How to make my object whole?

Ah, very easy to accomplish.

All you need is a copy of just the Bounding Edges of the star pattern.
Place them on the Face of a box.

Select all and use the Intersect command to insure the Edges cut the Face of the box.
Then simply Push/Pull the Face down into the box.

Click through the Scenes in this tutorial model:
Star_Mold_001.skp (617.5 KB)

Learn how the Push/Pull tool can make holes and depressions for the cope half of the mold as well.

Easy like you said! And how would I draw the channels I need between the runner and the star pattern? I tried several things but I can’t seem to find the right way to draw a 3D rectangle channel that fits perfectly between the runner and the shape to mould…

Thanks @Neil_Burkholder, love this visual answer!

@manuel.desrochers

Your profile indicates you’re using SketchUp Make
The Solid Tools @Neil_Burkholder demonstrated are a SketchUp Pro only feature.
They will cease to function when your SketchUp Make 30-Day free trial of Pro expires.

SketchUp Pro’s Solid Tools merely automate native functions common to Make and Pro.
They’re a convenience, not a necessity.



You might find it easier to use the Line tool to draw the shapes on the face of the mold one line at a time.
When you draw a closed loop of edges (lines) on a face, the face within those bounding edges is separated or ‘cut’ into the face outside the closed loop of edges.
With that, simply Push/Pull the face down into the box/body of the mold.

Learn how SU’s Inference Engine enables you to control the placement and direction of the tools.



method without using solid tools. As previously stated, all of this much easier if you align to axes, or change the axis of the existing model.

Hi, Creators-
Finally jumped in to Sketchup and really like its attributes but being a newbie i need some help please.
I am 3D modelling, in scale, a garage renovation into living space. But related to this topic I imported a double hung window but some of the elements while all connected did not reflect the actual or typical construction of a window. Deleted all entities except the two sashes and built a frame and details on them to reflect accuracy. Turns out the lower sash is a component and won’t attach to the rest of the model…the main model is a Group.
Tried right command selecting various, while the lower is selected but options won’t allow attaching to rest of the model.
ideas welcomed and appreciated!!
Isitdav

Further on my previous there are hidden elements used to construct the lower sash that are too many and in error for the correct geometry so will erase the lower and copy the upper to replace. Getting rid of this separate component may solve…your thought?
BTW, it is not a dynamic model.

The 3D Warehouse is an invaluable resource but is still subject to caveat emptor:

ca·ve·at emp·tor
ˌkavēˌät ˈem(p)ˌtôr/
noun
the principle that the buyer (SketchUppper) alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase (download) is made. :hushed:

A bit of rejiggering is sometimes necessary to make a downloaded model useful/functional but it’s almost always well worth the time and effort. Hope you find this applies to the window model you describe…

May be neologism time:

Caveat SketchTor: let the Modeler Beware

Or not…

Indeed the case with the window. Steep learning curve but a worthwhile challenge!
There here were over 130 elements during deconstruction…
Onward into the abyss of elemental design.
Or not…

Not so easy after all! ; ) I don’t know why but I can seem to properly intersect both items. When I try to push/pull through the face of the mould it doesn’t cut the surface but the shape comes out at the back anyway. Any idea why? I tried to intersect with selection and it doesn’t change anything…

Sounds like you have all the pieces to the puzzle but are just not getting them put together correctly. I’ll bet if you review feedback starting at the beginning of this topic including the suggested tutorials you’ll be a mold-modelling pro in short order.

Like @Geo said solid tools are handy but not necessary.

One line of code can save you a lot of time in this case, because on my computer when I followed the advice @whiterabbitdesigncompany the ‘holes’ didn’t come out as separate faces.

1 Like

Apologies… in the sequence i submitted (add to rectangular face) once the geometry is on the new face I select all and used “make face” plugin to fill/unify the geometry. Alternatively you can use the pencil tool to do this on a hole by hole basis but takes longer. This is only a method to avoid solid tools if they are not a part of the program (trial or make?). As always, there are many ways to achieve the same results in Sketchup which often depend on personal preference, knowledge and habit!

Ok thank you all! I should be able to figure it with all the tips on the different ways to do this.

Meanwhile I’m working on another project that’s giving a bit of a headache.

I’m putting together a model for a mobile store built in a truck and I’m having a hard time finding how to actually insert all the doors and windows into the structure of the back box. Now I just placed them on the surface but how can I pierce the surface to put them in place?

My model is apparently to big to upload here. (9 Mo)

Thanks!

You can make your window unit a “component” and put the axis in the right spot on the component and make sure it is set to “cut opening” and it will cut opening in a surface you put it on (you can specify vertical too), much like window and door components do. Or once you have your window unit in place on a surface you can just select the surface it sits on and draw a rectangle for the opening and then delete that face.

simple tutorial that explains it.

Hi all,

So I finally succeeded at making my first mould!

However, now I’m trying to do it again for another mould using a different shape and I can’t get it to intersect properly so that I can push the shape in the block no matter what I try. Can someone help me figure this one out?

Tower_Base_M_Mould_R1.skp (561.1 KB)

I don’t know how you managed it but there seems to be a lack of planarity. Notice the Y values of the coordinates.

You have edges that are not on the surface so those edges won’t divide the surface.

Dave beat me to it with the same observation. The subtle thing is that the off-plane items are so close to on-plane that the edges are bleeding through instead of being obscured by the front of the mold. That makes it hard to spot the issue! You were probably not paying close enough attention to inference snaps while creating the edges on the front face.

Ok, thanks for the quick reply guys! Is there a quick fix to this or I have to start all over again?

It seems like an easy enough thing to draw, I would start from scratch. I think it would be faster than trying to fix what you’ve got.

I would suggest you turn off Length snapping and set your precision higher than you have it currently. Maybe work in the proper units, too. (Window>Model Info>Units.)