Ben, I had some time to post a video demonstrating how to use OpenStudio, EnergyPlus and ResultsViewer to study window shading over the entire year. The video doesn't have any annotation yet, but I'll add that soon. Below are some screenshots. The first is from SketchUp/OpenStudio. The color of the windows relate to the fraction of the window in the sun. While typically viewing simulation data in SketchUp is ideal, here the sketchUp shadows work well on their own. We can look at a window and see that about half of it is in the sun. In this case ResultsViewer's flood maps are an excellent way to study the entire year at a glance. You can quickly see which times of day or year are the problem times. I have shown a Type A and Type B window for the south and east. The Type A and B windows are the same except the Type A has the shade directly above it, while the Type B windows have the same shade offset five feet vertically. This is a simple example, but you can imagine how you can quickly study a variety of window designs and look at the strengths and weakness of each one. YouTube link (may not work yet) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60lmAnY81ds [image: jtrT_sunlitfraction_SUresults.png] [image: IFpv_win_type_b_south.png] [image: whm5_win_type_a_south.png] [image: duL8_win_type_b_east.png] [image: KtfZ_win_type_a_east.png]

Thanks !!!

Don't forget the Geom module methods. Geom.point_in_polygon_2D can be used to narrow down even further where the point is, once you know whether it's ventral (anterior) or dorsal (posterior.) For instance, reference your view from the other thread, where you show the viewing cone(s) looking downward. Getting the 3 vertices of the horizontal conic section defines a triangular face that can be used with Geom.point_in_polygon_2D, to see if a point should be within the projected section (without regard to z position.) Repeat the exercise using the vertical conic section, and if both return true, then the point is inside the viewing pyramid that curcumscribes the viewing cone.

The default material is 'nil'. So face.material=nil makes face have no material and face.back_material=nil makes face have no back material You can get the color used for the two types of default face material from model.rendering_options["FaceFrontColor"] and model.rendering_options["FaceBackColor"] which both return a Color object, you can then get its RGB values in the normal way etc... You can also set these vales to a new color with []=

@thomthom said: SketchUp reads GIF images - no problem. It's just the filedialog that doesn't list it. If you type * in the filename when you try to insert an image then you can select GIFs and it works. I can't select * as an image file-type, only from a list of types or 'all' - neither of which cover 'gif'. I know you can load a gif by renaming it as a png - though I never saw why it wasn't a supported image extension otherwise - Is being able to load a gif a Mac thing? Interestingly the gif renamed png works fine and is listed in the path and skm as a png and can be saved as png too ??? Gif-ness disappears completely on the rename??? I had this problem SKP file from someone that wouldn't export the texture properly [overlaid on this Dutch translation confusion I outlined earlier!] where in a material's texture in the SKM it was a gif BUT it said it was a png in the texture-path text-box on the dialog [or when you asked it what it was via the API] BUT it texture-wrote a gif as the output... caused presumably by a manual edit that confused it? I can't see how it became a gif inside the skm [unless it was manually edited as if a zip file] as making one my way it always says it's a png whatever way you slice it !

You can guard against not getting what you expect all you like, but once you get this kind of result, the internal structure of SU is toast. It always seems to comes down to Ruby coding errors on your part. I believe the issue is that (possibly for performance reasons?) SU isn't at all defensive in its API. You give it a bunch of crap and it dutifully carries on using it resulting in increasingly wrong behaviour. So if you ever enumerate winged edge structres etc and get crazy objects, don't guard against it, go back and find your mistake - and it can be a real PITA to find.. Adam

It did cross my mind that you could setup a DC for the entire house, but I feel that may get hairy, especially when working with Nested and/or Intersecting options. Also the fact that Free Users cannot author DC's is a draw back. I do want to take advantage of DC's for some optioning, but dont see it as an efficient solution for complex production homes. Thanks again for you help so far!!

Thanks! Yeah I know about the different files and such and this one is such a complex branched one, a beautifully programmed one. As for the sketchup API (toolbar, command and menu) I'm not 100% fluent yet, but getting there, already fixed many plugins. The thing is it seems to me that it's a difference in file behavior from the PC to the Mac, as if I understand comments made it behaves properly on the PC (looks in the plugin folder) but doesn't seem to on the Mac. Since Jim wrote it for PC there may be a quirk on Mac for which there is a way around that someone had already encountered. Of course I won't hack without backup and protections and what not, and without understanding the behavior of the original program, but I can only imagine what it does on a PC and see what it does or doesn't on the Mac. In this case the program and the UI work great. OK I know you're right I'll do more homework! Thanks for the links.

