Endpoint won't snap

Hi Everyone,
After my first 6 hours with Sketchup, time for some noob stumbling blocks.

I’m using a grouped component (a base cabinet), and need to snap its endpoint to a guide point. I’m unable to select any endpoints on the bottom of the component, only midpoints; and whatever I select won’t snap to the guide point. It’s quite random too, I can (and can’t) select different endpoints and midpoints depending on the object and camera orientation.

In simpler terms, I’m having a hell of a time moving this cabinet to where it needs to be.

I attached a simplified project - 1 component, 1 guidepoint.EndPointSnap.skp (122.2 KB)

Are you zooming in on the point you want to snap to? I looked at your model and had no issue moving the corner of the cabinet to the reference line, but I did zoom in in order to place it (click to the guide point).

I’m a newbie too, so I’m not sure if this way is ok for you.

You do have the move tool selected?

You can also press left (green), up (blue) or right (red) arrow key to keep it parallel to the axes and then move it again. I used up key to move it parallel to blue axe.

I choose the end of the box in this occasion.

It’s worth pointing out that you can’t grab the object by the corner of the bounding box, but you can infer to the corner.
As you see here, I hover over the corner to get it’s attention, then I move down to the bottom of the leg and the Corner still shows as interested, then I click and release to grab at that point and move to the guide point for another click and release to place. I do the same next with the midpoint inference. You can infer from two points at the same time, I could have got the corner and a point on the bottom of the foot.

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So many replies, so detailed and so quickly! Some of the best experience I had in online forums.

Box, you hit the (3D-modeled) nail on its virtual head, by confirming that you can’t select a corner of an object’s bounding box (by design), but can infer to it. Definitely tricky to learn those important inference engine aspects, e.g. there’s no visual feedback on the corner. When I first tried your method I was more zoomed out, and it didn’t properly pick on the bounding box’s corner.

Also, I learned that the object (which I imported from 3DWH) should’ve been more carefully defined as a component, and that it pays off to pay attention to gluing planes and axes in the component creation window, in order to have a useful component origin point. (As alluded to by spawn2k99.)

(Also, interesting to learn about the caveats that make gluing planes quite ‘weak’, and one extension to help with it.)

Thanks!

I think your question was answered, but personally I always found that zooming in closely helps a lot. Also moving it along axis is more accurate than just selecting it and then eye-balling it. SketchUp perspectives lie to you all the time haha but it’s easy to get used to! Good luck!

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