[Plugin] Extrude Edges by Rails

pilou · 25 Nov 2009, 01:43

...and put Rhino in the garbage trash can

jeff hammond · 25 Nov 2009, 01:44

[haha frenchy]

just in case that picture is confusing, here are the two surfaces separately..

(rhino- blue... SU- red)

(sorry about the nasty quality of the pictures.. had to use screenshots because the output options in Rhino OS X (beta) aren't fully implemented yet.. i don't think my screenshots like red too much)

... and a render of the SU version after some joint_push_pull..

xrok1 · 25 Nov 2009, 04:15

nice. thanks for implementing the single rail option. i will delete edges by edges plugin soon but...

red is edges by rails result, blue is edges by edges result?? i think blue wins my vote on how things should work.

jeff hammond · 25 Nov 2009, 04:46

@xrok1 said:

nice. thanks for implementing the single rail option. i will delete edges by edges plugin soon but...

red is edges by rails result, blue is edges by edges result?? i think blue wins my vote on how things should work.

as far as i can tell, both methods give the exact same results (3 tests and while one of the surfaces ended up in a strange location, it still matched the other)

if you're talking about the triangulation then:

with edgesBYedges, one of the options after running the script is 'triangulate faces?'

with edgesBYrails, the second option that pops up is 'erase coplaner edges?'.. choose yes and the triangulation lines will go away (as long as they aren't necessary for the surfacing but since the geometry is the same with the two scripts for 1rail1edge, they'll end up identical if you choose yes to erase the coplanar edges)

that said, maybe there's something i haven't tried that will make the two 1edge1rail methods produce different results..

jeff hammond · 25 Nov 2009, 04:55

fwiw, coplanar means 'on the same plane'.. basically, draw a square then draw some lines on its surface or intersecting the edges.. those lines are coplanar and you can freely erase them without making the surface disappear.

xrok1 · 25 Nov 2009, 21:08

@unknownuser said:

(3 tests and while one of the surfaces ended up in a strange location, it still matched the other)

thats what i'm refering to. EbE seems to be where i'd expect EbR seems to be on the wrong side of the rail. there probably is no right or wrong side it just isn't what i expected. maybe you could add a dialog for the one rail method that asks if you want to mirror result.

PS, now that i asked for another dialog i feel i should say the dialog are annoying and i think a single window with checkboxes would be much nicer.

TIG · 25 Nov 2009, 22:31

This is built with raw UI interface - no web-dialogs so no check-boxes - yet...

kostas_designer · 26 Nov 2009, 07:53

Wow!
Great improvement! I was missing the 1.1 version and i could'n figure out why it was acting like that!
Now it rocks!
Thanks again, Tig

bocomofo · 26 Nov 2009, 13:59

I cant even imagine how this works...I can only presume that it is withcraft.
Regardless of that I think it is totally amazing...now just to find a practical use for it in the rather 'boxy' Architecture I'm used to producing!!!

Wonderful effort TIG!

TIG · 26 Nov 2009, 14:27

@daniel s said:

Amazing TIG!!!
Thank you!!!
How about an option to maintain height?
...
Daniel S

To do the second option you showed add a horizontal line down the centre of the profile at its topmost point.
Make that line divided and weld into a curve [best if it has same number of segments as the path?]
Use My tool on one 'half' of the profile and a side rail and the new 'top' rail.
Now use My tool again on the other 'half' of the profile and the other side rail and the new 'top' rail.
Select both groups and group, edit the new group and select the two groups inside and explode them.
You now have the form you desired FlatToppedEEbyRails.skpwith a flat top...

broomstick · 26 Nov 2009, 14:36

Like everyone, I am here to say thanks for this great script... words fail me to describe how awesome this ruby is!

ionandre · 26 Nov 2009, 19:20

It's Fantastic!

It works also on 3 closed curves.

Thank you so much

Daniel S · 27 Nov 2009, 14:52

@tig said:

Make that line divided and weld into a curve [best if it has same number of segments as the path?]

I tried to do that but the plugins dosen´t like a line as a rail.
Good tip to divide the line and then weld to make it work

I also like a lot the option to make it work with closed curves.. looks like a patch tool.

Perhaps in a future we can have a n-sided patch tool inside SketchUp

Thanks again,
Daniel S

pilou · 27 Nov 2009, 16:10

Case 1 works if volume has orthogonal segments
Case 2 & 3 & 4 yet works!

Daniel S · 27 Nov 2009, 16:23

Yes Pilou, I´m showing another possible use of what can you do with this plugin... in this cases works like a patch tool using 3 curves.

Daniel S

pilou · 27 Nov 2009, 16:37

Ah yes, sorry

ionandre · 27 Nov 2009, 20:32

Hey this plugin can also make very good lofts by rails

TIG · 27 Nov 2009, 20:43

It will 'loft' any two 'rail' curves along a profile 'curve'... That's the idea...

ionandre · 28 Nov 2009, 08:23

Just noticed this:

with a simple straight line(curve) used as profile you can loft 2 closed rail curves directly (poligons) as well, but if use an arc as profile the result is a twisted loft. Why that?

TIG · 28 Nov 2009, 09:47

It takes the nearest points of the rails to place / adjust the profile.
Split the square's edge nearest the circle at it's center.
It should then not twist ?