I am in the process of creating a model of my house. I would like to easily switch the view from doors open to closed. I am using SU Make, so I don’t have the ability to create dynamic components (if that would even be a practical way to do this). What I think I should do is have 2 versions of each door, one open and one closed, and put them on separate layers. I have read Aidan Chopra’s tutorials on layers and looked at several forum threads, but I’m still confused. I have moved one door from Layer 0 to a new layer and tried to copy and then paste in place on another new layer, but I can’t get it to work. I know that I could open a new layer and just put another door there, but copy/paste seems like it would save a lot of time because the actual placement of the doors into the model is a little tricky. I should also ask if layers is the right approach in the first place:confused:
Look at entity info. You can easily change components to different layers.
All ‘raw’ geometry [edges and faces] should always be assigned to Layer0 [the default - which should almost always be the current-layer]
‘Containers’ [groups/components] can be assigned other layers.
Those layers can be switched on/off to control visibility…
You should not think of layers in the CAD sense.
SketchUp layers only control visibility.
When applied to ‘containers’ the visibility of these works.
When [wrongly] used with raw-geometry it’s a recipe for disaster…
‘Containers’ separate geometry - layers do not !
As @ad_1011 says, you can reassign layers of selected objects using Entity Info…
I think you almost got it right. Although you can’t copy a door instance from one layer to another. The wording just isn’t right.
You for each door you need two instances.
Per set of doors one should have layer_close assigned to it, the other should have layer_open assigned to it.
Do this via ‘Entity Info’
You can start making copies of all doors ‘In Place’.
Per location you now have two doors although you only see one.
Per location rotate one door around its hinge over whatever angle is needed.
Select all closed doors and assign them to layer_close (as an entire selection to speed things up)
Select all open doors and assign the selected bunch to layer_open.
You could also create two different door components (with two orientations) as subcomponent into one main component. The subcomponents should be assigned to their specific layer_open/_close.
But this means they all would have the same angle between “open and close”.
Whichever method you prefere.
“You can start making copies of all doors ‘In Place’.
Per location you now have two doors although you only see one.”
This is the concept I’m not getting. Can you please explain in more detail how I make a copy of a closed door ‘In Place’ and then isolate that copy in order to ‘open’ it and assign it to a new layer? Hopefully you get what I’m trying to ask. I understand how to create new layers and assign components via the entity dialog. I also understand how to edit my door from closed to open. What I’m having trouble with is making and isolating a copy in place. Also I’m going to have to be able to make the component copy unique so that the original door stays closed, right?
There can only be one edge (per level, as in basic or in a group) in a certain location in SketchUp. But there can exist multiple group instances or component instances in the same location. So you can copy a component via clipboard to ‘copy In Place’. You can then select one by just clicking on it and perform a ‘Rotate’ operation to it. The other remains unchanged. In fact it is quite simple. Once you have rotated (one per set) all the copies you can assign them to their appropriate layer.
OK, so I have managed to make a copy of my closed door component in place (I probably had one all along, but just didn’t realize it). But when I select one and edit it to open, the original copy also opens (as I would expect, since it’s a component). So your comment that “the other remains unchanged” doesn’t seem to be the case. At any rate, I think I can move forward. Thanks so much for your help.
You need to make the new component unique. Right Click > Make Unique
Or just rotate the component without opening it for editing.
This would work if the door jamb isn’t part of the component.
Not sure if that’s the case, but maybe.
Right, the jamb is part, so I just made the copy unique (as I originally stated I thought I should do). Now if I can only figure out this scenes thing…
Make two identical scenes then go in and turn off the appropriate layers and update the scenes.
I set two different scenes, each one with the appropriate layers on/off and updated, but when I click on each scene nothing changes. The thumbnails for each scene show them as I set them, but clicking on one doesn’t show that scene on my screen. Somehow the layer selection isn’t "set " into the scene.
Can you share the model with us?
Sure. This is a simple practice model I’m playing with (don’t want to risk screwing up the considerable work I’ve done on my house model so far!). What I’ve done so far, I can view the “door closed” scene, but when I try to see “door open”, I see BOTH doors.
layer practice.skp (338.7 KB)
layer practice.skp (354.2 KB)
Your issue is with Layer 0. I moved the closed door to Layer 2.
You should look into the proper way to use Layer 0. I can elaborate later but I’m a little busy at the moment.
You need to create a door open layer and a door closed layer, layer0 never gets turned off.
Ah yes, I get it now. I actually understood that at one point, but in my journey to understand the rest of it, it got lost. Thank you all for helping this newbie find her way.
[quote=“kristinelise, post:7, topic:39265”]
So your comment that “the other remains unchanged” doesn’t seem to be the case
[/quote] I never said anything about opening a component for editing (rotation). Just selecting and rotating the door component would do. That is what I said.
I should have said that the orientation of the other door remains the same. Do not edit components in this case.
Look at it as two doors standing side by side and then you rotate one door.
I didn’t see that. So yes, you need two different components. One may be achieved by making one of the two superimposed instances unique and only then make some changes to it (rotate the door).
Last step is assigning the proper layer to each of these two components to controle their visibility.