@dukejazz said:

method 2

Use circle tool about axes of the line and follow me to end point to make perpendicular surfface plane

Then by using the axes tool on plane, red and green from c-point to plane edge gives a define a "BLUE axes (vector of the line)"

earse planial box

done

hi, thanx, a know a lot of workarounds, but was looking for direct one step axis definition.

goal: one line in any 3d angle / define exis , where blue is the vector of the line / drawing a surface in 90 deg. to the line vector

stan

@dave r said:

Why is it important to you to define the Z-axis first?

hi, when a single lone must be the direction' of the height vector fot the temp. axis system for drawing directly a surface in an exact 90 deg. to this line. ....definied withou any further steps or workarounds
stan

@dave r said:

He didn't say anything about raising the copies at the same time. It says copy and turn. Of course you're right.

hi, have to excume for for describing the issue not precise enough.

with copying in 3d i ment copy with height delta + turning (stair)

i did lots of experiment with the grow-ruby, but still cannot find the right points to get a regular geometry for stairs. i still have to experiment.
i also saw some other ideas in your answers, so i will try ....

thanx to all for helping
stan

@tig said:

@Stan, any donation is more than welcome... I assume you meant £5 because 5p=~8¢...

I think I have a fix for your probable issue - these 3m inset/outset offsets worked OK with a new version that I am working on [native fails with twisted parts].

It fixes some issues with multi-curve loops and also some curves that straddle a loop's start/end vertex not all offsetting as curves...

So far it seems to trap various permutations of offset size and loop contents and convolutions, that have been some unexpected causing issues...

I hope to have that version ready for release tomorrow...

hi tig, yes, i ment pounds, but had not the sign on my german keyboard.
thanx for solving the problem, thats fantastic. i'll try soon.
stan

@mac1 said:

Not an unsolved problem but normal design. 3d models have 6 clipping planes, top, bottom, left,right, front and back and is not limited to SU. The reason for these is they limit the amount of rendering the program must do to keep performance at a reasonable level.Other wise they would have to render a huge model extents.Rendering is not done outside these planes and is the reason the model ' dis-appears" when the limit is hit. Some programs like Blender allow you set the planes. The link above gives good guidance on how to avoid the problem.

ok, unsolved was the wrong expression.
i understand the limitations for rendering, my vis-software allows to adjust the clipplanes.

i just was hoping to improve the editing work (modelling) in skp by a sort of 'hidden' adjustment of a near plane (for ex. editing components in huge project, where thos problem occures extremely)..

so thanx a lot for all the infos and replies to everybody....

sta

hi, thanx for the links, i read them both, seems to be an unsolved problem, at least only workarounds available.
i will try all the ideas, we shall see.

one thing surprises me. in my case , when. perspective view does not work, very often the orthogonal view lets me get closer to objects.....

thanx a lot
stan

hi sketchup friends,
since i very often face extreme problems with the sketchup navigation (zooming & with different view angle, in both. ortho & perspective), where my model disappears before/behind the projection plane, i would like to hear some experience and tips, because:

especially in perspective view, but also in ortho-view, my models simply disappears, when i zoom to work on details (especially on bigger groups or objectsredefining the axis system does not really help

scrolling nearer works , until the model disappears, but then 1 scroll-click back and the models jump to total view (makes me crasy)

turning the models from top - view to any angle lets the model disappear

using the zoom extents - button does not really help, either

so the question is:

do you know these problems?

is there a way to adjust the near plane for working in detail? any idea for the out-zooming scroll-problem?

thanx in advance for any experience report / info / help

stan

hello,
i use the SELECTOR for selection by geometry

does anybody know a ruby for SELECTION BY COLOUR ?

thanx stan

helllo everybody,
i have a basic question dealing with handling the plane orientation (skp6)

situation:

skp sometimes turn the orientation of the planes while constructed (well known issue, i think)

now i construct a difficult mesh / plane system, sometimes with rubies.

when i apply the same colour to the front and back face of a plane (my mistake) and have a complex construction,
it is for me impossible to see, which plane's side is front and which back

in my external vis-software i have the problem, that the skp-back-colour (for some reason or already existing colour-texture definition - by name of the colour) is shown as transparent and cannot be re-applied, so some panes are no more visible.