@martinrinehart said: Your class names are not protected, even though your classes are defined in the module. Absolutely and totally WRONG ! A module namespace protects evrything inside it. It can have it's OWN constant of the same name as another constant in a higher namespace. The same for variables and method names. YOUR module can have a class Matrix, and MINE can have a class Matrix, and they are different. @martinrinehart said: By the way, your "xxx.rb" file provides a namespace wrapper for its variables. Next time you see Matz, ask him why its just for variables. Clarification: Only local_variables NOT instance_variables (@var), class_varaibles (@@avr) or Constants ( MSG, Value etc.) Running unwrapped code corrupts the ObjectSpace, with: Constants will be left behind in Object and become globally available. @vars will be left behind in Object and even when set nil, GC does not clean them up. @@vars will be left behind in Object and even when set nil, GC does not clean them up, AND worse... every class inherits them.

@martinrinehart said: @unknownuser said: Within the class statement, you can declare methods with their name, without any prefixing. I find Ruby's insistence on self.xxx to define module-level functions is quite a nuisance. On the other hand, if you create a singleton instance of your class, then to manipulate anything you have to instance.xxx() whereas in the module you can call your functions without a prefix. You don't need to prefix methodnames in modules. Use a class << self block wrapper around all the methods inside the module. See my post: [info] Using Ruby Modules

@ben.doherty said: I am having lots of trouble with modules though, if I ask the ruby console for Voyeur::FaceMaker::instance_methods it gives me back a list of the methods as I'd expect, but if I say Voyeur::FaceMaker.makeAnalysisFaces it throws a #<NoMethodError.... any idea how to fix that? moved to it's OWN topic thread, so folks can find it easier: See: [info] Using Ruby Modules

To update the changes - right click - Redraw! To sort the attributes as You like just put the alphabets in front: [image: 721C_2010-08-13_210132.jpg]

@archtobe said: I use a free image editor called: Paint.Net << Thanks! I used Windows Paint; crude but it does the trick. OH man... Paint.NET puts the MS-Paint to shame. MultiLayers, opens and saves in many more formats. Version 1 was a college programming project, by a group of guys. They did such a good job, (everyone loved it,) that they updated it, released, etc. etc. and it's up around ver 3 now.

I also started to play with dynamic components as a way to put some info. But extracting all this information is a big pain - SketchUp's Generate report is a big mess - only inches and a lot of useless data!

My approach avoids the confusion of vectors, eye, target etc... Just use the API functions to set a plan view and zoom to what you want to see, switching off perspective as needed...

@xolotl said: Hello SketchUcation Xperts. Has anyone else tried this plugin, and if so, what were the results? ThanX. X (Xolotl) yes, it works, on PC and even the Mac (if your careful), but it's not really a "plugin", but a 'proof of concept' chapter of a very good book on learning how to use ruby for SU. "Automatic Sketchup" have look on amazon I did a some 'Mac' example debugging when Matt was writing it and have been meaning to post a review, it is easy to follow and well worth buying... and a lot of it's downloadable from the books website... If your interest extends to writing your own or testing for others RubyConsolePro is also worth a look, along with Martins book on ruby for sketchup... john

see new beta post, SKX forum: [code] beta Group/Image parent, glued_to? etc.

Typo corrected in v1.3 in first post...

