Congrats on the retirement.

@tig said: Pro has an importer, but you will probably need to convert max files to 3ds in max ? ... AFAIK 3ds and fbx can still be imported in the free version (only dwg/dxf is limited to Pro). Maybe fbx would be a better choice in Max (I guess it can export in fbx) as it is a more advanced file format than the archaic 3ds.

When there's an update to SketchUp it is sent out as the whole package. They don't send just those parts that have been updated. When you install the updated version it writes over what it needs to.

Thanks for your replies. @Dave R @unknownuser said: It would be better to teach them about how editing one component edits all other copies in the model You are right, it's probably the way I should choose. @Gaieus @unknownuser said: In fact, if you build up more complex components I think the pupils are fine with "simple" components. See also the SKP-File below. @Wo3Dan @unknownuser said: They can even scale them etc. But each time the try to enter them for editing, they will get a warning. A very interessting approach. I will keep that in mind and run a test. After I wrote the initial entry here I created a "brick builder workplane". The primitivs (groups)are placed on a "sidebar". Each group can be pulled from there 10 times. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/download?mid=ddd420a760b0580ab121301160291f7d&rtyp=s8&fn=SUStart&ctyp=other&ts=1366102577000 [image: ZMFO_SUStart.png]

@kallen said: Now I am having a big problem turning things into components. I select the objects, then Make Componet but it doesn't seem to take. I've done it several times and I see the component in the component list but its empty! This is maddening. Additionally, I can't delete any empty components from the model components (using components in the tools menu) This is maddening right now. Any hints you might care to share? That's because what you are selecting is attached to unselected geometry. Select what you want in the component, hit G to Create Component and then immediately tick the box for Replace Selection With Component. Then hit Enter. You're the second guy today that I've worked with who has had the exact same issue which stemmed from not making components/groups as they went along.

Have you uploaded the STL to cloud.netfabb.com? Link also in my first post. If that doesn't work, can you upload the troublesome part here or PM it to me? So far I've not had a model that wouldn't work.

Hi, might be interested in reading this forum topic about similar issue. http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=48987 Cheers!

OK now the next issue... SketchUp can't cope with the creation of very tiny edges/facets. It's built to model 'buildings' and all of their related accompaniments - up and down from that - so objects <0.1mm or >1km will ofeten cause issues... I should have guessed from the '1 to 1250' If you are making 3mm slices though a small object some of them will probably fail because they are so tiny that SketchUp considers them to be non-existent because their starts and ends are so close together ! These issues occur in native tools as well as API based scripts... Try doing a native FollowMe on a tiny face around a small/tight bend - you'll get missed facets etc... In SketchUp you should usually model at 'full-size' which can avoid many of these issues... Later on scaling a larger object downwards will work - because tiny facets can exist BUT it's initially making them that is the issue... Here's my suggested fix... [Work on a copy of your SKP!] Let's say we'll scale this up x100 and retry... Draw a line 10mm long. Use the Tapemeasure tool and pick the two ends of the line in turn, the VCB should say '1'. Type 1000mm at the keyboard [i.e. x100 bigger]. You are prompted to rescale the model. Answer Yes. Zoom Extents to see what you have. Now your model is x100 bigger and far less likely to mess up when Sliced [or even when any native tool is used on tiny geometry!] Do the Slicing - making the spacings/slice thickness x100 more to account for the temporary rescaling of the model... When it's done you now use the Tapemeasure tool, picking on the same line... but this time you type in 10mm and scale it back down... The tiny facets will now remain - they can exist but it's making them that can prove difficult... Report back...

If you Select a single Arc then the 'Entity Info' report is its 'true length'. If you Explode an Arc into separate Edges, or if you have a welded 'Curve', then 'Entity Info' reports the total length of all of the individual 'Segments'. So an Arc and an Exploded Arc will report slightly different lengths - the exploded version is always going to be somewhat shorter because each segment will 'cut a corner', whereas a true-arc has a summation of a 'infinity' of 'tiny-tiny' edges [2Pir*included_angle/360] - the effect of Pi is to give a result that can be refined more and more, but never quite gets to an unchanging value, as it can always be improved upon - of course in practice these tiny fractions of an inch are unimportant and so we 'round-up'... Depending on the accuracy of what you want to measure/buy/cut etc the 'segment summation' will probably do, because only a few mm are involved in quite large objects between true arc-lengths and summed segment-lengths...

Well, to be honest, I do not even model or render nowadays too much - but I have a pending job based in an EU bid and I would make the whole thing in Lumion3D. It has a completely different camera handling algorithm and though I often wish there were some tools to match SU scenes with Lumion scenes (which is not possible ATM) an animation (video) is much easier to make in Lumion than in SU (regarding smooth camera movements at least). Of course, the rendered output is completely different, too.

You also have some reversed faces going on, you should be aware of them or you'll get problems there too.

Thank you, a quick test on a single part shows that seems to have fixed things

Great, Thanks.

Glad to help, Paul. Dave, I don't know how that has anything to do with the problem Paul reported but thanks for the screen shot.

It seems it's an integrated chipset which is not the best for SketchUp (you'd need a dedicated video card). Your only choice is to turn hardware acceleration completely off under Window > Preferences > OpenGL settings. SU will run slower this way (although your card would not support acceleration anyway) but "safer" from these display issues. Someone has already suggested checking this out above.

Thanks for the advice and great looking trunk! I've got thrupaint but haven't learned how to use it....When I got Sketchup, I immediatly joined this forum, so you can see from my join date I am a Newbe with alot to learn, and there is SO MUCH! Mike

Hallo, es gibt so viele Unterforen, dass SketchUcation total überfüllt wäre. Deswegen kannst du dich zu bestimmten Benutzergruppen hinzufügen, für die du dich interessierst. Klicke User Control Panel → User Groups, wähle "Deutsch" und "Join selected" und dann klicke auf "Submit".

That is the error message you get when trying to install an old version of the plugin. Where did you get it! Go to the PluginStore at the top of the page and install the latest version from there. Also install the latest version of Libfredo. Better still, install the pluginstore tool itself and auto install the plugins you want from within sketchup.