Ah! Great suggestion. That oughta work wonders. Thanks!

First off, I have SketchUp Version 8.0.11751 (Mac)

I use SketchUp to design parts that I ultimately build using a CNC router table. This works well for me because I can design in 3D, and then take the profile of the parts and lay them out in 2D on a piece of stock and know it'll all fit together in 3D when I build it.

Unfortunately, SketchUp (at least the free version, which is what my hobbiest budget allows) doesn't really export 2D files the CAM software can understand.

So what I do is to go to Parallel Projection, create a paper size that's the size of the stock (usually 48" x 96") and "print" a top down view at 1:1 scale on that paper, saving to PDF instead of actually printing. This gives me a big vector file that I can import to a CAM package.

There's a hitch though: The PDF file generated through this process inevitably contains about 2-4 copies of every line you see in the drawing. If you don't then go through and manually remove all the duplicates in the CAM package, the cutter head cuts out each part 2-4 times, wasting a huge amount of machine time. The manual de-duplication works, but it's intensely annoying. Is there a trick to this such that I can get a clean "print" with a single copy of each line?

Thanks!
-Ben

Interestingly, this file skins fine for me, but what you're describing is exactly like the problem I was having above.

Ah! You're a star. Thanks a TON!

Here is the model with the Skinning, if this can help you to progress
[attachment=0:1m74sant]<!-- ia0 -->Back%20Contour.skp<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1m74sant]

Fredo[/quote]

Thanks for the help. Still can't make it work, but I think it's time to give up and call it a day.

I'm guessing it's something unique to my machine/configuration or whatever. I've tried about 20 different approaches / placements of dummy segments / etc and it never works. Very odd.

Anyway, thanks again.

@unknownuser said:

Your dummy segments may not be well placed (note that the contour curve is placed exactly on top of the group which forms the border surface)
In any case, you can first select the contours and dummy segments, and then call Curviloft Skinning.
Also, if you explode that group, you'll be more confortable
It works for me

Fredo

Argh. Still not working.

I added dummy segments, and now when I enter the skinning tool it does take four clicks to select everything. The sections break at the dummy segments. So that's progress.

But when I "click to validate" the contour just turns purple and nothing happens.

Might this be related to the fact that I'm on a Mac?

-Ben

@unknownuser said:

The contour is made of a single curve with no sharp angle. Curviloft Skinning does not know where to cut the contour in 4 pieces. In such cases, you simply need to draw dummay segments, for instances at the corners.
[attachment=1:1fqlcg7n]<!-- ia1 -->Skin contour - dummay segments.png<!-- ia1 -->[/attachment:1fqlcg7n]

Then, you select each of the 4 portions (click on it, then click in empty space).

And you apply skinning.
[attachment=0:1fqlcg7n]<!-- ia0 -->Skin contour.png<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1fqlcg7n]

Fredo

PS: I also suggest you simplify a bit the contour to have a more regular spacing of the vertices, and thus obtain a more balanced mesh

What's weird is that I originally skinned something exactly like this. And now I'm trying to reconstruct it. And it's not working...

@dave r said:

I see. The two sets of curves are a red herring.

I wonder if you might be better off with a different tool for what you want to do.

Sorry. Must not have been clear. Wrong way. I'm trying to loft the two surfaces bounded by the loops, not the space between them.

@dave r said:

Works fine here using Loft by Spline

Hrm...

Still not working:
Found and removed a stray edge
Scaled up by 10x
Welded curves together
Same failure state

Revised file attached. Still baffled.

Back Contour.skp

@tig said:

Benha

Try to weld[.rb] the two loops into curves [loops].
Try scaling it up x10 to avoid tiny edges/facets issues [scale down after skinning].
You will find one loop had a minuscule edge off perpendicular that's not needed - erase that and re-weld the rest...
Then it should skin OK...

Howdy.

I'm having a bit of trouble and would appreciate suggestions. I'm trying to skin a pair of surfaces and the curviloft tool isn't working.

I haven't had that problem before - anyone care to suggest why the two wireframes in the attached file won't skin?

To clarify: This is supposed to be two parallel surfaces, offset by a small gap. The two closed hoops are what I'm trying to skin.

Back Contour.skp

-Ben