Often, the crack isn't a hole; it's a hidden edge or a reversed face. Zoom into the crack top.
Sometimes, it is not your fault; it is SketchUp’s precision limits. SketchUp works in "units." If you are modeling a microchip (millimeters) and applying a 0.01mm round, the engine cannot calculate the arc.
The Fix:
Cracks often look like visible lines due to the "Soften Edges" setting.
If the crack is a physical gap:
To never see the "SketchUp round corner crack top" again, you must change your workflow.
This is the professional trick used by architecture visualization experts.
If you are trying to do this without plugins and your geometry is breaking (cracking):
If you were looking for something else (like a specific tutorial link or a texture file), please clarify the question!
Mastering SketchUp: How to Fix "Crack Top" and Geometry Issues in Round Corners
If you’ve spent any time 3D modeling, you’ve likely encountered the frustrating "crack top" or broken geometry issue when trying to round off a corner in SketchUp. This typically happens when the software's internal engine struggles to calculate complex intersections, often resulting in missing faces or "cracks" on the top surface.
While SketchUp is incredibly versatile, it wasn't natively designed for complex edge rounding. To get professional results, you’ll almost always need a specialized extension or a few expert workarounds. 1. Why Do "Cracks" Appear?
The "crack top" issue usually stems from one of three problems:
The Tiny Face Problem: SketchUp has difficulty forming very small faces (under 1mm or 1/16 inch). When you round a corner with a high segment count, the resulting faces may be too small for SketchUp to "heal," leaving a gap or crack.
Non-Planar Top Surfaces: If the top face of your object isn't perfectly flat, standard rounding tools will fail to calculate how the curve should meet the surface, leading to geometric "tears". sketchup round corner crack top
Too Large an Offset: If your rounding radius (offset) is larger than the available surface area, the geometry will overlap and break the top face. 2. Best Solutions: FredoCorner vs. RoundCorner
The most common way to solve this is by using extensions from developer Fredo6. There are two primary options, and knowing which one to use is key to avoiding top-face cracks.
FredoCorner (Recommended): This is the newer, more powerful tool. It uses an improved algorithm that handles complex, irregular shapes much better than its predecessor. It includes a Repair button and parametric abilities, allowing you to edit or undo rounding if it creates a crack.
RoundCorner (Legacy): While simpler and faster for basic cubes, it is "greedier" with face generation and often fails on non-orthogonal edges. If one fails, many pros keep both installed as a backup. 3. Step-by-Step Fix for Cracked Geometry
If your top face is cracking, follow these steps to achieve a clean finish:
Scale Up (The "Dave Method"): Before applying any rounding, scale your entire model up by 10x or 100x. This bypasses the "tiny face" limitation. Once the rounding is finished, scale it back down—the tiny faces will remain intact.
Reduce Segment Count: A common mistake is using too many segments (e.g., 12 or 24) for a small corner. Lowering this to 6 segments is often enough for a smooth look while keeping the geometry manageable and less prone to breaking.
Check for Overlaps: Use the Preview mode in FredoCorner to see if your offset is too large. If the preview shows red or overlapping lines, reduce the radius until they disappear.
Manual Re-topping: If a crack persists, delete the broken top face, round the edges, and then use a tool like Curviloft or the native "Create Face" tools to manually stitch the top back together. 4. Native Alternatives (No Plugins)
If you prefer not to use extensions, you can use the Follow Me tool: Curved face problem - SketchUp Forums
In SketchUp, "cracking" on a top face when using the RoundCorner plugin (by Fredo6) is a classic frustration caused by the software’s internal limit on processing tiny geometry. This often looks like missing triangles or "shattered" surfaces near the rounded edges.
