@tig said:

On MAC.
Open the Material dialog.
Select the logo material icon [in model].
Context-menu > Edit
To the right of its name is an option to edit in an external image editor.
Choose that and the image file opens in whatever app you have set in the Preferences.
That shows you the name of the image file...

for whatever reason, there's something weird about this egg model with my computers and the materials.. like i said earlier, it breaks skindigo's material editor (can't open the material editor while this model is open).. also, can't edit the material with an external app. I get this:

whereas doing the same thing with other models works fine when editing materials externally (in pixelmator.app)

@unknownuser said:

The Materials on a PC are much easier to use than on a MAC !

yeah, that's what i gathered over the years.. the mac materials browser could most certainly use an overhaul.. we don't even have a list view and can only see thumbnails of the materials.

@tig said:

So on a MAC if you go to save the material's texture to file what happens ?

i didn't know that's possible and i don't think the ability is there on mac.. if i right-click the material, these are the options i get:

@tig said:

On a MAC can't you see the texture's image-file name ?

not that i know of..

mac is limited to seeing the material name via a tooltip when hovering over the material or it can be seen when editing it.

@davorp said:

If Bloemfontein is somehow showing up twice, it shouldn't. Maybe I did something wrong but I only added it to the component definition description.

The last one is harder, exponentially harder.

is it something that should be findable with a normal sketchup installation and/or won't require some certain plugin to be installed ..or a particular OS ?

because i can't find:
Zhengzhou (texture)

..on my computers (macs).. also, when i try to open my skindigo material editor with your model, it's broken/won't open.. i'm assuming it's some sort of clash with podium?

@box said:

I wish people wouldn't edit out their posts with invisible mod powers so you look like an idiot.

that's just how the forum software is set up.. i edit a post in the same exact way you do except it doesn't add the note..
more effort is required to add the note and i honestly never think about doing the extra steps.

i do understand your point and would find it frustrating as well.. just pointing out that if a mod edits their post, it's not like we're sitting there going "ok, i'm going to do it this way so nobody can see that i've edited'..

maybe it should be set up the other way around? a moderator edit defaults to adding the note and requires extra effort to remove the note?
idk, not really my call.

edit-
on a side note-- i've looked all over for this damn 12th egg and can't find it

@baz said:

This is rapidly becoming an 'Off Topic' (As in off).
Though I did meet a woman once with three nipples, no stop it!
(True tho).

so have i.
maybe not as rare as the two headed dragon?

@baz said:

Reminds me of some graffiti I once saw in a ladies loo, (dont ask!)
It said: "Never trust a man with two dicks".
Still trying to figure it out.

@utiler said:

I'd be concerned for the one who did work it out, Baz!!

maybe the girl who wrote it had an encounter with triple d?

(triple d being the 25yr old that's been with a thousand women.. via watkins' link)

TIG's arcBy plugin?

http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323%26amp;t=41223

not sure about doing it with a circle though.. very very few circles (relatively speaking) will have an equal number of predetermined segment length.

your layout is ok.

spacing on railings needs to be 4" or less but with stairs, the allowable distance is 4-3/8" in order to get away with 2 balusters per step instead of 3..

but you should be measuring the distance between the balusters as opposed to cpoint->cpoint.. it's the space which matters and your layout has a maximum gap of 4-1/4" which should meet code in most parts of u.s.

add-

@calypsoart said:

What I'm also discovering is that the balusters on the wide side of the stair have to be greatly adjusted in height, and they look odd to me. Assuming a hand rail at 3', where on the wide side of the step would the 3' be measured?

to prevent that and make all balusters the same length (as well as offer a means to have equal spacing throughout the entire length from straight through the curved section), you'd have to put a rail near the steps then one up top and the uprights fit between them.. with a curved set of stairs, this will be more work during construction.

@davidheim1 said:

Not sure exactly how that works

the mechanism looks basically like a nail gun firing pin that shoots the blade out of the way.. (at 0:40 in the video above)

as far as the detection, i imagine the blade has a charge applied to it and if your body touches the blade, the circuit closes and the safety feature activates?

a very basic example can be seen in this file:

notched_board_DC.skp

the way i think you're expecting this to happen isn't possible with dynamic components.. instead, you'll need to make two components which are wrapped in the main component.
one component will be the bottom part of the board and the other will be the notched section.. you can sometimes hide certain lines so the two components appear to be one solid or you can keep them both as solid geometry then use the outer shell command to combine them as a single solid board after the size has been adjusted. (at which point, the component will lose its dynamic capabilities)

finally seeing a different technology than SawStop's

this time it's bosch with a jobsite table saw:

http://www.boschtools.com/AboutBoschTools/PressRoom/Pages/031815_reaxxsaw.aspx

after all this time, i don't think we'll be seeing SawStop spreading to the other manufacturers but with bosch doing it their own way, maybe we'll see their tech being licensed more affordably or manufacturers developing their own system.

use groups if you want to make objects non-sticky.. no need to name/set axis/ save an instance to the file etc if doing that.. (like- when you explode or delete a group, it's gone from the file.. with a component definition, it's still in the file and you'll need to purge to really get rid of it)..

