@jennk42 said:

I am using Sketch-up 7.1 and have been building a model of the first floor of a hotel. I worked all day today and just noticed that a bunch of parts of it are missing! And it isn't something I could have accidently deleted because it is multiple parts in different locations on my model. For example all my light fixtures, flooring in another part etc. Some of it is stuff I did today others yesterday. Does anyone have any idea what could have happened? I checked and made sure all my layers are on and I made sure to un-hide everything. Like I said I would have had to go in and manually select all these things and deleted them. And everything was fine when I started working this morning. I am desperate because this is my final project for school and I am on a deadline. Thanks!

jennk42
1)If you have auto save and backup set you my be able to find a "correct" file. Do a search for xxxx.skb. There are several ways to open this type of file. One is change name to xxxxx_A.skp and it will open
2) Layers does not isolate geo so if you have items on a hidden layer then it can be deleted if you are not careful with your selection
3) Make max use of components and the outliner to see what things you are selecting, hidden items will not appear here either

@dadoing said:

I'm slowly getting there with (1) learning Sketchup and (2) designing the bedside table. After 15 years of poking away learning woodworking and setting up my shop, it's time I tackled a proper bit of furniture with mortice and tenon joinery in the case, dovetails in the drawers, solid wood and some decent design elements. I am on no time frame with this project.

Here is a jpg so far. I might post here from time to time as I go along. I've figured out the beginnings of a workflow, components and more or less got precise dimenionsing down, but still lots to learn. No where near tackling the joinery and details yet. Still dealing learning the basic tools. I have no specific questions so far, but they're coming.

The chiefwoodworker posted a TUT in 2008 on bed side table. Maybe this will help you in the learning process. It is an 8 part series http://www.srww.com/blog/?m=200803

@masheen said:

I have the latest version thanks and after reading the documentation everything made a lot more sense - although i am still unable to tell what change i have made to the size of the component itself - i'm afraid of generating heavy models as i need to make quick changes to the model in front of the client and i cant afford a sluggish model during navigation...

masheen
Read this it may help http://sites.google.com/site/sketchupsage/faster

In attempting to create a model of a stack of business cards 0.5m thk,0.2 mm spaced the distortion across the thickness was not acceptable. Instead a rectangular face was created with zero thickness, cards stacked by the linear array approach and then rotated using the box twist option in FredoScale. However when an attempt to replace the card face unique components created by twist operation with a card coponent ( with thickness) from the component browser the cards showed no twist. See the attached test model( Note it is drawn at a larger scale). The reason for this is the component axis are not rotated per the normal SU componet rotation and in addition the component browser card face definition is also modified with the twist operation.
Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? Can or should this be corrected? Changes to the model are discussed in the manual but I question if changes of the components in the browser should be done??
A work around using the projection plugin is possible but should it be necessary??

Card stack tes.skp

@jim said:

The mesh in the first post isn't very clean - there are many edges that are not connected to anything, and many that do not actually intersect. You really need to get in close to find them, but they are there. It might explain some of the results of using some of the plug-ins.

Is this sort of thing a use for TIG's manifold plug-in?

All of the rail ( cline) profiles do not intersect( except some places at the ends) with the bulkheads and if one uses a cutting plane and tries to create them there are points that look obviously out of place. Trying to fill in with a bezier curve can be done but the hull then is not correct. Working with the orginal post model with out correcting the profiles and itersection will probably result in problems just getting worse IMHO.

@roadie3rd said:

@unknownuser said:

What the name of the boat model?

Its a Golant Gaffer

roadie3rd
Additi0nal info for you ref problen areas:http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=1f56117edc6c5690ab9c83967811b1f7 It looks to me like a problem with the rail profiles 3 to 4 down. I used the shown cutting plane to get intersection points with the rails . You should then be able to create good bulk head profiles for TIG's suggestion pending issue with the rails

@roadie3rd said:

Thanks Pilou tried all that but still did the same
see attached model
any other ideas?

Here is a possible approach using the plugin skin http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=356919293504215ab9c83967811b1f7 I only selected the rails at the separation shown to reduce time because once the stitches are made the segments created will take some time to select for that tool. Reducing the number of rails and using this plugin may give you acceptable results.
Some other observation: There were 24 stray lines ( used stray line plugin) mostly where ribs are not connected to the rails and 50 broken lines. I repaired the broken lines but the sandbox tool was still giving the peaks. Don't know if the former is causing your problem; your primitives ( lines) are showing on the surrond layer. They should be on layer 0. All drawing should be there and layers only used for visibility control of groups/ components. Number of segments( 120) on the rail seems excessive to me for large radius of curvature ?
Getting late will play with your model tomorrow AM

@unknownuser said:

ok.. i'm just going to keep it how i've been doing it.. that way, if i have to paste in place from an older model then it will show up as expected.

