Component Entities

Components are entities that can hold other entities. Components are similar to Group entities, but they are commonly used to combine several entities as a single entity for the purposes of reuse in multiple models. Use the Make Component menu item from the Edit menu to create a component from the currently selected entities.

Creating a Component

Components are useful for creating reusable models to be placed within other models. The most important issue to consider when creating components is how you want them to be placed when inserted into the model from the Component Browser. The component axes will dictate both component orientation on insert and cutting plane (for components that are to automatically cut holes in faces, such as windows). To create a component:

1. Select the Select Tool. The will change to an arrow.
2. Click and hold the mouse button a short distance away from the entities you want to select to start a selection box.
3. Drag the mouse to the opposite corner of the selection starting point.
4. Release the mouse button when all of the elements are either partially included (left-to-right selection) or fully included (right-to-left selection) in the selection box.

5. Select the Make Component menu item from the Edit Menu. Alternatively, context-click on the currently selected entities and select Make Component from the context menu. The Create Component dialog box is displayed.

6. Fill out the fields in the dialog box. Ensure you make all of the appropriate selections and check all of the appropriate boxes before continuing. Specifically, decide whether the component should glue to faces in a specific orientation and cut openings. See The Create Component Dialog Box for further information.
7. Click the Create button. SketchUp adds the newly created component to the In Model Component Library.

Note - The Make Component operation disconnects any geometry that was connected to selected geometry prior to placing the selected geometry in the component. The disconnected geometry is maintained outside of the component's context.

Note - You can make component hierarchies by grouping other Component entities within a component. Additionally, you can mix your hierarchies by including components and groups within other components and groups.

Tip - Create components that can be attached or glued to a surface in context (on a surface) to ensure that the cutting plane is established correctly.

The Create Component Dialog Box

The Create Component dialog box is displayed when you attempt to create a component using the Make Component menu item.

General

Name: The Name field can contain the name of the component definition. All component definitions must have a name.

Description: The Description field can contain a description of the component.

Alignment

Glue to: The Glue to drop-down list is used to identify the faces where your component can be placed when initially placed from the Component Browser. For example, a standard door might only be glued to faces in the horizontal (blue) plane. A grey gluing plane guide will appear when a specific gluing plane is selected. This plane represents exactly where the component will orient to a face and cut into a face. The following image shows a window component during component creation. Notice that the gluing plane (the grey plane) is parallel to the red/green plane and bottom of the window). This window component was also set to glue to vertical surfaces.

The following image shows what occurs when the previously mentioned window component is placed, from the Component Browser, against a vertical surface. Notice that the window meets the vertical face at the window's bottom because it was created with a gluing plane that is parallel to the bottom of the window.

Usually you want windows and doors to have a gluing plane that is parallel to the front or back of the window or door (not the bottom). You might need to reorient the component's axes at creation, using the Set Plane button, to properly set the gluing or cutting plane.

Set Gluing Plane: The component axis defines how the component inserts and aligns to other geometry or to the camera. The component axis also defines the cutting plane by the orientation of the red/green plane. The Set Plane option is used to specify a different origin for the Component and to modify the orientation of the component when it is placed. To set the origin and plane of a component:

1. Follow the steps 1 through 5 in the Creating a Component section of this topic.
2. Select Show Component Axes in the Components Panel of Model Info dialog box to see the existing axes on a Component before using the set plane option to move the axes.
3. Click on the Set Plane button. The cursor changes to an arrow with axes attached to it.
4. Click on a location of the component to set the origin of the component's axes. The origin and insertion point is now set to this location.

Note - When you change the axes you change the orientation of the component when dragged from the Component Browser and the cutting plane. By default, the component's axes are placed as though the component will be inserted from the Component Browser in the exact orientation as the component is in while you create the component. Generally, you will not want to change this orientation unless, for example, you are creating a window component independent of other geometry and in the vertical plane (blue). In this case, the bottom of the window will be on the red/green plane. The red/green plane is the gluing and cutting plane. As such, this window's bottom will therefore want to align and cut into a face when placed in the model from the Component browser. As mentioned previously, however, it is best to create window and door components within the context of a surface type where they will ultimately be placed, such as a wall, so you do not have to reorient the axes. Follow the last two steps in this list if you need to reoriented the component axes.

