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.

In Ruby UI.openURL(your_path_to_batch_file) runs a Windows "batch file" (.bat, .cmd etc or compiled stuff like kix or VB)... I'm sure there'll be equivalent UnixShell or AppleScript possibilities for the Mac - I think that, unlike PCs, Macs get a full install of Ruby, so perhaps for Mac this could even be implemented in Ruby outside of SUp ? ... However, there is one big problem with this... IF the batch file you run changes the SUp registry settings during a Sup session it's pretty much pointless - most of these values were read when you started SUp and will be rewritten when you exit SUp - therefore most of these changes you have reset within SUp wouldn't make any difference - they be ignored during the current SUp session and then lost as you exit SUp when it rewrites things. To reset the registry values you need SUp NOT to be open... BUT Ruby needs SUp open to carry on working. However, it could be made to work this way... A 'SaveToolbarsSettings' Ruby script would run suitable batch files to make the required files with the info extracted from the registry (or ini file for Mac ?) - all as outlined by CadFather - you could run this script at any time to make a backup of the current 'good' setup... A 'ResetToolbars' Ruby script would first save the model's path details to a temp-file - note: that if it were an 'unsaved' model you would be prompted to save if - if you cancelled the model would be discarded and the temp-file entry set to "". The script would then run a batch file. This batch file would wait (looping) while SUp was open (using plist etc ?). Assuming you didn't initially have an 'unsaved' model, then the script would save the model. The script would then close SUp (model.close_active ? or another 'process-killer' batch file ?). The batch file would then notice that SUp was no longer running and so it would re-start - it would rewrite the registry values for the saved toolbar settings - again, all as outlined by CadFather. Finally the batch file would reopen the model using the temp-file info that was saved at the start - note: if it was an 'unsaved' model then SUp would simply opene from the default template, with a new 'unsaved' model file. SUp should now continue to reopen with the toolbars setup as they were previously saved from a 'good version'... This way could effectively automate saving and resetting of the toolbar setup - accessed within SUp itself, initiated with Ruby, running external commands - however the coding needed extra-ruby for PC and/or Mac is not that easy - but I'm sure it's do-able... I don't have the time (or the patience !) to look at this right now... but perhaps CadFather or someone else could automate this furthe, using these ideas ?

@omuljungley said: I understood that the first time Gaieus, but there could be some other people who might have not. I didn't try to offend you in any way, it is just that when you advice someone to buy a software it is a paradox to say in the same sentence that you need to get it for free or "gratis". Others who see your post will also want to get it for free and if they can't get it from Abe they will get it from somewhere else. Well, that may also be a valid reasoning but you may never know what's behind such a "present" from a developer. For your information, I have received a free upgrade from SU 6 (Pro) to SU 7 (Pro) as well. In fact, although by accident, I ended up with two pro licenses of SU 7 (one of which I don't use of course because it's not what the aim of this free upgrade was). Now would this mean that everyone should be entitled to expect the same from Google? Or I have licenses of three commercial plugins for free for different reasons (beta testing or translating the English version to my mother tongue etc.). But seriously, let's put this aside because I'm also sure your intention was not "piracy" and I can imagine that sometimes one needs to try out something until he can make sure it will work. This is also why "trial versions" (and optimally "fully featured" ones) should always be available. So again, I'm glad it worked for you and indeed, Hypercosm is a great tool (and the Pro version is quite powerful, too). Unfortunately it's rather undervalued and not very well known by SU users although since they released the Mac version of the viewer, it has worked on all major platforms and browsers which you cannot tell about a lot of other applications of similar purposes.

The idea of having geometry sticking to groups and components crossed my mind once a long time ago, as I guess it has to many other people as well. I wonder what possibilities it would create for sketchy-physics if it worked ... Or maybe someone could make a script that creates a group like FFD, but you use tools to draw a 'skeleton' in it, and the script methods .distance and .distance_to_line to find out the closest point in the skeleton from the mesh, and move it based on the movement of the skeleton, perhaps based on the distance to that closest point aswell. Who knows if that would be possible or not though.

@Tig Yes that is very nearest From an old french TV Serial "5 dernières minutes" (Last five minutes) (like Colombo) And the gimmik was at the end "Mais bon sang, c'est bien sûr" when the Police superintendants Bourrel and his loyal Cabrol has found the solution of the crime! (It's Cabrol who said the gimmick [image: BOURREL.jpg] remake in comics by Gotlib : Bougret & Chabrol [image: RAB-Bougret-Charolles-bye.jpg] And for my little suggestion above no idea?

If you take a look to the "Edit Frame" of Moi, you will have dreams for the rest of the year

Without doing some investigation into the available Layer methods, I'll go out on a limb and say it's possible. Just need to find time

http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=18992

ok, I think I got a working version of it up and running. See here: http://www.sketchucation.com/forums/scf/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=18963 Chris

TIG: I did a real quick test and the data mining functions seems to work great. I'll be using it extensively during the next week or two. If anything comes up I will post here. Thanks again! "You're a gentlemen and a scholar." ... W.C. Fields

Yup, I admit I am lazy, just don't want it to happen at all. I do a lot plan and section tracing. They represent various interconnected concrete channels, tanks, flumes, wells, and the like. Not like a building where you have fixed floor heights, but a lot of intermediate elevations, with "zig-zagging", sloping channels. Tracing is far better faster than redrawing from a dimensioned plan or section (if you don't have to do a lot of cleanup) and is less prone to operator (me) error. :0

It's a PowerPoint - I put it on my Google Docs here: http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dkg3rtr_788fnpxntdz

@rspierenburg said: I looked at your script Tig, not sure it will do what I need. Yours selects and replaces texture to another texture. I need the faces selected so I can globally change a property on all the faces with a certain texture on it. SU Podium's reflectivity to be exact. Its a property on the face, not the texture. OK here's one that does what you want 'Select All Faces by Material'... Usage: Select faces / entities. [IF NO selection ALL active entities are used] 2. Activate the script from the Plugins Menu. 3. Choose Material. << DEFAULT >> = ALL Faces that have NO Materials and then an Alphabetical list of other Materials in the Model. 4. Choose the desired Material. To access Materials that are off the visible list type the first letter - e.g. 'W' and use up/down arrow-keys to move to the one you want e.g. 'W'hite... 5. All Faces are selected. Note: to also include groups and instances etc put # in front of 'and e.typename=="Face"' on line #59... Faces with Materials within groups/instances ARE selected BUT 'default-material' ones painted en mass aren't... Feedback please... SelectAllFacesByMaterial.rb

Another variant [if the rectangle's face material is not critical] is Jeff's last one using offset to make the inner rectangle then draw a rectangle from the outer rectangle's corner to the inner rectangle's nearest corner. Repeat that another three times... OR double click it to select its face and 4 edges, copy what's selected to the clipboard (ctrl+C) and paste it [one corner will automatically become the handle], now simply paste (ctrl+V) three copies into place - one copy will have a vertex you can snap to, the others need you to hover over a vertex and use shift/inference to snap as needed. [both ways ~12 clicks as before] Another variant is to draw one corner square, copy/paste it into the other corners as above, then draw another rectangle between these four square's inner free vertices... [~11 clicks !] There are many ways to do this - shortcuts make things MUCH faster...

@jclements said: There is hope .... afterall? John There is always hope when you have a terrific support community like we do here.

Thxs a lot Tig

TIG: Thank you very much. Regards, John