This is massively helpful for me. I wish I would have noticed it earlier.
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I would also say that in many ways other programs are more "adept" and aimed at high polygon modelling, but depending on how familiar you are with these other programs generally their interfaces are much more complex and have a high learning curve.

I would also say that it's probably a good idea to supply a 3D model or file ready to go as it is supplied to them.

Hm. Well, if the casting method first requires a wax or plastic 3D print then no matter what 3D program is used for modelling the end result will be exported as an .stl file which means it ends up in polygons.

Sketchup can work for this, but just be sure to model in a relatively large size and then scale down when finished. Also for a totally smooth model you will need a plugin like Artisan to take your model and subdivide and smooth it into thousands of tiny polygons.

Oops somebody got to it while I was typing...
Box is right though. Use the sketchucation plugin installer.

Depending on how you have your system set up (with users and whatnot...) it's going to be something like this:

C:\Users\Eric's Graphics\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

The main thing to note here is that with SU 2014 plugins are not in your main SU program files folder anymore, they are in your C:\Users....\AppData etc.

...and if I remember correctly it seems like either the \AppData\ or the \Roaming\ folder is a hidden file and probably read only.

Thanks!

@baz said:

@xiombarg said:

If you model a standard loaf of bread with Artisan you will learn most of the basics of the Artisan process.

I'm curious as to what a 'standard' loaf of bread looks like?
Perhaps you could illustrate....

I had a teacher in college who had us model a loaf of bread as a 3D assignment to teach us how to use the smoothing and creasing functions in Maya (same principles as Artisan). Unfortunately I didn't keep the model. It's harder than it might sound. It's a good exercise as it usually forces you to explore different topologies in order to achieve an ideal result. In class we all had to print up our topology before and after smoothing and pin them up on the bulletin board so we could see which models worked better than others.

It seemed like a boring assignment at first but I learned a lot from it.

If you model a standard loaf of bread with Artisan you will learn most of the basics of the Artisan process.

I should also mention that you can use the above directions to flatten any uneven surface or make any selected geometry flatten to a single perfectly flat plane.

If erasing the triangulation lines also results in erasing geometry (which will mean that cleanup won't get rid of those lines) then do this:

1- Use the Axes tool and set it to the plane's surface.
2- Select the entire planar surface along with all triangulation lines.
3- Use thomthom's Vertex Tools ($20) gizmo to scale the surface on the "z" plane to zero. (The "z" plane is the perpendicular plane to the surface).
4- Erase lines with eraser.

A similar problem that annoys me is that when you turn your perspective on or off it changes the zoom extent, which then often leaves you looking at nothing and you have to whirl around trying to find your model. Not a problem exactly but it is annoying.

If there is one problem that Sketchup has as a truly viable software package it's that you have to find work-arounds for it's buggy weirdness. For more complex models using spline cages etc. I use MODO for it's brilliant sub-d integration, relatively low cost (compared to other "big" packages), and it has the best interface of any advanced 3D package. But that's a different discussion...

-If you can't "see" your geometry or things disappear, it's probably because the scale of the model is small and so when you try to do certain operations SU just makes the really small pieces disappear as if being unrecognizable. The easiest way to deal with the small geometry SU problem is to use the "boolean helper" plugin which really only does two things: it scales up and it scales back down again. Of course you can do this manually, but it's nice to have easy to use buttons that just do it for you.

-To get around camera clipping turn your perspective on (which will unset the clipping), then do a couple of operations, then turn perspective off again (if you don't like perspective on). I always have to do this periodically.

So without being able to see what your model is specifically, here is what I would recommend:
It sounds like you trying to build spline cages for skinning. For this type of operation SU isn't ideal, especially for complex models, but you can do it. First, don't try to skin the whole model in one go. Do it in pieces. In fact I would take pieces of the model and copy them into separate files, then after getting each piece to work, copy and paste the whole model and put it together. - I think SU gets confused when dealing with large groups of complex geometry and performing operations that it's not necessarily good at, but it seems to do better when dealing with smaller compact units and them putting them together. By separating these pieces you might also find where the real problems are.

I found this to be helpful and insightful about a lot of aspects of production and using 3D printing. Enjoy!

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I would think that having a more straightforward and versatile connecting system would be a valid request. All engineering and animation modelling programs have them, and it is an application that is used in almost all areas of 3D modelling and product design.

I've tried using Dynamic Components to create a mechanical arm with multiple points of articulation and I couldn't get it to work correctly. It seems to me that Dynamic Components don't nest together well, especially when an articulation point has to both twist and swing at the same location. Not to say that you can't use dynamic components for different things, but it's limited and awkward for multi-tiered joint system.

I have this problem all the time, and it's nothing wrong with your models it's just that the solid shell tool is buggy and often only works simple solids, but here is what you can do to make this happen...

First try to use the Boolean Helper plugin. Sketchup doesn't like boolean operations with small models, so the trick is to scale up the size of the model and do the Outer Shell operation, then check that it's solid, and then scale it back down again. Scaling up and scaling down is what the Boolean Helper plugin does.

If that doesn't work, don't use the Outer Shell, just select your objects and then do a right click and choose intersect faces, and then by using the solid inspector manually get rid of the junk by selecting and deleting the leftover polygons inside the model.
EDIT: YOU HAVE TO EXPLODE THE OBJECTS FIRST TO MAKE THIS WORK CORRECTLY. Don't leave them grouped as individual objects. They have to be in the same group.

If the solid inspector doesn't make sense in what it's telling you, try using it with your x-ray turned on, or hide portions of the model so that you can clearly see what is going on. This often will make a lot more sense when using Solid Inspector.

If you still have problems, let us know and if necessary I can probably put it together for you. Not to brag at all, but I've probably combined a couple hundred objects to make print ready solids in SU so I've gotten fairly good at recognizing what needs to happen with non-solid geometry.

Hope this helps.

One last thing...

Always be sure to Solid Inspect your model with hidden geometry turned on. SU often leaves hidden curves after doing boolean operations. If you turn on hidden geometry you will be able to see these artifacts, select them, and delete them.

Lol. Nice.

Good to know, and disappointing as well. I just wish SLS would preserve detail a little better and keep contours sharp for small items. I would be happy with a SLA printer but I have yet to see example models from personal home 3D printers that have the smoothness and definition that I would hope for.

I love imaterialise "prime gray" material which sands and tools nicely, and I'm almost sure it comes from an SLA printer, but the resolution is slightly rough and I have to sand it before casting, which I want to avoid if at all possible.

@jiminy-billy-bob said:

@xiombarg said:

I would love it if I could open a model door without having to go through the whole rotate routine

You can do that with dynamic components and the interact tool. See at the bottom of this page : http://help.sketchup.com/fr/article/114621

Sorry, I should have been more clear. Doors that have more than one hinge axis, like bifold doors, accordion doors, or just any mechanical device that uses more than a single axis such as a string of railroad cars on a train. The dynamic components seem to work great for standard doors, but I've never been able to figure out how to make them work with multiple axis.

Using the train example, bones systems let you reposition a single railroad car yet still keep all the cars connected.

Currently I only have one BIG wish that I've had for awhile: BONES

Usually bones systems are used for figures and animations but I just want them for plain old hinges. I would love it if I could open a model door without having to go through the whole rotate routine. Would also be wonderful for multi-hinged objects.

Thomthom wrote a nice little plugin that rotates a hinge based upon where you've set your axis within a component, but it sure would be nice to have something more specialized.