How'd I do it? (SU)

[Joe Wood]

Dave, did you know that, with the Follow Me Tool, you can usually just select the face, and not all the bounding edges, and it works just the same.

[Dave Richards]

Yes I know that Joe but I didn't want the back edge to get the molding.

[Joe Wood]

sheesh! completly missed that Dave!

good job in doing that dentil molding!

[Michael Adelong]

I haven't forgotten you Dave. I've been working on the dentils whenever I get a couple of free minutes.

I'm following along just fine. I hit a snag at step #4, so I saved the file and will get back to it later. The copying with the rotate tool part was giving me a hard time, but it was early AM and I needed sleep. Might work ok for me if I can get to it when I am more awake.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Mike

[Larry James]

Dave R.
Wow! Some tutorial. I think we should appoint you the designated SketchUp tutorialer.
Larry

Sorry, I didn't get this posted when I said...

Here we go.

Step 1. I start with the shape of the "cabinet". We don't need the thickness to create the molding. I just use it to simulate the top part of the structure on which the molding would be placed. I drew in a molding profile leaving a flat surface for the blocks of the dentil molding. I suppose they are called teeth? I'm making this molding up out of my head.


Step 2. I use Follow Me to run the profile around the form. I double click on the top surface to selectit and all the bounding edges. Then while holding the Shift key, I deselect the back edge and the face. Finally, I select the Follow Me tool (I have a hot key for that) and click on the profile. I make this entire bit of geometry a group.


Step 3. I draw a block (tooth?) centered on the join between straight side and the arc. It is pushed into the surface a little. Then I make the block a component. Since there will be multiple copies of this block, making it a component does two things. First it prevents file bloat and second, if there is a need to edit the block later, all the copies will be edited at the same time saving tones of work. I turned on Hidden Geometry so you can see the location of the block relative to the end of the arc.


Step 4. Using construction geometry, I locate the center of the arc. Using the Rotate tool with the Ctrl key (Option key on a Mac) I copied the block moving the copy 180° around the molding. I set the rotate tool on the intersection of the construction lines for this. After starting the rotation, I let go of the mouse and type 180 Enter then I type /24 Enter to create 24 copies of the original equally spaced between the ends. Remember, when doing this, the number you enter is one less than the total number of instances of the geometry you are copying. If you don't like the spacing you can type new values and try them until you get spacing you do like. you can keep doing this until you select a different tool.


Step 5. I selected the original block again and using the Move tool with the Ctrl key, I copied the block to the back end of the molding. I hit Enter to set the distance and then typed /14 Enter to make evenly spaced copies. Again, you can play with the number of copies until you get a spacing you like.


Step 6. I repeated the process in Step 5 on the other side. then I selected one of the block components to edit it and flattened it to make a little more pleasing thickness. since the blocks are all component instances of the original, editing any one of them will edit them all.


This is only an example of how to make an array. The technique is also useful for drawing things such as slatted head boards for beds, deck boards or a picket fence. If you know the end limits of the slats, you can let SU figure out the spacing for you automatically. If you know the desired spacing and the number of items but don't know how far they'll stretch, Move the first copy the desired distance and type either *N or xN where N is the number of copies of the original. As above, you can try different values for N until you get what you want.

Hope all that makes sense.

The Lambs Tongue will be next.

[Michael Adelong]

Thanks for the help Dave. I got it working. Step 4 was a little hard to figure out. Selecting the intersection of the construction geometry and then on part of the dentil with the rotate tool first was the part that I was having a hard time understanding. You're directions were fine, I just didn't understand the concept.

Thanks again,
Michael

[Dave Richards]

Michael, glad you got it. If you select the element you want to rotate first, then select the tool and the center of rotation, I think you'll find it easier to handle.

Larry, thank you for that. I think you might have invented a new word.