the concept of solids was introduced in the program.. to make things not sticky, you have to group them which tells sketchup not to merge coplanar faces or shared lines together (amongst other reasons).. similar ideology is used for telling sketchup a collection of geometry is meant to be a solid.
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It might be worth noting that you say you have SU2014 Pro in your post but Make in your profile, I'm guessing you have Make and are currently in the trial period of Pro.
If that is the case, the Solid tools won't work for you once the trial period is over.
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