so the solution would be

1. channging the colour of the backface in skp
   or
2. reversing the wrong-oriented faces in skp

question:

is there a way (sort of group-edit)', how to make all ' backfaces' visible, selected, or applied a colour to see, which faces are
FRONT and which BACK ?

especially applying a different colour to the backface would be nice, theni simply would reverse these faces ba hand .
can a colour-setting for backface-only be changed? i cannot find anything in the menue

sorry, maybe this is a beginner's question, but it would help me extremly

thank you and all the best for 2013 for all here!

stan

@dave r said:

@artmusicstudio said:

i know the basic follow-me tool, just looking for a simplier functionality

How could it get simpler?

hi, well, yes, it could,

for closed object (means 360 dg. )
this could work without any circle-path etc.,

simply saying : this is the axis (vector),, this ist the form, this is the centerpoint on the form.....

so any line along another line could create closed forms.......just an idea

regards stan

@utiler said:

In SU we have the ability to extend input options via Shift Cntrl & Alt keys. Hold 'Ctrl' down to copy an element, 'Shift' to inference and 'Alt' to auto-fold however I don't know why SU has never had the ability to utilize another key to activate the protractor at the cursor end / insertion point of the group / comp....
it would be one well worn function in my office!!

Maybe a post for SU Wishlist thread...

well, thanx, yes, but i don't think , you can COPY & TURN in one step (like in cad-programms)

regards stan

@aerilius said:

You could either draw temporary geometry where you can align the axis,
or
set the axis twice, first red (x) along the line, the second time the red axis will snap to y/z so that you can set the third/blue/z one along the line.

hi, yes,
have to live with these workarounds...

but thanx a lot

stan

hi pilou & mitcorb,

thanx for your advice,

i know the basic follow-me tool, just looking for a simplier functionality
curviloft is the next to be tried,

i also found fantastic rubies:

• extrude along path

• follow me and keep

for generating profiles.....

thanx a lot

stan

hi mr. fulmer,
yes, i chose a wrong example, because sometimes the curve has an s-form , so connection of endpoints does not create a face (without further intersections).
but you are right in that case....
regards and thanx
stan

hi fredo,
i was rather busy in last weeks.

well, my situation is the following:

i made a quick sketch and forgot to high up the amount of edges in the circles, before i started to twist them.

so after that i have my "sculpture" with lots of "edged" curves in 3d, nearly impossible to "recreate" from scratch again.

the idea was, that a polygon of more edges in 3d is analyzed and more edge-point are inserted to get a smoother curve in 3d AND eventually a polygon correction, if connected to this curve (the curve is part of a 3d object),

but inserting points not only by dividing the lines (such rubies are on the market) , but interpolationg the curve.

i will extract an example and send it to you tonight (with a sketch of this idea).

thank you so far!
regards stan

hi tig,
just send something thru paypal, is 5 p. ok ?

i am trying the offset-script, but have some problems, i cannot solve

drawing new curves : ruby works

in my actual project a have to insert lots of curves for landscape modelling.

i created a hole in an existing mesh >> extrqacted the borders of this hole >>
projected these border to a plane (sandbox) >> converted the borderline to

1. polygon
2. curve

but somehow the script does not create offsets here (standard sketchup offset works - with all its mistakes)

i attach the planes, maybe you can check it

i work in skp 6

thanx and regards stan

2 planes - border curve / border polygon

hi tig,

hi tig,
yes, that works, thanx for the advise of welding the lines into curves, that was , what made EE by rails (which i tried before already) not working.
great! thank you a lot!

merry xmas !

stan

hello,
i just went thru all my rubies, but somehow i cannot find one for genereting faces in a curved frame:

has anybody a tip for a ruby, which can generate a face in a structure, as shown in the picture atached?

thanx a lot and merry xmas to all of you!

stan

hi tig, thank you.

the thing with skp 6 is, that i have a lot of rubies on it working very well, and still not time for checking all of them with skp 8. besides that i prefer the internal component system of skp6, in skp 8 it is online on my pc (maybe switchable, i did not check this yet).

with the new laptop then.....

but thanx for your info!
stan

hello everybody,

please help!

is it possible to save the "screen layout" in skp 6?

just had to rearrange all my toolbars for some reason (internal + ruby), and did it three times, until skp remembered it.

so a save-function for the tool-bars would be very helpful...

thanx a lot in advance.

regards stan