@unknownuser said:

I mean, we don't know when the need will arise for something when we need dynamic change/cloning change possibilities later

not really sure about that.. you generally know if the thing will need to be a component or not.. but if you do happen to group something which needs to be a component later on, it's not hard to change.

edit-

but.. if you don't see a reason for grouping then don't do it.. just always make components.. no big deal

i use indigo.. same deal

@neets said:

@olishea said:

I don't even have or use Maxwell sorry! It's a good bit of kit though.

Ach! Darn!

hey neets.. i think the trick with maxwell is to set it up where you're not watching it render

on nearly a completely off topic tangent.. rumor has it, apple is making a self driving car.

.

@neets said:

Why are we resurrecting this Mac v PC argument again?!
[...]
I'm not sure if there are still issues in that area for Mac.

isn't that what you just did?

@olishea said:

So yeah, not all Apple repairs go as smoothly as you claim!

i didn't claim they go smoothly.. i said there are other ways to have a mac fixed besides it being shipped away and wiped clean (in response to juju)

and saying this again:

@unknownuser said:

it's about nearly anything to be said in a mac vs pc argument, there are also valid counterpoints.. from either side.

i'm not arguing 'mac is better'.. i think if you re-read some of what i wrote, you'll see thats not my stance..**

build your own.. right. cheaper, more customizable, more fun if that's what you're into, easier user serviceability (i mean, you built the thing.. swapping out a part should be cake), etcetc.. that's fine and i really don't think people are arguing against that.. but at the same time, you (in general) have to recognize the majority of people don't build their own computers.. it's not as if people don't understand what you're saying and that we need it explained.. just that most people would rather buy a plugnplay electronic.

on the mac side of that, there are people building their own and using osx.. either hackintosh or buy a 4.1 box then pimp it..
probably easier for this stuff to happen with a windows based mindset but it's not the only way nor is it the best way.. to a certain degree, whatever is best for that individual is what's best.

** on the bit about repairs though, i would actually argue mac is better.. but it's not really an argument.. this is year after year from consumer reports and the like:

@unknownuser said:

In our latest reader survey of computer technical support, Apple bested its own scores from last year's survey and walloped other brand-name computer manufacturers.

The company scored far higher than the other big companies for the elements that make for successful online and phone support: ease of contacting staff, clarity of advice, technical knowledge, patience, and time for follow-up.

Apple's in-house technical support service, the Genius Bar, rated as high as support provided by phone or online. Whatever way readers asked for tech help—by phone (the most common way), online, or in person—Apple was also able to solve more computer problems. Independent shops that make custom computers came closest to Apple.

Clearly, there's room for improvement in tech support: 24 to 40 percent of respondents who sought phone or online help from makers of Windows-based computers said the staff's patience, knowledge, or clarity was fair at best.

(though in my experience at least, macs don't break to begin with.. probably most other computers don't break either)

@juju said:

however, consider this, which s going to be the quickest when something breaks down?

if you depend on your computer for work, you better have a back up.. or at the very least, the means to buy a new computer in the event of a fail.. as well as backed up data.

that aside, why does the iMac have to get sent away etc? like, where are you getting that idea from?

apple aren't the only people allowed to repair macs under warranty (or out of warranty).. there are authorized service centers as well.. probably about 40 of them in my town.. one is a couple blocks away from me.

if you're in a rush, you can usually get something fixed same day.

and that also aside, iMacs aren't welded shut nor are the parts inside all soldered together.. you can fix it yourself if you're so inclined.

@pete.
it's going to be interesting to see how cuda vs openCL plays out.

my understanding is that one isn't inherently more powerful than the other.. just that cuda up til recently has been easier for devs to work with. apple is fully backing openCL and they often have success in these types of 'battles' (html5 vs flash for example). final cut is a great example of what's possible with openCL. hopefully others jump on board too (as in- for consumers, openCL is way better.. it runs on any gpu as well as cpu)

indigo is going the openCL route in v4.. I haven't had a chance to try a beta yet but the preview looks sweet. how is Thea coming along with openCL? still nada?

fwiw, this was a consideration for me when buying a computer last year so I got the imac w/ nvidia as a holdover until I see gen 2 or 3 of the new Mac pro.

funny thing is though-- now that I have the imac, I'm really hyped on it for most of the stuff I do.. it really is a sweet CAD machine (rhino & Sketchup at least).. not sure if I really want or even need a Mac pro now