Te Wero Bridge Competition in Auckland, New Zealand - Google SketchUp Workshop: Modeling, Visualizing, and Illustrating - page 24

Step 3: Dividing the Main Project Model
into Submodels

Goal : From the main model, create submodels as separate component
files with their exact locations registered in the main model.
Input : SketchUp model of the project (including the site).
Tools : SketchUp's component instances and Outliner.

Even though we tried to keep the project model down to its essentials, it got
quite complex in the end with its surroundings and was heavily laden with
various components by the time the rendering started.

So, we divided the project file into two separate file types, the main-model file
and sub-model files, and generated the latter from the former as component
files with their exact locations registered in the main model.

I set up the models as follows:

1. In the main project model, select entities (edges, faces, groups,

components, etc.) to be handled as a separate file.

2. To create a component, context-click on the selection, choose Make

Component, and the Create Component dialog box appears. Set all
parameters to your preferences, but make sure Replace Selection with
Component is always checked.

3. After the component is created, context-click the component name

in the Outliner > Save As and name the file as <name of the part>-
<explanation>.skp. Specify the file location and click Save.

4. Component files can also be saved as separate files via the Component

Browser or Edit > Component > Save As menu, but almost always the
Outliner is the most convenient and straightforward method.

FiG 2.2 Saving a component as a
separate file with context-click.