# Spreading components away from each other uniformly

**URL:** <https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478>\
**Category:** Pro\
**Created:** [January 30, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478 "2015-01-30T21:30:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sysfs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@sysfs](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/sysfs)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 9:30pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/1 "2015-01-30T21:30:02Z")

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Is it possible, whether a feature or a hack, to scale a group of components without changing the size/dimensions of the components that make up the group.

or to pose the question differently… how can i scale the space between a group of components without changing the size of the model itself.

or =)

you know that demonstration of the expansion of the universe where someone draws dots on a balloon. then when you blow up the balloon the dots move away from each other uniformly…

can i do any of those in sketchup?

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**Author:** ![quantj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/quantj/32/3693_2.png) [@quantj](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/quantj)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/2 "2015-01-30T21:36:15Z")

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You can make them a dynamic component. So that each component is a fixed size and can’t be scaled.

If your components are all the same, you can also copy/array them.

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**Author:** ![sysfs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@sysfs](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/sysfs)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/3 "2015-01-30T22:01:21Z")

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I think i see where you’re going with the dynamic components suggestion… thank you very much! i am not sure i follow the copy/array suggestion thing though.

I am going to go attempt the dynamic component piece, if you can spare the time to elaborate on the other suggestion i’m eager to learn

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**Author:** ![Cotty](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/cotty/32/251290_2.png) [@Cotty](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Cotty)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 10:05pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/4 "2015-01-30T22:05:11Z")

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another way…  
[http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=24390](http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=24390)

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**Author:** ![sysfs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@sysfs](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/sysfs)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/5 "2015-01-30T22:15:23Z")

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@quantj thank you very much for the dynamic component suggestion!!! it worked like a charm!!! it took me a second to remember how to lock the attribute on the components but as soon as i did everything worked exactly as i had envisioned.

if i had just found this forum last night before i “brute forced” the other half of the issue i created for myself =) i’ll definitely come straight here next time i am trying something new.

@Cotty I cant wait to see what kind of ingenuity you have shared, but my proxy is blocking the link… i will check it when i get home from work.

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**Author:** ![quantj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/quantj/32/3693_2.png) [@quantj](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/quantj)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 10:31pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/6 "2015-01-30T22:31:59Z")

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Great to see you figured it out!

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**Author:** ![Gully\_Foyle](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/sketchup/user_avatar/forums.sketchup.com/gully_foyle/32/124_2.png) [@Gully\_Foyle](https://forums.sketchup.com/u/Gully_Foyle)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://forums.sketchup.com/t/spreading-components-away-from-each-other-uniformly/6478/7 "2015-01-30T22:44:12Z")

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You could also have used the BigBang extension.

-Gully