Try NOT leaving the layers panel open. Turn on the Layers toolbar instead. And then ALWAYS stay on layer 0. And model things on zero, then turn everything into groups and components. And then move those onto the desired layer through the layer toolbar. That way you never change from layer 0. But you can move components and groups easily onto the correct layer. I like to do it that way, Chris Oh, and its still possible to get raw geometry to change layers accidentally. So then I use TIG's move all geometry to layer 0 plugin. It moves all loose geometry to layer 0, while leaving all components and groups on the layer they are on.

Thank you so much for that runnerpack. I really like how cleanly that outputs the methods. I've been trying to figure that out for a while. I think Jim or Todd showed me once, but I forgot where that thread was. I need to bookmark that line of code somewhere. It is quite lovely, Chris

To the best of my knowledge Chris. I find I need to create new geometry on non-existing planes. By not setting the Axis I can easily get my 2D sketch geometry off kilter. With the Axis aligned properly I get feedback. See the attached pic. The original Axis was at the lower left corner of the block. Picking the odd face (Which is planar to the block face) does not give me the desired X,Y Axis. Sure it defines the plane surface but not the way I need it. This is not the biggest issue though. The hardest one is where the Axis origin is in the correct position inside the part but I need to rotate it say.... about he Y axis. The only work-around I've found is to hide the entire model move (rotate) my Axis then un-hide the model. I don't eyeball my models I create to real world dimensions as best I can. [Edit]Should have done a screen capture. Export removed the Axis from my sample. (It was aligned with the bottom of the extruded feature.)[/Edit] [image: LheS_Sample_BadAxis.jpg]

A bit like the outliner in Sketchup. But, instead of a list based upon hierarchy/type of entity, the Sketchup entities are organized in another way (like Building 1-level 1 slab, Building 1-Level2 slab,...) So if you click on the text 'Building 1-level 1' in a window it highlights those entities.

@aadbuild said: Hey Bep glad to see you had a crack at a ruby. I will have a play with it and see if I can improve it (remembering I am a builder. I work mainly with timber, bricks, roofing and sketchup).. Can any one show me an example of a web dialogue? I will give that a go as well. It will help me get an understanding of the task at least. Bep do you want to try post your ruby here. Attach screen shot or 2 of the the exported data. Or PM it to me if you please. My wife is having a baby at 7 am in the morning (induced) so I may not get a chance to reply in the next couple of days. I hope its a boy. Give your wife all the love and support you can give. I wish all your and your wifes whishes will come true. Bep

@unknownuser said: ...there should be two libfredo items in the plugin folder a folder named: LIBFREDO6_Dir_34 and a file named: LibFredo6.rb are both of those in there? OR they are wrapped into a Libfredo folder (Windows creates when you unzip something)? If so, move them up one level, straight under the Plugins folder.

Because PipeAlongPath effectively uses FollowMe it is fettered by that method's limitations. Didier Bur made a 'line to tube' tool [ http://www.crai.archi.fr/RubyLibraryDepot/Ruby/EM/line2cyl.rb ] that will add a cylinder to every selected edge irrespective of their branching etc BUT it doesn't tidy the ends up...

Thanks for the reply Chris, I think I may be able to do this whole thing with dynamic components...Now, just to figure out how the thing works...

@chris fullmer said: Interesting. I had not found it in the API, rather in the blog post here: http://sketchupapi.blogspot.com/2008/11/whats-new-in-sketchup-7.html and the only hint it gives is this: Delete your scenes via the API my_page.erase So I assumed it was a page thing. Then when I looked for it in the API, it was not in the "page" class section. So I see it now, and I'll go give it a shot. Thanks Rick, Chris Yes, it does give that impression. I can see why it was confusing.

@xrok1 said: right click your component; select change axes; then triple click any point or even close to the component. this will not set the world axes to your component but it will set your component to the world axes. hope this helps? yes,this is wonderful, thank you.

@tig said: For deleting coplanar edges I successfully use if e.faces[0].normal.dot(e.faces[1].normal) > 0.99999999 && e.faces[0].material==e.faces[1].material && e.faces[0].back_material==e.faces[1].back_material This avoids the problem of erasing edges that remove the face as the normals aren't quite == I've been using nearly the same: (after some testing I came down to: 0.9999999991) But the problem is that there seem to be a range of dot products of edges that can be removed and those that can't overlaps. http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=22920&start=0#p193613 I could set the precision to a safe value - but that'd leave edges that still could be deleted.

Cross linked thanks to Jim! [image: a1B7_OneTwoAnimated.gif]

[quote="fizgig"] If the user does double-click into a group, the active context is that group and the local coordinate system associated with that group. yes,I want this too.I ask the same qus here http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=22915&p=193698#p193698

Aha! there it is, thanks Rick! I had noticed the .label method. I had checked the .name method to see if it would return the name in praenthesis (like .label apprently does), but obviously found nothing. Thanks for pointing that method out. Not a bad suggestion for the .skx I think. Chris

Thank you Thomas for answering and providing that script...I'll give it a go :O)

Why not have a method that picks a face and returns its material. If it's nil and it's not in the model then the picked point could also return the 'container' - i.e. group or component and it's material - if it's not nil then that's the nil face's material too... Your 'pick-helper' can return two values ?

Cheers

Did some digging and found out that the wco_zorrocut is the one with the Z icon. Zorro2 is access from tools menu and works with parallel projection.

Alright it's actually pretty simple. If anybody else needs the same thing here you go... ` toolbar = UI::Toolbar.new "TOOLBAR.NAME" cmd = UI::Command.new("TOOLBAR.ITEM.NAME") { ###copy everything from the def you want to use here... ###call it... DEF.NAME.call() } cmd.small_icon = "PATH.TO.ICON" cmd.large_icon = "PATH.TO.ICON" cmd.tooltip = "POPUP.TEXT" cmd.status_bar_text = "TEXT" cmd.menu_text = "TEXT" toolbar = toolbar.add_item cmd toolbar.show`

oh thanks for all the responses guys, much appreciate it! i tried the one that Gaieus recommended at once and it worked like a charm. cheers