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    [Plugin] Simple Loft alpha 0.1b -- UPDATED May-15-09

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    • Chris FullmerC Offline
      Chris Fullmer
      last edited by

      I know I have not explained the inner workings of the script very well yet, but its partly because the next version changes some things, or exposes a a little more of how it works. So its not quite worth going into detail yet when its about to change (a little).

      But....the loft might exactly the right tool for something like what he wants. Especially the next version. It has the ability to control the strength of the curvy-ness that is being given to each bezier connection. So instead of really trying to be curvy, you can minimize that a little and make it mostly flat, but rounding just the areas closest to the splines.

      This is why the script is designed to actually run through every given spline, and not use the splines as "handles". It gives more accuracy this way because you CAN control where it runs - directly through each spline. And with the next addition of being able to control the strength of the beziers, its pretty handy.

      All that being said, I don't prefer to use lofting tools that much. I'd probably just use my bend script or one of the follow me and keeps. They are all good alternatives, especially while this script is still so difficult to use.

      Chris

      (I've been debugging my next version of the script most of today with limited success 😞 )

      Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
      All my Plugins I've written

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      • D Offline
        driven
        last edited by

        cheers Chris and thanks for the comments August,

        it works, exploded the curves and it's a one click job, fantastic

        @august said:

        I wish I could point you to the non-twisting Follow-Me plugins

        I've been searching, but the advantages of this is I have a lot of control over the bezier profile and path (thanks to Fredo) and a simple rig made with xformclone.rb, so skinning between only distorts the additional sections I add at both ends, which trim square with an intersect with a plane, then it's just 'movecopy' X times...

        A good tool is a good tool regardless of it's original perceived use...

        thanks again chris

        john

        ADDED: it did this in one go, not just for drapes.... took 10 mins but no crash, this time.

        Added More: Spoke to soon, this is in the components window, it seems to have locked while writing the thumbs, having completed the drawing, I'm in and out at moment so will give it time and see if it recovers, out of curiosity..


        quick test


        from this lot


        do bugs look like this?

        learn from the mistakes of others, you may not live long enough to make them all yourself...

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        • gillesG Offline
          gilles
          last edited by

          @driven, there is a very good plugin to screw profile or shape named "screw1_5.rb or screw_21.rb I prefer the first one".

          However @ Chris I can say I enjoy your plugins as much I enjoy Fredo's, but this doesn't want to run on my mac. ❓

          @unknownuser said:

          undefined method select_tool' for nil:NilClassError Loading File clf_simple_loft_loader.rb undefined method select_tool' for nil:NilClass

          " c'est curieux chez les marins ce besoin de faire des phrases "

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          • david_hD Offline
            david_h
            last edited by

            fun little tool. Thanks again Chris.


            20090527144246_24s.jpg

            If I make it look easy...It is probably easy

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            • M Offline
              MrPlanet
              last edited by

              Just to let you know, this plugin creates an empty group in every model, it may seem small, but SketchyPhysics (By Chris Phillips) Simply refuses to work with it.

              I reject your reality and substitute my own.

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              • Chris FullmerC Offline
                Chris Fullmer
                last edited by

                Oh really? Oops. I'll try to make sure to get that fixed on the next round. I must be forgetting to delete a group somewhere in the mix. Thanks for pointing it out!

                Chris

                Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                All my Plugins I've written

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                • S Offline
                  saimen
                  last edited by

                  wow that's exactly what I need πŸ˜‰

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                  • Dave RD Offline
                    Dave R
                    last edited by

                    Chris, I've been playing with your Loft plugin and Driven's screw thread file. When I first opened his file I was able to create his threads by selecting two curves at a time and using 1 for the number of segments. I tried it by selecting all six curves and got a Bug Splat. I reopened the file and cut the curves down to a quarter turn thinking I'd give it fewer faces to create. Here's the results. In the background you can see a test loft with two 12-segment arcs and five loft segments.

                    All six curves selected. One segment chosen in dialog box

                    Bottom four curves, one segment.

                    Top two curves, one segment

                    The guidepoints are interesting but not quite what I expected.

                    Etaoin Shrdlu

                    %

                    (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                    G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                    M30

                    %

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                    • Chris FullmerC Offline
                      Chris Fullmer
                      last edited by

                      That means it is crashing for some reason. Normally to do with the selection including a non-edge item, or also if the segment counts don't match. I'm not sure which. You can upload the model immediately before that point and show me which lines to click on and I'll figure out what it is.

                      Hopefully the next version wll clean some of that up.

                      Chris

                      Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                      All my Plugins I've written

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                      • Dave RD Offline
                        Dave R
                        last edited by

                        Here you go Chris. I hope it helps.


