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I designed this object part somewhere else in my project and it was not aligned to any axis. Now I try to get it flat on the "ground" so I can cut it properly with my CNC (through cambam).

object in a strange box, not aligned

I have 2 problems here that I can't figure how to fix:

  1. as you can see the blue "component" box around the object has a strange alignment. If i do "explode" and then recreate the component it is better but this is not a good solution.
  2. the bottom of the object may look like it is flat on the ground but it is not. If you pay attention you can see it going through the plane. I am struggling for a long time now with the rotate tool and i can't get it to have the proper alignment of one face to the XY plane.

I found an extension (Unwrap and Flatten Faces by alexschreyer) that do almost what I want but it only works for faces not object.

2 Answers 2

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This is actually really easy.

  • Place your camera in a side view
  • Draw a straight line from one end of your object to another
  • Take the rotate tool and click on one end of your object
  • Then click on the other end and start dragging the object onto your straight line.

As for your first problem....you are stuck with explode and group or making it a component.

enter image description here

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  • Ok thanks. This answer problem n°2 ( which was the main one) Regarding the bluebox and "explode" function, as i said in my post, this is not good solution to me because if i modify this part somewhere in my project, this modification will not be reflected on this piece "flat on the ground" :( By the way the little video is very clear thanks for your time .
    – florent
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 13:19
  • @florent Well, there is no build in function to reset the bounding box in Sketchup. Sorry. Only other way is to make it a component instead of a group.
    – Alin
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 14:21
  • ok i think it won t be a problem anyway :)
    – florent
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 17:15
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To fit the bluebox better to the object it is a case of resetting the interior axis.

Double click inside the component or group, use the axis tool (tool with green, blue and red line) to redefine you x y and z.

To rotate your object, it'/ useful using guides: one guide for the existing orientation, a second for the orientation you want to achieve.

Your rotate tool should be able to snap to both.

Hope it helps'

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