I tend to always model in SketchUp keeping components and groups solids if at all possible. This allows me model integrity as I go along, and makes editing these later much easier. For instance, just today I received word from Gary I had missed a window in a key place on the Church which was only revealed in drawings done well over a century ago. Because the window would have to pass through a wall AND a vaulted ceiling, it was easy to do using booleans.

As far as booleans go, I really like using both SU Pros Booleans as well as Dale Martens (Whaat)BoolTools 2. His Booleans can be somewhat tempermental, but they work when SketchUp's don't, so I encourage both sets. I also use his Artisan tools quite a bit as well as ThomThom's Vertex Tools.

Here are some more of the early developmental sketches. They were rendered with Fluid Interactive's Ambient Occlusion plugin then composited in Pshop with a SU line drawing export. I've since purchased SketchFX as well to streamline this process. I'll show some images in a later post.

Hey all, I'm working on an AR/VR Alamo project which involves an historically accurate depiction of the Alamo circa 1836 and the siege and battle. It will have over 20 custom created high poly characters created by my friend Jerry Perkings (MasterXeon2001) and others. He works mostly with Blender, ZBrush and Substance Painter. I'm using primarily SketchUp, 3D Coat and Substance Painter.

More can be found out about this project at the websites:
http://alamoreality.com
http://imaginevirtua.com

I'm working with Alamo historians including [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_L._Hardin:3fei1w41]Stephen Hardin[/url:3fei1w41] and [url=https://truewestmagazine.com/gary-zaboly/:3fei1w41]Gary Zaboly[/url:3fei1w41], the two foremost names in Alamo [url=https://www.amazon.com/Stephen-L.-Hardin/e/B001H6UFEM:3fei1w41]history[/url:3fei1w41] and it's [url=https://www.google.com/search?q=gary+zaboly%26amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS698US698%26amp;source=lnms%26amp;tbm=isch%26amp;sa=X%26amp;ved=0ahUKEwjOjqbju5LWAhWIRiYKHejJAJwQ_AUICigB%26amp;biw=1490%26amp;bih=1290:3fei1w41]architecture[/url:3fei1w41].

To my knowledge, there has never been a 3D project of this scope and magnitude created about the Alamo. We're having daily sessions going over details such as the stitching on General Cos' uniform, and the holes knocked out of the Alamo church entranceway for the cannons to be wheeled in. Fascination stuff.

This thread will help document some of the work I'm doing in SketchUp to create the total architectural piece of the full Alamo and it's associated buildings, landscape and props.

I'm using several plugins to help with the building and rendering of the models. I'm glad to answer any questions, or take advice on any of the techniques discussed.

Frenchy,

One of the reasons why I really enjoy using SU... the community. I figured by posting this simple challenge, I might be able to learn some new stuff-- and I certainly have! This is a really great workflow by JQL (thanks!) and here's a video of how it works.

@jql said:

@pilou said:

When you say

@unknownuser said:

2 - remove big faces from selection;

it's not more little faces so the chamfer(s) ?
No clean up necessary!

Cool but again it's face by face!

Here zoom is needing for more precision to click the face + segment!
[attachment=0:3jt9ho9s]<!-- ia0 -->GIF_extend.gif<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:3jt9ho9s]

sorry I fotgot about the generate faces plugin. I use the one from tools on surface.

And I really meant rwmove big faces from selection. They are easier to pick and if you remove them when you create the group, it becomes composed pnly of all small faces. Then, When you delete the group you delete only the small faces and keep the big ones.

@jql said:

I usually do the following:

1 - select all;
2 - remove big faces from selection;
3 - group and delete group;
4 - use tak2hata extend trim faces plugin;
5 - then cleanup plugin if needed for merge faces and repair edges.

Step 4 is the one that needs getting used to.

so, after review, I still thin the fastest method is:

1 - select all;
2 - remove big faces from selection;
3 - group and delete group;
4 - use tak2hata extend trim faces plugin;
5 - Generate faces using a plugin (tools on surface is my choice)
6 - then cleanup plugin if needed for merge faces and repair edges.

It does require manual work, but all do until now, and this is the easiest I know, and I tried a lot.

Interesting. This looks like a good strategy for removing both fillets and chamfers from more complex shapes. My favorite so far!

The problem with moving vertexes is when they're part of a mesh and they won't always snap to another vertex even when holding the ALT key. Then you have to toggle xray mode and it can then snap. I assume the same would be true for the move vertex.

I use vertex tools and do use the weld command (mapped to Ctrl-W) a lot, but it moves all verts to the average position of all verts, which doesn't work for me. Lightwave has a WELD command which moves the first vertex to the second vertex and welds them. Good stuff. Seems like an easy one to make. Helpful when manually reducing polygons.

A lot of poly programs I know of (Lightwave, Blender, Modo) allow the user to delete a single vertex and have the model automatically STITCH itself-- sorta like the example below. Anyone know if there's a plugin or workaround? Thanks!

