thanks Chris, I PM'd you earlier with some ideas actually!!!

I agree - more times than not you should model on Layer0, then put the collection of bits as groups/component-instances on different layers... This method let's you change the current layer BUT be careful to keep your raw geometry on Layer0...

Cool indeed this new plug! Bravo!

WOW thanx, just got it...really cool plugin. Now hwy didnt i bought this earlier. hee hee This will help sooo much ..thanx

Thanks

Would it be possible to just write a script that selects only outer edge lines, and then uses .find_faces to cover them?

@dave r said: Does this answer your question? I haven't used it but it's on my list. That's great. I need to talk to Rick somehow as there is a new version in hand. The reason I asked the question (in case you are interested) arose from a conversation with Red, viz: I think we should stop calling it a document. It is a machine like an ATM that does work people exclusively used to do. Because cgScenes interface moves I don't think it is difficult to see it as a machine but there will be trouble if you describe a cgScene-energised Sketchup model a machine. But it is; it will provide graphical answers for an owner, architect, engineer, local authority, buyer, logistics person, crane driver, brickie, hotel operator, maintenance man, cleaner ... More than this any of them can make their own scenes from the same model in the format that suits them best. Maybe some people in similar competences make suitable devices and styles to be used by their colleagues. Ah but supposing they alter the model. Well, there should be only one model kept by its owner; what gets passed around are the saved scenes with notes (e.g. in the Scene description box). Additions or amendments by authorised persons is slightly different but equally simple. Do you have it on your list for a similar reason? I'd be very interested to hear Chris

@adamb said: Writing a simple importer that eats static hierarchical geometry and materials is straightforward. Isn't that enough for Sketchup? can it make use of more of the data?

This problem really annoys me! So, SU uses the order of creation rather than the distance to the camera to decide what should be in front? Shouldn't that be relatively easy for Google to fix?

Hi Rick and others. I've found WELD to be a little clumsy of late. Maybe it just what I'm wanting it to do but in one instance i can get it to weld all selected then if I select other lines that may touch the previous one and ask to weld then everything gets exploded!! An update would be much apprcaited, Rick... BTW, Simplify contours script from long ago is attached... SimplifyContours.rb

Well, it's not apparent until you encounter a certain case...

The plugin can be found in the window menu; it's not called found. Look for 'Sketchucation Search' in the Window menu. First post has been updated, sorry for the confusion.

The thing is that I have found a way to control animation in SU and if I could specify a min length, a max length and one of the interpolations in my post above (when linear only one length of cause)when converting to polyline divider everything would work. Of cause a curve based alternative could also be handy. This would mean a huge step forwards for animation in SU. I'll try to make a tutorial if/when I have this last piece of the puzzle. Here's a link to some more interpolations: http://library.sfug.ch/trac/browser/trunk/branches/1.x/doc/as3/benchmarks/tweener/caurina/transitions/Equations.as?rev=219

@remus said: Hmm, I wonder if it would be possible to use transformations that don't destroy the model, but just make it hard/annoying to edit thinking smilie I think the hard thing would be finding a suitable transformation that can't be fixed using another ruby. Instead of rotating individual vertices, rotate whole connected geometry. Throwing everything slightly off scale is annoying as hell. Whenever I get a model where a model where everything is like that (usually based of some AutoCAD drawing) it makes me curl up under my desk and rock back and forth sucking my thumb.

Thanks, it works fine now. I have attached the script if anyone else needs it. Now off to fix those troublesome animation curves... reverseCurve.rb

will be wonderful!!!

Chris, thanks for the video: I tried watching and I got up to the point where you were trimming with the extruded cubes, then bamm the PC totally powered off. Not sure why, but it been happening to me lately with large (long) videos. (anyone a clue why?) I'll try watching again at work. The method you used which I did watch is similar to what I have tried. I just wish there was an alternative way to automatically isolate and delete the overlaps with out re-triangulation.

Thank you for the quick reply. MatrixProximity looks great, seems to be doing what I need. I'll play around with it later.

There's no difference in the pro and free version in this.

I copy here the comment inside of Jim's example toolbars: Example Toolbar File A toolbar file is simply a text file containing a list of commands you want to appear on your toolbar. The # symbol denotes a comment and is skipped by the toolbar maker. The Toolbar filename must end in .txt. The name of the .txt file is used as the Toolbar name. Toolbar separators can be created using 3 dashes (---) on a line by themselves. You can create any reasonable number of custom toolbars, just create another .txt file in the same folder as this one. All available toolbars will be loaded. Commands are not case sensitive, but capitals can be used to help readability. For example, the following commands are identical: fileNew filenew FileNew Filenew FILENEW In the toolbar folder, there's a html file that contains the commands that you can insert in your custom toolbar. When you search a bit, you find that they refer to ruby scripts (for each single command) in the files/sketchup/commands subfolder. So I dublicated such a ruby, edited it and put the icon in the images folder. For example freeScale.rb: cmd = UI::Command.new("FreeScale") { FreeScale.launch false, true } cmd.small_icon = "../images/freeScale_sm.png" cmd.large_icon = "../images/freeScale_lg.png" cmd.tooltip = "Scale with orientation of scaling box" cmd.status_bar_text = "Scale with orientation of scaling box" cmd.menu_text = "Scale with orientation of scaling box" cmd.set_validation_proc { tool_validation_proc"FreeScale.launch") } @cmd = cmd The bold phrases need to be edited to make it work. The most difficult thing is to find how the function of a plugin is called. I opened the plugins, searched for 'UI.menu' which creates the toolbar buttons of the original plugin. I don't know what the underlined phrase is for.