[Plugin] Extrude Edges by Rails

TIG · 20 Dec 2009, 12:22

@tig said:

I don't understand you diagram.
You can already do this ?
Are you wanting some sort of 2-face FollowMe ? Just use the faces edges [welded into a curve] as your Rails ?
With EEbyRv2 [that is about to be launched] you will be able to choose the Profile, Rail1 and Rail2 and then a 'Melding-Profile' that fixes the end form too - is that what you want ? It will allow a definite start and end profile location form to be predefined...

Yes,it could be "2-face +2-path+FollowMe"
I also do not have this plug-in, I use the LATHE. RB command generates images shown, as you said, the first path to the same, choose the second Rails as a control Rails
"lathe" you can see it http://www.sketchupbbs.com/thread-40382-1-1.html

I too have a lathe.rb that is somewhat similar...

hsjzyangbin · 20 Dec 2009, 15:46

@tig said:

I too have a lathe.rb that is somewhat similar...

希望我的提议对你的插件有用，谢谢！

TIG · 20 Dec 2009, 18:22

@hsjzyangbin said:

@tig said:

I too have a lathe.rb that is somewhat similar...

希望我的提议对你的插件有用，谢谢！

Your proposal for my plug-in very useful, thank you!

david_h · 21 Dec 2009, 22:25

very fun indeed. Is there a toolbar? I get the command in my Plugins Tab, but Is there an onscreen toolbar as well?

TIG · 21 Dec 2009, 23:11

No Toolbar yet OR webdialog BUT it's on the list - trying to get v2 and segmentation right first...

TIG · 29 Dec 2009, 10:46

http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=201286#p201286
Here's v2 - now allows a final 'melding-profile' if desired and facets minimized...

TIG · 29 Dec 2009, 11:37

Here's some examples of EEbyRails v2 ExtrudeEdgesByRailsV2Examples.skp

EarthMover · 29 Dec 2009, 12:00

Amazing work on the new version. You've created almost a patch method with really clean mesh results. THis is going to make a lot of people happy!

Daniel S · 29 Dec 2009, 12:13

Thank you TIG!! Amazing!!!

This plugin deserves its own toolbar... what about adding one?

Daniel S

EEbyRails icons.zip

TIG · 29 Dec 2009, 12:18

@daniel s said:

Thank you TIG!! Amazing!!!
This plugin deserves its own toolbar... what about adding one?
Daniel S

Thanks for the button pngs.
Now I've got it working v2.1 will probably have a toolbar and I'm looking at consolidating the closing dialogs into a single [web]dialog... Might take a good few days as I am busy on other things right now...

alpro · 29 Dec 2009, 12:59

Thanks TIG, I'm sure that this is gonna be one of my most used rubies. Awesome work.

Mike

TIG · 29 Dec 2009, 13:38

Here's an EEbyRails new V2 example of making a 'flat-topped' sinuous roof barrel, with one end arched and the other angular, in two halves...

Rich O Brien · 29 Dec 2009, 15:47

This is way more than an improvement, this is exceptional scripting that pushing SU in a new direction

Hats Off to you

JClements · 29 Dec 2009, 17:18

THANKS AGAIN!

Question: Is there a way to control where the dialogs appear, or once the first appears allow the user to move it and all subsequent dialogs use the location of the first?

TIG · 29 Dec 2009, 17:23

@jclements said:

THANKS AGAIN!

Question: Is there a way to control where the dialogs appear, or once the first appears allow the user to move it and all subsequent dialogs use the location of the first?

You cannot affect the location or much to do with the basic UI dialogs... BUT you can with a 'web-dialog' - which is where I am heading with this... Look out for the next update...

driven · 29 Dec 2009, 17:28

Hi Tig,

couple of oddities on the mac, when trying to do something I need, however just had a go at one of my manually manipulated splines versions of Jeffs ramp, and 80% of the new skin line up perfectly with the previous splines and the 10% are probably out due to manual error (someone else must have done those)

But there is lifting of 2nd rail along the whole length? Pic attached.

main difference- it's an hour or two quicker just on this.

fantastic, I'll try and have another play later on and report back

john

utiler · 29 Dec 2009, 23:47

Thanks TIG for all you do for GSU and the dedicated community... you, along with many other script writers really are appreciated by the masses!!!!

hsjzyangbin · 30 Dec 2009, 05:31

@tig said:

Here's an EEbyRails new V2 example of making a 'flat-topped' sinuous roof barrel, with one end arched and the other angular, in two halves...[attachment=2:3cig0les]EEbyRailsV2_FlatTop.png[/attachment:3cig0les]

HI,TIG,This is way more than an improvement ,But it does not get the results I wanted, it seems that these two Profiles control only two rails of the endpoint, I want the result is the same curvature and hope to improve it, above are my small suggestiong on V2 versions thanks again

driven · 30 Dec 2009, 05:41

@hsjzyangbin said:

does not get the results I wanted

hi you posted while I was uploading, so I'll add my 2 pennies, adding surfaces to the rails holds everything in place better for some reason and even adding these surfaces after exploding the group altered the finished surface in some cases, but not all.

Hi Tig,

I've been busy with your script trying to see what it can do and how it works.

in the process I've made every permutation of rail choice order and discovered a few things that might make the learning cur(v/s)e easier for some of us mere mortals.

To show things like the difference of going end to end or top to bottom, etc I used a horizontal reference grid on my last 'Jeffs Ramp' effort and made a new vert as well. these don't represent an ideal outcome or anything, but are simply static reference made using different tools so that none of the new ones match perfectly.

I then put all new mesh's on there own layer with a code so I could keep track and then made 30-40 different versions, which I compared to each other using scene tabs. After weaning out mostly identical ones, I'm left with 8 possible reliable outcomes.

So, I decided to tidy it up a bit a post it here for yourself and the curious.

the code for the layer name is- L = Long Arc end; S = Short Arc end ; B = Bottom profile; T = Top profile; rest are bad English

camera's not locked so you can rotate etc during the animation, if you stop and over lap two or more you can clearly see what's different

Comment... I think the differences are a bonus for things like ramps because it's so easy to just run an extra from top to bottom if you want it steeper etc...

BTW. I retrospectively added surface to my earlier post's drawing and it pulled the lifted edges back into place except for one point, the missing triangle on this file.
This one point also misaligned itself in a couple of other sweeps that had profiles attached, but not in others, odd?,
if the cleanup is pushing one point back into line , I'm happy...

the files to big so it's on a cloud if you want to download from there, let me know if there's a problem.

WHOOPS, boo boo.

(sn.im)

TIG · 30 Dec 2009, 08:50

@hsjzyangbin said:

@tig said:

Here's an EEbyRails new V2 example of making a 'flat-topped' sinuous roof barrel, with one end arched and the other angular, in two halves...[attachment=2:3i3yr7t7]EEbyRailsV2_FlatTop.png[/attachment:3i3yr7t7]

HI,TIG,This is way more than an improvement ,But it does not get the results I wanted, it seems that these two Profiles control only two rails of the endpoint, I want the result is the same curvature and hope to improve it, above are my small suggesting on V2 versions thanks again

It is doing what you tell it.
Picking the Profile twice will give a different result.
Try making half rails (~semicircle) and two concave profiles at its ends, then copy/mirror the mesh and combine into one group...
It the rail is circular use my Lathe.rb tool on its center with a profile on the circumference and at 360 degree revolution.