You can only use entities.add_instance() of a definition, BUT there's no built in group.definition method , BUT all components, groups and images are all just types of instances of a definition. To find a group's definition you have to find its entities' parent which is the definition - so defn = group.entities.parent ComponentDefinition just as the much snappier method defn = instance.definition does for a component-instance ! The second argument of the entities.add_instance(defn, **tr**) is the transformation used to place/manipulate the new instance...

You can buy me dinner

Thanks! I knew I wasn't crazy....

JointPushPull by Fredo. Read the accompanying manual under the Tools menu.

Great, thanks guys those are great plugins!

first one is xformclone.rb second: I don't know (i didn't find it in my database)

Well, these aren't really panels. It's stucco/eifs with joints so the subs don't care if there are 3 sizes or 30 because the joints are located on site. It's not like a cement panel where a form needs to be made and they need to be modular. Regardless, I have no influence on this. The fact is there is very little constancy. What you're describing seems to be the best method without a ruby. Once some simple modeling is done, a ruby is unnecessary true, however it's quite a lot of simple and repetitive modeling, which is what ruby's tend to excel at. If you had the option would you do it your way? Or would you bring in the CAD drawings, run Make Faces on it and then run a Make Bevels script on it and be done? -Brodie

Method 1 is similar to how I would've done it, except that I would rather make a vertical row(column) first, because that would make it easier to select (unless it is a very tall building).

I think that to minimize the number of plugins that actually 'load' and thereby make 'commands' [which are the things that are causing this 'overload' until Google fix it ] you must disable some tool from loading completely at all. If a tools loads, but it's 'disabled' under the 'Extensions' por even the 'Toolbar' settings] it could still add 'commands' to Sketchup... so that will ultimately add to the total - disafortunamente ... So you do need to disable these tools completely... that is, by renaming the .rb file that is loading the tool from the Plugins folder with an additional .TXT suffix: so then it won't auto-load as Sketchup starts... BUT later on, if you decide it's needed, you can always load it for that session only, by using load 'script.rb.TXT' in the Ruby Console... Hopefully some future improvements in Plugin Management will make all of this much easier

Dear Didier, Thanks for this sweet plug-ins, never realized this until i need to put some angular measure on my drawing... regards,

I used the "select only tools" http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=24474 and then the "solid inspector" http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?t=30504 . They did the job nicely. Thanks a lot, everybody.

Thank you to all for your helpful responses!

The idea of having a disclaimer at time of downloading is something to consider although once downloaded ..... I wonder if disclaimer text entered in the Model Description of the Model info > File tab could somehow be used for a message. But that would, I guess, require SU9 to have process functions like "OnOpen" as a part of the file structure itself. (Kind of funny, long ago, when I think back to using WordPerfect for DOS, I could associate OnOpen, OnSave, OnPrint, etc., script-functions to any of the menu items for a document or series of interrelated documents; I did this for an entire "electronic" operations and maintenance manual over 10 years ago.)

Another solution would be to place plants in front of the pillars.

I wrote this a while ago - it exports a selection to any available format http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=183756#p183756 So in your case it'd be export_selection('dxf') Of course you need the appropriate exporter - so for DXF you need v8Pro on one of the earlier versions that came with it in Free...

Thanks alot Tig, thats what I needed! Sketchup for sure wouldn't be the same if it wasn't for masters like yourself! Thanks again Kurt

Thanks both for your responses - Ive been side tracked by another project but will be looking back into this shortly. Component reporter is fantastic TIG - very detailed! And JGB thanks for advice about running the script on files individually, no problem just wondered if I could run it on multiple files to save some time. Cheers Sam

Awesome.... Thanks!

I was needing something like this last week.. And while thinking how it might be done, it would seem an elegant way might be to write it so an arbitrary fragment of Ruby is evaluated with known arguments. You could have some "presets" - as you do - but they would simply be preset Ruby fragments that are eval-ed on the arguments. Users could add any Ruby fragment they liked to extend it. two cents worth and all that.. Adam

I'm taking a guess you are using the free version of Sketchup, right? Cause If I understand you correctly, what you are asking for is what Dynamic Components are used for. You assign different attributes and change them accordingly. I don't think any plugin developper is "up to the mood" of creating a new DC component plugin. However a special "plant" plugin with different attributes etc is fully possible to create! But then again it have to be something extra to compete with DC's.. OR maybe to satisfy "nonpro" versions of Sketchup.