[Plugin] 2D Tools

TIG · 10 Nov 2009, 11:40

Thxs Tig
this tool is so useful
I have only one problem,
Line weight and hatches doesn't seem to work Inside nested groups

I can't get the Line Style Tool to fail to work inside a group... BUT I agreed that the Hatching Tool isn't working inside groups - I'll look into it - look out for an update...

brookefox · 12 Nov 2009, 21:53

Having having tried to 2dt hatch on a group for a while, I saw the caveat. Running the latest, just DL'd. Context menu sometimes shows, more often not. Can't get hatch to work outside of group, either on a face or bounded area. I am just getting started with the 2DT commands but the others seem to be working as far as I have tested. Perhaps I missed a note in the discussion.

Thank you very much. I look forward to getting a handle on things.

~ Brooke
SU7, MSV

brookefox · 12 Nov 2009, 21:59

I'm relatively new to DL'ing and installing custom plugins and it took me a while to find that the 2dtools were in the drawing menu, logically enough, rather than the plugin or tools menu. Perhaps some other greenhorns might appreciate a note to that effect in the help file.

~ Brooke

TIG · 12 Nov 2009, 22:20

brookefox

As I said in a recent post, I am looking at why 2D Hatching isn't working in some Group edit contexts...

Regarding the 'Draw' menu... The Help Introduction makes it clear that the 2D Tools are accessible from the Draw > 2D Tools menu, or probably easier the View > 2D Tools Toolbar - it does say to read the help file first...

brookefox · 13 Nov 2009, 00:26

@unknownuser said:

Regarding the 'Draw' menu... The Help Introduction makes it clear that the 2D Tools are accessible from the Draw > 2D Tools menu, or probably easier the View > 2D Tools Toolbar - it does say to read the help file first...
OK, thanks, sorry, I missed that. I read the help first, though apparently not very well.

Uh... I don't get it. Yesterday the below comments applied. Today, without closing the model, hatch is working on both faces and bound areas.

@unknownuser said:

@unknownuser said:

As I said in a recent post, I am looking at why 2D Hatching isn't working in some Group edit contexts
That's why I mentioned it was not working for me in an un-grouped situation; I now say it is not usually working but it is sometimes, which makes me think I'm doing something wrong. The patt_line produces what appears to be a face... and this is what the entity info indicates (iah thought perhaps it is a scaling issue of some kind). At times it seems I was making the mistakes of thinking that if a patt was shown as picked in the selection box that hitting <enter> was the way to accept it; not so, sometimes it seems it must be explicitly loaded. When attempting to hatch a face, a face is created instead of a hatch. when attempting to hatch a bounded area, a hatch results.

Generally, if the hatch is not working, say because I don't call a pattern explicitly with 'open', and I invoke some other command and come back to hatch, it does work. Uh, sometimes double clicking makes the patt call, sometimes not.

Sorry, I'll keep practicing.

brookefox · 13 Nov 2009, 22:00

RE: line styles - Is there a chance or a way unknown by me of making the apparent line segment length independent of the width? E.g., for indicating overhead stuff in plan I want a longer segment with a narrower width than I can get with the current interdependent relationship.

brookefox · 13 Nov 2009, 23:30

I saw the dashed and hidden types: hidden has the longest segment and that is what I'm using; the others, of course have, changing segment lengths. I have only the one pure dot. Thanks.

TIG · 14 Nov 2009, 10:50

As well as sorting out the glitch on 2D Hatching inside Groups... I am thinking of adding something to the 2D Line Style Tool - 'Customized Line Style Patterns'...
There'd be an option at the end of the Line Styles list <Make Custom Line Style>
If you select that then before the line is styled another dialog would appear and have two inputs 'Custom Line Style Name' and 'Custom Line Style Pattern'.
You'd enter say 'Dot2' and '. ', to set the pattern of dots and gaps to '. . . .'.
Or say 'SOS' and '. . . .. .. .. ' as '. . . .. .. .. . . . .. .. .. . . .' [SOS!]
It would then be saved as a 'Custom Line Style' with the model and whenever you used the 2D Line Style Tool on that model thereafter it would be included at the end of the list of available line-styles [with any others you might define] after the <Make Custom Line Style> option ...

If this would be of interest let me know and I shall look at it further...

TIG · 14 Nov 2009, 10:51

There are several increments in the dot pattern... dashed, hidden etc ?

brookefox · 18 Nov 2009, 01:50

I think that would be terrific as me thinks it would improve the utility greatly.

On another front, if the text window would accept a paste larger than one line that also would be terrific.

For reasons unknown to me, I experienced a lot of bug splats yesterday (display driver faults and recovers, but not SU) while occasionally using the line tool (EDIT: Thinking back, I think it more likely was the hatching tool). I know such info is of no or limited use but I mention it in case it might be more than that.

Thank you.

brookefox · 18 Nov 2009, 01:57

Finally getting to know SU's native text tools, 3D included, and have a confirmed sense of appreciation for the functionality your tool set provides.

(As far as your contemplated line style enhancements, I say progress shouldn't wait on sleeping dogs.., er.., or.. snoozin' sailors or whomever.)

TIG · 18 Nov 2009, 09:36

The text dialog etc would need to become a web-dialog... as at the moment we are limited to the UI.inputbox type which is one line hence the \n work round. It's on a list...

TIG · 24 Nov 2009, 13:11

At last, here's my updated v4.0...
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=185760#p185760
Main changes are:
v4.0 20091122 'Debabelizer' added to all tools to ease locale language translation of text/dialogs/prompts/menus etc.
ES and FR versions of lingvo [translation] files supplied in zip.
ES version of 2D Tools-Help htm etc supplied in zip.
2D Tools-Help expanded to cover recent changes and also to explain how to customize Help-htm and lingvo files to your locale; 2D Tools-Help now opens a locale suffixed version if it exists.
2D Line-Style now offers user defined 'Custom Styles' by defining dots+spaces patterns; glitches whilst working inside groups fixed.
2D Text miscellaneous glitches fixed.
2D Face-Maker and 2D Hatching glitches whilst working inside groups fixed.

The new deBabelizer.rb script must be put into the Plugins folder with the other files/folders, as directed in the instructions. If you use any half-decent zip program to extract all of the files/folders into the Plugins folder then it should put everything in the right place for you...

Look out for additional [or updated] locale-lingvo files and help-htm files from third-parties: these will go into the ../Plugins/2Dtools/ folder...

Feedback please...

dedmin · 24 Nov 2009, 13:21

There is no deBabelizer.rb inside the archive.

TIG · 24 Nov 2009, 13:38

Damn! There is now...***
Here's a copy of it too deBabelizer.rb
***The 8 of you who got the zip which was missing deBabelizer.rb please re-download from the main link or simply add this rb file to the Plugins folder - sorry for the problem - I'm tired...

dedmin · 24 Nov 2009, 13:53

Get some sleep - we need You!!

juan974 · 24 Nov 2009, 14:14

hello,
in help : 2DtoolsHelp.htm, the freehand icon is not the good one
i ll try this plugin at work

Juan974 (reunion island)

TIG · 24 Nov 2009, 14:53

Here's v4.1 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=185760#p185760
There are minor corrections to the Help htm images etc...

TIG · 25 Nov 2009, 10:52

Here's v4.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=185760#p185760
No changes to the main 'workings'... Just some minor changes to a few strings in Adjust/LineStyle/Tidyup and their lingvo files that weren't translating properly.

dedmin · 25 Nov 2009, 10:57

Thanks, TIG! Seems You slept well