Newbie questions!
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Hi Everybody!
I'm fairly new to Sketchup and am really glad I've found this exellent website! I have previous experience using Rhino3D and the controls in Sketchup are quite different (but exciting)! I'm trying to create curved surfaces. In Rhino you can create them from the joined edge curves. I cannot work out how to create them in Sketchup, though I suspect it might be possible by intersecting objects.
I have attached an example image. Can anyone give any pointers on how I could create the top turqoise part of this clock tower? I can create the basic shape by creating a cross section from the centre to a corner point and using the follow me tool around the square base. The part I cannot do is the raised semi circular part in the middle of each face. Sorry if this isnt clear, If its confusing let me know I'll try to explain it better!
I also find it difficult to model without a mirror/copy tool . I undertand how to mirror objects using the scale tool set to -1 or flipping the object along the axis, but can you do this so it makes a copy rather than moving the original object? I've had a brief look at the Ruby threads and I think there is a tool for this like in Autocad & Rhino but being fairly new to Sketchup I havent really investigated Ruby yet!
Thanks for your help!
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Hi and welcome to the forums!
Could you attach the model as well (as far as you got with it)? It looks pretty easy to model but then we could play straight with the exact model you have.
as for copying/mirroring, I usually Copy move the object (Wit the Ctrl+Move tool you can make copies), then mirror it then move the mirrored half back to its desired position.
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Hi Gaeius
Thanks for your speedy reply! Im the meantime Ive made a little headway but still running into a few problems. Ive attached a model file showing how I got to the end result.
When using the rotate tool is is possible to lock it to an axis as you can with the pen tool, I find it jumps around rather erratically!
thanks
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Surely it distorts, since you are only rotating the first segment on that shape. Go to View menu and turn on hidden geometry to see that other segments of that shape are not affected by the rotation.
I would not try rotating it; you could intersect the shape with a carefully placed plane then erase unwanted geometry. See attached file.
And yes, the progress you made is in the right direction with modeling.
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Excellent, I didnt know about the hidden geometry command. That makes things a lot easier! thanks for all your help!
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