Thanks, Box, I imagine much of your best work is done at your work place despite the distractions.

When you say you install SketchUcation toolset from the RBZ, and up pops the SketchUcation dialog, do you mean the large main-dialog listing various plugins, OR the smaller toolbar with three icons [red/blue/gray] ? The SketchUcation toolbar is automatically active when the SketchUcation Extension is activated. You can deactivate its toolbar it by using the Extensions > SketchUcation submenu entry to toggle it off/on, or use native View > Toolbar-dialog to deactivate the SketchUcation entry, or simply click on its close button... [You'll then need to use the View > Toolbar-dialog, or Extensions > SketchUcation submenu entry to reactivate it (toggle)] You can deactivate the Extension itself using Window > Preferences > Extensions and un-checking the SketchUcation entry. You previously said the SketchUcation dialog was opening when you used File > New - I now suspect you really meant the SketchUcation Toolbar ? It should stay off when deactivated as outlined above... If NOT, then can you please provide a screen-shot of the flaky behavior ? Assuming the main-dialog is being flaky... Whenever you tell us the install SketchUp you skim over the part about 'as admin'... If you do NOT select the SketchUp installer-exe icon and right-click > context-menu > Run as Administrator - then SketchUp will install with potential weird happenings stored up for later... Simple being a user with admin-powers is NOT the same, so double-clicking the exe or using context-menu > Run, will NOT work properly and result is weird issues... Thousands of users of Win 10 and v2016 AND the SketchUcation ExtensionStore plugin have no issues like this, so something is adrift with your set up... That's why I suspect a faulty SketchUp installation, resulting in subsequent flaky extension installations/operations [not just SCF's] If you have NOT installed SketchUp by running its installer as the administrator, then I suggest you do the following... Close SketchUp. Ensure you have your SketchUp 2016 installer-exe at hand for use later... Right-click Win 10 icon bottom-left of Windows toolbar > Control Panel > UNINSTALL SketchUp 2016... When that is complete, use 'Run as Administrator' on the installer-exe icon as explained at the start of this post. When that's done, reinstall ALL of your extensions/plugins. The earlier uninstall will have left them intact, but in case the flaky SketchUp has damaged permissions etc, I recommend you start afresh. Install them a few at a time, and test to see if there are issues... Report back... If should not be so difficult

No problemo!

In the link provided, it suggest searching for 'Materials', but that isn't the best choice... SU should have two Material folders but only makes the 'User' one when you make a new material inside SU... so it better to look for a redundent [still included] folder that has always been placed in the User path... to open it in Finder you can copy/paste into Ruby Console... `open "#{Sketchup.find_support_file('OldColors')}"` on mine that's /Users/johns_iMac/Library/Application Support/SketchUp 2016/SketchUp/OldColors In that SketchUp folder add a new folder named Materials [it will not get deleted on upgrading]... add any material sub-folders into there, they must contain skm files to work... once made drag it into the Finder sidebar for easy access [image: TKpz_mac_mats.gif] there are other gif mini tuts about add materials from inside SU... john

Is it possible you are turning them off in the View menu or you're using a style that has them turned off? Are you really still using SketchUp 7?

John, Phenomenal! Thanks for providing a solution to my problem. May I ask for some additional detail as to why, from SU's viewpoint, the Home scene must have a Home layer as well as a Layer 0 to have all this work properly? Thanks, Jim

can you give a few steps to how you got there? also, I am guessing you push and pull on certain nodes once the general shape is there but that results in all different sized triangles. Is there a more rigid approach to maintain uniform dimensions to skin?

With such a geometry is also easy to make it tile. You can also export a background black and tiles white and use this as a mask so you can blend with other textures/grunge maps and you can make your material.

Paul, that looks great. One of the challenges I have had/have is in rendering metals. I agree that if you are rendering a product the context is indeed important. I still feel I have a lot to learn. One of the thinks I struggle with is the vocabulary and most of the tutorials I try to read assume you have full comprehension of it.

You're welcome. I periodically run into the same thing after I've had Use Maximum Texture Size enabled for a project and forget to disable it again. I rarely need it enabled but once in awhile it comes in handy.

I did not find the plugin directory and I was afraid that it could not work. thank you for the confirmation Flyer50

figured this out. I have to minimize or close the model window behind the window I just opened. For some reason the viewport is focused on the window behind...

Ask the developer would be the best option.

thank you so much guys

Read this thread: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=45473#p45473

You can use Flattery for this task.

The "first" part worked because the "Name:" was changed. The "second" part changed the "Definition Name:" which is apparently what you were looking for. So just ignore the first part. My apologies, I forgot that SU8 doesn't accept multi-line input. But since you have Aerilius' console, you can save the snippet and recall and use it anytime you need it. Be aware that, as written, the code expects the components to not be aligned with or along the "Y" axis. Otherwise, it should always work.