By default a 'save' in any version of Sketchup always takes the version for that SKP from the version you are in, so if you have a v7 file open in v8 and you 'save' it again it will become v8! To save as a version other than the one you are currently in use 'save_as' and choose an earlier version off the dropdown list. On a PC a file is typically opened by the last application used to open one of those file-types - BUT v8 opens all SKP files [as v8] when you double-click any SKP's icon. So to open a known v7 file in v7 you first must launch v7 and then use its File > Open menu item...

@tig said: I guess the group's axes' directions and the model's axes' directions differ ? Try exploding the group in place and immediately regrouping it so the axes reset, re-dimension and see if the dims are then fixed... If it's a component then you can try resetting the component's axes to mimic the model's axes directions etc. indeed, the axis were different. But I'm thinking now that the cause was a earlier mirroring, because after exploding/regrouping I changed the axis again, and everything stayed in place.

Catwoman!: Thanks for your reply: @unknownuser said: If you don't want to re-invent the wheel, how about hiring someone off this forum to do it for you? You could collaborate with an expert, and wouldn't have to learn the entire program for yourself. Especially if, as you say, you don't possess the native talents that draw people to this kind of software, then your learning curve may be significantly longer than average. I think I've seen on some people's siggies that they are "for hire..." Umm, it's for a public-service website, and the implication "unpaid/unfunded/shoestring" is completely intended. @unknownuser said: There are lots of SketchUp tutorials and videos to help you learn it, if that's the way you want to go. Sounds like an interesting project. Good luck with it! Yeah, it's a huge amount of material to sort through to find relevant training material, and I haven't been very successful at it so far. I was kind of hoping to find a group of people somewhere doing similar work. Thanks, hen3ry

o i c...thx karina i'll try it... btw i'm using vray for sketchup 1.49 thx

yeah, but I am pretty sure I made the mac ones from a windows set I downloaded once, so I thought they might be out there all done. David

Thank you dear Pilou you are always a help for me. I was wondering if there is any plugin for this? I cant go back and model again... i thought about bending and then another option occurred to em making a lot of segments on face and doing it piece by piece which need time... what is you idea(about indent in pic)? ps: how great was ixlrlxi

You could create it as a straight run of blocks with the gaps and make the whole run a component. Then use Shape Bender to bend it to the curve.

Here's a great way to send someone a drawing, although it is a bit complicated. But compatibility is all but guaranteed. This requires Adobe Acrobat Pro, FYI, something that a lot of folks have around, and Meshlab, which is Open Source. Make a blank document and save it to PDF. I typically make mine 16:10, as that's the aspect ratio that I'm working at (so I make a custom 16"x10" doc, no margins, in Word). Open that in Acrobat Pro. Go to SketchUp, select the parts of the model that you want to send (or the entire thing), and export as OBJ. I use the following options: Export only current selection Triangulate all faces Export two-side faces Swap YZ coordinates (Y is up) In Meshlab, import the OBJ file, and choose Export Mesh As. Save it as a .U3D file. For this example, I choose no options. Open your blank PDF in Acrobat Pro. Then do the following: Choose Tools>Multimedia>3D Tool. You'll get a crosshair cursor. Make your view port with this. I typically fill the entire screen. Acrobat will pop up a file requester dialog. Enter the .U3D file path there. Select Advanced Options. Enter the following options: Launch Settings: Enable When: The page content is opened. 3D: Background color: White 3D: Lighting Scheme: White Lights 3D: Rending Style: Solid (try playing with the other settings for your purposes) 3D: Show toolbar: (checked) See attachment. It works in any recent Adobe Acrobat reader. This file copyright Jonathan Hirschman, all rights reserved. Free to redistribute for non-commercial use.

I apologize for misreading your avatar information, where I thought I saw Sketchup 7, when in fact that is Windows 7 and Sketchup 8. That being said, your further clarification will help to bring out the respondents you seek. My best regards, mitcorb.

Thanks for the info TIG Unfortunately its not always possible to find an existing thread where someone is experiencing the same issue as you... Either way I believe my test matrix has covered when this will cause an issue... and like i mentioned it would appear best to create components in a non-geolocated file... As I am in architecture and the geolocation controls the sun, this is not my default workspace... but I have now learned my lesson! It would help if the developers would issue such a warning though and at least build in the option into the component settings which I understand from the thread you pointed to, was something that actually existed in v7. I discovered this whilst trying to make a library of new people and almost blamed your image trimmer! Cheers Dave

@broomstick said: I usually get the same result activating the Bucket (B) and then alt-click on the correct texture. That way when you click with the bucket on other faces, it will apply the material with the collected UVs Indeed, but the problem is how to set the "correct texture" because if you sample material from a face where was not "mapped" in some way, it will just sample the material. "Positioning" the texture does exactly that: assign UV on that textured face, so when sampling, you get the UV's too.

Simple: buy version 8 pro ! Or you can continue to use v7 pro to do the dwg/dxf imports and then continue working on that SKP file with v8 free. You can have different versions of Sketchup installed on the same computer - v8 will open SKP files by default, BUT you can 'save_as' to v7 from a v8 SKP, if you find you need v7 pro tools not available in v8 free... Version 7 can't open v8 SKP files but v8 can open v7 SKP files AND also save v8 SKP files as a v7 SKP.

@unknownuser said: Also, have found painting with textures and colours etc a bit difficult...the pc method seemed so much easier with onscreen colours etc being modified instantly as colour- sliders etc are being altered.Is there a tutorial out there for the Mac method? I'm on my work PC at the moment but the texture editor is as follows. Double click on the texture you want to edit. then the edit window appears, then along the top of the window are the colour wheel and the sliders click on them and it should be what you are after.

Hey cody, You can simplify the formula for the upright rack Copies attribute to: Copies: =rack!NumberOfRacks - 1 Same, with the Crossbeam Components: Copies: =rack!NumberOfRacks - 1 I don't have a good answer to what is broken; I would guess it has something to do with decimal rounding of the Copies attribute.

I mispoke myself. I meant the Rotate tool, which engages the protractor.

My favorite is Stray Lines: http://www.smustard.com/script/StrayLines It labels all lines that do not meet up with another line, and that is what is going on in your model. Download that, then run it and it will show each little broken spot. You might have to zoom in very very close to see the problem. But once you see the line that is not meeting up, just connect it and it should work. Though if it is too small, SU will not let you draw it. You'll have to figure out a way around that if it comes up.

That's a very useful reminder Gaieus ! Not so OT Alternatively change the group's layer to Layer0 before you explode it... I think someone once wrote a script to explode groups whilst leaving their contents on their existing layers rather than do this annoying default layer swapping

there are a lot of ways to create curved shapes in SketchUp and the exact process you use is dependent to some extent on the shape. It might be that Follow Me will do what you need or you might stitch curves together manually. There are a number of plugins that will automate the stitching process based on the curves you have. You could look at TIG's Extrude tools and Whaat's Artisan or TGI3D. Take a look in the Plugins forum as well as the Organic forum for more information on these sorts of tools.