SU6.4.112 Pro; on Win XP; 2.8mhz Pentium; nVIDIA Quadro FX 3000, 256 mb VRAM; 2.5gb RAM

I have just experienced a serious performance problem, and I would like to be able to avoid wasting a lot of time in the future. Performance has been normal until recently.

In an almost complete 7.6mb house model, after a reboot, and no other programs running:

1. I select a component on the active layer---just one of dozens on the Site Layer---trees, shrubs, etc.
2. The CPU usage shoots up to 50% (which I assume is the max allocated). Normally CPU would go up to 10 - 20% for one component.
3. After a couple of seconds delay, the screen goes white.
4. After a few more seconds, the screen redraws, and the yellow selection box appears---or sometimes no change.

This happens as I select each component. So I slowly and laboriously---including a couple of complete lockups---reassigned each Site-related component to an inactive layer.

My guess is that at least one of the components has a glitch that destabilizes the system, and affects the selection of other components. But how can I tell which one it is? And what the problem is? Some of them were downloaded from 3DW.

While I wait for some more experienced insight, I will go thru the suspect layer and see if I can find the culprit.

Apparently there was something wrong with that particular component. Other 3DW items imported directly into the model as a <<component>> and displayed in the component list. The tree image imported as an <<image>> and did not show in the component list. But when I downloaded to a folder, and then imported from the folder it worked.

Any idea what makes the difference?
My only clue is that, although I found it in the 3DW list of <<models>>(i.e. components), it was labeled as a <<texture>>. Does that matter?

Actually I did download it directly into the model. But, unlike all the other 3DW objects, it didn't show up in the list of components, and Entity Info labels it an <<image>>. So now I have to manually rotate it to face the camera.

As you suggested, I downloaded it to a component folder. Then I opened the new Library. But the file, renamed <<Fall Maple Tree.skp>> didn't show up in the folder, so I couldn't import it into the drawing. The same file is already in the model as an image.

Is there another way to convert a PNG image into a Component? It's labeled as a <<texture>>; does that make a difference? Here's the 3DW page source:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a1b1b86f9ccff3eebb8aaa7fb7119bb2

BTW scrolling thru hundreds of 3DW pages one-by-one with mouse clicks is tedious. Is there a keystroke to turn the page? Nothing I've tried works. I also don't see any way to go directly to a page number.

Correction: the tree was in the folder, but it looked like a tiny dot, so I overlooked it. Is there a way to enlarge the thumbnail? The tree is now a component in the model. But I still don't know why it wouldn't download directly. Thanks for your help.

I have downloaded some fall tree images from 3D Warehouse. I thought they were supposed to be 2D components, but they don't show in the component list. And under Edit <<make component>> is not an option. Consequently I can't turn-on the <<always face camera>> option. How can I turn the images into 2d components or image props?

I have tried the <<create group from slice>> command. Now see it doesn't really do what I want to do. It does draw a line around the group, but it doesn't actually cut anything, even if the group if exploded. I still have to go in to select and remove the unwanted parts, line by line, and face by face, with lots of zooming and rotating. Surely there is a tool or command to simply chop off one end of a multi-part group. I need to do this operation several times, and it will take several hours at this rate. In my CAD application I can use a line or a surface to chop off part of a group---quick and simple.

I created some walls by pulling up the face between offset lines on the floor. So presumably both faces of the wall are parallel, and in the same group. However, when I draw a window rectangle on one face and try to push it through the other side, sometimes it stops at the other face instead of cutting an opening. There are no extraneous edges on the back side. What else could stop the rectangle on one face from pushing an opening through the other face?

Sometimes a little persistence will succeed, but in other cases it just won't work at all. Am I holding my mouth wrong?

For the record, I actually push a large rectangle back 1" to serve as a frame face. Then I draw a rectangle on that face and try to push it all the way through before changing it to glass recessed another 2". This procedure works on some walls, but not others. I can't see the difference. Any clues?

I continue to struggle with selecting specific points and faces when there are other points in the area. Is there a way to force SU to ignore some points and to select only certain points? Or can I turn the snapping off temporarily and do it manually?

For the manual option, a magnifying glass around the snap area, like the latest VectorWorks, would be a godsend. My mouse has a magnifier, but it's not much help. Within the snap radius, VW also highlights all available snap points to make selection easier.

@sorgesu said:

You can use the section tool to create a cut. Place the section plane where you want to have your cut insdide the group. So you are editing the group, yes? Then right click on the plane and from the context menu click on "create group from slice". this will create vector lines where the section cut is. You can get rid of your section plane now by deleting it. Then select the grouped vector lines created by this action and "explode" them. You now have your cut lines in position.

This is exactly what I was trying to do. I was not aware of the "create group from slice command", but I thought the Section Tool should be able to do something like that. Thanks very much for the help. I'll try to remember it next time I need to chop off part of a group.

I did successfully chop off one end of the roof by ungrouping before intersecting. But it was a tedious process, and I was left with the quandary of how to regroup the roof without selecting other extraneous items. I solved that problem by using MOVE to relocate the roof temporarily while I created an intersecting plane. After cleanup, I just moved the roof back into the original location.

Later I discovered the EDIT GROUP item in the context menu. That will make it easy to edit within the group without having to reselect the pieces. But what I was originally trying to do was use the INTERSECT command to cause objects inside one group to intersect with another group. Is that possible?

My inexperience usually results in doing things the hard way.

