Sketchup n00b questions

[dfigravity]

Ok...so I am slowly figuring out this awesome little program..but I am having three little problems.
1) How do you select one "piece and move it around independantly...ie. I have drawn up a case, then I drew a partition to place inside the case (I want to section off the case into three areas) but I cant figure out how to grab the piece and place it inside the case.

2) I would like to make all sides of the case opaque except where the window is. Whenever I change the transparency, the whole drawing changes.

3) Mesh...is it something you have to download? Can you manipulate it just like everything else ie. make weird shapes?

Thanks for your paitence guys

[Spacehonkey]

Is the item grouped?

If it is you can ungroup it and then select only the piece you want to change. Instead of ungrouping you could also right click on the piece and select Edit Group. This will allow you to select only the pieces in the group and change them however you want with out influencing the rest of your items.

[dfigravity]

Thanks...I'm an idiot, I found the little move button...still no love on only making one part of a case transparant...everytime I try, the whole thing changes...not just the one panel

[Spacehonkey]

Tell you what after I eat my lunch I'll play around in SketchUp and see if I can figure it out.

[dfigravity]

Tell you what after I eat my lunch I'll play around in SketchUp and see if I can figure it out.

fantastic...I'm about to go to the Outback and eat some steak and have a Newcastle...mmmm beer.

[Spacehonkey]

I just got done. I think I might of figured out what you forgot to do. You not only need to give the outside of the box a texture but the inside. If you don't whenever you look inside the box it'll appear to be transparent like your one side.


Inside without a texture
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Test1.jpg

Inside with the same texture as outside
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/Test.jpg

[dfigravity]

Good stuff..thanks a lot man...there's a lot I still need to learn with this program!

[Spacehonkey]

I've just started using this program a little more than a month ago but I think I've picked up on it pretty quick. If you have any ? don't be afraid to ask.

[DaveW]

You guys should see what my Girlfriend did in it. I sat down and threw together a house for her quick style, to show her how it works.

Now, I'll be honest. It took me nearly a week to produce the plans for TIP-3000. But she apparently managed to pick up the entirety of Sketchup...overnight. If i can, I'll post a pic of what she managed to put together after just one night of using sketchup. I should stress that this is also the first time she's ever used any program like this, so this is all completely new to her.

Suffice to say, i think you'll be impressed. It blew me away.

-Dave

[dfigravity]

You guys should see what my Girlfriend did in it. I sat down and threw together a house for her quick style, to show her how it works.

Now, I'll be honest. It took me nearly a week to produce the plans for TIP-3000. But she apparently managed to pick up the entirety of Sketchup...overnight. If i can, I'll post a pic of what she managed to put together after just one night of using sketchup. I should stress that this is also the first time she's ever used any program like this, so this is all completely new to her.

Suffice to say, i think you'll be impressed. It blew me away.

-Dave


Can't wait to see it!!!! I don't know what it is about girls...they'll look at you like you're speaking chinese when you try to explain what it is you're doing, and then sit down and blow you out of the water. :redface:

I was just looking at your Sketchup of the TIP-3000 and I'm curious...it looks like you make each of the panels seperately (side, top, front etc.) and then put them together. I have been making a cube and then editing that...not sure which way is best...yours definitley looks better!

[DaveW]

Yeah, that's right-i made each part seperately so i could hide all the parts i wasn't working on. It made life a lot easier for me!

Then again, the TIP-3000 was built in sections, if you get my drift: front panel, lid, side panels, etc. I guess it just depends on what you're making at the end of the day.

-Dave

[dfigravity]

Yet another n00b question...So I'm putting together a model and I whenever I try to draw lines or makes shapes, they move in 1/4" increments...how do you change the setting so that you can make a line of any length?

[Spacehonkey]

Yet another n00b question...So I'm putting together a model and I whenever I try to draw lines or makes shapes, they move in 1/4" increments...how do you change the setting so that you can make a line of any length?

Come on give me a hard one.

Click on the Windows tab - Model Info - Click on Units on the list on the left side then click on the Precise scroll down list and select what unit of measurement you want. Also don't forget about the Enable length snapping, get can help but sometimes it gets in the way.

[dfigravity]

Come on give me a hard one.

Click on the Windows tab - Model Info - Click on Units on the list on the left side then click on the Precise scroll down list and select what unit of measurement you want. Also don't forget about the Enable length snapping, get can help but sometimes it gets in the way.

Ok...Here's a hard one for ya! I want to bondo a fan or two into the front of the case...using the PVC pipe method and make it look like a turbine...how do I make a hole with smooth tapered edges like in Defyant's HP Flame'D mod (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2269&page=8)?

Also...can I take a basic image outline from photoshop (ie. the jump wings) import it to Sketchup, place it on the side panel of a case and then cut it out?

[Spacehonkey]

Ok...Here's a hard one for ya! I want to bondo a fan or two into the front of the case...using the PVC pipe method and make it look like a turbine...how do I make a hole with smooth tapered edges like in Defyant's HP Flame'D mod (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2269&page=8)?

Also...can I take a basic image outline from photoshop (ie. the jump wings) import it to Sketchup, place it on the side panel of a case and then cut it out?

