Help with first project.

nlalston

Attached, is my very first project started in Sketchup. Our bathroom vanity is no longer in good form, and I wished to make another, instead of buying a replacement in particle board materials. My design reflects a somewhat larger one, and isn't complete as of yet. But I wanted to get some opinions on my efforts, thus far.

The six, side shelving pieces show spaced dowels, on the upper right one. Those dowels are to help prevent items to be placed on those small ends, with the prevention of them sliding off. I couldn't see how to make that one set into a component, so as to be able to copy and place them on the other five pieces. also, I had difficulty in making the door (with glass insert) and placing said door properly on the body of the cabinet.

This program is such a wonderful one, and I still can't believe that it is FREE. I'd always wanted something like this, to work out my woodworking projects and be able to see them in 3D. I have a whole lot to learn, within getting to grips with it, but an enjoying that all the while.

Any, and all input on my attachment would be greatly appreciated.

Advanced thanks,
Nathan

Vanity.skp

HornOxx

Hi Nathan
could you please save "down" your model to SU8 for example - not everyone here is using SU2017.
And to add one or more pictures is helpful to give us quick impressions without using your model itself...

@nlalston said:

This program is such a wonderful one, and I still can't believe that it is FREE
thats right

Best

Dave R

Overall your model is pretty good especially for one just starting out.

I see the pegs are loose geometry. It would be wise to make a single peg as a component before copying it along the shelf edge.

I'm happy to see you are using components however you are creating unneeded nesting levels. Your model will be much easier to work with if you don't get so crazy with the nesting. You also have some issues with loose geometry and components wrapped up together in a parent component. Your shelves with the posts is an example as is the door pull on the door. A few reversed faces inside, too.
I also see some missing faces inside the case.

Will you be making a slab door or will it be a frame and panel affair? How will you be building this piece? Will you be using solid wood or plywood or something else?

nlalston

@hornoxx said:

Hi Nathan
could you please save "down" your model to SU8 for example - not everyone here is using SU2017.

Don't know what you mean by that, exactly, but will look into it. As I've said, I am a fledgling with this program.

nlalston

@dave r said:

Overall your model is pretty good especially for one just starting out.

I see the pegs are loose geometry. It would be wise to make a single peg as a component before copying it along the shelf edge.

I'm happy to see you are using components however you are creating unneeded nesting levels. Your model will be much easier to work with if you don't get so crazy with the nesting. You also have some issues with loose geometry and components wrapped up together in a parent component. Your shelves with the posts is an example as is the door pull on the door. A few reversed faces inside, too.
I also see some missing faces inside the case.

Will you be making a slab door or will it be a frame and panel affair? How will you be building this piece? Will you be using solid wood or plywood or something else?

Hi Dave,

Firstly, one facet of your reply has revealed, to me, where I went wrong with the pegs. Yes, I had drawn them in singularly, and that is why I couldn't work with them as if they had been components.

You mentioned something about 'Nesting', and I had heard that term being associated with SketchUp, before. I am certainly going to look into exactly what it is. Apparently, I am doing it (nesting) without realizing that I am . You also spoke of my having some components wrapped up in a parent component, and I will have to check into that. In fact, you've brought up a number of issues that I am going to have to look into. First, is reaching a place of understanding into just WHAT those areas are, and then delving into remedial elements.

As far as the materials for my actual vanity is concerned, I am thinking of building it out of 3/4" furniture grade plywood. Its shelves will likely be 1/2" thick plywood, and the door will be a frame & panel door, with mirror glass insert. Really undecided, right now, as to whether I want a full, hinged one side door, or two doors, each hinged on opposite sides of the cabinet. Slightly leaning toward the former, as it would afford an uninterrupted visual return of the mirrored content.

Thanks for looking, and for your very helpful responses.

Nathan

Dave R

Imagine when creating a component from some edges and faces that you are wrapping them in cling wrap. Kind of like a sandwich wrapped in Saran Wrap. If you decide later you want to put a slice of tomato on your sandwich, you need to open the Saran Wrap to gain access to the sandwich.. If you want If you want to make changes to those edges and faces (geometry) you have to open the wrapper. That is editing the component.

If you have three individually wrapped sandwiches and you have the equivalent of a nested component. The outermost wrapper is the parent in this case. In some places you have a wrapped sandwich and an unwrapped one wrapped in a larger wrapper. The door is like that with the loose geometry for the knob being wrapped with the slab door component.

The other thing is you've got some places where you have a single sandwich double wrapped. there's no point in doing that. A single wrapper is sufficient. If your sandwich was double wrapped, you would need to open both wrappers before adding the tomato.

Have a look at the Outliner. It helps to make this nesting and stuff clearer. You'll notice that no where does the door pull show because it isn't a component in itself.

Getting all this component-making and nesting stuff right is important for a number of reasons. One of them comes into play if you make a cutlist from your model. Only the innermost components get included in the list and loose geometry (your knob and the pegs) will not get listed.

HornOxx

@nlalston said:

...Don't know what you mean by that, exactly, but will look into it...

Hi,
When try to open your model I get the below shown message which means, that your file was done with SU2017. So no one with an older SU version than SU2017 will be able to open your attached file.
If you save your model, you could use "save as" instead and you have the possibility to save it as SU v8, SU v2013 ... file then.

pbacot

Great help with Components, Dave. Didn't know SketchUp could make one hungry!