This is what is called a right hand coordinate system
X x Y=z
y x z=x
z x x = y

@martinrinehart said:

Any contemporary desktop PC has all the power you need for SketchUp. (This does not apply to rendering programs, which like lots of power.)

For good SU results you'll be happy with 2GHz CPU (single), 2GB RAM. SU doesn't eat a lot of hard disk space. Tell the vendor that the graphics card has to be SketchUp compatible. Most are. For Windows you want XP Pro. 7 is almost as good, Vista is slowest but SU can tolerate it.

When buying a PC, there is an inverse relationship between price and support. Shop a bargain basement vendor like TigerDirect and you are on your own for support. Get an Apple and you've paid for, and will get, good support. Buy a PC at your local store and expect a little, but not too much, free support.

Save money on your PC. AMD is cheaper than Intel. With the money you save, buy a good monitor. 24" LCD, 1920x1200 resolution.

Couple of other considerations. As background I designed and built my own PC a few years ago because I was sick and tired of the never ending changes by Intel and MS then trying to force one to buy a new computer.
So also think about:

1. Do you want lap top or desk top;

2. Do you want to be able to modify or expand the performance down stream. Like more memory, different video, larger hard drive etc. If so this probably means a desk top vs lap top;
3. Get as much memory and USB ports as possible within your cost constraints. I think 2GB is on the low end for a general purpose machine as well as a 2 GHz processor. I have a 3.2GHz and 4GB of memory for a design that is now almost 3 years old. Get big Hard drive if possible
4. Good monitor is right on;
5. Good video system within your cost constraints. Sketchup only states Open GL ( Graphics Library) rqmnt. of like ~1.4 while a machine you buy now should do better than that 3.0 or better. If it is higher than this make sure it is downward compatible to the 1.4. Some lap tops are short in this area so make sure it is Open GL compliant and not just compatible;
6. Do some reading on like CNET and PC World for their evaluation of various machines;
7. Stay away for windows VISTA. Windows 7 is out but I think it is still too early to tell how good it really is. When you buy from say like Dell, HP etc their Windows is what is called a OEM version so you do not get direct support from Microsoft but, must go through them. Make sure you buy from some one with a good track record on customer support. Ref # 6 above. If you don't want Win 7 and have to buy VISTA check to see if the OEM's are offering a downgrade package to Win Xp. Some where because of the VISTA problems.
8. Lap tops are nice for portability but, given the reliability of electronics is tied directly to the operating junction temp of its parts a desk top will usually be more reliable for the same performance. They usually have more fans and space for better cooling etc. that laptops .
   Good Luck

@pghstone83 said:

I'm trying to insert a set of steps on to the back porch of a house. How do you set it up before pulling the object into the design? I figured it was like attaching the roof but no luck. Also, does anybody know a good plugin for vinyl decks and steps?

See this link for tuts on steps http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sketchup+steps&search_type=&aq=f. Don't think there will be any difference for vinyl vs dimensional lumber unless you are looking for some thing which brings in the actual dimensions or the ref plugin does that. You can add vinyl to your component library
Sorry did a search for Archiland after writing the above but the link should stiil show the process

@brainsprain said:

O.K. This is a simple project for a person who only got sketchup because I can do a floor plan and that's all I need. I have no CAD program.

The only way I can get a printed copy of the plan is to zoom in so it all shows on the screen. Than it prints very small on one sheet of paper. To export as a JPG I have to do the same thing. It uses maybe a third of the paper size with lots of white space to the top, the right and the bottom.

I simply cannot figure out how to get the thing to print a larger area and use more than one sheet. It will not print anything that does not show on the screen.

Also, one other weird thing. The window in sketchup has no scroll bars, so the only way to move around is to use the pan feature. I can pan until the chickens come home, but I can't see how that is any help.

As for the print dialogue, it will not let me make the page size 8.5 by 11 or any configuration thereof it is always some small portion of the page. Fit to page converts it automatically to one half of 8.5 x 11.

I'm baffled.

Several Suggestion:

1. At the top of the print dialog is the printer properties tab. Select that and wake sure you have the correct printer page size set there;
   2)Do zoom select around just the floor plan and then make a copy, then in the model do a select all and delete, then immediately do a paste in place. Note: make sure you have a backup copy for this step because if you do it wrong you can lose the model. The idea of this step is to remove any extraneous small geometry way outside your drawing area causing some of your problem;
2. Select fit to page and now print and see if you get what you want
3. During step 3 if you look to the right you will see boxes showing what SU is calculating for scaling to fit to your page;
4. If you set the scaling to 1:1( deselect fit to page) in the those boxes you will see how many pages will be required to print the plan in the left boxes ( It could be a lots!) . You will have to cut and paste these together for the 1:1 case unless your floor plans is really small.
   Note I have found it is best to set the page size in the page set found in the file drop down in the tool bar
   Good Luck

