[Plugin] Selection Toys

thomthom · 2 Dec 2009, 10:33

Hi Thom

im getting this error on opening sketchup

Error Loading File tt_selection_toys.rb
No such file to load -- TT_Plugin_Manager/tt_plugin_manager.rb

Did you download the required Plugin Manager package as well?

free agent · 2 Dec 2009, 12:17

so ur saying read the instruction before posting random complaints?....

thomthom · 2 Dec 2009, 12:52

Me? I'd never!

thomthom · 2 Dec 2009, 12:53

I know it's a bit annoying to install additional files - but there was so much work put into the UI Manager that I wanted to be able to reuse it.

thomthom · 4 Jan 2010, 19:04

Fixed bug in select_same_direction_faces, select_parallel_faces, select_perpendicular_faces, select_same_area.
Fixed bug in Select Only / Deselect Soft / Smooth Edges
Added Command Cheat Sheet.
Moved from Plugin_Manager to TT_Lib

Rich O Brien · 4 Jan 2010, 21:47

Nice update, thanks Thom

pghstone83 · 13 Jan 2010, 15:17

I downloaded the tt lib along with the selection tools file both that were both posted on the forum pgs. However, I am not able to get the selection tools toolbar in order to select the "loop" selection on the design program.

Can you please help guide me as to how to make that happen?

thomthom · 13 Jan 2010, 15:22

@pghstone83 said:

However, I am not able to get the selection tools toolbar

You must Enable it first - Tools -> Selection Toys - Enable Toolbar

@pghstone83 said:

select the "loop" selection on the design program.

All commands are also available from the toolbar.
Not sure which Loop method you refer to, but you got:
Tools -> Selection Toys - Select Edge Loop

and then you got the

Right-Click on Edge -> Select - Quad-face Loop

pghstone83 · 13 Jan 2010, 16:03

My Tools button in the program does not have a "selection toys" button as an option to select in order to enable it.

thomthom · 13 Jan 2010, 16:29

No Selection Toys under the Tools menu? that's very odd...
how/where did you install the files?

EarthMover · 13 Jan 2010, 21:23

ThomThom,

Is it possible to add an option to Select only "Outer Edges" and Deselect "Outer Edges"? Chris Fulmer wrote the code and mentioned in his post it may be better suited for your plugin.

Do you think a "Select Connected by Orientation" for edges would be possible? Basically I'm asking for a loop select for edges. I know you were looking into it, just wondering if it would ever be possible, or if there are too many variables present to make it feasible to code.

One other request, if doable, is a quad face loop select that would process multiple edges at once? I find this necessary if I am trying to select a quad loop on an extruded arc with multiple segments and multiple quad face loops. It would be nice to select one set of connected edges and select all their quad loops at the same time. Selection memory is a bit tedious.

Thanks again for the plug...I love the new toolbar. Definitely owe you several dozen Cookies!!

thomthom · 13 Jan 2010, 22:25

@earthmover said:

Is it possible to add an option to Select only "Outer Edges" and Deselect "Outer Edges"? Chris Fulmer wrote the code and mentioned in his post it may be better suited for your plugin.

Creepy! ... How did you know we where just talking about that?!

@earthmover said:

Do you think a "Select Connected by Orientation" for edges would be possible? Basically I'm asking for a loop select for edges. I know you were looking into it, just wondering if it would ever be possible, or if there are too many variables present to make it feasible to code.

It's the "Orientation" part that get's a wee bit complicated to determine what is the user's expectation of correct orientation - as well as actually determining. