Help! (please) I've been Working on Wrong Layer!

I have no idea what this means: “Not sure how, when or why they weren’t left in the model space.” I just read chapter 7 in SketchUp for Dummies, _Keeping Your Model Organized. This is the first time I’ve learned about the Outliner option. It will take me a little time to study this section and learn how to implement things. I’m still not sure how to actually put things on it’s own layer, say for instance the floors.

I’m so used to working with layers in Photoshop and Fireworks that I’m still working on trying not to apply those concepts to SKUP!

On a slightly different, but relevant topic.

I didn’t see this covered in the other posts here, but…there seems to be no consistency in exterior wall thickness in your model, yet the drawing shows consistant dimensions.
Granted, different parts of the country have different recommended interior and exterior wall thickness, but not in the same structure.
One exterior wall was approx 5.5", another was more than a foot thick.
Just a friendly suggestion :-}

Cheers, eh.

C.C.

First, remember ALWAYS (with VERY rare exceptions, not relevant here) to draw your geometry on Layer0, which should be permanently set as the Active Layer (its radio button checked in the Layers window).

Second, every time you have drawn a new piece of your model, make it into a component (or less usefully, a group).

To do that, triple click on any part of what you have just drawn to select all connected geometry, then press letter g on the keyboard, to start the Make Component dialogue. Give it a relevant name (such as Floor 1, Living room walls, etc).

Ensure the box Replace selection with component is checked.

Set the component axes if you don’t want the default bottom left corner.

Then click the Create button.

Once you have your geometry collected into components or groups, assign Layers to one or more of them. But NEVER to raw geometry.

Hope that helps.
PS. To reset all your existing geometry to Layer0, open each component, sub component, or group in turn for editing, Select All, then in Entity Info, assign Layer0.

THEN, to control visibility, assign layers ONLY to top level components or groups.

I’ve been getting the hang of it. I just spent a day-and-a-half going back through my (already somewhat extensive model) and placing things on their own layers. I.e. steps, porches, columns, windows…

What is considered “raw” geometry (stuff not named or grouped?) And what does Replace selection with component do. What is an example of a selection that you would want to replace with the component? Thanx John.

I am getting so much useful help here I wished I’d signed up for the forum LAST winter when I downloaded the SKUP Pro trial. Now I’ve lost out on the better warehouse choices. :frowning:

Just want to say thanks to everyone for all their help! I’m trying not to ask questions without first researching thing. But sometimes my inquiries come back empty because I don’t know the correct terminology to search just yet.

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(Almost) yes - ‘loose’ edges, circles, arcs, faces… anything you can select as an individual SU entity except a component or group, but excluding text, dimensions or images. It will usually have a ‘definition’ name if you gave it one, or the default ‘Component#n’; and optionally an ‘instance name’ for one or more instances of the same component. And group may be given an ‘instance’ name if you choose to do so, but it doesn’t get a name by default, except ‘Group’, which isn’t helpful to identify it if you are using Outliner.

It combines all the selection into a self-contained component. You (almost) always want to do that. But if you select only some of the connected geometry, it will make a component out of that, but still leave the selection as ‘loose geomery’ in your model.

Not sure I understand this - what ‘better warehouse choices’? Extension warehouse or 3Dwarehouse? And why can’t you still choose them?

Perhaps I am mistaken. I went to the 3D Warehouse for doors and it seemed like my choices were limited. But maybe I just wasn’t doing it right. Like I said, I still have a LOT to learn. I’m still on drawing and organizing, and haven’t even begun to use the materials and styles options yet! I’m excited though. It’s starting to come together.

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