Sketchup for Dummies

[a1gutterman]

Final got back to working on some sketchup stuff again.

Hey Dusty don't date us too much... I can or should I say use to write code for an DEC VAX11-70 which was the last time I ever did assembly language. The older DEC systems with core memory which would play Christmas tunes were cool too. I however kept up with PC's until my retirement... hey even my kids came to me for things... then they went to the apple side and MAC's...

So back to the sketchup stuff. I wanted to play with some things with the wood puzzle like Ed in Tampa has as his avatar. I was thinking of not centering the dovetails to see how that looks (don't like it). At least by doing it on the computer I didn't waste any wood.

In case you haven't figured it out yet here is an off centered one and I think you will agree it would look better centered.

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Ed

Hi Ed,
I gotta agree with you, Ed's avatar looks better then your sketchup, but I wonder how many he made before he got it "right"?

[a1gutterman]

Hey, Tim - explain this to me please.

The photo that I just posted is stored in a folder that has an icon on it indicating that it is a Sketchup document. Now I know that it is not. I also know that I have been messing around with Sketchup and the conclusion is obvious - I changed something that is now causing folders to be identified as Sketchup, version 6.

To my grand son, the solution is probably obvious but I would rather not ask him. What should I do to correct this.

Incidently, I have a bunch of photos that are identifed with the Microsoft logo but not all of them. I don't know where the determination is made or how to change it or if I even want to consider messing with it.

Oh, what a mess it would be if all of my autocad files were accidently reidentified.

Hi dusty,
There are probably people here that understand and can explain this better then me, but I will give it a go, for at least as much as I understand it, anyway. Oakay, let's see if I can get this all screwed up:

Pictures can be created and opened in many different programs. Many of these programs can open pictures that were made in a different programs. It is possible that you can change your file extension to something else and still be able to open the picture, but it will save with a different icon. Is this making any sense to you? Example: If that picture saved as a sketchup file, and you want it to be saved as a different file, you can open it, click on the File drop down menu, click on Save As, change (or knot change) the location, change the name (or knot), and change the file extension (the letters after the .) to say.....gif, or jpg, or jpeg, etc (picture program extensions). In many cases, you will still be able to open the picture, but it will now open in a different program. In many cases you can specify what program to open it in, regardless of the extension. This does knot always give satisfactory results.

Did that help? How close was I, anybody?

[beeg]

A1, that's one way to do it. Another way is to right click one the file, in the drop down menu click on "rename". Change the extension to what ever you want to.
Dusty, IF you can tell by the name what it was, change the extension to the proper one.
example: shop picture.SKP to shop picture.JPEG

[dusty]

Thank you Tim and Beeg;

But now that I have recovered, can anyone tell me why they changed to start with?

[beeg]

Since you were working in sketchup, then opened something else and saved it. It assigned the SKP extention to it, easy to change at that point. Just use the drop down menu to find the correct ext/type.

[reible]

For todays fun I decided to start a 520 table and a table insert. I used a tape measure and wrote a bunch of dimensions down... so I would not say this is close enough to build one from but as a model it will work.

I found I have an error on the table part or the insert as the holes don't line up... OK no big deal I can live with that. I'm missing the two holes on the left side for mounting the shaper/sanding fence and I have not done anything with the the sides. On the front I'll add the holes for mounting the rails but I'm not sure if I will model them anytime soon. I also want to do the cutouts and blocks for locating as well as some of the bottom for a simple mounting arrangement. I'm not going to model all the parts and I have no plans to finish this anytime soon.

I found I have no idea how the make the holes in the inserts with the countersink. I figure it must be done with the followme tool but after a couple of trys I gave up.

So this is as far as I am

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Ed

[dusty]

That Ed is impressive and I do mean that sincerely. I have been attempting to do the table myself and while I was reasonably satisfied with my successes I have nothing like what you have done.

You certainly can come to the head of the class.

I have a crude table of proper preportions but your textured table top really sets yours apart. I didn't count the number of ribs but....probably no need knowing you.

[tom_k/mo]

I found I have no idea how the make the holes in the inserts with the countersink. I figure it must be done with the followme tool but after a couple of trys I gave up.

Ed

Very nice work Ed. Although you COULD use Follow-Me to make a countersunk hole, that's the tough way to do it. Make a hole in the part the size of the fastener shank, then draw a circle on the upper surface the size of the countersink head diameter. Next, select the upper surface hole circle (the one of the shank diameter) and use the MOVE tool to move the circle town into the surface of the part. You might need to hold one of the arrow keys down to constrain the movement.

[Ed in Tampa]

Hi Ed,
I gotta agree with you, Ed's avatar looks better then your sketchup, but I wonder how many he made before he got it "right"?

Actually I made a mess of them. I cut the two parallel grooves in two long boards and slipped them together. The real trick was to cut the boards at the right angle that they made a square and the grooves were centered.

If I remember correctly I cut about 10 complete squares. Two or three had the grooves off center or the squares weren't square but rectangles. I then figured it out. I cut the squares then used the disk sander to do touch up. I think I ended up with 6 or 7 good squares. I have still have 3 or 4 and the rest I gave to people that really appreciated them.

[dusty]

Hi dusty,
You list computer repair as one of your interests on your public profile. I can knot help to wonder, with all that you confess about your computer problems, is this a joke?

Thanksgiving day was good to me. With all of the grandkids in the same house, at the same time I some how got a discussion started about my computer. I first joked about my oldest grand daughter graduating this next month and no longer needing her laptop. She could give it to me and all my computer problems would be solved. No, that ain't going to happen but together they seem to think I don't have a serious problem - at least not one that can't be resolved.

So today we ordered a memory expansion kit from Kahlon ($88). When it arrives next week I'll have an additional 512MB of ram. I already have plenty of harddrive with over half of it still available. Processor speed seemed to be the hangup but that might go away. I currently have a processor that tops out at 233MHz. The grandson says no problem, he has the ability to up that to 662MHz with an upgrade kit. My youngest daughter just upgraded her system to Vista and she donating her XP stuff to me sometime next week.

I just might be out of the age of antiquity and operating an XP system before the month is out. ...OR...I might be without a computer if we don't do this right.