Unfolding in Sketchup free version manually

[mldixon]

Well I have decided to do a unfold in sketchup the free version so that you guys who are fooling around with sketchup can unfold your models. Mchale has asked me to unfold and scale some models for him, so I am doing this tutorial so that he can do this for himself. The problem with exporting the files to Pepekura is that you have to have the paid for Pro version to export. $$$$. With this method you can unfold anything that you have the patience to do. The unfold ruby scripts also work, but they don't always give you the expected result. I use Pro and export. Very quick. I also have tried flattery and unfold.rb. Unfold.rb is a good plugin but requires a clear understanding of what it is about to do to use.

Anyway here ia a tutorial. You have to have some knowledge of sketchup to use or understand this. Everyone has their own methods so this is by no means the only way to get this done. Just my way,

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5P_oIQEzdIc/To9MTMvUvMI/AAAAAAAAEEY/nMmXINTQauE/s640/Image%25252044.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h3N1u8tdxWM/To9MUJ8wrwI/AAAAAAAAEEc/LDxFIABjQdw/s640/Image%25252045.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2VUoY92xyFk/To9MU2y0iDI/AAAAAAAAEEg/7bSCRslt8DM/s640/Image%25252046.jpg


https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-f0LZikDn0PY/To9MVjEfS5I/AAAAAAAAEEk/9Bm5IhpdJlM/s640/Image%25252047.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4m0U6HP2Oi0/To9MWPtfzwI/AAAAAAAAEEo/1Ivws97jnmM/s640/Image%25252048.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-eLr28MpK2Q8/To9MW8qvS8I/AAAAAAAAEEs/B-FTvCcCaRQ/s640/Image%25252049.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ABRcELfaEo0/To9MXjbeiYI/AAAAAAAAEEw/RKKTk2cNZ5Y/s640/Image%25252050.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-TbZrUs2EkEI/To9MYZ-pJ-I/AAAAAAAAEE0/6VjoDtTKgy8/s640/Image%25252051.jpg



https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bQTWhNFnCRk/To9MZXg4ulI/AAAAAAAAEE4/kdLHpR7es0Q/s640/Image%25252052.jpg


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Nz0uIPUGCdw/To9MaFJf0_I/AAAAAAAAEE8/PxCpy4x_Eyk/s640/Image%25252053.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8IN-LCqX2tE/To9MdUHj7nI/AAAAAAAAEFM/YxwhXR32uf0/s640/Image%25252054.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-zSA1FuXjH88/To9MeEFBkTI/AAAAAAAAEFQ/IjB8jXVTp18/s640/Image%25252055.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EaFDiNj2Jlk/To9Ma-63y5I/AAAAAAAAEFA/vOjv_cbDdqc/s640/Image%25252056.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9zzGcWwMu5U/To9Mcf8SkCI/AAAAAAAAEFI/ZWkxPQbk3tM/s640/Image%25252057.jpg






https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Epo6dUTGwnk/To9Me69QigI/AAAAAAAAEFU/7FYjFtzPjEg/s640/Image%25252058.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Pxzmb0cJHXQ/To9Mf3nlDdI/AAAAAAAAEFY/apH9X8jaBfM/s640/Image%25252059.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-z3RmfGsWiGQ/To9MgtFt99I/AAAAAAAAEFc/piARnYExCNU/s640/Image%25252060.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NRi_5_IKoME/To9MbjxiBkI/AAAAAAAAEFE/WWWlj-56nU0/s640/Image%25252061.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3UX9iNzXc_A/To9MhsJoJ0I/AAAAAAAAEFg/FcesZgLlsxk/s640/Image%25252063.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-LUoKnh0woCA/To9MivecICI/AAAAAAAAEFk/wlDOshC7q2Q/s640/Image%25252064.jpg

Continued on next post

[mldixon]

Continued
By the way this is Mchales new model that I am unfolding with his blessing for this tutorial

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yGFruzt9i8I/To9Mjaewz8I/AAAAAAAAEFo/Dn7Ci84sSuM/s640/Image%25252065.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9y5ugO6qfjE/To9Mkbx2vRI/AAAAAAAAEFs/xgbckL1pFdo/s640/Image%25252066.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-t07HzDiuo0g/To9MlNKW-jI/AAAAAAAAEFw/ju5LBWv-5VQ/s640/Image%25252067.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YCuwjZz5R4g/To9Ml2z14QI/AAAAAAAAEF0/w3NTZnoTx0Q/s640/Image%25252068.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-i_6C3_p-GUw/To9Mm2EAmBI/AAAAAAAAEF4/BvnA427pFJY/s640/Image%25252069.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-__OFkQybJpg/To9MnjQAJUI/AAAAAAAAEF8/f92LxgDcevw/s640/Image%25252070.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d87hdbY2FnE/To9MoVbZ8KI/AAAAAAAAEGA/U5QovvCTQWs/s640/Image%25252071.jpg

