At the moment, i do not have the file on me since i am at another location. But here are the circumstances of the project.
I imported an image of the batman logo from 1993. Its the style that i think most of us remember. I used the arc tool and line tool to trace said image. Once complete, i deleted the imported version, leaving just the outline. Now, i noticed that it was empty and not closed. I looked everywhere for the hole and nothing. SO, what i did was use the line tool and clicked once on the lines. Right after i clicked, the lines closed. I hit CTRLZ, and i tried it in random places, all with same results.
Why is it not closing? and further more, why is IT closing when i click once anywhere or draw a small, small, small, small line anywhere on another line, that it closes? it does not matter where i draw the small line at or click, it will close the shape off haha. Its odd to me.
Second question:
ok, lets say i make a slab in sketchup or any basic 3d extruded shape. is there a plug in that can make different patterns on the block that i can push/pull through or above the surfface? here are some examples:
The bow tie is comin along as well. I have one printed off. I actually took apart one of my bowties, just to see how they are made and why it cost $20 for it… i feel ripped off hahaha. i could have made it for less than $3 for the materials
If it’s not closing then one of the following is likely taking place.
The lines aren’t interacting with each other. so, make sure that all lines reside within the same group, or component… Otherwise any line drawn from outside of another group will not be interpreted by SU as belonging to the same set.
All edges have to be coplanar before SU will create a face, and close off that loop… If they’re not, then you’ll have to triangulate between the vertices until they are.
a 3rd option could be in play as well in that really small line segments can’t be made (so those gaps can’t close). SU has a minimum tolerance which can’t be exceeded without employing the so called Dave Method as a workaround.
hmm, that is interesting. I made sure the model was 5 meters in length and about 3 in width(height). Once finished with the model, i always scale it down to the approprieate size i need it to be, due to SU and small face issue.
ok, so with the other two options, the tracing was not done in a group or component or attaching to another group/component.
I made sure i was in top view only and that all edges were in same plane. Thats why i think it is odd that even if i just clicked with the line tool, it closed it off, or if i drew a small small small line on anyone of the lines, it closed it off. When i get home, ill record it. its strange.
thanks for your input. I will also double check options 1 and 2 just to make sure. Just because i was in top view doesnt mean all lines were or are co-planer
Here is the snapshot of whati mean:) enjoy I finally just extruded it and finished my project so the file has been saved over that had the issue. i just think it is strange.
This all seems correct to me. or at least it’s the way I typically expect SU to work.
Any time there’s a missing face… the fix has been to draw in a new edge to reconnect two vertices… and so long as all the basics are covered SU regenerates a new face.
There could be something to say about why SU didn’t generate the Face originally, while directly on top of the trace image.
I don’t make a big deal about this but there are plenty of times when a line doesn’t always intersect with the face it’s drawn on, (in addition to what you have shown here).
I tend to just chalk this all up to the way things are in SU. (But I think in reality the details call into play the operations of the graphics card, and how OpenGl works). 2D glitches in an otherwise specialized 3D software environment.
To limit this a little bit. you might try the following:
After you’ve Imported the Tracing Image… Explode it,… then Group it again,… and turn on the Lock option for it. (… switching over to Xray mode while tracing offers an additional benefit in terms of improved image vs. line visibility).
This seems to help with the missing face problem, but it’s also a big win in preventing accidental selection of the image from happening so much of the time.
I did not know this was typical behavior for SU. Thats good to know.
Thank you much for the tips when importing the image. Turning on xray is especially helpful. its hard to see black lines on a black surface haha. Ill be sure to explode it, regroup, lock and then xray. In fact, i am going to try it know:)
thanks
EDIT::
I tried it with the following tips you provided, and it works great:)
Now that i have the face issue taken care of, Thanks to the forums and Jim for the advice,is there a pattern plug in that will create differnt types of patterns that i can either push them through or extrude them up? My goal is to 3d print some of the patterns ontop of other parts of a print, like 3d text but with patterns, or use them to create holes that when printed, look like the above cell phone case:)
There are a number of Fonts that specialize in only Designs and Patterns, rather than the language based character sets.
Do a search for Dingbat Fonts to open the door on these.
Alternatively, there are also a number of Script based (calligraphy) fonts… which are often highly influenced by floral and natural design patterns (which of course are also well represented within the Typography/Font world).
Importing these glyphs into SU, and then using the Copy Array techniques, with various offsets should get a pretty quick pattern field.
There was an online pattern generator mentioned sometime ago but I forget the name of that off hand… I"ll have to dig through the archives in hopes of finding it again… If someone else doesn’t get to it first.
thank you again. Im starting to dive into the 3d modeling world that is beyond making mechanical parts haha. Starting to make things that will be added to some of my prints that will be cool.
ill start with some fonts and see what i can generate from there.
So here is a project i am wanting to accomplish. its a pen holder haha or a coin holder, but the purpose is to learn some new sketchup techniques. I want to apply the filligree or flowral patterns or any kind of pattern to the surface of this container and be able to cut the shapes out to make it webbed, for lack of a better word.
