OK,
I more or less figured it out.

I had the devil of a time accessing Properties until I realized I had to be in the In Model mode.
Once I discovered that I was able to re-name the component and fill-in the description.

At that point I then context-clicked on the component in my model and did a save-as.

I finally had to delete the old file from the Components folder in the SketchUp menu in Application Support.

Thanks TIG and Steve -- you were both right.

Danty

I've started creating an extensive library of 2d plant materials for use in my basic landscape plans.

I normally make a new component while working on a project -- and don't usually remember to give it a proper name at its inception in the component window.

I'm finding it a problem to re-name the component.

I've tried selecting it in the drawing and using the Outliner window to then go to the Entity Info window and re-naming it in the definition field.
No change.

I also tried re-naming it in its root file in the library>application support>Google Sketchup8>Sketchup folder.
Still not luck.

I'm on a Mac if that makes any difference.

Any suggestions?

Danty

I could have used this thread last night -- having stayed up for hours trying to get the text worked out in LO. Barry, thanks for the great tip on using the text in LO (while having the text in the original SU file on a different layer -- and then hidden). Worked great! Printed beautifully. I need to explore LO further.

Danty

Alan -- Your last boulder model just blew me away. Now THAT is what I have had in mind as the type of boulder I would like to be turning out.
Would you please clarify a couple of points:

Sampling:  By that do you mean the technique of holding down SHIFT while clicking on the Paint Tool which then turns into an eyedropper -- "sampling" the color or texture of a face?
Projection:  Are you doing what Solo seems to be doing? -- projecting the textures with different axes?  I just don't get how that works.  My experience with applying colors and textures seems to simply involve selecting a face and applying the color/texture.  What step am I missing?

So it seems your method is to create a spherical shape then explode the modified sphere so it can be edited.
Then you project a large format texture onto portions of the shape.
You keep turning it round to locate "streaks" in the texture and then use sampling to even them out.
Is that more or less what it consists of?

Thanks for your patience on this subject.
It is definitely a skill I would like to master.

Danty

Very nice, Joe. Thanks for the samples.

Alan, the rock is spinning so fast it is hard to see the details of it.
Did you create it all in SU?
Are you making this and others like it for Form Fonts?

Is there a tutorial or more data you can provide on how to make boulders such as this one?

Thanks,
Danty

I use lots of boulders and stone in my landscape projects.

Yet I have been disappointed in the 3D boulders I have created or found from other sources for my SU models.

I can model the shapes pretty well with modifying spheres and creating angular, asymmetric forms.

The problem seems to be the textures and colors.
Applying stone textures just ends up with very unconvincing looking stuff.

Any boulder components out there that you like?

Thanks,
Danty

Bob -- thanks very much.

Looks like a very handy tool.

I haven't used any scripts or plug-ins as of yet.

Could you kindly let me know the basic 1-2-3 of getting this one set up?

Danty

I've been working on curved walls for my landscape models.

Up to now, when I want the wall to curve in all (3) axes, I have been doing a model-intersect with a "wing" shape that has the desired curve in the 3rd (blue) axis -- and that has worked okay.

But -- it's slow and kind of clumsy.

Is there a faster way to do this?

Attached is an example of a well known wall that has the characteristics I'm looking to model.

Danty

Hi Stu --
I'm chuckling because although I'm usually hyperfocused on plant material (that being my occupation) -- in this model I was just happy to get the arbor built, the scene corresponding to the photo and the model presented in Layout.

I threw some plant material in a hurry to flesh out the scene more fully.

The large evergreen tree on the right side of the model is a California Redwood. I couldn't find either a 2d or 3d component from the SU library that came close. So I stuck in the green "blob" component.

I trust that as I transition to PR renderings there will be more trees and plant material to choose from.

And there is a gentle slope up from the road to the house -- so the stepping stones are actually stepped up.
In Sandbox that's how they came out -- since lowering them at all would bury their "noses" in the upslope.

I'm still on a learning curve with topography and steps.
The model on your website of the terraced planters stepping up to the house with the garage on the right side is my inspiration of where I'd like to get to.

Danty

This is my first crack at Layout.
Very pleased so far.
Printing actually makes a bigger image than directly from SU.

I couldn't seem to be able to upload either Layout files themselves or .pdf 2D exports of them.
So -- here are screenshots of my first Layout models.
The .png files work out better for the forums from what I've read on other posts.

Danty