Here is the "story" of why this happens and how you can fix it. 1. The Mystery of the "Tiny Face" Limit
SketchUp has a built-in tolerance of about 1/1000th of an inch. If you are rounding a corner and the segments of that curve are so small that the distance between points is less than this limit, SketchUp decides they are the "same" point. It merges them, fails to create the tiny face, and leaves you with a "cracked" or hole-filled top surface. 2. Solving it with "The Dave Method"
The most reliable way to fix these cracks is a workflow known in the community as the Dave Method: Often, the crack isn't a hole; it's a
Create a Component: Select your object and turn it into a component.
Scale Up a Copy: Make a copy of that component and scale it up significantly (e.g., 100x or 1000x).
Run the Plugin: Use RoundCorner on the large copy. Because the geometry is now huge, SketchUp has no trouble creating all the faces.
The Result: Because they are instances of the same component, the original small version will update automatically with perfectly healed geometry. You can then delete the giant copy. 3. Other Common "Crack" Culprits If scaling up doesn't work, check these potential issues:
The "Hole" Glitch: Sometimes rounding a hole in a surface leaves the original top face "floating" over the curve. You often just need to manually delete that overlapping face to reveal the smooth rounding underneath.
Over-Segmentation: Using too many segments for a small radius creates unnecessary complexity that increases the chance of cracks. Six segments are usually plenty for a standard rounded edge.
Excessive Offset: If your "Offset" (the radius of the curve) is larger than the face itself, the geometry will overlap and "crack". Ensure your offset doesn't exceed the distance to the next edge. 4. Manual Patching
If the crack is small and you don't want to redo the operation: RoundCorner | SketchUcation
Introduction
SketchUp is a popular 3D modeling software used by architects, interior designers, and makers. One of its useful features is the ability to create rounded corners and edges. However, some users may encounter a frustrating issue - a crack or gap at the top of a rounded corner. In this article, we'll explore the causes of this issue and provide solutions to fix the SketchUp round corner crack top.
What causes the SketchUp round corner crack top?
The crack or gap at the top of a rounded corner in SketchUp is usually caused by a few factors:
How to fix the SketchUp round corner crack top
To resolve the issue of a crack or gap at the top of a rounded corner in SketchUp, try the following solutions: If you were looking for something else (like
Step-by-Step Solution
Here's a step-by-step guide to fix the SketchUp round corner crack top:
Conclusion
To write a helpful essay or article for you, I need to know which topic you are referring to, as your request is slightly ambiguous. Could you please clarify if you mean: Digital 3D modeling:
Solving geometry tearing, missing faces, or visual "cracks" when using tools or plugins like RoundCorner Physical repairs:
Fixing a physical fracture or crack on the rounded corner of a countertop, table, or surface?
Please tell me which one you are looking for so I can provide the correct content! How To Round Edges In Sketchup
If your RoundCorner plugin is leaving "cracks" or broken geometry on the top face of your SketchUp model, it’s usually due to tiny geometry errors or a conflict with the rounding algorithm. Quick Fixes for "Cracked" Faces
Scale Up (The "Dave Method"): SketchUp often fails to create small faces (under ~1mm). Scale your entire model up by 10x or 100x, run the plugin, and then scale it back down.
Check Hidden Geometry: Go to View > Hidden Geometry. You may find that the "crack" is actually an unsoftened edge or a missing tiny triangle. Use the Line Tool to manually stitch the gap, then use the Eraser Tool + Ctrl to soften the new edge.
Clean Your Mesh: High edge density or "stray" lines on the top face can confuse the plugin. Use an extension like CleanUp³ or Curvizard to simplify the edges of your face before rounding.
Upgrade to FredoCorner: The original RoundCorner is older; Fredo6 released FredoCorner specifically to handle more complex geometry with a better algorithm that reduces face-cracking. Alternative Manual Method
If the plugin continues to glitch, you can achieve a cleaner result manually: Draw a small arc on the corner of your face. Select the top face as your path. Choose the Follow Me tool and click the arched profile.
If you'd like, you can upload a screenshot of your model or describe the corner type (concave or convex) so I can give you more specific repair steps. Fredo6 Round Corner - Face becomes two tones - Extensions