Thanks I clobbered together a folder_browser as part of a larger code set using your ideas... as it's subject to a NDA I can't post it here, BUT here are some tips about what I changed/added - in no particular order... I set a @ variable to represent the returned folderpath. The starter is def startfb(dir=nil, input=nil) this is to separate it from another 'start', by running it with arguments I can determine which directory to start the list in [dir] and then what action to take [def to run] with the resulting @folderpath [using input]. So we don't mess with the current working directory we remember it, reset it to dir then process and set it back on closing [inside the calling code NOT the fb itself] I made it a sub-def of a wider class and ensured that @dlg etc were renamed so as not to clash with another @dlg I already had open. I changed the dialog to be a fixed size [also added 'instructions' into the top-bar] - in the js etc I made the list 80% so it never squeezes the buttons off screen. I also swapped the location to the top of the dialog and removed the 'Location:' text as it sees clear what the string is anyway. I changed the 'OK' button size to be bigger value=OK style='width:146px' and added new functions to 'Cancel' and 'New Folder' onclick="cancel()" and onclick="mkdir()"... These in turn 'call' back and close the dialog or open another dialog into which you can type the new folder name... If you add a new folder it is added to the list immediately after the folder-up item, the rest are listed in order - this makes finding that new folder much easier - if you navigate away and back it will now get added to the list in the correct order... The call back is a new sub-def called 'newfolder()' and that opens another simple dialog to get the the new name - it's trapped in my case to ensure it only has _ and alphanumerics in it - newDir.gsub!(/[^_A-Za-z0-9]/,''). It also checks for validity and preexistence and warns appropriately. Dir.mkdir(newDir) @dlgfb.execute_script('clear_list()') self.populatefb(Dir.pwd, newDir) Note how the populate def [renamed to avoid a clash] takes arguments - this is to set the starting directory and IF there's a new-directory to pass it over so that the list can be manipulated to have its name second on the updated list. list << file if File.basename(file) != newDir and scr='appendDiv("../");' @dlgfb.execute_script(scr) scr='appendDiv("'+newDir+'");' if newDir Then the list is appended... @dlgfb.show_modal{} ensures that the dialog stays foremost until you Cancel or OK, I added img{ opacity:0.66; /*Firefox & Chrome*/ filter:alpha(opacity=66); /* IE */ } to the css so that the images are slightly transparent and show the selected item through themselves. I also edited the folder.png and erased the white edge areas so that it was 'transparent'. I also duplicated it as folderup.png and added an 'up' arrow onto it - this img is then added to the listed item IF its text is ../ - i.e. it's the navigate folder-up at the top of the list... if ( txt == '../') d.innerHTML = '<img src="./folderup.png"/> '+txt; else d.innerHTML = '<img src="./folder.png"/> '+txt; Also added tests for js's OK if ( selected_elem == null ) my_alert(); else if ( selected_elem.innerText.trim() == "../" ) my_alert(); else use_this( selected_elem.innerText.trim() ); Where my_alert() opens an error message telling you to select a folder before clicking OK - - the first trap is you haven't selected a folder yet and the second is you've selected the first item 'folder-up' which can't be taken as a folder-path. Also note how this d.ondblclick = function(id) { selected_elem = null folder_select(d.id);return(false); } ensures that if you have double-clicked the folder-up item or another folder, to move the list into there, then there is nothing remembered as the selected_elem - otherwise hitting OK when you were in the next folder level would take the last selected folder [double-clicked >> current-folder] as the desired one which is not what's wanted - but this way my_alert() will tell you to select something in the current list before pressing OK... I also changed the selection color to be less dark [ruby:3dez4ubj]this.style.background = 'gray';[/ruby:3dez4ubj] Hope these bits help...

@dan rathbun said: @unknownuser said: Note that the result is correct is the vector length is.. The cutoff appears to be (works at or above): vec.length = 0.03162316231623162**...** inches Actually, I think the cutoff is more like the rounded value, of the square root of Sketchup's internal tolerance (0.001) ie: (0.001)**(1/2.0) >> 0.0316227766016838 [table=bg1 table1:34jvzu3e][thead:34jvzu3e][tr=:34jvzu3e][th=1:34jvzu3e]So the general rule is:[/th:34jvzu3e][/tr:34jvzu3e][/thead:34jvzu3e][tbody:34jvzu3e][tr=bg2:34jvzu3e][td=1,:34jvzu3e]If the product of the lengths of the two vectors, is less than that of Sketchup's internal tolerance (0.001"), the angle returned by angle_between is Math::PI/2 [ (Math::PI/2).radians.round= 90 deg,] instead of Math::PI [ (Math::PI).radians.round**= 180 degrees.]**[/td:34jvzu3e][/tr:34jvzu3e][/tbody:34jvzu3e][/table:34jvzu3e] viz: v1.length = 0.03162278 v2.length = 0.03162278 v1.angle_between(v2) >> 3.14159265358979 v1.angle_between(v2).radians >> 180 %(#000000)[# degrees] @unknownuser said: I would imagine that SU would normalize the vectors first before computing the angle, so that it's independent of the size. AGREED !! At first i could not imagine why the length would have anything to do with it, but then seeing how a square root is involved, they are likely using pythagorean trigonometry. @unknownuser said: And why return PI / 2 and not 0? That's funny also, PI/2 radians is 90 degrees. Perhaps they choose a known 'reference' vector (say the X-axis) and find the angle between it an v1. Then choose another 'reference' vector 90 degrees from the first (the Y-axis), and compute the angle between it and v2. If there's a bug in there (say half of the algorithm craps out,) that may be why you wind up with 90. now your inline fix, in code is: v1.normalize.angle_between(v2.normalize) or v1.normalize.angle_between([array].normalize)