CutList and the Scale Tool

[RogerS]

I had a SU drawing of a casement window and resized it using the Scale tool. However, when I ran CutList, the results still reflected the original size. By a bit of fiddling, I found Scale Definition and selecting each component and then applying Scale Definition (whatever that is) CutList picked up the correct size. Selecting the whole model didn't give the Scale Definition option and so I had to laboriously select each component in turn....a very long-winded and far from ideal solution plus you are left with the nagging sense that you might have missed one. So you end up double-checking which kind of defeats the object.

So...my approach using Scale Definition. Is that the best way?

Thanks

EDIT: OK..I see that Scale definition applies any scaling to the Component definition in the Component Browser and since that is what drives CutList then that makes sense. So we're looking for a better way to apply Scale Definition.

 

[SketchUp Guru]

Roger, the Scale tool isn't the best option for resizing the components in your model. If you do use it, you should open the components for editing. Otherwise you aren't changing the definition of the component. Scaling a component, though, also results in scaling any joinery you may have. You can avoid resizing things you don't want to change by using the Move tool. You'll still open the components for editing but you'll select only the portion of the geometry that needs to be moved. A few minutes ago I put up a blog post on Design. Click. Build. about this exact subject.

You bring up an interesting thing, though. Often folks will work at some larger scale perhaps to avoid the holes left due to the tiny face thing. They'll make a component and then scale it down to fit the rest of the model. They do the scaling without opening the component, though, so they don't correct its definition. Later, they use that same component in another model but when they bring it in, it is the original large size instead of the correct size. I run into this problem frequently with models from the 3D Warehouse.