5. (optional) Move the mouse around the origin to redefine the orientation of the component. The axes of the component will rotate suggesting a new orientation for the component. The cut plane will also move to represent where the component will cut into a face when placed vertically or horizontally. For example, if you rotate the axes such that red is up and green is to the left, the component will be inserted horizontally to its orientation when created. The following image shows a window component during component creation. The component's axes have been reoriented such that the cutting plane is now parallel to the front of the window.

6. (optional) Click to set the new orientation.

Cut Opening: The Cut Opening option allows the Component to create openings in the face onto which it is placed. For example, a door or window component might be set to cut an opening in any wall where instances of the component are placed.

Note - There must be edges along the cutting plane of the component to cut a hole in a face.

Always face camera: The Always face camera option allows the component to take on billboard behavior by drawing the component as a 2D form. This option increases performance by eliminating the need to render the component as a 3D model.

Note - Components with the Always face camera option enabled cannot have gluing behavior.

Shadows face sun: This option is only available when the Always face camera option is enabled. The shadows face sun option causes the shadow to be cast from the component's current position as though the component were facing the sun. The shadow shape does not change as the component rotates to face the camera. This option works best with components that have short bases (such as trees). This option does not work well with components that have wide bases (such as people in mid stride).

Note - Ensure the component's axis is positioned at the bottom center of the component for best results.

Uncheck this option to cause the shadow to be cast from the component's current position. The size of the shadow changes based on view point.

Replace selection with component: The Replace selection with component option causes the currently selected entities to be turned into a Component instance. Uncheck this option to create a component definition in the Component Browser without creating a component instance from selection set.

Component Definitions and Instances

A Component Definition and a Component Instance are created when a component is created using the Create Component dialog box. Components Definitions define or provide a blueprint for how all components of a specific type, called instances, appear and behave within the drawing area (whether they can be glued to faces, where insertion points appear, and so on). Component Definitions are represented by thumbnail images in the Component Browser.

Component Instances are components definitions that have been inserted in the drawing area (called instancing). Component Instances all look like and have the same default behavior as the Component Definition, but, once brought into the drawing area, can be rotated, scaled, and painted independently of other instances.

Inserting Components

There are a variety of different ways to insert component instances in SketchUp.

Inserting Components from Component Browser

Pre-defined Components are most often inserted from the Components Browser into a model. See the Component Browser for further information.

Insert a Component From an External SketchUp (.skp) File

You can also insert a component from an external SketchUp file. To insert a component from an external SketchUp file:

1. Select the File > Import > 3D Model menu item. The Open file dialog box appears.
2. Select the type of file to import from the Files of Type drop-down list (.skp).
3. Click Open. The cursor changes to the Move Tool anchored to the component's insertion point.

Tip - The component axes origin is the default insertion point for a Component. Change the location of the component's axes before you insert the component to change the default insertion point.

4. Move the mouse to the location in the Drawing area where you want to place the component.
5. Click the mouse button again to release the component.

Insert a Component From the File Explorer.

Finally, you can also insert a component from the File Explorer. To insert a component from the File Explorer:

1. Locate the icon representing the file you want to insert.
2. Click and hold the mouse button on the icon.
3. Drag the icon into the drawing area. The cursor changes to the Move Tool anchored to the component's insertion point.

Tip - The component axes origin is the default insertion point for a Component. Change the location of the component's axes before you insert the component to change the default insertion point.

4. Release the mouse button to place the component into your model.

Editing a Component Instance as a Whole

You can edit the component as a whole or edit individual entities within a component. Editing or modifying the component instance as a whole affects only the component instance, not the component definition or other instances.

Scaling a Component

Scaling a component as a whole scales the individual component instance, not the component definition, allowing you to have many differently scaled instances of the same component in your model.

