OK, thanks juju.

ps Twillight Hobby is free : no limit of size an no watermark ! (can be used for commercial use) The best free and easy use / Real Time (Maxi 1920 * 1080) is SimLab Composer Light! A sort of KeyShot! Accept quasi all 3D formats! (of course SKP! (can be used for commercial use) [image: ovni.jpg]

Why not try the very funny and easy and free Real Time Render Simlab Composer Light ? (maxi 1920 * 1080) Import directly Skp format but also any 3D format ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFlKDBQpYOc

I was more advanced years ago, but photomatch is a feature I've never needed to use. Found the trick tho. Have to uncheck the foreground photo. Thanks again Dave. Much appreciated.

Thank you for everyone's reply and input. Much appreciated. Cheers, Jeff

Years ago Pete made a basic studio, and I think it was Al Hart who uploaded it to the warehouse. I've used it many times. See if it works for you. http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=ebc91c36e92e7c0e971df5c4458c07f7&prevstart=0

Thank you ThomThom! What a Newbie I am! lol

@tig said: If you activate the Preferences > Extension > 'Ruby Script Examples' you get a right-click context-menu item "Point at Center"... but only IF you have an Arc/Circle already selected. The advantage of using one of the other 'arc_center_point' tools is that activating 'Examples' also loads several other tools you might never need... Attached a stripped down version of only the "Point at Arc/Center" context menu command derived from the Ruby script examples of SU8 and condensed to one file. Thus the function cannot be disabled/enabled via the "Preferences > Extensions" dialog, just drop to the "\Plugins" sub-folder, restart SU and you're gone. If someone of the Ruby programming gurus here likes to enhance for the configuration via the extensions dialog, just go ahead. [Update 12.05.14]Converted to an extension which now can be enabled/disabled via the Extensions dialog and saved in RBZ-Format sothat installation can be done via the Extensions dialog too.[/Update] hth, Norbert RBZ archive

Jeff It is certainly worthwhile for you to look into Dave Richards blog. Design, Click, Build http://www.finewoodworking.com/blog/design-click-build There is an extensive archive of topics. As for the dxf/dwg issue. I have been using a program called Draftsight http://www.3ds.com/products/draftsight/overview/ and it has solved a lot of problems with fie conversions. There are still the lines not meeting, etc ,etc, etc, problems but makes the workflow generally mich better.

Jeff, Sorry to come in a little late here, but actually the best type of file for CNC is .STL (Stereo Lithographic), which is the industry standard, not necessarily DXF/DWG. (although some routers do read DWG, but they tend to be of the very high end type) Tom

Thanks you two, very helpful! Cheers, Jeff

@d12dozr said: ...or just the native polygon tool, set it to 4 sides... The only problem with this is that you only have the option to chose the centre point and the a corner [circumscribed]. What we need is the ability to select the centre point and then an offset perpendicular to an edge.

I am just a 3d hobbiest and have only ever used sketchup. I tried other programs but the learning curve was too big. I've only found two things so far I can't do with sketchup. 1.) I can't rig a model so I can pose it. For example, I made a model of a man in a space suit and wanted him to be posable. I couldn't make something like an elbow bend. To get around it, I made the upper arm and lower arm two groups on layer 1. The two groups overlap each other so as one moves, the overlaped parts of the other are exposed to fill in the empty space. I built a rig on layer 2 and grouped parts of the model to the rig in layer 3. It works, but it doesn't look great. 2.) I can't unwrap my models in sketchup to texture them. I think the pro's call it UV mapping. Whatever it's called, I can't do it in sketchup.

Hi Jeff, I don't live near Cannes now - but spent part of a year in school (University of Illinois) in a little town 7K. west along the coast road called LaNapoule. It was a long time ago, went back to visit 10 years ago and nothing changed in the town but the have a huge harbor now. Kind of disturbed the peacefull character of the area but still beautiful. Attached is a phot of two of the attractions in LaNapoule from my school days. One is Dominique, who by now is middle aged and maybe not such a hippie and the other - unchanged as of my 10 years ago visit is the Henry Clews castle, where our foreign studies program for the U of I was stationed for a few years. (Now they're in Paris). From Cannes you are close to everything by bus, train and plane. There is the main street in Cannes - Boulvevard de la Croisette that follows the coast line- called N98 out of town - (the scenic route to LaNapoule and to Nice by the way) where you can enjoy the sandy, topless beaches and see the Palas des Festivals where they have the film festival in May. It is a real zoo down there in May. A few K's east is Nice, a big college town with lots to do but with rocky beaches. A bit further east is Monaco which is a must see. Up in the hills all along the coast are perfume makers, art colonies and galleries. Lot of French Impressionist history. Heading west from Cannes are a lot of interesting small towns including LaNapoule, further out- not exactly local - Saint Tropez (I think current home of Brigitte Bardot) and major port cities like Toulon and Marseille-( see Corbusiers Unite). By the way, as I remember on of our forum members Fymoro, has French Riviera down as his location - might give him a pm? Anyway - have a great trip, hard not to. Share some photos when you get back I'd love to see them. [image: UCVX_LaNapoule-Dominique.jpg]

I surrender! It's haunted! Call ghostbusters! I tried everything. Resetting the settings. Even removing the V-Ray data from the file and setting it up again. Nuffin'! I'd suggest you hand it over to ASGVis and let them look at it.

Perhaps this is gravedigging but I hae an AHA moment the other day. The reason the offset tool does not work with a single line is that it does not know what 3D plane you want the offset to be on. Two or more non co-linear lines and presto. SU can calculate the plane from any three points. Then determine the side you wish to place the offset on by tranforming the mouse cursor position to the plane. Double sided offset would have the same problem.

Hi NotaReal! You are greatly helping me for my first feet steps with Kerkythea. Here are some renders dedicated to you [image: clay_tstD003_th.jpg] [image: clay_tstD004_th.jpg] [image: clay_tstD005_th.jpg] [image: clay_tstD006_th.jpg] [image: clay_tstD007_th.jpg] [image: SuspBridge003_th.jpg] ++simon

what a twist!