@kimi kimi said:

Here is my method (I'm not good at making GIFs):

1. Select all the main or big faces
2. Copy
3. Select everything
4. Delete
5. Paste in place
6. Offset, offset, offset on the outside, all of them
7. Clean up with CleanUp
8. Select all- intersect with selection
9. Select those big faces again
10. Copy
11. Select all
12. Delete
13. Paste in place.

Seems complicated, but it isn't.

Another fine fine solution. Thanks for your help!

@pilou said:

The icon "F" of the Join Push Pull Interactive by Fredo makes the trick
for 2 faces around a chamfer!

A sort of smart Push Pull!
So all faces in addition to the 2 faces
around the chamfer can have any orientations!

Maybe 2 Guides lines are necessary for the intersection!
because seems interferences don't works inside the plugin itself!

Alas it's only 2 faces by 2 faces!

[attachment=0:x9keu75d]<!-- ia0 -->GIF_iconef.gif<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:x9keu75d]

Brilliant! Once again, creative thinking by the French! And the solution I was hoping for by posting this challenge. Much appreciated

Thanks to both of you! Turns out I had FredoTools installed and it does the trick exactly. Much appreciated!

@pilou said:

For this special box case with any 4 chamfers (fillets) with only native tools (a big effort from my part!

• 4 guides lines on any of the original box = 4 clicks
• Draw Oriented Rectangle (second icon of Rectangle Tools) with 3 of intersctions above = 3 Clicks
  Push Pull this new rectangle = 1 click

Total = 7 Clicks for an original new oriented box without chamfers(fillets)!

[attachment=0:1oo1awgy]<!-- ia0 -->GIF_erase_chamfer.gif<!-- ia0 -->[/attachment:1oo1awgy]

Just now erase the original chamfered box!

OK. But now try it with the file I provided. A simple pushpull extrude won't get it because the sides are NOT parallel.

Here's the link again...
FILE:
https://altuit.cloud/web/3Dnew/chamfer.skp

@rv1974 said:

One couldn't. Vertex tools aren't 100% precise.

They've worked for me. I typically scale to ~0 two or three times in a row and haven't had any problems creating planar faces. Artisan also has a make planar feature. Both also work on non orthogonal geometry as well.

@rv1974 said:

my try, x1 speed. suitable for simple cases. Unfortunately TT's flatten works only in Z direction.
Flatten, marge coplanar, TIG's fillet, make face were used

I like that! One could also use Vertex Tools to flatten as well. I'll have to look into TIG's fillet tool. Thanks for sharing!!!

Working on a large scale AR / VR project of the Alamo. http://alamoreality.com

Here are some SketchUp drawings for the 6 lb cannon:

And here it is in Unity after going through some 'roughing up' in 3D Coat and then the voxel model is baked back onto the cannon UV'ed SketchUp model using Substance Painter, and then textured there as well-- exported to Unity and maps assigned.

Video:

Some 'making of' videos...

and some notes on processing and shaders..

https://public.3.basecamp.com/p/oTZSntqtnpobGTrE4WmpRq6P

@juju said:

Goldilocks can probably help you out, has an edge density feature/inspector.

Thanks for the thought. Just checked it out and it can't give me correct stats on just selected. Plus it doesn't do roll ups either. I'll keep looking

Anyone know a plugin which can give me the number of vertices in a selected set of components, objects and groups? It would be a great help for creating LODs for games. TIA!

@pilou said:

Best will be a plugin who special join 2 any faces by the common edges starting the chamfer (or fillet) and kill them!

Don't know if yet existing?

But that is a funny challenge with the native tools!

Or even a merge vertices which merged them to the second point selected (instead of the average of the two). Newtek has one called "weld" which will move all the points to the last selected. Very handy!

@pilou said:

hello Chipp!

I have not but someones say that is the best!
Minute 8.47 to the end!

Hi Frenchy,
I have a Space Mouse on my desk and I use it some, but it keeps my left hand off the keyboard I think I'm happier (faster) with it on the keyboard. It is great for 'fine tuning' a scene though. Something which I can't do easily in KeyShot, so sometimes I create the camera view in SU and export to KS.

@rv1974 said:

Chipp 2nd display (= no mouse limtation + x2 real estate for SU) and 'Z' for 'zoom selected' will greatly relief your pain.

I use Shift-A for zoom selected and Shift-Z for zoom extents. Don't have a second display but have a 34" 21:9 LG display which does the trick. Thanks.

@box said:

Draw the two edges in using the magenta inference then pushpull.

That was the first think I tried. While that works, it has lots of mouseclicks then cleanup. I think my way may be faster.

@ecati said:

You want it to look like in the pictures. You can use Round Corner plugin.
https://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20485

I don't think you understood the question. It was how to REMOVE chamfers, not how to ADD them.