A component can become skewed when you scale the component in multiple directions. You can reset both a components scale and skew using the Reset Scale and Reset Skew context menu items.

Flipping a Component

You can flip (or mirror) a component along its axes using the Flip Along component context menu item. Choose Component's Red, Component's Blue, or Component's Green depending on the direction to flip the component.

Rotating a Component Using the Move Tool

Components can be rotated using either using the Move Tool or Rotate Tool. The first rotation method rotates the component about its center of mass and in the planes of the component bounding box. The second rotation method allows you to specify precise rotate planes and center of rotation. See the Rotate Tool for further information on this second rotation method. To rotate a component using the Move Tool:

1. Select the Move Tool. The cursor will change to a four-way arrow.
2. Move the cursor over a face that is perpendicular to the desired axis of rotation. Four rotation handles and a protractor appear on the face.
3. Click on a rotation handle
4. Rotate the Component.

Editing Entities Within a Component Instance

Editing the entities within a component requires you to enter the component's context. Editing or modifying the entities within a component instance affects the component definition and other instances of the component. To edit the entities within a component:

1. Select the Component Instance > Edit Component command from the Edit Menu to edit the component. Alternatively, context-click on the currently selected component and select Edit Component from the context menu. An edit bounding box will surround the component and entities exterior to the component will turn grey.

Tip - Double-click on the component to edit the component.

2. Make changes to entities within the component. Any changes while in the context of the component affects each component instance and the component definition. You can also perform inference alignments to geometry outside of the component while you are editing the component.
3. Select the Close Group / Component command from the Edit Menu to end the edit session. Alternatively, context-click on the component's bounding box and select Close component from the context menu.

Tip - Click outside of the component to close the component.

Video - A video tutorial on this topic is available at
http://www.sketchup.com/training/tutorials.php

Exploding a Component

You can explode a Component entity to break it back into its original entities. To explode a component:

1. Select the Select Tool. The will change to an arrow.
2. Select the component you want to explode.
3. Select the Component Instance > Explode command from the Edit Menu. Alternatively, context-click on the currently selected group and select Explode from the context menu. The Component will be split back into its entities.

Elements within components that were placed adjacent to other geometry might become joined to elements exterior to the component when the component is exploded.

Applying Materials to Components

Any geometry inside a component that is painted with the default material will be painted when you paint the instance as a whole. Therefore, you can have entities within a component painted individually while other elements painted using the material assigned to the entire component. The following image contains four cars all enclosed in components. The tires, bumper, and windshield have been painted black when editing the component.

Each entire component instance was then painted after being edited, turning each of the faces with the default material to the color applied on the group (green, blue, red, and yellow from left to right):

Moving the Insertion Point

The Component Browser switches the insertion point from the origin of the component's axes to another point on the component when you use the Move Tool to select a component, that is already in your model, using a different (non-origin) point. For example, if you have a 3d rectangle component, the origin and insertion point will be the lower left-hand corner. However, if you insert this component and then move it by a midpoint, the insertion point changes to the mid point (while the origin remains at the lower left hand corner).

This feature is useful when aligning components, such as cabinet components in a kitchen. Consider the following:

1. Insert one kitchen cabinet component with the insertion point at the lower left corner of the component.
2. Insert a second instance of the same cabinet to the left of the previously inserted cabinet (so that the two cabinets touch). Notice that it is hard to accurately place the second cabinet because the insertion point is at the origin at the lower left corner of the component (away from where the two cabinets will touch).
3. Reposition the second kitchen cabinet away from the first.
4. Select the Move Tool and click the lower-right corner of the second kitchen cabinet component.
5. Now move the second kitchen cabinet such that it is aligned on the left-side of the first cabinet. This process should be easier now that the insertion point has been moved to the lower-right corner of the component. If you drag a third instance of the same cabinet into the model, the insertion point will now be at the lower-right corner (making it easier to place more cabinets to the left of each other).

Resetting Component Axes

Context-click on the component in the component browser and select Reset Insert Point if you want to reset the insertion point to the origin of the component's axes.