@drasaid said:

It seems absurd, as this is not a complicated shape, but I have had a rough time making it. I want a Fibonnacci spiral about two feet high in the middle and lowering as it gets bigger: that is a right triangle with the 90% corner on the ground in the center, then the smallest angle at the outermost point of the Fibonacci spiral. I thought all I had to do was make the spiral and then lift the middle, but NOOOOO. I suppose I could make a small 'handle' and pull up the center point but so far I have had no luck. I will have another spiral (flat) on the ground (the whole thing is a design for a planter, and is to be made of fabric.)
Can anyone help me here? I'd be very grateful.
s

drasaid
If you are still interested here is my final cut to your original posting question http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=6085c7704024dc9aab9c83967811b1f7.
I was lazy this time and down loaded the spiral form the web ( also corrected error per my above discussion) or you can use the same one Pilou showed above. This came as a .png and then the arc tool used to create the skp model by basically tracing. The radius was then scaled to approximately 32" and then using the sandbox tool to drape the arc on a cone 72" dia by 24" ht with its center close to the arc center. note this does not require any new plugins. The sand box is part of the your SU installation. If it does not show under your tool bar drop down menu then go to windows, preferences and enable it under the extension drop down
have fun!

@drasaid said:

Thanks. I really did not phrase it right - I am trying to make a good herb spiral.
http://www.mitra.biz/howto_herbspiral.htm
Everyone is hepped up on making them out of rocks, but frankly they don't look like spirals. I want a nice snailly spiral! The one Elisei did comes closest, and I'm going to try and do it.
Unfortunatly, I have NO idea how to plug in a plug in so K-tools is just beyond me at the moment. The other planter drawing is nice but way beyond what I am trying to make-just a wound up fabric triangle sewn spiral. I'm gonna fill it with dirt and herbs.
Thanks.

It always amazes me what one has as a idea of a problem and what it really is. So my question now becomes once you have the spiral drawn, what ever type it is, then what? Perhaps you should change your focus to how one lays out the spiral in your herb garden. Your " I am trying to make-just a wound up fabric triangle sewn spiral" still has this pea brain confused but, if you consider an involute of a circle is a spiral which you could very easily lay out in your garden I would suggest that. You can find this book in Google books and because it is out of copy right you can freely down load it. The title is: "Practical Geometry for the Architect and Engineer". Article 172 shows how to geometrically lay out this type of spiral in your garden. Concept wise consider unwinding a string which was tightly round around a drum and one just marks points as you go around. Then staking your herb " tube" to those points will give you what you want I think?

BTW where did the Fibonacci curve idea come from??
For the pligin installation they go in the SU plugin folder and usually there are directions with the plugin and you can also watch some of the youtube videos on this subject. Here is a starting point http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Sketchup+pluguins&search_type=&aq=f

@unknownuser said:

If you consider than arcs is a good aproximation it's not a big deal to draw it by hand

PS Why not put an image (a schema)of what you do want?

Don't think the issue is drawing the fibonacci curve but extending that to the planter desired. The generating function can be found in many text books and I assume that was drawn correctly in the first place but the pull up failed. How does one go from the curve to the planter is the real question per my above disussion. With the many line segemnts this gets to be a head ach unless one can find a plugin that will do the repetitive task quickly and is the reason for the use of the small number of line segs above.
FYI the generating function is 1+s+2s^2+3s^3+5s^4+8s^5+.... +55*s^9...... which is what I tried to use but made a mistake. Used coefficients only so the approach needs to factor that into the model.

@mac1 said:

@drasaid said:

It seems absurd, as this is not a complicated shape, but I have had a rough time making it. I want a Fibonnacci spiral about two feet high in the middle and lowering as it gets bigger: that is a right triangle with the 90% corner on the ground in the center, then the smallest angle at the outermost point of the Fibonacci spiral. I thought all I had to do was make the spiral and then lift the middle, but NOOOOO. I suppose I could make a small 'handle' and pull up the center point but so far I have had no luck. I will have another spiral (flat) on the ground (the whole thing is a design for a planter, and is to be made of fabric.)
Can anyone help me here? I'd be very grateful.
s

My cut at your planter drawn per my suggestion above. Used coefficients to 55, 5" base rad, and height of 24", and then radial array copy around base to make total
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=731759d2a0ace698ab9c83967811b1f7

BTW it sees to me you would be better to ues the follow me tool. Why not??

