? about imported images

Rose123

Hi, I've got a question about photos imported as images. Sometimes I see their thumbnails in the In Model part of the Materials Browser, but often I don't! This is a problem when I want to delete the image. Painting over it doesn't work, as I can't even select it. Other times I see the thumbnail and everything works like it should. But more often it doesn't. Any ideas what's happening or what I'm doing wrong? I save the model, I close and reopen it, but the thumbnail isn't there, even though the image is. Thanks for any insight!

Dave R

It depends upon how you import the image and what you do to it afterward.

If you import it as an image and not as a texture, it won't show in the Materials browser. It isn't a material. In that case you should be able to select it in the model space and hit Delete to get rid of it.

If you import it as a material/texture and apply it to a face, it'll show in the Materials browser. Or, if you import it as an image but then explode it, the image becomes a material on a face. You'll then find it in the Materials browser.

I often import images into SketchUp to use as references so I don't have to look away from the screen. Those get left alone as images and I just delete them from the model space when I'm finished with them.

Box

Just following on from what Dave says, if you have dragged or imported an image and placed it on a face without exploding it, it can be hard to select. It looks like a texture but is actually sort of buried in the face. It is still a group so if you can find the edge it will select and you can delete it, but often just trying to select it on it's face only selects the surface it is hiding in.

Rose123

Ok, thanks! I didn't think I exploded the images I saw in the browser, but I guess I did. Searching for their edge as a way to delete is a good tip, thanks again.

Box

I don't really mean trying to click on the edge. If possible just scale the face it's "hiding on" down so the edge of the image sticks out, making it easy to select and delete.

Rose123

Ok, thanks!