I have imported a couple of JPG files of wood floor decking boards to use as textures. The images apply to faces OK, but I haven't found a way to scale the width of the boards to fit my model. Any suggestions?

I have created a fairly complex double-ended double-pitch roof with angled overhanging gable ends. Now I want to use that same roof on another part of the building. In that location one end of the roof abuts the wall of another part of the building. Now all I have to do is chop off one end of the roof group, and voila, a single-end roof.

I have tried <<intersect with model>> but that seems to inadvertently delete some walls in the model perpendicular to the cutting plane. So I created a new face and placed it in alignment with the wall of the model. When I right click and <intersect with selected>> a new line is drawn around the outside of the roof group. But it doesn't cut any of the surfaces inside the group.

Chopping off one end of a group sounds simple in theory, but it's not working out in practice. It would be nice if I could use the <<section tool>> to carve the object, and make the chopped-off part disappear.

Is there a Plug-In tool to do this job. Or will I have to do it the hard way: surface by surface and line by line? Any suggestions will be appreciated.

@richcat said:

You could use Space design which is has a free rotate tool in it, and is very easy to use and load.
Link http://wiki.renderplus.com/index.php?title=Space_Design
NB. I believe Space design used to be separate program from RPS Tools, but has now be combined so you just have to download the evaluation program RPS tools and after 30 day trial period a number of the tools remain working including the rotate, move and copy items.

The site referred to Space Design as a <<free download>>. But the only download available is the RenderPlus <<RPtools>>. After installation it doesn't mention Space Design anywhere. I don't really need a tool to make a "wine bottle", but the basic tools would be great for me, since I have great difficulty moving things around accurately in 3D. If I decide to keep using RPtools, I don't see a suggested price anywhere (the "donations" page is empty. Any ideas?

On the Ruby Library Depot I found 3 rotate scripts. I still didn't see a button to download the file, so I right clicked <<save link as>>. All three files are now in the base Plug-in folder, but only one shows in the menu bar. It works just as I had hoped.

In the meantime, I had opened the component and added a temporary horizontal face. (The ground was too far away) Now, after much wasted time, I'll know how to rotate an irregular object next time. Thanks for your help.

I'm having difficulty rotating an irregular shape with the rotate tool because the grouped object doesn't have a flat surface in the horizontal plane for the tool to work on. So I found a Ruby script to rotate an object 90 degrees around the Z axis. This is my first attempt to use a script.

I expected the script to be in a downloadable file format. But all I found was the text. So I copied that into a text editor, named it Rotate 90.rb and placed it in the Plugins/Utilities folder. After opening SketchUp, I didn't see the filename anywhere in the menus. I don't know where else to look for it.

A little help will be appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have the latest driver for the video card. The card has special settings for various CAD, graphics, and game applications. SketchUp is not on the list, so I'm now experimenting with "3D app-Modeling AFR". "Triple Buffering" is one of the options; sounds good so I turned it on, along with Enable Overlay. Other than that, I have no idea what all the other settings are supposed to accomplish. Anti-aliasing is set to "App Control". I'm using a MS wireless mouse, but other than an occasional signal delay, it doesn't seems to cause problems with SU.

Since there are so many ways for video drivers and apps to go wrong, I'm getting the impression that this is just another thing I'll have to learn to live with---with teeth clenched.

BTW, what are the "SU recommended values" for display controls?

SU 6 Pro on Win XP

I'm trying to create a simple Sandbox site from Contours. Following the Help example, I drew several Freehand curves on a rectangular base. Some curves are closed, and some cut the edge of the rectangle. Next I select each Face and Push it down one foot. This gives me a step-contour site. Next I try to use the From Contours tool to smooth-out the steps. But when I try to select the original curves they are now broken into multiple facets. I haven't found an easy way to select all the facets and convert them back into curves.

The Help example shows the curves without faces attached, so I assume that's part of the problem. However, if I draw curves without faces, I can't Push/Pull them to the proper elevation steps. I'm stuck in the sandbox, so any helpful suggestions will be appreciated.

SketchUp 6 Pro on Win XP 2.5 GB memory

I am experiencing frequent lockups in a simple model, where the screen turns black for a while, and then eventually redraws and returns control. Has anyone else run into this problem?

I have tried turning off the Hardware Acceleration for my nVIDIA Quadro FX3000 graphics card, and that seems to help, but I'm not sure yet. SU works much faster with HA on, but the lockups waste a lot of time. I would really prefer to make use of the video card's extra CAD power, and I don't understand why it's not compatible with SU.

Any suggestions to have both HA and a stable system will be appreciated.

Nevermind. After I reset the mouse wheel from DOUBLE-CLICK, to WHEEL-CLICK, the SHIFT button will now interrupt a line draw. But I'll have to remember to change the mouse setting whenever I use SketchUp.

However, I find that I still end up with two lines instead of one. Is there a way to combine them into one line, other than grouping. Thanks again for the help.

Gaieus

Since I am still a 3D novice, my current manipulation of objects in 3D space is already like flying drunk. Surely it couldn't get any worse. What is the purpose and price of Space Navigator? Does it help you to move directly between specific points in space?

No. In the example above, the sign component is an extrusion from text, and the other object was a part of the floor surface. No relation at all, except they are in the same drawing file.

I'm wondering if this might be an Open GL glitch. Since SU06 moves and orbits objects in a frustratingly slow and jerky manner, I'm thinking about buying a new, $1000 graphics card to replace my four-year-old, $500 GL card. I have other problems such as lockups while zooming and panning in my CAD app. Any suggestions?