Thanks Kyyu, will try it out right now. Javier @kyyu said: This should get you started. I really can't help you more. It just happens, I am researching something similar, so familiar with the rotation commands. I am starting from your 2nd picture and assuming the plane normal is the green axis. The simple script just rotates whatever is selected with the assumed normal. About the origin, 30 deg and then 50 deg. So just select the parts, and type this into the ruby console to run the script (correct the path to where you have the script): load 'c:/Rotate_Plane_example.rb'

@mac1 said: I don't know how many tools do this. I expect only circle and arc segments.

I think there was another post about this, and I thought about a clunky solution for this. Have you ever taken an architectural model on a base out into the sun to mimic what shadows would be like at a specific time of day/year (ok this is for those of you who built models prior to 3d modeling apps). There was a little sun dial type of thing you put on the base, and that would make sure you had the proper orientation. So that is an odd kind of SketchUp solution. This would idealy best be done on a copy of your file as it involves moving your geometry. User experience: Setup the camera view(s) that you want for your final presentation. When you run the ruby a dialog box comes up asking the angle and azimuth you want for the sun. The ruby then takes the difference between the current sun location and your requested sun location, and rotates your model in the reverse direction. (Since you can't move the sun, move the model) Cameras for the views requested are similarly moved, so what you see for each scene is still the same. Now maybe this transformation is saved, so that it can be undone, but I wouldn't want to put my model through that. Probably best done by having it open an new file and place your model in it as a component. Then when your model is updated, you can update the component and your desired sun location and cameras are intact.

@mgianzero said: @thomthom said: @mgianzero said: But how do I convert these x, y coordinates into something useful, like RGB (or true x,y,z) cartesian coordinates? I know is has something to do with the InputPoint method. Yes - you create in InputPoint object and call the .pick method with the x and y arguments given from the Tool's mouse events. After the pick you can extract the various data you want. For X,Y,Z use inputpoint.position. Thanks for the comments. But could you please show exactly what you mean by example? Perhaps using my code above and modify it. Sorry but I find that I can follow these suggestions better when I have a piece of code I can work off of. Hi Marc, I have just started leaning ruby and not a programmer, so can't help with programming info. But look at Plugins\Utilities\utilitiestools.rb as an example. You have to activate the extension "Utilites Tools". You use the tool from the Tools menu in sketchup => Tools/Utilities/"Query Tool". It displays cursor position in the bottom title space and the VCB. Using that as an example, helped me to write a plugin. With a little cut and paste and trial/error. My plugin just rotates everything, that is initially selected, to be parallel with an axis. You select, two points to indicate a line. And the line provides the angles for the rotation. -Kwok

"I went to shoe school..."

Plugin also tested on Windows 7 and it is working. So OS's tested are: (1) Mac OS X 10.5.8 (2) Windows XP Pro (3) Windows 7 I uploaded a quick tutorial, that shows how to operate this plugin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_XpB2e-ZDw&fmt=22 Enjoy

Thanks Fredo. This has been asked in a Russian forum for a help - it is not mine. I'm gonna ask for the model and post it here.

TIG thanks that worked like I needed it to. Next time I'll remember to add the code brackets. I am in the process of adding features to my makepart ruby and as someone wrote the monkey see monkey do coding only goes so far. Keith

Version 1.1 now allows regex matching, get it here... http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=240727#p240727

The edges 'you can't see' on a sphere are NOT "hidden" lines - they are smooth / soft lines - a 'hidden' object is just not visible - just substitute these types into the code like this... Sketchup.active_model.entities.to_a.each{|e|if e.class==Sketchup;;Edge;e.hidden=false if e.hidden?;e.soft=false if e.soft?;e.smooth=false if e.smooth?;end} This makes all of the model's hidden/soft/smooth lines into normal ones. If you want to change the entities inside groups/components use then this... Sketchup.active_model.definitions.each{|d|d.entities.to_a.each{|e|if e.class==Sketchup;;Edge;e.hidden=false if e.hidden?;e.soft=false if e.soft?;e.smooth=false if e.smooth?;end}} Copy/Paste these lines into the Ruby Console + <enter> to effect the changes... I have also removed all 'code' hat was expecting something to be defined earlier - like 'model'... If you want to make it with a one-step undo then add this snippet to the start of the line of code Sketchup.active_model.start_operation("MakeLinesVisible"); and this to the end ;Sketchup.active_model.commit_operation

model location plugin allows you to set the north point anywhere in 360 degrees of the model, turn on daylight saving time, set lat and longitude, etc

I have successfully installed the screw plugin, thanks anyway Chris. I'm trying to install the FredoScale plugin but my problem is I can't find it on plugins menu even I downloaded the latest version together with ZLoader_FredoScale.rb I can't find also the the submenu "Fredo6 Collection" on Sketchup tools to make use of these icons. Can you help me with this one Chris? Thanks again.

@keith benson said: @thomthom said: Sandbox Tool. You might need to enable it first under Preferences -> Extensions. I can see how to place a 2 dimensional outline onto a 3D terrain, I am having difficulty dropping a 3d outline onto a flat surface. Keith It's the same procedure. Select the 3d surface and activate the drape tool to drape down to the flat face underneath.

Hmm, I was pretty sure it was working in the available script. I'll have to look at it today and see what is going wrong. Chris

Thank you for the suggestions. I downloaded the plug-in from TIG and got it to work rather well with some sample OBJ files. I'm going to study his code to see if I can tweak some things for my own OBJ import needs. I also appreciate the reference to meshlab. I'll download and install that so I have another program in which I can test the OBJ files I am creating. The Sunburned Surveyor

@thomthom said: @xrok1 said: i wish i had this for all windows not just the calc. nice for watching video... ? The tool Jim linked does add Top Most functionality to any window. i realise that i was just reiterating that it should be standard windows functionality. i used to use fileBOX extender [image: image009.png] added faveorites and recents too, but its no longer supported. BTW isn't there at least a switch that could be added to the program shortcut to tell it to stay on top?

Components onto face? by Chris Fullmer Components Spray tool by Didier Bur

See this thread for links http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=220368#p220368 Note the minor 'fix'... Survey Tool works fine taking survey data in the form of points, bearings etc... Not sure exactly what it is you need... What are 'r', 'phi' and 'z' ? How are they 'available' to a script ? [e.g. s a csv/txt file] Do you have a reasonably sized example of it ? What do you want to end up with ? If you have the appropriate data I'm sure it can be imported somehow and made into geometry...

Hmmmm.... I don't know. Maybe. I had it installed before today but only noticed the behavior start today. I didn't install anything today before running SketchUp.

@tig said: The uniquefied cut component is renamed say #2 while others were #1 before ? The cuts are made inside the component or group - it is not split in two it simply adds a dividing line and you erase the bits you don't want... so 2 separate groups aren't formed??