Best way to center around midpoint

As always Box, You’re 100% accurate. I went back to test SU 2017 and the center option isn’t even there. But it felt as if it always should have been…

So, once again,… DANG YOU TRIMBLE, for not adding in the f-#!**& center option all along…

… Oh, I’m forgetting about my holiday manner’s, I guess I mean to say… THANK YOU,TRIMBLE !! for adding in such a useful option. It’s a key functionality which is completely natural in it’s use and integration. A fine addition to the SU 2018 inferencing system.

Future apologies pending, possibly with eggnog on my face… sometime during my New Years Eve Celebrations for 2018, and of course only after having first reached the necessary state of humility.

1 Like

(I’m back–away for a brief trip!) Anyway, I downloaded the 2017 Make version because I thought that was the most recent free version. I’m using it for projects around my house, so I couldn’t justify (yet) getting the professional version. If they ever release a 2018 Make version, I’ll upgrade.

But you guys came up with so many options I never imagined, like rotating a copy of a guideline 180 degrees, or scaling lines that were initially drawn on the edges, that I think I can make do with the features I have now.

Thanks!

I found this post surprisingly informative. What for me initially appeared as a simple question yielded an interesting number and variety of solutions some of which I never would have thought of. I am still working on improving my drawing skills and have found it quite difficult to source a suitably comprehensive training course on pure drafting although there seem to be multiple sources on different projects. I have seen the 3DVinci book listed & thought I might treat myself with it for Christmas. I would be very interested to hear feedback from anyone who has studied it & also form anyone who may be able to suggest alternative sources. I have completed a few on-line courses now & must say that often the information has been disappointing. I have actually found this forum has been more useful.

I bought the pdf versions of the 3DVinci “Hands-On Exercises” books. So far, I have only gone through a small part of the Basic book, but I like it. I would say it is similar in character to the 4 official Getting Started videos, but in far greater depth.

The one thing it may lack is showing some of the “tricks of the trade” to use the tools in non-obvious ways, such as some of the ideas discussed in this thread. But it sure seems the users on this forum are very generous (and very quick) to share these!

1 Like

Here’s yet another way.
RotEdge

Wow, another way. I figured when I originally posted that there would be one best way to do it. But you have demonstrated a wide variety of techniques, and most of them are quite generalized and applicable to a lot of situations where symmetry is needed. Thanks!

1 Like

Did you try the approach with a component and its counterpart, a mirrored component instance when symmetry is needed? It saves you to draw things twice and SketchUp won’t make mistakes in measurements to have both sides be the same.

Well, my original question was about creating a rectangle with a centered arc on attached to one edge. I had been using the 2 point arc more frequently than the others, and I forgot about the (plain) arc tool. It was pointed out this directly solves the problem because it has you select the center instead of the 2 end points, so you can use the midpoint inference on the rectangle edge. But going beyond arcs, several folks provided some great general ideas to create symmetric lines or guidelines, which would be useful for centering many kinds of shapes.

However, your suggestion is very good for a more complicated shape. You could create it anywhere, using reflection to mirror the left half to create the right half, then move it using a point on its center as the reference point and the midpoint inference point of the rectangle to select the destination precisely.

I think the simplest way to accomplish the centering is to draw a line equal in length to the edge where you want to center the arc. Then go to Edit>Edge>Divide and divide the line into 4 parts. Draw guidelines on the division points and you have located the endpoints of the arc.

The extra edge with the ‘Line’ tool nor the guides are necessary. Selecting the lower long edge of the rectangle and dividing it into four would give you the same endpoints.
But then again, the endpoints don’t seem to be needed at equal spacing. The OP just wants them to be at equal distance from the center. Symmetrical from center is “all” that was asked for.

Then dividing the edge into any even number greater than 2 would accomplish what the OP wants.

So how would you accomplish say 17mm from left corner and (=also) 17mm from righ corner. Dividing the edge with ‘Divide’ operation won’t help unless the edge is 2n× 17mm in length.

Easy with my option.

1 Like

I know, @Box, I was trying to convince @davidheim1 that ‘Divide’ only works in certain circumstances. Yours with rotating an edge ( or so) is a general approach.

1 Like

You convinced me.

2 Likes

This topic was automatically closed 91 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.