Display Face Normals for graphic input
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After going through some detailed re-knitting/reshaping of a complex closed volume mesh, with plenty of curves, it occurred to me that it would be handy to be able to see face normals in Sketchup, or be able to place a line segment quickly, say at the geometric center of a face to use as a starting point for additional geometry. The importance here is quick placement of a line that is locally orthogonal.
Another possibility would be a "quasi-normal" placed on the edge between two faces. That is, a normal based on the orientation of the two face normals. Basically this would be placed normal to the half angle between the adjacent faces.
Granted, there are tedious ways of doing this in Sketchup. See attachment skp.
Granted, Sketchup was not intended for this--so far. Betcha a bundle they are already thinking about it.
Does Monsieur Bur's Projections plugin have the angle splitting edge normal projection?
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Three Line tools has one for normals.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=134132#p134132
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Thanks, wind-borne, I will check it out.
By the way, Bur's projection tools get confused if your surfaces are off the global axis and you are in a tight spot with your editing. -
You want to see Face and Edge normals? http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=21472&p=193260
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@ThomThom:
Not only see, but draw on them. As Chris's 3 lines tool allows.
I am in modeling mode at this time, not doing any rendering, where your tool would be very useful.
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