Help Needed to Round Off Edges

Hi,

I’ve made a key switch component in SketchUp but I need some help finalizing it.

I can’t figure out how to curve the raised inner rim of the switch so that it matches the picture (attached to this post). I also cant work out how to fill in the two indentations on each side of the key hole.

I’ve attached the compoent to this draft along with a couple of pictures below to explain my problem better. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

Thanks,

Component
KEY SWITCH (DRAFT).skp (1.1 MB)

Images

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First, I would suggest making a component of the thing and then use the Dave Method to work on a large copy of it. This will help you avoid tiny face issues.

For the chamfer, select the outer edge, get the Move tool and while holding Alt to invoke Autofold. Move the edge down toward the brown face.

To fill in the missing surfaces, use the Line tool to stitch between vertices. on the curves. Then hold Ctrl while clicking on those edges with the Eraser tool to soften them.

FWIW, there are extensions that can do these things but they are so trivial with the native tools, it hardly seems worth bothering with extensions.

By the way, you should get in the habit of correct reversed faces as you go. There should be no exposed blue back faces in your 3D model. Save applying colors and materials until after you are finished modeling.

Also, it would be a good idea to get in the habit of dragging out circles on axis so that you don’t wind up with misaligned vertices. That can create a bunch of problems for you down the line.

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I made a quickie redo of your model. In this screen shot there’s a guideline parallel to the green axis through the center of the switch face. Note it crosses through vertices on all the circles it intersects. Much easier to work with that way.

I noticed you used 100 sides for your outer circle. That’s fine although you might consider using 96 if you need to go up that high. I generally use some multiple of 12 for circles and arcs because they are divisible by 2, 3, and 4. I would only use a multiple of 10 if I need it to be divisible by 5

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Hi,

Thanks for you’tr help, this is very helpful. I’ve managed to apply it to my own component to achieve the desired effect. Did you use the tape measure tool for the gideline?

Yes. That’s the way to put in guidelines that are parallel to other lines or the axes.

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