# Sketchup Problem



## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

Hi Guys

I usually use sketchup on my laptop but using the 'nub' mouse can be laborious when you need to get things done. I have installed sketchup on my main PC but sketchup is behaving oddly.

Firstly, my primary monitor is a 22" flatscreen at a resolution of 1680x1050 when I open sketchup I get a blank area to the far right of the screen. It disappears is I make the whole window smaller. But when maximised objects get hidden in this area.

Secondly, selecting objects seems to be playing up. Sometimes when I click an object it selects the object behind it or next to it. I have to change the view angle a few times before I can get a grip on it. 

Both problems have never existed on any other PC? I tried upgrading to the latest version with no joy.

Any ideas? Might be a bit techy this one.


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

I'll forward this on to my contacts and let you know what I find out. In the meantime, you might try updating your video drivers. this has helped for some folks. You might also try changing the OpenGL settings to see if there's any change

More about your system and which SU version number would be helpful.


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

Cheers Dave


Sketchup V6.2.112
Windows XP
Pentium Core2 6400 @ 2.13GHZ
3.5GB DDR Ram
Intel Q695/Q963 Express

I'll check the drivers...


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

I'm really living up to my avatar today! The blank space thing was indeed a driver issue. What on earth do I get paid for I wonder?!? :roll: :wink: 

The other problem still exists. Maybe it's the file, so I will include it here:

http://www.wizer.co.uk/images/worktops.skp

If I click on the first panel (drawer fronts) it actually grabs what's behind it?


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

GLad you got the display thing worked out. I didn't have any trouble when I clicked on the left hand door. It was selected and not the drawer behind it. When I clicked on the back panel however, a drawer was selected. I started poking around and made some changes and the problem went away.

First, I changed Units Precision to 0.00mm and I unchecked Enable Length Snapping. Then I turned of Profiles under the Styles Edit tab. If anything, I would guess that the Units changes helped change that.

We need to talk about other stuff related to your set up and the model. 

If you'll send me your e-mail address I'll send this model back to you


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

I did what you advised and still the same. PM Sent.
Thanks Muchly


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## Shultzy (15 Jan 2008)

Wizer , Ill give you a clue as to what Dave will tell you

Components,Components,Components

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

thanks, what's the difference between a group and a component?


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## Shultzy (15 Jan 2008)

Dave correct me if I'm wrong - Groups are collections of lines,faces which can be manipulated, but manipulation will only affect that group - a component is a special kind of group which can be manipulated, but the manipulation affects all other components that are the same.

i.e. say you draw a leg and make it a group then copy the group to the 4 corners of a table. If you change one of the legs nothing will happen to the other legs. However if the first leg is made a component any change to the first leg will be repeated on all the other 4.


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

Shultzy, how did you know. 

WiZeR, that's a large part of what I want to go over with you. If you'll notice, the version I sent back to you is all components. There's not a group in the bunch. Also notcie the file size is a bit smaller than yours.

Components are a special form of group that can be given a name and other attributes. The beauty of a component is that all instances (copies) of the component will be edited when you edit any one of them. Additionally, SketchUp only needs to remember the geomtry of one component and then just the location of the rest of them so this helps to keep file size under control.

There's more I want to cover about components but I'm still at work while you lot are lounging about in your smoking jackets with an after dinner glass of cognac. 

I'll babble some more. 

BTW, do you have Skype?


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

I'm not sure how, then, that applies to my model. As most of the 'groups' are individual and thus I don't want others to change as I alter the 'master'. I can see them being an advantage in your example of table legs. 

Of course what do I know? Maybe i'm missing the point.


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

Shultzy":26qydicm said:


> Dave correct me if I'm wrong - Groups are collections of lines,faces which can be manipulated, but manipulation will only affect that group - a component is a special kind of group which can be manipulated, but the manipulation affects all other components that are the same.
> 
> i.e. say you draw a leg and make it a group then copy the group to the 4 corners of a table. If you change one of the legs nothing will happen to the other legs. However if the first leg is made a component any change to the first leg will be repeated on all the other 4.



That's correct but there's more to it.


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

Foot in mouth.

Dave Skype would probably be a good idea, but I have no mic :? So that's out for now.

Thanks for your help. I'll look into this component business a bit closer.


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

WiZeR":1qdh1bhb said:


> I'm not sure how, then, that applies to my model. As most of the 'groups' are individual and thus I don't want others to change as I alter the 'master'. I can see them being an advantage in your example of table legs.
> 
> Of course what do I know? Maybe i'm missing the point.



But the parts of the top two drawers are all identical as are the bottoms of all the drawers. The two doors on the right are mirror images but they are the same size. The side panel pairs are mirror images but otherwise identical. the long members of the lower part of the top frame are identical as are all the short members (except two of them are upside down compared to the other two.)


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## wizer (15 Jan 2008)

Thanks Dave, I'll have to have a play with it. Sounds like it's a mind frame thing. I guess I never think that far ahead.


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## SketchUp Guru (15 Jan 2008)

Just a for what it's worth sort of thing. (And because it is the only example I have at hand, there are 10 copies of each of the two pipe boxes in the front. The two are slighly different but most of their parts are identical. The file size for the two, with the texturing is 233Kb. The file size for all twenty of them is only 259Kb.







The pipe boxes are made of components. The sides are mirror images of each other as are the sides of the drawer. The front and back are split in half and each half is a component. The benefit to this is that I don't end up with huge files due to all the entities present in the curves.






In the first image, the front components on the right hand side are modified slightly around the drawers. The sides are also slightly modified from the ones on the left.


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## wizer (16 Jan 2008)

cheers Dave, makes sense.


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