A ruby for a text list of materials for OSX users wanted

frv · 19 Nov 2009, 17:51

Hi,
I am on OSX, using a Mac.
As many know the material panel under OSX does not have the option to see a list of textures with their names. SInce I work with lots of materials and large models its rather difficult to see or assign the right material. Often there are various shades of white and grey hard to distinguish.

The only way to do this on a Mac is to hoover over the colored/textured squares and wait for the names to show up. This is a slow process since the material does not show the names instantly. You have to keep hold of your mouse at each material and wait for the name. Now imagine that over dozens of materials each and every time you assign a texture.

Google should have solved this issue long ago but I have given up. Maybe someone can make a plug-in that shows the material list as used in the model with their names in a column. It would be great if the tools for assigning like the paint bucket would pick up from the names as well. It would also be great if you could click on geometry to highlight the material in the list.

Maybe someone else can explain this better but I need a material panel in some sort that works with the material names.
Any help is very appreciated and as I assume not only by me. Especially considering all those that render with third party app's and need a more sophisticated way to distinguish the materials other than having to guess by the images in panel.
Francois

jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 18:36

here's a google search for the color picker if you feel like going on a search for a solution.. who knows, a solution may already be out there..

Google Search

(www.google.com)

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jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 18:42

sketchup (like most other osx apps) uses the operating system's color picker (notice the palettes in SU titled 'apple' and 'web safe colors' which are standard osx palettes not something chosen by sketchup developers)..

somewhere along the lines, google or @last messed things up because the osx color picker does have the feature you want already built into it..

this video shows sketchup's version of the colorpicker then i switch to the core color picker in which you'll see the list of names.. i can drag/drop from the core color picker into the sketchup model but that's about it (and the names don't even appear correctly once i'm back to the SU colorpicker)..

point being -- this should definitely be fixable by google themselves as it's already in osx.. it's just a matter of getting them to listen and make the appropriate changes.

there's probably a way for someone other than google to get this to work but i'm definitely not that person and really, i've yet to come across a SU ruby writer who works primarily on macs

[flash=640,385:30v1a3fs]http://www.youtube.com/v/fqQ-fx6ilyg&hl=en_US&fs=1&[/flash:30v1a3fs]

edit-hmm.. the video is a little messed up.. once i'm in the osx color picker, i'm just drag/dropping colors from the list into sketchup.. the recording missed some frames so it doesn't look smooth at all in the video

jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 18:54

fwiw, a screenshot of the standard osx colorpicker...
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Whaat · 19 Nov 2009, 18:59

ugh! I hate the OSX SketchUp Material Editor. I still can't figure out how it works.... If I had the time, I would make this plugin for you. I still can't believe that you can't get a list view of the materials!

thomthom · 19 Nov 2009, 19:23

That's the kind of listview I want on Windows! I want a tiny colour preview next to the text!

...I might just finally have to get around to make an alternative to this.

jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 19:24

yeah, not being able to see a list view in sketchup is retarded.. (and the method to get names for the colors for skindigo etc. is equally retarded.. you have to edit the color which opens a different panel then change the name via that dialog.. should be able to just doubleclick the color/texture and type the name)

to see an example of how the colorpicker should work in sketchup, open up TextEdit.app
go Format->Font->Show Colors (⇧⌘C)

you'll see the same colorpicker as used in sketchup except you can create custom palettes with a list view..

really, google can and needs to fix this..

frv · 19 Nov 2009, 22:12

Hi, a guy who wrote a plugin for to get a list view to export to Maxwell got a long way:
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=180&t=19850

But it did not fully work for me on OSX since I could not really use this list to assign materials to geometry. Also his panel did not work like SU panels and I had to keep making it visable. He was not on a Mac and had to improvise a lot with my testing.

If anyone is willing to make a proper rb, I am willing to test endlessly to get it to work on my Macpro 8 core.

Google is doing 3D earth, I don't think waiting for them is any good.
I am really surprised SU is not already been copied and improved by a new company. Imagine we can now render unbiased with real light at incredible speed, uv mapping and all but we have no proper way to assign some simple materials to our geometry. I think this ruby would make the OSX community as happy as can be.
Francois

thomthom · 19 Nov 2009, 22:35

Can't make a panel like the SU native toolwindows. Not with clicking the titlebar to fold/unfold the window. No API exist for that.

But a list where you can choose between thumbnail and listview, yes that can be done. And you click a list item to make the material the current material.

frv · 19 Nov 2009, 22:51

ok, if you can do that. I will test in on my OSX system.
Its important that that the list is interactive with the geometry. I need to assign materials to geometry and see what materials are assigned. For back and frontfaces.