@drasaid said:

It seems absurd, as this is not a complicated shape, but I have had a rough time making it. I want a Fibonnacci spiral about two feet high in the middle and lowering as it gets bigger: that is a right triangle with the 90% corner on the ground in the center, then the smallest angle at the outermost point of the Fibonacci spiral. I thought all I had to do was make the spiral and then lift the middle, but NOOOOO. I suppose I could make a small 'handle' and pull up the center point but so far I have had no luck. I will have another spiral (flat) on the ground (the whole thing is a design for a planter, and is to be made of fabric.)
Can anyone help me here? I'd be very grateful.
s

My cut at your planter drawn per my suggestion above. Used coefficients to 55, 5" base rad, and height of 24", and then radial array copy around base to make total
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=731759d2a0ace698ab9c83967811b1f7

@drasaid said:

It seems absurd, as this is not a complicated shape, but I have had a rough time making it. I want a Fibonnacci spiral about two feet high in the middle and lowering as it gets bigger: that is a right triangle with the 90% corner on the ground in the center, then the smallest angle at the outermost point of the Fibonacci spiral. I thought all I had to do was make the spiral and then lift the middle, but NOOOOO. I suppose I could make a small 'handle' and pull up the center point but so far I have had no luck. I will have another spiral (flat) on the ground (the whole thing is a design for a planter, and is to be made of fabric.)
Can anyone help me here? I'd be very grateful.

Not sure why you are using the Fibonacci series?
Once you pull it up then what? What is the bottom dia you want and how many radial points are you using to create the curve?
Have not done this yet but the suggestion is;

1. Establish the number of radial points you want to use. do you want to go around 360 degs?;
2. Use the series then to establish the radial length of each one of these segements, for example
   f0=x,f1=x,f2=2x,f3=3x etc where fn =ax where ax equals the desired radius and you know what x is now once you have each of these lengths establish then move each segment up in proportional distance of your desired axial height. IE fo will be moved 24", fn 0".
   Hope I understand your problem and this is not too confusing, will try and make model for you after football game.
   PS I have tried moving by pulling up center point of a 2d curve but the curve stays planar but tilted by the height pulled.

@jbeeksma said:

Hi, I'm in a project that aims ro rebuild the Senster, an awesome contraption that was on display in the Philips technology museum Evoluon in the early 70's. Have a look at http://www.senster.com to see for yourself.

Before actually building one, i'd like to get the construction sorted out, and I was trying to do this in Sketchup.

I'm basically looking for a tool that lets me take 3 lines (or cylinders) and snap their endpoints together to form a triangle. Then add elements to make the whole space frame (lattice, truss)construction.

Anyone out there with experience in this field, or with a magical, come-handy plugin / tool

/Jacob

In looking at the senster link I think the real question is how does one get the info, dimensions etc, to model or build it. There are a number of tuts on buckey balls, tetrahedrons etc. so search for them per TIG's suggestion. See this link http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/cldetails?mid=1f33552966b6f22224e5217d8a2e013a&ct=mdcc&prevstart=0. Taff is your best source of info probably. I only found two pics in the gallery with enough pixels to even start a model although they did state in the 2003 state photos a lots of dimension were taken. Hope you have access to that data? In the photo gallery it looks like the radar horn operates at x band and the view of the wave guide would give you a (1) dimension ref. but in quick look I could not find other similar views in the photo for other axis.
Good Luck!!

@leedeetee said:

Hiya chaps,

Just wondering if you have got a spare 5 minutes to have quick look at my first attempt at modelling, when I say "first" it's not my first attempt, rather my first go at using photo texture to build a model, with a view to entering the 'Build your town' competition.

I have got to a stage with it where I can finish but before I do, I woudl like your expert opinion on if there's anything I should change? For example, I am worrried about the photo texture for the walls - as it was almost impossible to get a 'clean' shot of a particular wall (I have taken 30+ shots of the church btw and have details of it from the www: http://allsaints-northstreet.org.uk/history.html).

I am just basically looking for a constructive criticism, and don't be afraid to say it's rubbish! I want to learn!

Cheers,

Lee

Model looks good:

1. No off axis lines found;
2. Few stray lines , above small portico door, at base of tower close to rectangle, inside on floor but, not many 7 total;
3. East end rake edges of roof intersect not per pictures. They are separated some in the html file you enclosed. Maybe a design mod from then to now?
4. Potico rake edges seem out of place with the rest of roof. Roof work in progress I assume.

@agold768 said:

Does anyone know how to print full page document or convert it to jpeg.
Also, How do I use jpeg image to convert to sketchup, so that it is workable and possible to edit, stretch etc?

Convert to jpeg=> select file export 2 d graphic;
Jpeg to SU =>Slecet import and file format jpeg. You can then use the scale tool to modify the image
Print full page document=> 1) From tool bar do zoom extents; from tool bar camera make sure you are in parallel line mode, select print preveiw and then select fit to page. The set up dialog will them show the page size that will print on the paper size you have selected. Note it will more that likely be smaller than your page size you selected becasue the size is based on the pixel extents of your screen display and the print size calculator will select the dpi to fit one size to the printer and allow the other dimension to float. You can also deselect the fit to page and use scaling to use more of the page area but it is not a one to one scale either