You could have the three parts assembled into another SKP in your folder and then load that - bringing in the assembly and the three parts. However, if you want to add a new component into the model then use something like: model = Sketchup.active_model ### set up names of parts bolt = "MyBolt" washer = "MyWasher" nut = "MyNut" ### here I'm assuming they are already loaded [OR add then now]... ### get a reference to each from the name... defn_bolt = model.definitions[bolt] defn_washer = model.definitions[washer] defn_nut = model.definitions[nut] ### now combine them - add new empty definition name = "MyAssembly" path = Filejoin(path_to_folder, name+".skp") defn = model.definitions.add(path) name = defn.name ### in case name is preexisting, and it's now "MyAssembly#1" ### establish a suitable transformation of each component part - here I'll just call it 'tr_bolt' etc ### because the tr is within the definition's entities, center parts on the ORIGIN ### and move the nut/washer along the Z as needed ### a good idea would be to have the component parts with their insertion points ### at their ORIGINS and the bolt shaft facing down in the Z etc ? defn.entities.add_instance(defn_bolt, tr_bolt) defn.entities.add_instance(defn_washer, tr_washer) defn.entities.add_instance(defn_nut, tr_nut) ### you place the assembly 'defn' the same way, with another suitable transformation... some_entitites_collection.add_instance(defn, tr_defn)

The freestanding RB scrambler has been scrapped for the last couple of SketchUp versions. It is no longer available. You must now register as a developer with Trimble and upload your RBZ [a re-suffixed ZIP file] containing just one 'loader - "xxx.rb" - and one "xxx" subfolder [containing the extension's main code files and other helper files] to here: https://extensions.sketchup.com/en/developer_center/extension_signature This gives then you the option of leaving everything as RB files, or encrypting any RB files in the "xxx" subfolder [the 'loader' RB is never encrypted]. There are also 2 options for encrypting. RBS is the older format that is known to have been cracked and offers only obfuscation and not full protection of your IP, however it's advantage is that if will work in all SketchUp versions from v8 up to v2017. RBE this newer format is more robust and not [yet] hacked. Its disadvantage is that it only works with v2016 and newer versions. If you opt for including both encrypted versions in your RBZ, then the RBS version exposes your IP anyway. Depending on the options chosen, after only a few minutes or processing a modified RBZ is then available for you to download and redistribute yourself. When submitting your RBZ it will now always ne 'signed'. Two special files are added to the RBZ's subfolder - these 'hash' the RBZ's contents. If the two files are removed or changed, OR any of the sensitive files to which they refer are different from the initial submission, then that loading extension will report itself as 'unsigned' etc in the Extension Manager and will not load is the more restricted loading-policies [although most users will stick with 'unrestricted' anyway!]. The 'sensitive' files in RBZ are RB/RBS/RBE/HTM/HTML/JS/CSS. Having your own RBZs 'signed' is not as onerous as making a submission to the EWH. If your intention is to publish at the EWH then you also need to register separately as a developer there. You then submit your unsigned/unencrypted RBZ to them. It takes considerably longer than the self-certification option. There are also much stricter coding requirements etc and your submission can be rejected for not following their best practice. This is explained more fully on their site...

dream about real stuff in sketchup heheh no

Ok - thanks TIG - i tried again over the weekend. Unfortunately i can't get it working the way i want. I think the available observers and methods are just not providing the necessary functionality. I can intercept the default MoveTool for a component instance contained in the model using a ToolsObserver and let my tool run instead - fine. I can spot when an instance was placed using a ModelObserver with onPlaceComponent and let my tool run - fine But i can't intercept the placement of a component before an instance was actually added to the model. The ToolsObserver fires when i click on a component in the components browser but doesn't provide info on the chosen definition. On that first click in the browser the definition is added to the model's definitionlist (only once as i stated before) and a DefinitionsObserver can spot this (once). The component now sticks to the mouse pointer and i can hover over the model. There's no change to the model's entities collection yet. The instance is placed when i click (a second time) somewhere in the model. Now the component instance is added to the model entities collection and at this point an Entities-Observer or Model-Observer (onPlaceComponent) can spot it. But this is already too late for visual feedback while placing. Nevertheless... keeping on sketch(up)ing Michael S.

@sdmitch said: My RoundedCornerRectangle still works. Other than the nit-pick of only available for x-y plane - Perfect. Thank you EDIT Dumb old me: I already had it installed [image: txKW_rectangle.png]

Got it. Thank-you Sdmitch. As always your guidance with the syntax is impeccable. Even after a year I'm still feel like a bull in a china shop I'm still a bit of a ways away from a boolean subtraction but at least I have something to work with now.

I can help with Mandarin (Chinese), my fiancé is Taiwanese

Here is the bottom line in the .ZIP to .RBZ saga My current version of Winrar 5.31 (64-bit) ....failed to faithfully do a proper .zip conversion. TIG informed me how one script I sent him was able to be installed while the other was not. How is this possible? That lead me to investigate what had happens to WinRar, which I have used for .rar .zip and password protect files since the early 2000's I attached one of my very old XP HDD's via a none sata to usb connection to my PC. And there it was, an old copy of Winrar 3.71 I used the old Winrar 3.71 to make a new zip file renamed .zip to .rbz installed the .rbz voila! ... it installs via the dreaded Installation Manager! I admit I'm a so learner, this is not the first time I have regretted getting on that bloody upgrade treadmill. I can hardly wait for SU 2018

First we set up some references. model = Sketchup.active_model ss = model.selection Then depending on how you want to 'start' off your plugin... edges = model.active_entities.grep(Sketchup::Edge) An array of all edges in the active context*** OR edges = ss.grep(Sketchup::Edge) An array of all edges in the current selection.*** Now resolve the selection: ss.clear ss.add(edges) ***The 'rep' finds all edges, including those bordering faces. So if you want to select just those edges without faces then you can extend the 'grep' code thus ... .grep(Sketchup::Edge).find_all{|e| e.faces.length == 0 } The array 'edges' then just lists those edges without faces...

