Components That Place Themselves

rounded1

When you select a component form the components window, it will normally hover next to the mouse pointer until you put it down by left clicking once.

However, some recently created components of ours will just 'jump' to a position within the model once selected from the components window. They will also not appear in the top part of the components window where normally a thumbnail is displayed next to additional information (name and description).

As a work-around we can click-hold the component and drag it into position, where it gets dropped onto the model as soon as the mouse button is released.

I'd be grateful if anyone could hint at what the problem might be.

JQL

are your axis set correctly?

Usually when you create a component there is a dialog that asks to position axis. if you don't do anything to position them, the axis of the created component will be created as close to the component as possible and with the direction of the component's context axis.

However if you create glued and hole cutting components - draw a rectangle on a face double click the face to selects face and edges and create component - Sketchup defines new axis and parameters for that component wich make them glue to faces as soon as you place them on the model. However these components usually show in the icon as if you're looking to them up front...

Dave R

It sounds to me as if the component was created with Geo-location set. Is that possible?

TIG

As Dave R says... this is indicative of a Component that was made with GeoLocation set up in its parent model.
To fix it open the wayward Component's SKP and use 'Model Info' to reset it to have NO GeoLocation settings.
Then Save it.
Now when you should be able to insert it, so it behaves sensibly.

Also remember that if a Component were created with some 'gluing behaviors', then for example it might always want to stick onto the ground or a wall - perhaps unexpectedly, or with 'faceme' behavior set up it might behave oddly - depending where its insertion point is relative to its geometry etc...

rounded1

GeoLocation: That's what happened! Thanks for reading and for helping. This was driving us bonkers.