Assembling PVC Pipe at odd angles

I’m using Sketchup 8 and having fits trying to rotate parts (components) into their proper angle for my design. Is there a way to use point to point move so the items square up with one another? Using the Rotate tool is a mother! I’ve designed furniture but pipe is a different matter. 45 x 90 x 45 etc.

HELP!

This sounds like a good exercise for getting proficient with Move and Rotate. I would set the insertion points for the pipe on the center line of the pipe and at one end. I would also add cross hairs on the ends of the fittings to provide snap to points for inserting the pipe components. You could add some temporary geometry to the pipes if needed but you should be able to get the Rotate tool to lock in to the desired direction and hold it with Shift.

Another option would be to create some faces at the various rotation angles to use to set the rotation.

And for an additional option, make square cross section proxies for your pipe components. Maybe make them 1 in. square. Set their component origins and axes to match the pipe components. Then you can position the square sections and replace them with the pipe components.

If you could share an example of what you’re doing, maybe I can give more specifics.

Dave,

I will email or attached something to look at tomorrow. SketchUp Downloads | FORMUFIT has the parts but I need to lay them out for a stand to attached three 24" monitors. A little different than laying out square wood pieces for furniture.

Thanks for the help.

I see it as nearly the same thing.

You just need to create alignment jigs which you can attach to the pipe ends. and work with those. The roundness, and SU’s lacking of snap features don’t have to be controlling the outcome.

Come up with a system so that you can attach something else to the pipe, group them together, and work as you normally would.

You could even embed the pipe into a square post component. Or, you could mock up 4 sided circles, and then change their segment count afterwards.

or build with squares, and use the end face of the squares as the surface on which you’ll build the circles for the piping. extruding them into pipes will be relatively easy since they will track the same angle set in place by the square post mockup.

But, if your working with models that are already drawn, then attaching an alignment aid will likely be the way to go.

Also, turning ON the transparency setting is always very helpful with aligning centering points, and internal markings.

Hi menardrs, hi folks.

Can you post a sketch of what you want to do with the required orientations and angles between the pipes?

Best regards.

Jean

Very crude.

I really need to put my PVC Designer extension in the Extension Store, I guess.
It takes a wireframe construction, and then converts it into a PVC pipe design, picking connectors, cutting pipe, etc. It can produce a BOM/cutlist.
Here’s an example

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