From this point on I am showing Mchale how to get the model to a desired scale. This also assumes that you build the model to a true scale to begiin with. I used a tire diameter for the Dodge Charger aquired from a google search and used this as a known dimension for a full scale car.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E5MnnFQ2u3g/To9MpnTwcDI/AAAAAAAAEGI/v0Aid1Pvs18/s640/Image%25252073.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UKiFHcpmGQw/To9MqSOW7KI/AAAAAAAAEGM/cmIS4VFptS0/s640/Image%25252074.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ozymlHiDdAk/To9MrMqu_AI/AAAAAAAAEGQ/sOYOqxNKT1M/s640/Image%25252075.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-PA4sctcmWos/To9MosuGwLI/AAAAAAAAEGE/MiVlZTY6yAI/s400/Image%25252072.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7AeyWXTKKMI/To9MsDzkZ-I/AAAAAAAAEGU/TTFHqCex9RE/s640/Image%25252076.jpg

And that finishes the unfold You should be throughly confused by now. But trust me when I tell you that as you do this. It goes quick. The more complex the model the more the groups and the longer the process. So this is best used on simple models. My Martin Baker Seat was exported to Pepakura in isolated groups and then unfolded in sections.
Hope this helps.

Here is a shot of Pepakura unfold of the same model that was grouped for folding. As you can see even this has problems but took only a few minutes to shoot out.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QClpMe0ssy0/To9kisH25iI/AAAAAAAAEGk/0qBxJ_9Bk6s/s640/Image%25252077.jpg

[mchale]

Thanks mike.

[mldixon]

Thanks mike.

Glad to provide it. Hope it helped. :)

[Dave Friesen]

That is much appreciated. Thanks Mike

[mchale]

I tried to unfold this exact model. I could not get the thing to even rotate to the angle in the pics and i got down to 3rd step and tried to do what it said. I could not get it to unfold and that got me frustrated. I don't know what went wrong. I don't have the money for sketch up pro or pepakura and my dad wont buy it for me. I may just go back to ms paint if i cant figure it out

[doctormax]

hi mike how do you get this unfold tool? whats the sequence do you go to a site and download it first to your computer and put it into the google sketch up folder in the C drive?

[mldixon]

I tried to unfold this exact model. I could not get the thing to even rotate to the angle in the pics and i got down to 3rd step and tried to do what it said. I could not get it to unfold and that got me frustrated. I don't know what went wrong. I don't have the money for sketch up pro or pepakura and my dad wont buy it for me. I wmay just go back to ms paint if i cant figure it out
Well nothing comes easy. This is known as the crash bang method of learning. It works because you can see that the model is unfolded. You need to be patient and keep trying until you get one plane turned. Then you will have it. I taught myself to use these programs through trial and error. Save the original model and just keep at it.You can't break it and if you get too far out of whack start all over with the saved original. You made the model so I know you have the skills to get this done. Select all the faces and lines on the drivers side hold down the shift key so they all get selected and make them one group. Then pick compass tool and place on a point that turns next to the top. Then turn it. Once you do it you'll never forget. If you need help show me screen grabs of your problem and then I can see where you went wrong. Stick with it this is a good program once you master it. Look at my models all done in Sketchup.

[mldixon]

hi mike how do you get this unfold tool? whats the sequence do you go to a site and download it first to your computer and put it into the google sketch up folder in the C drive?

Doc
Download here with all instructions
lJim's SketchUp [Plugins] Blog: Plugin: Unfold Tool (http://sketchuptips.blogspot.com/2007/08/plugin-unfoldrb.html)

Install in the directory under the google sketchup program called plugins
Most likely c:/program files/google/google sketchup 8/plugins.
Then just place the unfold.rb file and start the program. It will apperar under plugins in on the top bar as unfold in the drop down. Click on it and then proceed to unfold. Start with a cube first and play with it. You can click on empty space between unfolds to start a new unfold sequence. If you plan on unfolding like i did for Mchale you still gotta do the grouping footwork. But I gotta tell you there is no magic bullet to unfolding. Even Pepakura has a steep learning curve to get it to do what you want it to do. Hope this helps.
Mike:cool:

[chippychua]

thttp://www.pumpkinpirate.info/flattery/ (http://www.pumpkinpirate.info/flattery/)
try this, also found as a link on jim's sketchup plugin page.

[codex34]

WOW - manual unfolding, this takes me back a few years :)

"But I gotta tell you there is no magic bullet to unfolding."
Very true, everyone wants that magic button you click to instantly unfold the model, it doesn't exist. Pepakura is good but it does take alot of effort to unfold how you want it to, cutting edges, rubbing out lines, setting all the tabs correctly.
Very nice to see a tutorial on this method.

[StanGolob]

Love the tutorial Mike - made several things in Sketchup clearer for me. I was having the same problem Mchale was with trying to rotate the items on the plane using the compass (protractor) tool in step 3 - until I realized you need to use the Rotate tool to actually rotate the selected objects.

The protractor will let you measure and create construction guides but I couldn't get it to rotate the objects until I used the rotate tool which displays the same compass on the object planes.

[mldixon]

Glad to see it helped you out. :)