I am not sure if its possible but I would like to group materials ( and layers but that is another story). I find the long lists not very handy. It would be nice if I could group and fold a list of for instance Formfonts materials.

Tx in advance Thomthom

Francois

thomthom · 19 Nov 2009, 23:08

@frv said:

Its important that that the list is interactive with the geometry.

What you mean by this? "interactive with the geometry"?

jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 23:25

ok, so this is new to me..
osx colorpicker can have plugins..
here's a couple of screenshots from some that i've installed..

HexColorPicker (self explanatory .. also note the additional choices i now have..next to the crayons etc)

Mondrianum (same thing as this recent scf post except you do the browsing directly in your material dialogue! even browse coverflow style if you want)

now, for some reason, sketchup is actually denying access to one of the standard options (Color Palettes) which is where the list view is possible.. in it's place is 'SketchUpColorPicker' which uses the brick icon.. google could definitely make their picker as it's own thing but then it would be system wide and work in every app.. maybe they don't want that but jeez, can't they replace a different choice like 'image palette' because we could still sample colors off an image opened in preview if needed..

so really, what's the best way to bring this to google's attention? gaieus, don't you have some sort of secret handshake with these guys or something?

otherwise, at the original post, i don't think a SU ruby solution is the best way to go.. getting a simple list view with collections etc should be very easy to write by someone that's already familiar with the colorpicker.. find them and ask for a little plugin:D

thomthom · 19 Nov 2009, 23:32

You can make plugins for the colour picked on OSX? does that also work on 10.4? What language is used to write these?

jeff hammond · 19 Nov 2009, 23:46

@thomthom said:

You can make plugins for the colour picked on OSX? does that also work on 10.4? What language is used to write these?

ha, i don't have a clue about the language but yeah, it works on tiger & jaguar too..
here's a bit of info:
http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/Cocoa/Conceptual/DrawColor/Tasks/AddingColorPickers.html

frv · 20 Nov 2009, 00:17

Hi Jeff,
tx for your info on the colorpicker. It seems a solution is near.

I also saw this that might help to solve this problem.
http://www.tangerine.net.au/

With interactive colorpicker I just meant that you have to be able to use the list for asigning materials.

Actually I am not very interested in color or texture images in the rb or plugin or even colorpicker. Just the names and the use of them in the workflow of asigning and checking assigments of materials. I don't need images with the materials as I do not need them for layers either. I want to see white 01 and white 02 for example. If you can see images of the materials all the better of course but I have no need for it, neither have others I think when modeling.

jeff hammond · 20 Nov 2009, 00:36

@frv said:

I don't need images with the materials as I do not need them for layers either. I want to see white 01 and white 02 for example. If you can see images of the materials all the better of course but I have no need for it, neither have others I think when modeling.

i think with all the other stuff i've been typing here, i'm not getting this part across.. exactly what you want is already standard in the osx color picker.. it's just that sketchup disables it..

making this type of list is possible in every app except for sketchup:

somewhere along the lines, someone at @last or google made a conscious decision to disable this while in sketchup.. that mistake needs rectified asap.

thomthom · 20 Nov 2009, 07:31

@unknownuser said:

i think with all the other stuff i've been typing here, i'm not getting this part across

@unknownuser said:

somewhere along the lines, someone at @last or google made a conscious decision to disable this while in sketchup.. that mistake needs rectified asap.

That's the thing - he's looking for another solution until Google addresses this.

thomthom · 20 Nov 2009, 07:32

@frv said:

With interactive colorpicker I just meant that you have to be able to use the list for asigning materials.

You're thinking of some other method other than clicking the item and it will activate the Paint Bucket?

frv · 20 Nov 2009, 11:13

Jeff, you are exactly right.
Also Thomthom you are right as well. As long as this issue is not solved by Google a plugin with some kind of functionality as the material panel has but then with named materials would be great.

Google will not address this issue since I have been asking them for years now. Google addresses issues for beginners, not for the advanced users.

I am waiting for some Chinese or American of whatver group of people who are looking at Google's work lately and come up with the idea to develop SketchCAD. A crossover from Sketchup to Revit. A kind of Sketchup with tools for for the busy modeller in architecture. @LAst had a vision were modelling would be done in such a way that you can actually see what is happening real time. In Vectorworks and Revit and I assume in most other modelers you are still in wireframe mode and have to update a perspective view to see a little of what is going on. You do not have to be Steve Jobs to see the market for SketchCAD.

thomthom · 20 Nov 2009, 11:17

I for one wants a listview with material preview on PC - so I see a need on both platforms given the status quo.