Excellent advice as always TIG. Thanks

Thanks Box! I ran into this as well, thanks for the pointer.

Thanks for this reply. I will have to play about with proxies in my next model. It's not something I've done before. I've tended to go the route so far of having complex plants, etc. on a layer I open only when looking at or rendering a particular scene. I am no expert, so I'm unsure if that keeps the SU model as light and maneuverable, (with the layer(s) switched off) as having proxies in place. @hornoxx said: Hi Gary and Pixero I´m using Shaderlight as my main render tool but unfortunately it is not able to handle Skatter files so far. I hope that this will change, sometime As long, as Pixero´s DIY Hedges are finished SU files which no longer need any connection to Skatter itself in the background, Shaderlight will be able to render these. Shaderlight's "Replace Me Creator" works fine which makes it possible at least to replace complex geometry by lightweight proxy geometry within SketchUp as seen in this linked example http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40%26amp;t=67665#p620146 Anyway you will probably have to adjust the used textures within Shaderlight´s material presets, so that these present the desired render result. @ Pixero: if possible Gary and I could make a little Shaderlight testing using a small sample file from you? Best

Thanks Tig, I'll try some of those tips. I always open a SU file through SU by the way UNLESS it says it's locked. If so, I then navigate to the file via Explorer, unlock it and start it from there. I do nearly always have Windows set to detail or large icon view, so perhaps I'll try different settings like you say.

Cheers Mike, it worked perfectly. Why not make your PC work when you're asleep I say ... getting my own back on it for all those years of Windows updates and glitches @mike lucey said: Glad it worked out for you Gary.

The clipping in sketchup is one of the most frustratingly long-standing issues around. Try switching your camera to perspective, that usually works as a quick fix.

That's a good idea.

I understand. Take a look at style builder then...

@mike Hard to believe they're twins. They've opposite little characters and have yet to spend time in one another's company. It seems the 9 months rendering took its toll. Anyway, we are going off topic (my fault).

It seems texture support was only taken so far in SU to accommodate the basic flat surface modeling. Organic modeling wasn't a priority. Therefore it appears to the user that tools are lacking.

Don't worry, it's a common mistake. You can also click and move without being attached to the piece. For example, you want to move a vase along a cluttered mantlepiece, select the vase with the select tool, then using the move tool follow along the edgeline of the mantle and the vase will move relative to that.

I'll look into that possibility - thanks. After further playing around with this task I've found it's far better to create a solid out of the data rather than just an undulating surface. The reason being it's so much easier to then use the solid tools to eat away at sections of the garden to install paved areas, retaining walls, ponds, etc. Making a solid still involves using my original method but then attaching the surface to a similar shaped, (flat), surface below using a series of vertical lines around the perimeter.