Hello,

I have the same "problem " to solve with pavers along a curved path.

first of all, your work looks neat and tidy and i assume that you work with high precision/detail.

here's my solution:

The main issue with curves in SU is that they are not adaptive like in e.g. Auto Cad.
In SU curves are line segments aligned to appear like a curves.

Okay, knowing this fact, lead me to the conclusion, that by using paver units for soldier borders you want to draw your curves accordingly.
e.g. your paver is say 6 inches wide by 12 inches long so now you draw a curve as desired, the next step is to divide the calculated length (window---entity info) by the paver width (in this example 6 inches plus spacing) and apply this result to your arch (segments).
now your arch/curve will precisely match your pavers. for your inside arches you may have to do some angular calculations to determine the spacing or you could just offset another arch in this example it would be 12 inches and do the spacing as before.

so now that you have the layout geometry you can use the "path copy" and your result should be okay.

Now you definitely want to turn your rectangle (paver) into a CoMPONENT! Why?
here is an example: lets say you used the path copy tool to distribute your paver's along the path, it seems though they followed the path but are not correctly aligned.
Easy fix here since they are components, insert a single paver into your drawing, make sure it is aligned to the red blue axis.
double click the paver to get into the component (edit component mode)now zoom to see both, the path and the paver component you're working on.
Now select all geometry in the component and move or rotate from edge to edge until you see the correct alignment of your paver along the path. All the other paver's will align accordingly, that is the power of components!

hope I was of some help here.

I don't know how to attach a file to this post so I can't send an actual example file

Awwwsome, ...

thanks allot....

Hi, does anybody have a decent bamboo texture? and willing to share?

Solo,

I'm tempted to send you the file, It's only 26mb..... .

But this is not the only one that causes the slow down.

Just strange that with the same scene, I don't have this slow down issue in VUE6I PLE

edit:

Solo how's about this, do you have a large scene, from sketchup, imported into VUE7I that i could test run on my system?
this way I would be able to see if and what is going wrong here on my end.

would be interesting to see if one of our scenes give me a problem here...

Okay Solo, you've gone quiet, but try this 3ds file from someone who hase the same problem as I have from the E-on web site.... don't know how to attache a file here

I see,

you work in Vista,, may be the whole issue is due to the fact that I'm using xp 64 pro as OP-sys.

My scene has 3.5 billion polygons but some other scene with 1/100th of the amount of faces had the same issue.

I would be able to install the VUE7I onto my vista home premium.... but still, I want it to work on xp and e-on admits to the problem.

I just wish I could work on VUE 6 until this issue is solved.

Don't you think, that they should at least let one choose until all issues are solved to buy and work with the yet fully working version of the software?

Solo, I'd love to send you this file, and I very much appreciate your support, but unfortunately, the work I'm doing is highly confidential.

If you like, try importing several elaborate sketchup buildings into a scene add some landscaping/vegetation (I used the Date Palms)and see what happens.

Be assured, that all my sketchup models consist of minimal faces and are all purged, so there is no unnecessary contnet.

I will find a building in my files later on, that I then will put into a VUE 7 scene and that i am able to share. but for now I have to reactivate VUE 7, since it tells me that the activation code I used Yesterday is no longer valid, and i have to reactivate the program.

cheers,

Bruell

Solo,

good for you if you are able to just move on.... on my end here the problems e-on software has put on to my business are still not solved.

As I mentioned before, in the lost realms of this forum, my scene imported into VUE6 I works perfectly smooth, and I'm able to add the vegetation.
However, In VUE 7I, which i was forced to buy instead of VUE6I, I am not able to even move the Camera.
e-on software has admitted the problem, but they are saying, I will have to wait until the BUG fix is out.

So, I'm not moving on yet!

And I want to add another issue here, I've been looking at the brick texture of the above post.

I am wondering, has ayone here got a solution to the brick texture looking funky???????

Warning,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do NOT buy VUE 7I yet, It is a great render software but the current version has major bugs, so if your life depends on this,

don't buy yet, wait for the first patch/update.

Right on, Plot Paris,

I always love your creative input and responses.

