How to make 2D Marvin Window detail an extrudable element

I am unable to convert a Marvin Window 2D Detail due to missing(?) closed line segment(s)? I can get some closed element to push/pull, but not all. Is there a simple way to create a “closed” element so that it can be ‘extruded’ (Push/pull)?

I can only get about 75% of the components to be “closed” elements that I can extrude (push/pull). Some just won’t “close” and I can’t see why/where the problem exists.

How about uploading the SKP file so we can have a look and help you out?

Hi DaveR,
I’ll try to figure out how to do that. Save this “detail” as it’s own file and “upload”?
KenMarvin 2D-3D.skp (1.5 MB)

I need to be able to convert these 2D elements to 3D for Architectural Detail Models like this.

1 Like

Two problems I see with this. First, it’s just a mass of loose geometry. You should make components of the various elements. All this loose geometry creates issues. There are places where edges overlap. some faces can be filled in by drawing edges across between inside and outside edges.

Another problem is that the model is not align on axis so it’s difficult to work with. It’s actually canted in both directions.

Hi DaveR,

With the axis adjustments, looks like it’s starting to work (don’t know how it got out-of-plane).
How about all of the facets (vertical lines at the curved faces). How do I remove the facets so that I have a single, smoothie face for simplified surface?

I don’t need to model/show “all” of the elements of the actual detail in my modeled drawing (ie hidden structural or insulated elements). Just enough to show the relationship of the Door/window unit to the assembly.

Somehow…I can’t upload the file, it’s too large to upload?? Tried to zip it and upload and at 11.3 MB, “too large to send”???

What am I doing wrong?

Here is a screen capture of model: Dark area’s are the “curved” facets that may be gobbling-up data?

The dark areas are just unsmoothed edges and won’t add greatly to the file size. They are created when you pushpull a face with unwelded edges.

Have you been adding and deleting things to the file, this could account for the increase in size.
Go to Window/Model Info/Statistics and click the Purge Unused button, then see what the file size is.

Didn’t seem to change anything.


Is there an “easy” way to weld the facets to eliminate the faces?

Do you have an image in the file?
You must have something in there causing it to be so large.

To create this smaller file, I did a cut & paste of this detail from a much larger detail SKP file.
Is there a purge function in sketchUp?

Upload it to the warehouse or dropbox or some such file share and add the link here.

Under model info->statistics there is a purge button as @Box said. That is the only purge function built into SketchUp. There are purge extensions, though mainly they just offer finer control over what to purge and give more detailed reports on what they did.

Certainly 19000 edges, 6000 faces, and one component instance shouldn’t produce a file as large as you are seeing. If you scroll on down the statistics pane, what else is in the model?

To make the lines on rounded corners look smooth, select that object (assuming you have made it a group or component), right click, and select “soften/smooth edges” then move the slider in the dialog that pops up. A quirk of the implementation is that smoothing doesn’t happen until you move the slider, even if you put it at the same spot again. If it’s not a group or component, activate the eraser tool and hold down the option key while you click or drag across the edge that need smoothing (note: the OP is on a Mac. Use the control key on Windows).

Thank you @Box & @slbaumgartner,

Here is link to my DropBox SKP file “Marvin 2D-3D”.

I was able to get the “smooth edges” command to work (odd how just touching the angle slider affects the image).

I now am trying to get the drawing component to push/pull as a single entity (all faces to move together/extrude as one).

I’m not doing something correctly. Make it a Group first, then a Component, then Push/Pull? Exploded "everything first, then make it a Group, then a Component, vice versa ?.. is there a good YouTube Tutorial that best explains this sequence?

Push/Pull first, then make it either a group or a component. There’s no reason to make it a group and then make it a component. If you’re going to make a component, just make it a component from the beginning.

OK. So I can’t have all faces respond simultaneously to the Push/Pull command as one Group or Component. Each face acts independently. I have to Push/Pull each face, one at a time within the Group or Component.

No. Push/Pull only works on a single face.

What are you going to use this for after you’ve extruded it? Do you need to show all the internal detail? Or do you just need a window frame?

The second image of this Community Inquiry shows what I am typically doing, creating a 3D Architectural Detail showing the installation of the Manufacturers product, properly installed. It’s especially nice to show correct product installation in 3D as all extrusions/installations are not the same and may have different relationships to adjacent materials.

So there are places in the 2D profile where faces could be connected by erasing intervening edges. Then you would have fewer faces to extrude.

Yes. It seems that whomever is creating the original detail for Marvin (or other manufacturer) are not doing me/us any favors when “their” 2D drawings are not 100% accurate. Pieces of the individual extrusions overlap, creating more difficult geometry to discern which pieces are independent and which are factory joined. I am always hesitant to modify a manufacturers drawing, fearing that I am not accurately representing what will arrive on the building site for the Contractor to install.

If there were a SketchUp translator for Revit, this process would be a whole lot simpler. Most major Door/Window manufacturers are/have created “Revit” 3D details f their products…“we don’t have 3D SketchUp files yet…the drafting team is working on it…”

The model you shared is wildly over-detailed for most purposes. A typical curve in it has far more edges than necessary unless you are going to send this to a precision CNC machine (see image attached below). Many of the edges are 0.005" or less long, which is also perilously close to the size where SketchUp will merge vertices and thereby lose faces. Unfortunately, due to previous editing these curves are no longer known as such to SketchUp, only as individual edges. As a result, to simplify them you would have to erase and redraw them.

That aside, as @DaveR has said, SketchUp’s pushpull works only on a single face at a time. However, it remembers the distance of the last pushpull and will apply it to another face if you double-click there. That way you can act on a goodly number of faces one after the other pretty quickly.

Another alternative is Fredo6’s joint pushpull extension, available on SketchUcation.

Keep in mind that the internal structure of the window frame is of little importance to those who are installing the window.