I have created a profile and made it a component to use later in other sketches. I place me profile component on the top surface of a simple 3d rectangle. Select edit component > Follow Me Tool > Select Face and I am not able to drag it along the perimeter… Here is the profile…
Profile.skp (320.8 KB)
Simple fix, open the component, trace the rectangle and use that as the path for Follow Me.
Hi
To use Follow Me with a Component, or Group;
The Component, or Group, will then follow the line or face you selected earlier, which is Outside the Component or Group you are Follow Me-ing.
Hope that helps.
Mike
Thank you, this works. I also figured out that I can just explode the component and then use follow me as normal.
Yes, you can explode the component but then the resulting geometry will stick to the rest of the model. Is that what you want?
This will not work because the 3d rectangle and profile component are not in the same group or component. Sketchup is not seeing a path to follow. Either the component must be exploded or the component must be edited to also contain a guide line.
In this case yes but I also understand the method of adding a path for the follow me tool to the component itself and the advantage of it.
If I’m wanting to make a Component Follow a Path, I always have the path outside the Component, which means that once the operation is completed and the Component closed, it is not stuck to the line/path I used for Follow Me. I can then delete that path.
I’m not sure I follow you, I cant make sketchup follow a path that isn’t part of the component without exploding it. I tried your directions above and it did not work for me.
Try it in this order:
Select the path
Select the follow me tool
Edit the component that contains the profile.
Click on the profile’s face
Once you’ve selected the path to use, move the mouse over the Component and Right Click to bring up the Context menu. Do not left click on the Component as it will deselect the line/path/face you selected earlier.
Just move the mouse so it’s over the Component and Right Click only to get the menu. Select Edit, which opens the Component for editing.
Then select the Follow Me tool from the toolbar, and left click on the Component’s face.
This seems to work for me every time. I am on a Mac though, but I wouldn’t have thought that would make any difference.
That doesn’t work for me, also on a Mac, I have to select the follow me tool before I open the component for editing.
I’m using the web based free app, when I follow your directions and right click on the component it deselects the path.
This is what happens when I attempt the same thing. I think even though I am clicking on the toolbar, it is also selecting a part of my drawing under the menu.
Is your profile component nested inside another component? If so, you’ll have to explode one of them first.
Actually, even if it is nested you can still get to the face by right-clicking > Edit component a second time to get inside the nested component and follow me still works.
I dunno, I tried it without anything behind the menu and same result.
Is your path inside a component or group? It needs to be loose geometry while the profile can be in a group or component.
An alternative to opening the profile component and tracing the path would be to select the path in the other group or component, copy it, open the profile component and paste in place. This would give you the profile and path in the same context without exploding anything and without modifying the thing the profile gets wrapped around.
That was the same conclusion I came to, the path must be in the same component or group. However, both McGordon & MichaelSiggers are using a different method. Take a look at his gif. By any chance are you guys opening my component and then modifying it or are you adding the component to a drawing as I would use it??
In any case, I understand now both viable methods to accomplish the task and the benefits of both. Thank you, I was more just curious why they can use a different method I can not.
In McGordon’s GIF, the path rectangle is not grouped. It’s just loose geometry. Are you using loose geometry for the path or is your grouped?
