Sketchup sliced

[Captain Sci-Fi]

Hi Fellow Sketch-uppers,

I need a little help with 3D modelling and want to compile a guide for everyone to use as a cross over tool from CGi to Physical modelling.

Is there a way to slice up a model and produce layers than can be made into bulkheads to produce a replica physical model.

Can this be done in horizontal and vertical planes?

The inevitable question is how?

If we could find away it would be useful for us all.

Lastly, could it be explained in simple terms to everyone so those not strong in computers could pick their way through it, a walk through of sorts?

[JonesTheFilm]

The Section Plane tool in the Tools menu creates a movable, resizeable and rotatable plane that can be positioned anywhere on a model using sketchup's normal move and rotate tools. It creates a section through the model where it intersects I guess you could then position the camera at right angle to the plane using one of the orthographic presets and save off an image for printing. Then move the plane along the model to another cross-section point and save off another image, and so on.

Another way would be to create a flat plane and use ctrl-move to copy it along and through the model at the various cross section points you want then select the planes and use the 'Intersect with model' command to produce a series of cross section shapes that you could then position next to each other and save out as an image so they could all be printed on one sheet for convenience.

[edit] I'm at work right now, but I could save off a few images from SU in a 'walkthrough' style later on if it would help?

[Captain Sci-Fi]

Originally Posted by JonesTheFilm

The Section Plane tool in the Tools menu creates a movable, resizeable and rotatable plane that can be positioned anywhere on a model using sketchup's normal move and rotate tools. It creates a section through the model where it intersects I guess you could then position the camera at right angle to the plane using one of the orthographic presets and save off an image for printing. Then move the plane along the model to another cross-section point and save off another image, and so on.

Another way would be to create a flat plane and use ctrl-move to copy it along and through the model at the various cross section points you want then select the planes and use the 'Intersect with model' command to produce a series of cross section shapes that you could then position next to each other and save out as an image so they could all be printed on one sheet for convenience.

[edit] I'm at work right now, but I could save off a few images from SU in a 'walkthrough' style later on if it would help?

Hi Jones.

Would it be possible to take 10 mm slices from front to back in side profile of an Eagle CM to reproduce as outline shapes for ribs? I would love to laser cut them and space them apart to make a study model. I think it would be really interesting to build a "contour" model like this.

Can you do it?

[JonesTheFilm]

I've had a little lunchtime play around in Sketchup.

Lets say we start off with this (hastily thrown together) fuselage sort of shape.


I created a flat plane that exceeds the dimensions of the object.


Using SU's move and copy (ctrl+move tool) I made a copy a set distance from the 1st plane, then used the multiple copy function {type star (*) and the number of copies in the numeric measurement box} to create enough copies to cover the length with the same distance between them.


I drag-selected all the planes and used 'Intersect Faces>With Model' from the right-click menu.


This gives you a model cut into slices (this is after deleting the planes as they're no longer needed).


Then you can hide or delete the surfaces you don't want and label the remaining slices if needed.


Then finally I rotated and moved the individual sections onto a newly created white plane in the background and selected one of the standard orthographic camera presets and made sure the camera was set to 'Parallel Projection' so there's no perspective distortion.


These exported images are pretty lo-res to save space, but outputting hi-res images should give some nice crisp plans.

Martyn

[JonesTheFilm]

It just occurred to me that there are so many Sketchup plugins out there someone must have made one to do cross sections. So I did a little search and found this page, which if you want to do laser cutting may be just what you need Captain!

http://www.cad-addict.com/2009/07/sk...our-model.html

I haven't actually tried the plug in myself but it looks like it was designed to do exactly what you want to try.

[JonesTheFilm]

Yes, I think that plugin is exactly what you want Captain. I've just tried it out using the same model above and it did a way better job than me in less than a minute.

This is the above model broken into 119 slices. All you have to do is make the object into a Component or Group, ensure it has no 'holes' in the mesh, run the plugin and select the options you want. you can choose the slice thickness and separation distance and which of the three main axes to slice along. There's an option to number each slice too and to lay them out flat (as done here).

[Captain Sci-Fi]

100% success I would say, can you change the plane so the slices run from front to back and change the model to an Eagle CM?

Is it also possible to vary the distances between slice sizes a little to make the best of the window area for example?

If you can contact me and I'll send you a source file, I'll also send you a set of laser cut parts if you include your address. The part outlines need to be in .dxf format ideally.

If this really works I will try it with other models, maybe an SPV or Stingray maybe...

This will be a lot of fun.

[JonesTheFilm]

It's certainly worth a go I reckon. I'll PM you later with my details & some questions I have. But it will be cool if we can get this working.

M