I've found the problem. It was in line "opening = subelement.entities.add_group" I created a group inside the group I wanted to subtract.

@bjornburgh said: Pasting the Script in the Ruby console doesn't work. Is there another way? def remove_instances_duplicates defs=Sketchup.active_model.definitions to_delete=[] defs.each do |compo_def| next if compo_def.internal? instances=compo_def.instances instances2=instances instances2.each do |i2| keeping_instance=instances.shift instances.each do |instance| if instance != keeping_instance and instance.transformation.to_a == keeping_instance.transformation.to_a and instance.definition.insertion_point.transform(instance.transformation)==keeping_instance.definition.insertion_point.transform(keeping_instance.transformation) to_delete.push(instance) puts "Erasing duplicate instance of " + instance.definition.name end end end end to_delete.each { |inst| inst.erase! } end There was an extra "end" in the code. Removing that should fix the problem. After pasting into the Ruby Console, press Enter then type in "remove_instances_duplicates" to execute.

If you are really serious about running another copy or another version of SU, without it interfering with the registry then you should consider virtualization a version of your SU software. https://my.vmware.com/web/vmware/downloads Example: I'm currently using SU 2015 as my main workhorse for daily work. Having found out that SU 2016 wont run many of my Ruby scripts. I created a virtual copy of SU 2016, also known as a Portable version, using vmware. Warning: this process should not be attempted without a good understanding of Windows and what virtualization is. Here is a short description of how I make a portable copy. I always have a fresh bootable install of Windoz only, on a new UBS3 HDD I install vmware and SketchUp on 1 3, With vmware running I make a new Bootable copy of SketchUp Now I can run a portable version of SketchUp from my USB3 HDD or move that Portable to any other HDD If you are competent in using vmware you can make versions that allow you to add addons scripts to your portable version, this is very important. good luck!

Thanks for picking up the question ThomThom I'm developing a measuring tool and part of the functionality lies on the capability of the tool to make a quick measurement no matter what context you are into. Currently I'm getting the information via pickpoint but I'm having hard time trying to get rid of the interferencing and also confuses me a lot when the cursor is over a face but one or more edges are just behind that face because my draw method to highlight either the face or the edge goes crazy when underneath the cursor are to much geometry happening. I wanted to implement a method using pickhelper but the not picking outside active context thing stopped me. The tool angleinspector from fredo marvelously does exactly what I want to achieve and I'm trying to mimic that functionality but without success. http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=180%26amp;t=67058 Here you can see a gif describing my problem. Saludos

@slb_jwm said: In any email client I've used, ... This is an online messaging board, not an email client. (It just happens to have an optional email echo feature.)

@davesexcel said: Thanks, I think I understand the concept, from excel vba we are opening sketchup and passing on a variable that a plugin will recognize to run the plugin? I think Jim explained it better and more detailed.

Hi Jim, essentially, yes what you described at the end of your reply is correct. I would like the ability to reorder and rename dynamic parameters of dynamic components, as well as all of their nested children parameters and so on. Regarding your previous question, a master template in this context is the way that I've been building my DCs to this point. I'll build a functioning component, and then save off each part so that I can create variants, and still have all the same parameters. So as an example, lets say I've built a window that cuts into a surface, and showcases a single hung window. I've been saving off the window child component, creating a casement version, and swapping then back and forth to ensure they work flawlessly, and minimize the file size of the component. I can attach an example when I get back to a computer. The fact I said I'd be needing to make constant revisions may be an exaggeration, but my view is this: I'll be overhauling the use of SketchUp in the office to a more standardized system, and as users begin to adopt DCs and they become more useful, I may need to add features that I did not plan out or set aside in the first roll out of DCs. Adding new features shouldn't be too difficult, but seeing as how the order of the exposed parameters is reliant on alphabetical order in the DC options dialog, I don't see any other way to re-order them other than either manually renaming all the params through parent and child level components, or coming up with something more clever. Hopefully that makes sense, let me know if anything isnt clear. Thanks! Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk

Exactly Dan, that was one of my mistakes. Finally I got it by myself, and now I understand the basics. Thank you in any case.

Angle snapping works for rotational tools or tool states. Length snapping would work for linear tool states.

additional observation: If onKeyDown or onKeyUp returns true then onCancel is not triggered. It is blocked by onKeyDown/onKeyUp as well.

For architects rendering output is needed, but sketchup output might be also worthy. I want my trees to project shadows, so I can study the project. There is also the fact that cast shadows from a 2d face me component, isn't compatible with renderers and sometimes you get thin flat shadows as shadows don't face sun. In my proposed solution the 2nd model can be a fairly rough 3d which casts 3d shadows that work. You can check a bit more about it here: http://sketchucation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40%26amp;t=64471%26amp;p=591460%26amp;hilit=2.5d+components#p591460