Cutting off excess curve

[sketchup5]

Hi there,
I’m trying to design a curved range hood.
Random example image attached.

I want the curved sides to meet in a 45deg angle.

I have made the curves for the sides and the front, but how do I cut off the excess parts of the curves?

The front curve is one component and the side curves are another component.

The parts that I want to remove is shown in red below.

2 (1).skp (301.3 KB)

[Guido]

If it’s raw geometry you can use Intersect faces with selection and delete unwanted geometry.

[KyleB]

If you make them groups, you can also use solid tools and trim the excess.
https://help.sketchup.com/en/sketchup/modeling-complex-3d-shapes-solid-tools

[mihai.s]

Follow Me tool

[jean_lemire_1]

This is the same picture that you showed in this other thread:

Sketchup - how to draw a custom arc

Hi, I’m trying to layout a curved range hood. I have attached an example of the concept. In my drawing I have set some fixpoints that the arc needs to pass through and used the 2 point arc tool to create the arc. But as you can see, the arc does not pass through the fixpoints. I then tried to make individual arches between each of the points, but that results in an arc with several small ‘high’ points where the curved sections meets, and I found no way to smooth the transition. So that is no…

[DaveR]

@KyleB

If you make them groups, you can also use solid tools and trim the excess.

Except the OP is using the Free Web version so no Solid Tools.

[KyleB]

touche!

[sketchup5]

@Guido Thanks for the suggestion! I tried it, but could not get it to work. Maybe it is because that each of the sides are made as a component?

@KyleB Thanks for the suggestion! Unfortunately I cannot afford the pro version for personal projects, so I’m on the free version without plugins.

@mihai.s Thanks for the video! Wow, that seems VERY easy I tried it. I drew the shape and tried to follow me on the the inside lists, but get the error that “the profile needs to be perpendicular to the selected path”. Screenshot and file attached. Do you know what is wrong? Also, if I do it like that, can I then make each side into a separate object?

@jean_lemire_1 Correct, but this is a separate issue that I’m struggling with, so thought it would be best to make a new thread.

Thanks to all for your kind help!

2 (2).skp (285.8 KB)

[DaveR]

What exactly do you need out of your model when you get finished with it? I presume this is a hobby thing and maybe you are planning to build one of these hood covers for your kitchen. Is that right?

Why not start with a cross section profile and use Follow Me to create the hood. If you want to see the miters you can separate out the geometry as needed.

2 (2).skp (299.0 KB)

[sketchup5]

DaveR,

Thanks for the reply!

Yes, you are correct about the assumption! Trying to lay this thing out before trying to build it, as there are so many things that could go wrong if not thought about before doing the first cut

I actually just now managed to get the sides to be cut down. I found out that I had to explode the components and then I could use the intersect trick suggested by @Guido - so thanks for that!

Now I just need to figure out how to cut the sides so that they will meet in a 45 deg angle. Any suggestions?

What I would also need to do at some point would be to unfold the curved hood profile to flat and measure how big they should be cut. Any suggestions for that?

[DaveR]

Look at the file I shared.

[sketchup5]

@DaveR Wow - thanks a lot

! I just tried to replicate the steps in your file to learn how you did. It took me hours drawing the hood with rectangles and lines, but that follow me tools is really handy!

Some questions:

• In step 3 you have managed to make the different parts into objects.
  Is there an easy way to do that? For example, do you have to first double click the front, then the back, then the top - then make object - and then draw the missing lines to make all sides filled? In this screenshot the part that was connected to the other part is not made into a solid side. I can just draw a line at the bottom, just wanted to know if there is an easier way to quick make all sides / faces into an object.

Also, when I am cutting this side, it will be from a flat piece of plywood, that I will bend afterwards. Is there a way to ‘flatten’ the object so that I can print it and lay it out as a template?

[DaveR]

@sketchup5

Is there an easy way to do that? For example, do you have to first double click the front, then the back, then the top - then make object - and then draw the missing lines to make all sides filled?

Double clicking on surfaces is one way. Alternatively you can use right to left selection windows. Depending on what you select you may need to trace some edges in order to create faces at the miters. Since the left and right sides are symmetrical you can make components for the left side parts, delete the geometry for the right side, and then use Flip/Copy to copy the left to the right.

@sketchup5

Is there a way to ‘flatten’ the object so that I can print it and lay it out as a template?

In SketchUp Free you can expose the hidden geometry and use the Rotate tool to sort of unbend the part. I would do that only with the outer surface, though.

In SketchUp Pro (desktop) you can use an extension to do that quickly and automatically.

[slbaumgartner]

Correct because the side and front profiles are the same as happens in this case. Won’t work if they are different.

[mihai.s]

@slbaumgartner

Correct because the side and front profiles are the same as happens in this case. Won’t work if they are different.

You can make it work

[sketchup5]

What do you mean by using right to left selection windows?

Regarding the flattening I am unsure what you mean. I have rotated one of the front surfaces so that it is laying down along the blue axis. But what to do then?

[sketchup5]

Thanks a lot!

[DaveR]

@sketchup5

What do you mean by using right to left selection windows?

Dragging a selection window around geometry from right to left instead of from left to right. Each of those methods selects differently. Left to right only selects what falls completely within the selection window. Right to left selects anything that the window crosses.

@sketchup5

Regarding the flattening I am unsure what you mean. I have rotated one of the front surfaces so that it is laying down along the blue axis. But what to do then?

You have to rotate the faces so they are all in the same plane. Here I’ve rotated the surface so the the longest face is on the ground plane. Select the remaining faces and rotate them so the second face is coplanar to the first, reduce the selection and rotate again. Repeat until you have the whole thing flat.

Once you have the faces all flattened you should be able to delete the softened edges to wind up with one face. If faces disappear when you erase any of those edges the surface isn’t flat.