How to change axis on a component?

I’ve never dealt with this issue with all my time working with Sketchup so it’s really starting to frustrate me. I insert a window/door component onto my model but it won’t insert flat on the face of the object like it normally did. When I try to lay it on one side of my model’s face, it stands upright. I used to not have to do anything to it (ie. change its axis, or cut a square to fit it). I’ve inserted a sample so you can see what I’m talking about because it’s a little hard to explain. But basically, how do I get the components to align flat again like they always used to? I’m new to this so it only lets me post one image…

You can right click on the component and choose Change Axes. Then set them with the desired alignment.

Share the SKP file so we can take a look at it. Where did you get the window component?

Tried that, the problem is I don’t want to have to do it for every single time I upload that component. The component is a collection made by sketchup and contain doors and windows I use for every project

sample.skp (173.8 KB)

When you have reset the component’s axes successfully in your model, and change its definition’s behavior to glue to face and cut-hole etc - then select an instance of it, right-click > context-menu > Save As…
Save it with the same name, and use it to overwrite the existing component in the ‘collection’ OR save it into your own custom-collection set of components - e.g. if you want to retain the original, then just use a slightly different name… you are the boss…
When you next insert that component into a new model it should now glue to a face and cut-holes etc…

Also, ensure :smiley:the model ‘s axis (Or your template!) is altered:

Rightclick on one of the axis and check if you see ‘Reset Axis’ optional (black instead if gray font)

And also ensure that the new axes insertion point is placed logically on the component, and that the blue axis faces out from the face you will want to insert the instance into, and also that the insertion-point is on a ‘loop’ [or loops] of edges on the red/green plane - this will determine the cutting hole in the glued-to face…

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I was having the same problem. I wanted to create custom axis places for each component/group.

GPT helped me, after placing the axis where you want, select everything (axis included), right click and click “create group/component”. Yes it will create a group inside the group but will save the axis location inside the first group.

It’s a bad solution. Gpt is truly bad a sketchup.

Dave is giving the actual solution in the second message. Right click on your component yo set the axis.

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And the OP replied Dave’s solution saying he does not want to move the axes every single time, OP wanted to save axis location even after closing the component.

Only setting the axis does not save the location after closing the component.

GPT solution is to create a component containing the axis in it, and works. If GPT is not good at SketchUp, that’s up to the user.

The complaint is invalid, however. If the component has been saved with the axes where the user has placed them, the axes will be in the same location every time it is used in the future. All of the components in my hardware collections have the components set to make them simple to insert. In every case the component’s origin and axes are where I placed them, not in the default location and they have never reset. Some of my hardware components are more than a decade old and the axes have never reset to the default location.

Also you don’t move the components axes with it open for editing. This is done with the component selected but not open for editing.

well sure, you’re free to learn bad practices that make your file more complex than the good practices, it’s up to you, I won’t loose sleep over it :slight_smile:

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Components already contain an axis that you can move / change.

Learn to use the tools properly instead of relying on questionable intelligence.

If you need specific different axes and origin location(s), you can do so by saving them in a scene.
Your (and chatGPT’s) solution (post 8 after 6 years) describes a bad solution.