When I use the Follow Me tool, sometimes (not all the time) lines are generated on a curved surface, where there should be a smooth surface. Then I have to either delete or Hide the lines to get the surface I want. Don’t have a clue as to why sometimes the crown moulding is generated without these lines, and sometimes the lines are there!
Those edges are indicative of exploded curves in the profile. If you’ve already used the profile for one extrusion and copy it, the curves will be exploded. You can soften the edges after the extrusion or use a Weld extension to weld the curves before running Follow Me. If you use Eneroth Auto Weld, it’ll take care of the welding for you.
Here’s a random crown molding profile I grabbed from the 3DWH. You can see that the curves are exploded into short curves section and extruding it results in edges at the junctions between those curves. Then I selected the edges and used TIG Weld to weld the curves (I used a keyboard shortcut to perform the welds) and you can see when extruding the molding the second time those edges aren’t visible.
With Auto-Weld welding the profile after Follow Me runs.
Which version of SketchUp are you using? Please complete your profile.
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Hi Dave -
I’m running SketchUp Pro 2020.
You have correctly identified the problem… thanks. I see that there’s an extension I can get (for $10). You also say you use a keyboard shortcut to use it. Is that an “action” that you can create? My keyboard shortcuts (to date) have been to access tools from the toolbar (like “tape measure”, or “Rectangle”, etc.). Can you hit an “F8” or something and “weld” these selected curves?
Yes. Eneroth Auto Weld is not free but for the time it saves me, it’s paid for itself many times over.
I have a keyboard shortcut set up for TIG Weld, a different extension that is available from Sketchucation. Yes, I set that up myself after installing it. No real need for a keyboard shortcut for Auto Weld since it does most of what it does, well, automatically.
You could certainly set F8 as the keyboard shortcut for Weld. I used W because that makes sense to me.
This was very helpful. I have installed the extension and I’m ready to give it a try… (with “W” as my keyboard shortcut! Haha!)
Thanks very much Dave!
Sincerely -
- Bob Krienke
Which one?
Good luck.
Hey Dave -
B - O - O - M !!
Works like a charm! Thanks again!
Eneroth Auto Weld version 1.0.1
Thanks again!