[Plugin] Three Line Tools (Updated March 9th, 2009)
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Heehhe, glad you remembered. And I think over last weekend it made the jump to 2.0 when I made the toolbar. That was new. I didn't know that toolbars require some diffferent menu coding than just regular menus. So that was good to learn. I also made it register itself with the plugins extension manager. So I felt like those 2 things really made it a real script that should be a full 2.0. Silly little script,
Chris
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Hi Chris:
Just saw your update. Nice going.
The Normals line tool might proof to be helpful in setting up the camera for particular scenes.
1- Draw a "Normals" line
2- Click drag the Position Camera Tool from one endpoint of the Normals line to the other endpoint.John
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This script I can use also excellent for light fittings in Su Podium, thanks.
Remember a request I do before. Can a normal set vertical to a line? Just the opposite of this fantastic script ( for ie balustrades or other stuff doing by follow me tool )
....and I know your workaround Ecuadorian
but looking for a better solution. -
@burkhard said:
Can a normal set vertical to a line? Just the opposite of this fantastic script ( for ie balustrades or other stuff doing by follow me tool )
Hmm, I'm trying to figure this out. A vertical line is vertical. And a mormal line is perpendicular to its base face/edge/vertex. Exaplain again what it is you would like? Maybe a diagram is needed
Chris
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sorry, for that. With your script you can set the line vertical to a plane/face. The opposite should be to set a face vertical to a line. ( If you have a stair and need to set the handrail as a profile to the line which follows the stairs, it is not easy to set the plane vertical to that line.) Just an idea for making it easier, but I know it is a bit highjacked here.
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@burkhard said:
sorry, for that. With your script you can set the line vertical to a plane/face. The opposite should be to set a face vertical to a line. ( If you have a stair and need to set the handrail as a profile to the line which follows the stairs, it is not easy to set the plane vertical to that line.) Just an idea for making it easier, but I know it is a bit highjacked here.
Ah, yea. That'd be useful. All though, after Profile Builder it's been less of an issue.
But being able to set a drawing plane relative to an edge would be great....and cue version 3...
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Just adding a face perpendicular to a line end is easy enough to do. It could be the same thing where it will use the VCB values to determine its size. I would probably make it grouped from the start so as to not interfere with other geometry. And it probably would just have to be a square face that can be used as a drawing plane. Though I suppose it would not be too hard to make a tool that you could select a face, then click on a line end and it could redraw that perpendicular to the line end. Maybe one face tool, one circle tool and one copy any face onto the end of a line tool. So like 3 new tools? And how much of this is done in profile builder?
Chris
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Well, profile builder let you add faces as profiles to it's library where you then select the profiles from a list where it then performs a FollowMe operation on the selected path.
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A Tool Idea I've been toying with is a Drawing Plane tool. A tool that let you define a virtual plane to which drawing tools can be used on, allowing you to draw geometry in empty space. Not quite sure how it'd be implemented though...
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Just a reminder, the profile builder is a great tool but it's commercial and not for everyone who don't need profiles a lot. This should be an easy step for the follow me tool. Let's see if there is a solution
To set up a plane to draw onto for follow me rotations is one tip I always suggested to my people when they are lost in free space. Yep, nice ideas here
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Well, its coming along nicely. I've got it mostly working for a single square face right now. Then I'll add a circle ability since many times we use plain circles. Then lastly will be a way to first select a face, then activate the tool and click onto a line endpoint and it will add that face to the end of the line perpendicularly. Once I get the face one working all the way, the others will be pretty straightforward. Hopefully I'll have it all done by late tongiht.
I think I need to create a single clf tools menu item and then add all my scripts under that single menu item. I feel bad clogging up people plugins menu with these small, but useful scripts.
Chris
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Chris
Super and much needed script-eteA Move / Copy option like in Didier's Align script so one can keep the profile if needed would be nice to have.
On a workaround (no ruby)that I cobbled up it worked to use a group/component and just explode when it was properly located as moving a plain face if attached to path will just drag the endpoint along with it.
My work-around alignment solution is attached for what help it may be.In any case thanks a bunch for even giving this a shot.
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sorry if this is a little off, but i have to know what this is:
Jim, maybe you could move this to a more appropriate place.
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No worries, that is free-form deformation.
Chris
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@chris fullmer said:
No worries, that is free-form deformation.
Chris
sorry to keep going here, but. how did you manage to get a toolbar for it?
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I believe that it was bundled with the SCF power tools toolbar. I don't that is available right now, but will probably be coming back in time after some copyrights get worked out. It was provided by Cad Father. I believe he made the icons.
Chris
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thanks, sorry for the off topic, just curious.
it would be sweet if someone would write a snippet of code that someone like myself could use to make our own toolbar. we could just add buttons, and link them to the ruby's we have. -
Ahh, I see. Ok, I have some ideas how to set this up. It might just be a new tool altogether. Something like Perpendicular Face Tools.
Chris
EDIT: From this conversation, I have since made Perpendicular Face Tools
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Does it possible to have the "line" as a component in the native plug?
Like this any difficulty to replace it by anything!
PS a simple line can't make a component but if draw 2 lines, select both, make component
Then edit component, kill the second line, close component = you have a simple line as component!
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Yeah, its possible to make each line be a separate component. I think I could get all lines to be an instance of a single componeont too.
As for makeing a component of a single line - it still works if you use the keyboard shortcut. On my computer it is defaulted as g. Select a single line and hit g and it will become a component.
Chris
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