Hello all,
Just wondering if I can pick your brain on modelling in joints that separate geometry.
I generally use textures for this purpose, but for certain cases I need to model in a joint, often for rendering purposes.

Common examples are modelling in the joint between lines of cabinetry, mirrors or tiles in very specific scenarios.

I often use TIG's offset, adjust the offset, and hopefully use Push Pull to pull this off, but it can be very ardous.

Is there a plugin that will let me do this? Perhaps a plugin that can do an offset not of all boundaries, but rather selected ones. I don't mind doing the extruding with Push Pull, but often it's drawing in the joint from the centreline that can be time consuming.

Just jimming in that I'd love to know a way around this too. I think the way that SU builds the .eps goes a bit awry when working with say Illustrator,

Hey guys, I've been trying to export a building to Autocad over the last few weeks from sketchup. I am aware that the 3D export does this, but it also imports reasonably poorly into ACA/AC. Even using the sketchup import command via AC, the geomtery gets imported in as a series of blocks, and it cant be sectioned, cut or modified to any avail in ACA. It's just a baked set of geomtery that retains its layering system. V8/14 makes no difference.

Alternatively, using the 2D Graphic export/colour by layer technique, everything works great. Luckily, I don't need 3D geomtery in AC. Just the layer setup.

I've been using billy bobs Layer amazing Layer Panel plugin to help this process out, but what would be super handy is if there was a material group in Sketchup that mirrored Autocad's Layer colour index.

It would make things just that bit/quicker than easier. I'm wondering if anyone's yet to build on or if it exists out there?

Hi Mitch, thanks for the help. First time I've come across your blog so I downloaded quite a few plugins.

I had some success with addpts2curve, it works great on polylines, but I was wondering about how you would go about doing something like the bookshelf I've attached.

The overall form is easy enough to come up with arcs but I'm not sure about how to segment it evenly.

Thanks cotty. ALready use BZ but didn't check out all of the options. Converting any existing lines into polylines didn't quite do the trick. The 1001 guide divider still wont pick it up.

Interestingly, using the BZ polyline divider kind of works but it ultamately simplifies the geometery of the line into segments instead of using guide points. Not the result I'm looking for.

I've attached a image that showcases the issue. The 1001 guide point divider is based off line segments. It won't work on poly-lines to deliver guide points.

Surely they must be a way to place guide points on polylines?

Had a look at TT's Guide tools too but I don't think it offers guides at a particular distance.

Hi guys, have a question about dividing lines into segments. I'm currently using the 1001 tool suite's 'divide selected edge' tool to place guide points on line segments.

This works fine 99% of the time, however it doesn't work on lines that have been welded together. Also, if a have multiple connected line segments of different legnths that aren't in a straight line that I wish do divide evenly, this won't work either.

In short is there a way around dividing a line that has been 'welded' together? I'm guessing SU reads this line a bunch of line segments, rather than one.

Hi guys. The way sketchup handles normals by default has been causing some hassles for me. At the moment, I do a lot of modelling that goes into a 3DS max workflow. After a bit of experimenting, the main issues seems to be that on the default plane, 2D objects have the normals flipped the wrong way.

At the moment, I'm using Vertex by Thom Thom to find instances where faces are incorrect and TIG's Fixed Reversed Face Materials to correct them. Because I'm naturally using a lot of sub-groups in my workflow to keep things neat as possible, I've found that I have to go into each group to fix the normals which can be very time consuming process, especially because you need to check the normals on each on usually. There seems to be no way to check normals by default. I've been using shortcuts to counter this, but I cannot help but feel the best fix would be if 2D objects just had the normals facing the right way.

I've attached a screenshot below that illustrates this. Once a 2D object turns 3D, it's not an issue. The second plane has been flipped along the Blue Direction and is correct

Obviously this isn't an issue for the majority of sketchup users, but I cannot help but feel the best resolution would be if the default modelling tools didn't do this or flipped along blue by default.

I was wondering if anyone had any insight to share on this issue or if we're stuck with 'fixes'. The only thing I can think of is that you just have to keep an eye on the 2D objects when you're modelling them to flip them along the right when being drawn.

Another issue I suppose is that Sketchup doesn't know what faces are orientated correctly, e.g if you have they already have a back material applied, and you use a plugin to reverse all the faces, it's also going to reverse those faces too.

Edit: At the moment I'm using Fredo's Reverse Orient Faces tool with TIG's Click Back face to flip which works well if the back colour is set to like a bright green or something.

Hi Guys. Just a very quick question. I'm wondering if it's possible at all to export guidlines or even convert them to ordinary linework. I've looked inside the .dwg/dxf and .eps dialogues but nothing is quite there that works.

Thanks in advance!

@fuzzion said:

@shpox said:

Didn't have any luck with curviloft afaik. I've attached the .skp incase you wanted a quick look.