I was getting a bit frustrated with sketchup (only a tiny bit), when I wrote the last post, I was in a very tight dead line and had to work with a file from a larger architect firm, that I don't want to mention here. I do work with huge master plans and having some layers is kind of unavoidable.

I agree, in modeling exclusively on the default layer and separating only by colors. Still I'm insisting on google to fixing the nasty camera bug, I can work and handle around it, but don't really want to....

Anyway despite the little bugs, sketchup still is the greatest tool I've ever worked with, so thank you for giving us this great tool google.

here some simple wishes,

fix that camera bug, I hate getting stuck in walls

why does the tipple click on a object select faces and lines on hidden layers? what's the point of hiding a layer when you can select hidden geometry? this is outrageous! for over two years these morons didn't get that fixed.

how's about some direct x support?

And how's about getting a sub object intelligent modeling into sketchup. e.g. for the follow-me tool, the shape and the path could be both made editable.

And the annoying having to draw another line to divide a face that was sopposed to be divided by the line drawn already!

Oh and I think it would be great if the top view would allow to rotate on the blue axis by keeping the top view orthagonal to the red green plane in parallel camera mode.

last but not least how's about a floating scale that can be turned on and off, changes in style, when one exports a jpeg? just like in google earth,, and yes why not a compass to go with it?

Gitmo dude, that's where the'll send you to.

@pbacot said:

Because AutoDesk bought it and no one is brave enough to tell us.

any time rumors arise like this one, there is usually a tiny bit of truth in them.

Autodesk ImageModeler 2009 ! hmmmm ,....., ...

Looks like Google is running out of money for free bees, since they are losing on the credit crunch.... should a released it before September 2008 now look where we are now! you slow pokes!

@gaieus said:

Have you read through these 11 pages, Paolo?

So then, tell me/us again, why google has to keep it so secret?

Hi, I think this is a great idea, and should be doable.
My input to this tool is, to keep the models clean, you can start with NURBS then turn it to poly's, since the benefit of NURBS lyes in the creation. And I would like to see 2 rail sweeps and all the good stuff that comes with the NURBS tool set.

And with this could come real circles, that stay round when you zoom closer.

.... because, we haven't yet gotten that petition signed by everyone who wants to have SU7!

At least 5 million signatures are necessary to convince them of doing SU7 at all!

oh, there isn't a petition either!

I'm looking for the material pictures so hang in there;
So long check this and see how i made your textures to SU materials...

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=be3b4032bf8fd6d6844b20653b6656b6&ct=mdsa&prevstart=12

would you like the pictures posted here or shall I mail them to you personally?

AndriyG81,

Just want to say thanks a lot for your good job with the textures, truly appreciate your work, again many thanks.
I wish i could offer something in exchange, I can provide you with images. Soon...

anyway, have a great weekend

@remus said:

But vue hasnt got inferencing...

I think thats the main thing that slows SU down, having to work out all the inferences in the model.

I'm not sure what inferencing refers to, but i think it has to do with finding end points and intersections?
If that is so, my suggestion to this is, give us a button to override this! (turn it off/or let us customize)Just like good old AutoCAD.

And get that stuck camera bug fixed!!

Edit:

Here's another thought on Make UP, it could be a separate app that can read native SU and is for the coloring/texturing, mapping and Rendering only. Just like the file link manager in 3D max.

@gaieus said:

While it would really be a nice feature, just think of SU being already extremely slow with simple shadows on in big models.

Now imagine real time procedurals and other layered material rendering!

Working with huge models, I turn the shadows off, unless I want to render a scene. Then, I split big models to smaller units, just keeping the individual units referenced.

Here's another thing SU should come up with, besides the 64 bit and high poly capabilities, a working X-reff manager.
Plus, just as with shadows, there has to be a button to turn these extra layered mat's off. There's already a button to turn Textures off isn't here?

Working with huge models takes some expertise in handling the whole scene in every app so far right? But for the occasional user out there, it could be FUN to have some cool tools, for the advanced people it just adds some more functionality that I can take advantage of if available.

Just look at VUE6, how do they manage huge models with billions of polys and multi layered mat's? If only they had a push pull in the modeler with some more advanced features. I'm sure that they will have some modeling improvements in their already announced VUE7!

So it's time to catch up Sketchup!