I have a model. There’s a metal structure assembled from profile pipes. All these pipes are components that I duplicated and changed their length using the Scale tool.
The structure is assembled with bolts. Pipes with flanges (plates with holes) are attached to frames, for which corresponding holes need to be made.
I found that it’s convenient to make them using Hole Maker (a tool from the Profile Builder set). BUT! It can’t make the correct hole in a component that has been modified using the Scale tool. The hole also becomes stretched.
How can this problem be solved? Maybe there’s a convenient plugin? Hole Maker is convenient because it can be quickly centered on the hole of another part (on the plate).
Attaching the file (by the way, how to export into another SU version in SU2024?) Metal structure.skp (372.5 KB)
You scaled the components but didn’t scale the definition so of course the holes will show as elliptical because they are scaled in the direction of the length of the tube. At this point, remove the elliptical holes, right click on the component and choose Scale Definition. Then add the circular holes.
Personally I would have used Move or Push/Pull instead of Scale to change the length of the components so the definition would automatically get updated.
Thank you for the answer, but it seems to me that you did not fully understand the sequence of my actions.
The whole model consists of a component (conditionally “pipe”), which I copy and stretch to assemble the frames.
After that, I make holes there. If this is done through Push, then of course, the holes are smooth. But it takes a very long time, since you need to draw a circle, center it relative to the flange, etc.
I understand what you are doing. You are not scaling the component definition after using scale to change the length so when you put the hole in, no matter how you put the hole, it will also be scaled in the same direction. You have to scale the definition before you put the holes in.
There should be. The holes inside the structure are components that are scaled.
Your warning dialog mentions scaled objects inside the selection that has been scaled.
So you need to right click them!
Then that’s your problem. Scaling a component scales everything already in it. To prevent the holes from scaling you must add them after scaling the component. That’s maybe not the workflow you wanted, but it’s how scaling works in SketchUp.
If I make a hole in a component that has already been changed in length by the Push|Pull tool or the Solid tool, then the holes are right. But it’s a very long time.
That’s because the component’s definitiion was updated when you edited the component. Scaling the component without opening it does NOT scale the definition.
You make them after scaling the component instance but you aren’t scaling the component definition.