Enjoy your pringle chips

El Delicouso! Did you manage this with TIG 3d? Have to save up for that one. I used cleanup on both yours and thom thoms models. Both work but his has less faces so might go with his Will show you how the render turns out

@thomthom said:

@shpox said:

Didn't have any luck with curviloft afaik. I've attached the .skp incase you wanted a quick look.

I see - didn't work for me either.

I got something by using Sandbox Tools - From Countours. I had to rotate the shape 90 degrees to be parallel with the ground plane though.

Genuis my man. Have to say, this is one of the best modelling communities I've been too. I've been working in max and it just isn't to same. I cannot get over the time factor and ease for sketchup. Thanks for the support

Didn't have any luck with curviloft afaik. I've attached the .skp incase you wanted a quick look.

Window.skp

Hi guys. I'm after a bit of help with an organic spline shape I'm hoping to make into a window. I'm rendering in v-ray so I guess the edges don't really matter if they're triangulated but wondering if there's a tool to do this or an easy way out

@unknownuser said:

@unknownuser said:

make this shape a solid

Maybe JointPuspull by Fredo6

Actually gave this a go. I'm extruding by 0.1 inwords or outwords, but no luck. I think the number of surfaces sketchup needs to make this geometry are a bit too much for multiple push pull.

Thanks for the all the responses. I'll shoot you guys a link of the work so far. I ended up creating a frame using two planes and used a flexibly fabric to get the shape as close as possible to a ruled surface. I guess the crux is that these shapes are invioble so the use of the hyperbolic parabaloid is closer to being suited.

Going back to sketchup, is there anyway to actually make this shape a solid or infill the faces from the inside? I'm currently using curviloft to create these surfaces, however when trying to traditionally subtract the shape from a solid in sketchup, I'm getting the 'this is not a solid etc...'.

Hi again guys. Just a quick question to see if there is some sort of plugin available.
Are there any plugins that are able to split surfaces into grids/segments/shapes?

For example, I've got a rectangular plane that comrpises of 18 square metres. Is there any automated way I can tell this surface to be split up into a 4x4 grid without having to use an array in both directions?

Thanks in advance!

@mac1 said:

Jim Foltz has published an eq_grapher and once you have the 2d cure then generation of the 3d by follwme or TIGs extrude tools should be possible. The reason I mention this I have no idea what so ever if some of the surfaces above get the cure you want. You can get some of the conic sections by the intersection of a plane and cone. Hyperbolic is one. Maybe you don't care??

Thankyou for this. Although the accuracy of the curve/crescent don't need to be any particular height/length, I won't quite be using equations yet. What you have posted though will be super handy in assimilating these Triply periodic bicontinuous cubic microdomain morphologies: archive.msri.org/about/sgp/jim/papers/morphbysymmetry/table/index.html

Beats have to use the ruby console. The big intention is so create architectural spaces through these minimal surfaces.

@unknownuser said:

But seems you will have a better and simple result (rectangular faces) with only the Follow me
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Thanks for your diagrams. They were very helpful. Using the follow me definetly seems a bit easier. The only possible issue is creating the depth in the catenoid. I'd technically have to assume the same elevation 'crescent' to ensure each catenoid is uniform in width. This may present issues if I'm attempting to make a loft between two circles of unequal length, in which curviloft maybe be more suitable.

May I ask if you used any plugin to color all the facets of your catenoid? Or if it was done manually

I've also search the web to find ways to flatten curved surfaces. So far, no easy solution or luck

Apologies for the double post but I also tried use the Lathe and I do believe I'm doing something wrong here.

Here's a double-screencap:

Thanks so much guys. TIG, I went with your second strategy as I'm still trying to familiarze myself with the Lathe tool. It worked out great . I essentially made a crescent shape from the rectange and made it revolve around the circular path.

Turns out I had flaterry already installed but trying to unfold the faces of a curved object proved really difficult. It ended up making some sort of alien creature as pictured below. Have included the .skp's incase you wanted a look Jim's unfold tool wasn't able to help too much either.

It's essentially the same concept of trying to unfold a sphere.

I also found curviloft here: http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=28586 which I think might help by defining the width of the catenoid (essentially by creating two catenoids).

Catenoid.zip

Hey guys, just after a bit of your assistance here. I'm trying to model a catenoid in the manner of loft. Ideally I'm trying to use two faces, for example two circles, one above another and then form this into a hyperbolic shape.

Here's a few example images:

I tried uses TIG's Edges By Rail but unfortunetly I'm only receiving one part of the arc/curve. I'd be able to achieve this with follow me convetionally, by unfortunetly, arc's don't have a face.

After acheving that, I'm attemtping to model these physically with craft mesh though I'd need the unfolded geometry first. Are there any specific unfold tools that would be useful? I have some sort of unfold plugin in SU that I'm yet to familiarize myself with. The other option is Pepakura.

Would really appreciate any assistance