# Minor Sketchup Problem - bug or my error?



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

Hola!

I am a noob on this site and just getting started trying to design my first project. I have been playing with Google Sketchup to see what I can do. Here is a picture of a simple side-rail or arm for a sofa. When I tried to use the FollowMe tool to round off the arm, I ended up with new bizarre edges. Small ones, but nonetheless disconcerting. The starting arc was perpendicular to the FollowMe path, so I am a bit perplexed.

Any insight or suggestions would be most appreciated.


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

This topic may help you with the follow-me tool:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/4063

If you're still stuck, I can look at your SKP file and see if I can see what is happening.


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

Greg, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately your link doesn't fix the issue, tho it is VERY close. I'm not sure how to attach the .skp files, so here's a series of pictures reproducing the "error" in simple steps.

1. Make block of material on axes.










2. Let's make an arc on the top surface left corner










3. Use push/pull to remove portion of the block. Draw new arc, as shown,










4. Extrude arc shape using FollowMe tool. (path was selected as all edges of top surface, not the surface itself)










5. Ok, that worked poorly. Maybe it's cuz of the overlap at this corner. Let's not select the path as the 
edges all along the top surface. Instead, we create a line segment near the corner of interest and leave it 
out of the selected path.










6. Extrude (FollowMe) again.










Oopsie!


----------



## gizmodyne (Mar 15, 2007)

Hi,

Are you trying to keep one part flat?

Sometimes you just have to erase left overs and redraw lines to "heal" your project.


----------



## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

There have been some good posts on sketchup, might be worth checking them out.


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

Yes, I wanted at segment of the face in the foreground to remain flat.

It does seem to be a "bug" that I'll just have to clean up manually.

Ok. Thanks Giz and Grumpy.


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Select just the top surface and use the follow-me tool. It worked on the test piece I just created from your pictures.


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

Right! That works. How would you leave a section of the block flat? Say you wanted to use
the last 6 inches or so for some mortise/tenon work (as in my picture #6)?


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Depends on which section you wanted flat. Can you draw a rough sketch of what you want it to look like?


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

I'd like it to look like Figure 6, without the splatter at the corner. 

I can figure out a workaround, I'm just curious now what is producing that error.

Thanks for your time and help, Greg.


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Like this?










You can either manually drag the follow-me tool to where you want it or just draw a line that stops where you need it to stop and then select all the connecting edges before using the follow-me tool.


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

hmm… weird. That's exactly what I did - selected all the connecting edges before using the followme tool.


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Try building the profile of your object while flat before pulling it up. That way you don't have any weird or missing geometry.


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

Problem solved! Thanks for hanging with me through this.


----------



## gwurst (Nov 28, 2007)

Glad to help! Did you figure something out or was it drawing the profile flat and pulling it up?


----------



## ThePickledZebra (Jul 19, 2008)

In the process of starting with the full profile flat and pulling it up, I realized that the extrusion arc
was perpendicular to the top surface (so the surface-selected followme works), but that it wasn't
perpendicular to the first line segment of the curved edge path. doh!


----------

