Why donât you just open the group for editing and get rid of what you donât want? Thereâs no reason to explode groups to make changes.
Thank you for your reply. I tried âedit groupâ but then the 3d Warehouse objects I had imported and placed behind the doors disappear, also, after removing the doors I cannot seem to unify the model once again, that is, every surface is editable.
That suggests there is something odd about the grouping structure in your model. Can you share it here so we can take a look?
Sure. (Donât laugh)
Itâs not mine, I downloaded it and Iâve been fiddling with it. Thank you very much for your help. I want to remove the doors I showed above so that I may see the objects I placed in the passage behind and also see to the other end of the passage.Iâm reluctant to criticize that model because it is a good example of using textures instead of complicated geometry to present the impression of detail without using vast numbers of edges and faces. But because it makes minimal use of groups and components, it is hard to edit. Looking at the Outliner, you can find that the model structure is:
model => disk for ocean + 1 component instance (cryptically named 8d1a-6ec3-0b23-a2da)
component 8d1a-6ec3-0b23-a2da => 1 group named âdefault objectâ
default object group => 20878 edges, 8884 faces, 1 component instance (Component #1)
component #1 => disk for pool water surface
So, almost all of the model consists of edges and faces in the single âdefault objectâ group. That means they all âstick togetherâ where they touch, and hence editing one may affect its neighbors. You can accomplish edits such as you want, but must proceed carefully to avoid side effects. The doors of interest (if I am looking at the right ones) consist of three faces, one behind the other, each with a texture applied to make it look more detailed.
One way to isolate the doors into a component is to temporarily misuse SketchUpâs layers:
- Create two new layers, name one âdoorâ and the other âotherâ. Make both of them non-visible
- open the default group for edit
- select a door face and set it to use the âdoorâ layer via entity info This will make that face disappear and reveal the one behind it.
- repeat the select + use door layer process for each of the other two faces comprising that door.
- select all (this will omit the door faces because you canât select non-visible entities) and in entity info set everything to use the âotherâ layer. Now everything in the group will be non-visible.
- make the door layer visible again. This will reveal the door without showing anything else in the group
- select all and then create a component from the selection. In entity info, set the new component to use the âdoorâ layer
- open the door component for edit, select all, and in entity info set the edges and faces to use Layer0.
- set the âotherâ layer to visible
If you did just one door, you can delete the three faces for additional doors and replace them with new instances of the door component.
At this point you could delete the âotherâ layer and when the dialog asks what you want to do, tell it to move all the contents to Layer0 (where all edges and faces belong). Or, if you want to create components for additional objects in the model, you could repeat the process above by adding another non-visible for the next component.
When you are finished, it is essential to set all edges and faces once again to use Layer0. If you followed the process I outlined, the only offenders should be using the âotherâ layer, so you can select that layer in the layers window and delete it. When prompted, tell SketchUp to move the contents to Layer0 (which should have been left as the âdefaultâ or âactiveâ layer throughout this entire process).
Dear slbaumgartner, I appreciate you taking the time to explicate some of the complexities of modeling. I have a lot to learn. Thank everyone for your replies.