Follow-me problem... (could be an easy one)

Hey all,

I’ve got a profile which I’m using with follow-me around a block, but after the follow-me operation, the geometry created has bits missing. I believe it’s because the profile shape I’ve made is not sitting exactly 90deg to the face.

My brain’s a bit fried. I thought about setting the axes, so that the surface to be followed around, and the axes for the profile are the same. But at some point, the profile shape became off-axis of a perfect 90 and I think this is causing the problem.

The reason it being off axis (… its a bit long to go in to…) but basically is there anything I can do to correct this? so that I can carry out my follow-me perfectly.?

many thanks.

prof

Hi @SkillipEvolver

Can you attach your .skp file? at least an example with the shape?
That usually helps other to see what’s going on.

Regards.

I would suggest going back and straightening out the profile and the path so you can run Follow Me correctly. Anything else is just cobbling it (no offense to the shoe makers in the crowd) and will likely create other problems for you later. If your brain is fried, go away and leave it for awhile. It’s no good operating power tools like Follow Me when you are fatigued. You don’t want to cut off a thumb in the process. :slight_smile:

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Uploaded, sorry it’s so large.

I know already what the reaction will be!

–that these corner ridges Im working on should have been set up as component.
Because then whatever I do to one, would be done to the rest (there are 5 of these blocks in total).

But because mistakes were made previously, the entire column/tower is not perfect at all. Therefore Im doing all these ‘blocks’ manually 1 by 1. I’ve only got this one, and the final one to do. I hope you’re able to make sense of the file.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8XRilwNvTZKS2UtLW5Ed2c4OHM

About my last post I’m not sure if that was the problem (I maybe I did by accident) or if the pattern you were using it wasn’t placed perpendicular to to the path you want it follows, maybe both. I redrew the faces and the placed again the pattern and then follow me tools worked.

This is what I was able to do, I think now corners are ok but don’t blame if I erased something by accident.
I also reversed some faces, but not all.

By the way, as @eneroth3 suggested in another thread, you probably made some extra copies using an array, there is z-fighting geometry on your model.

I had a look at your file and I like the style but it started frying my brain a little, when I saw you used groups instead of components and also the fact that the ledges for example are just raw geometry. You should use the power of components, it will make things so much easier to model and to adjust later on if needed.
I didn’t fix it, but I thought I’d give you a simple example of how you could set things up. Some practice for me too. Its not particularly a good design but hopefully it might help you in the future.
Basically I made each part a component, made it solid, did the intersect if needed, checked again for solid and then copy/rotated around the origin *5 (if needed). Then any intersections for those 5 copies and checked for solid again. (I did “cheat” and use solid tools for intersect, but it just takes a little longer without them).

Hope its of help

COMPONENTS.skp (2.3 MB)

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Thanks for the help all, but I went ahead and fixed it myself. (After your tips about why it was going wrong).

Thanks to all those who took at look at my files, however I couldn’t open anyone’s SKP files because I seem to still have SU 2016 installed and your fixes were made in 2017.

In any case, my problem’s fixed now.

I’m glad you got it sorted, I’ve re-uploaded my “components” example in 2016 version above if you want to take a look at it. Bit of a schoolboy error on my part, not checking your profile.

@Thorleyian, thank you so much for giving us some guidelines to follow when we have to draw a model.
I expect you don’t get anrgy if I post here your model for SU 2015, I really liked it, I didn’t thought about the problem of being using different versions because I’m not used to exchange SU files with other people. Let me know if you prefer I delete or remove something from my post.

@SkillipEvolver, I’m also glad to hear you got it, this is the @Thorleyian example, I very recommend you to take it a look and explore the components, remember you can nest components inside other ones. After reading some recommendations from others as DaveR, don’t make groups, try to make components always. example_2015.skp (2.3 MB)

I followed what @TheOnlyAaron teached me here about how to explode a model and this was the result for what Thorleyian did.

This is the exploded model:

This is the list of components:

And this is his model assembled.

Regards.

I’m not sure why you would think that, but no of course I don’t mind.

Reflecting, if I did it again I would do it a little differently. I often think about more efficient ways to model, each one has its own bridges to cross so its always good to keep an open mind.

Back to the original topic of follow me, the reason for all of this were because the op had already successfully ran follow me on essentially the same parts as the now failed one (which were raw geometry). Only one follow me operation should have been required for the whole model if components were used. If errors would have occurred, only one component instance needs to be fixed. (Getting the profile correct on the path is of course essential too.)

So, by taking a step back and setting things up a little different, again, its much easier to model and change parts later. Hence the example I posted, of a possible way to do that. Not brilliant by any means (I’m no expert), but it makes things a heck of a lot easier.

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I’m no expert either. Ppl have said it all along, that I need to take heed of groups and components.

I watched the tutorials and will say that I understood the concepts at the time, bit then moving on to do the modeling, I think the importance of those lessons took a back seat in my mind while I just sketched away! Hey! This is the simple joy of sketchup in my opinion!

This was my first proper really model really. I’d hope I finish it but I’m not really learning any new techniques by now so I might move on to doing something new. Went to a vintage car exhibition on the weekend so might challenge myself to model something curvy.

While we’re on the subject of buildings…
Anyone ever seen the work of Rio Ryne on YouTube? He modeled the entire welcoming hall of the mansion from the resident evil games. It’s incredible check it out!

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