Curves not on plane

[RegH]

Hey y'all,
I'm not a total newby to 3D, but I am on this forum. With SU 6, I've revived my attempts at more ambitious projects.
Here's one that has me frustrated: I'm wanting to use follow me to spin a curvy profile around a circle. I'm using Draw- Bezier tool. I created a vertical panel, pasted a jpg image to be traced, and used the bezier tool to make my curves, but when I view from the edge, I see the curves don't stay on plane! Naturally, I can't weld the curves to form a face.
I had partial success by using lines and arcs to do a test, but the bezier eludes me.
Any guidance on this would be appreciated.
Here's a link to the jpg image I referred to:
http://img146.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... erece8.jpg
_______

[Gaieus]

Reg,

Could you try to draw your bezier on a horizontal plane and then rotate it to be vertical? Also, when it is already drawn (but off plane), you can try to rotate it back to the plane you created as a reference before. If you uploaded the skp file, we could even be more of a help for you.

[RegH]

Thanks for your kind reply Gaieus
You'd laugh if you saw how much time I've spent trying to recreate the situation. I didn't save the setup... just kept hammering away till I got something close.
I do believe the "off-plane" effect may come from editing the Bezier vertices. As long as the vertices are within bounds of the "work-panel" it seems okay.
But- I wonder why when I do go off the panel with a vetice, it only moves off plane a small amount, rather than infinite distance.
I think I'm rambling now- a sign that I need a nap

[Gidon Yuval]

I always start by creating a box big enough to draw the profile on. Since I'm drawing on the face of that box, or rather on a particular plane of that box' then the tools I'll be using, including bezier curves, will aline themselves naturaly to that plane. The box itself is then easily erased leaving just the needed profile with no tricky rotating necessary.

Have a look at the attached file.

tut.skp

[RegH]

Thanks Gidon,

Your tutorial makes it so clear. (I think Sketchup must be the absolute best device for graphic description of itself that I've ever seen!)

BTW....Your tagline....
"If you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there"
Funny- I just got my new GPS 2 days ago