                        thread_bez_loft[1].skp

                        Etaoin Shrdlu

                        %

                        (THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE)

                        G28 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0

                        M30

                        %

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                        • N Offline
                          nomeradona
                          last edited by

                          wow thanks a million...

                          visit my blog: http://www.nomeradona.blogspot.com

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                          • EscapeArtistE Offline
                            EscapeArtist
                            last edited by

                            Hey Chris, I just started having some trouble with this plugin. Maybe you can decipher what I'm doing wrong; I know the plugin works so it must be something that I'm doing. Here's the console output:

                            
                            Error; #<NoMethodError; undefined method `all_connected' for nil;NilClass>
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;61;in `onLButtonUp'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;186
                            Error; #<ArgumentError; Cannot convert argument to Sketchup;;Point3d>
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;189;in `add_cpoint'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;189;in `end_handles'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;186;in `each_index'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;186;in `end_handles'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;94;in `onReturn'
                            L;/Modeling/Sketchup Google/Plugins/clf_simple_loft/clf_simple_loft.rb;61
                            

                            I'm applying the plugin to 3 bezier curves, the plugin generates construction points and then stops.

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                            • TIGT Online
                              TIG Moderator
                              last edited by

                              EscapeArtist

                              ...onLButtonUp...
                              line=60  best = ph.best_picked
                              line=61  all_best = best.all_connected
                              line=62  @shapes_edges << best.all_connected
                              

                              It's failing to find anything you have selected when you release the mouse-button... Are you picking anything ? It falls over since 'best' = 'nil' and nil can't have connected edges...
                              Chris: before 'all_best = ' you could test for 'best' and re-run the main functions if it's nil, e.g.

                              if not best
                                ### run me again ###
                                return nil
                              end#if
                              

                              ...

                              TIG

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                              • EscapeArtistE Offline
                                EscapeArtist
                                last edited by

                                Yep, absolutely picking something. I know the plugin works because I drew two other curves and tested it, the loft worked just fine; so it must be a problem with the curve set I was initially using. Maybe it doesn't work on curves that were part of a face. I had to draw faces to get the curves to lay flat on specific axes and then deleted the faces, leaving the curves behind. I'm probably missing knowledge about a change that happens to edges that were part of a face and how it affects the plugin.

                                edit:

                                Solved:

                                That was the problem, edges/curves that were part of a face will not loft. I worked around the problem by grouping the planes, exiting the group, and then drawing the curves on the faces. The lines went where I wanted and the integrity of the curve was preserved in order for loft to work.

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                                • P Offline
                                  publied
                                  last edited by

                                  Chris,
                                  a smart substitute of the old curve stitcher! they spare my time. thank you!

                                  hire me@ http://www.publied.it !

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                                  • Chris FullmerC Offline
                                    Chris Fullmer
                                    last edited by

                                    @unknownuser said:

                                    No possibility to automate the clicks of curves? πŸ˜‰
                                    the 10 curves are made with the Grow plug by Tig

                                    So I've been thinking about this, and what if I made it so that holding down the mouse button (click and drag) would add lines in the order you cross over them. You can let go and then re-click and drag to add more splines to the selection set. I think that would do the trick. Then just hit enter once you've selected all the splines you want to use.

                                    Would that be a good solution?

                                    Chris

                                    Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                                    All my Plugins I've written

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                                    • pilouP Offline
                                      pilou
                                      last edited by

                                      Marvelous πŸ‘
                                      The only problem for you is the order of the curves πŸ˜‰
                                      image of the original post

                                      http://forums.sketchucation.com/download/file.php?id=27140

                                      Frenchy Pilou
                                      Is beautiful that please without concept!
                                      My Little site :)

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                                      • Chris FullmerC Offline
                                        Chris Fullmer
                                        last edited by

                                        @chris fullmer said:

                                        what if I made it so that holding down the mouse button (click and drag) would add lines in the order you cross over them.

                                        No, the order of the curves becomes the users problem to figure out. It will all depend on how you click and drag over the splines. πŸ˜‰

                                        Chris

                                        Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                                        All my Plugins I've written

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                                        • GaieusG Offline
                                          Gaieus
                                          last edited by

                                          So Chris you got to the point to quote yourself. I've only seen this from elderly politicians so far. 😲

                                          Gai...

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                                          • Chris FullmerC Offline
                                            Chris Fullmer
                                            last edited by

                                            I wasn't quoting myself, I was re-explaining myself πŸ˜„

                                            Lately you've been tan, suspicious for the winter.
                                            All my Plugins I've written

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