Bondoing a tapered edge? :think: I would say after you've placed the bondo on the PVC edge you use a curved piece of plastic to scrap and smooth out the bondo before it hardenings that should give you the seamless edge you're looking for.

Yes you can import a photoshop image into SketchUp. Just save the photoshop image as a jpeg and then use Import on the File window in SketchUp. You can only use the image as a skin or texture but not as an actual 3D image. What I've done in the past is import an image of a case I would like to make and then scale the image to the size I want the case to be and then use the 2D image as an outline/reference to build my 3D model on top of. If I'm not to busy tomorrow I could play around in SketchUp and see what I could come up with.

Hope that points you in the right direction.

[dfigravity]

Bondoing a tapered edge? :think: I would say after you've placed the bondo on the PVC edge you use a curved piece of plastic to scrap and smooth out the bondo before it hardenings that should give you the seamless edge you're looking for.

Yes you can import a photoshop image into SketchUp. Just save the photoshop image as a jpeg and then use Import on the File window in SketchUp. You can only use the image as a skin or texture but not as an actual 3D image. What I've done in the past is import an image of a case I would like to make and then scale the image to the size I want the case to be and then use the 2D image as an outline/reference to build my 3D model on top of. If I'm not to busy tomorrow I could play around in SketchUp and see what I could come up with.

Hope that points you in the right direction.

What I was trying to say about the bondo was how do you make that tapered edge in Sketchup....also, as far as the image in photoshop goes, I have taken this picture

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c126/dfigravity/SpadeandTab.jpg

into photoshop and made the background transparant...now I want to import it into sketchup, place it on the side of the case and cut that shape into the case...see what I'm saying? I swear I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass :) All of your input is greatly appreciated though..thanks for the paitence :up:

[Spacehonkey]

OK, I understand completely now. It's kind of hard to explain but yes you can make a tapered edge in SketchUp. I'll try and build a picture tutorial to show you step by step how it's done sometime today if I have time.

I've never been able to import a transparency before because you have to save it as an actual Photoshop file and SketchUp doesn't recognize photoshop files.

[dfigravity]

I've never been able to import a transparency before because you have to save it as an actual Photoshop file and SketchUp doesn't recognize photoshop files.

I just figured out that if you make a transparency then save it as a .PSD but set the FILENAME to spade.bmp then Sketchup will recognise the file as a .bmp and you can import it, but it is actually a .psd file so the background stays transparent. Schweet. :banana:

Oh yea..and yesterday I was able to cut hole out of the panels just fine...I'd place a shape on the panel, right click and select erase and BOOM (head shot) I had a hole...not I cant cut a damn hole to save my life.

[Spacehonkey]

Sweet, I'm over at my mom's house visiting so and she doesn't have Photoshop so I couldn't play around with photoshop but that's cool you figured it out.

If you're trying to cut a hole in a panel make a the circle then use the push/pull tool to make the circle a cylinder deep enough to stretch through the model then select the cylinder and the model and then right click and select interest selected and then you should be able to cylinder and delete it and you should be good to go.

[Spacehonkey]

Here's what I put together for the seamless edge using the PVC pipe in SketchUp.


First use the Line tool make the the lines on the cylinder for the 2 straight edges for the curve.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/CreatingCurve1.jpg

Then you use the Curve tool and contect the 2 lines and this should create a new curved surface.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/CreatingCurve2.jpg

Next select the outline of the top circle on the cylinder then click on Tools then Follow Me tool. Now click on the curved surface and you'll get a comlete curved edge around the entire cylinder.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/CreatingCurve.jpg

Now you want to select the curved surface and the panel it's sitting on. Right click and then click on Make Group. With the New Group still selected Right click again and then click on Soften/Smooth Edges. A new window will open up and then you can click and drag on the pointer and adjust the smoothness.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/SmoothEdge.jpg

Now all that's left is the stop Top and Bottom circle surfaces left from the orginal cylinder, you can choose to keep or delete them like I choose to do.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/FrontComplete1.jpghttp://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/SideComplete2.jpghttp://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j189/spacehonkey/Computer%20Mod/SketchUp%20Tutorial/BackComplete3.jpg

I hope this helps you with your sketchup model. If you have any questions or if I misunderstood what you were asking don't be afraid to let me know.

[dfigravity]

thats great bro...thanks a lot! I'm starting to love this program :)
My only complaint with it is that it sure does freeze up a lot...I'm getting tired of it "not responding"

[Spacehonkey]

My only complaint with it is that it sure does freeze up a lot...I'm getting tired of it "not responding"

Really, what are you running on? The only time I've noticed it being a little slushes is when I have to much detail in the model. I would just try to do the basics to get the idea across.

[dfigravity]

Really, what are you running on? The only time I've noticed it being a little slushes is when I have to much detail in the model. I would just try to do the basics to get the idea across.

well...I'm running it on several different machines...the one I'm having the trouble with is an older Toshiba Satellite laptop (duh)

Yea...I've turned this into my first sketchup/learning project all in one. I'll put it up once I'm finished

[Spacehonkey]

If you run into any other problems let me know. I like the idea of trying to figure out different problems, it helps me expand my knowledge of the program.