One possibility is to load your backdrop geometry, bake it into a background image and then use that with the foreground geometry.

Hi, Just doing a google search on "blender retopology" brought up a lot of results including some video tutorials. That has been available in some form since v2.45

Ahhhh there nice one!!! now... what shortcut key to use ... thanks

This is very good idea that cold potentially increase working speed. Here is a video of a plugin with interesting concept as welll... http://youtu.be/cH0SOE5ukMM

yep thats the One!!!! thank you all I'm Happy c

Something like the select tool of Ruby Console+ ?

@ely862me said: But then I suppose you can't replicate the inner wall to match exactly with the outer wall, because the curve is different! So the only way is to use scale tool to match as much as you can . this is good enough for me. the more control over it the better but its what looks good - figure out how to make the bugger later!!! great c

That's another way of doing it. I'd not thought if that way. The outliner is a very useful tool in many situations.

Also my method, to only help ease the problem and retain the ACT scenes (for tweaking), is to use ThomThom selection toys. Use select all on selected layer and you can delete all the frustums in one go. C

It's basically 'back to basics'. Thank you guys this has been most informative. I understand then there is no set way to do this but it is do-able. Cheers.

I've had some issues with dropbox sync too, although I continue to use it as it seems to be the best solution for keeping working files in one location so I can access them anywhere on whichever computer I pick up to use. I'm not sure it's a good idea to be sharing the same working model at the same time as this could lead to issues or files getting renamed with extensions where it sees a conflict. I think my issues may of been with larger files that took too long to save while there may of simultaneously been a dropbox sync happening? One process i am currently trying is to save my working files to a folder on my local machine (which I also think has other speed benefits as it is a raid configuration) and then use a "folder sync utility" like "Allway Sync" to sync those files to the dropbox folder. The automated configuration of Allway Sync will only update (sync the files) if there have been no changes to the saved file for a predefined period. I think (and I've yet to fully test it) this may be a more robust way to avoid conflicts? Absolutely, one has to wait for dropbox to complete it's synchronization prior to logging off or shutting down as those files will not be on the server and consequently unavailable to other shared folders ( a mistake i see many new adopters of dropbox make). Allway Sync is free with some imitations, and i know there are other similar solutions too. I would go with windows "SyncToy" but it requires manual sync, and to set it up in task manager is a bit too fussy and has limited options for sync times - unless you just want it to run once a day.

I use Twilight and Thea. Twilight is fast and easy to handle, you can even project images with a spotlight. Thea might be more complex but on the other hand you may save a lot of time through its neat features. I enjoy positioning the lights right in Thea while in interactive-GPU-render mode. Then I often use the relight function to leave the finetuning for afterwards. Really like this workflow.

Thank you All... I have passed on your comments

What about install DraftSight for OSX? It is an AutoCAD LT clone and it has an OSX version. You could at least open the DWG and see what the text is.

If you are looking to match the perspective distortion a human eye would see (which is different from cone of vision/field of view) then I created a DC that will calculate that -- however you will need to know the pixel dimensions of the SketchUp viewport. AOV calculator.skp Bring this DC into a scene as a component (do not open directly) and then choose "Component Options" from the DC toolbar. Best, Jason.

great help---- i love Sketchucation......

So I've checked out the Tgi3d plugin. Sort of does what i require. the difference being that i was hoping for incremental selection using the arrow keys, i know realise how i should have explained it sorry. so it would go 1 select a line 2 select a direction 3 use arrow keys to select how much of that segmented line you need the tgi3d plugin does all the line in one go up to a border or a junction, so there might be use in my way

I see. I thought you'd be using LO dimensions and leader text. I've not seen SU text disappear before so I hope someone else who has comes along. I almost never use those tools anymore in SU.

The Mac can render only 1024x1024 bitmaps in HW. SU tile renders the scene and then puts the tiles together into the final bitmap. There's a bug where text that spans tile boundaries will get clipped (what you're seeing). Insert your models into LayOut and add your text in the LayOut document.

PNG can be smaller than JPG. It all depends on the colourfulness of the image. With less, "pure" colours,png's are smaller but with more complex colour scenes/schemes (like photos), jpg's can be smaller. It all depends on what you export. If you export with image textures, I bet a jpg will be smaller. If you export in some monochrome, hidden line or even shaded (without textures), png might have the chance to be smaller.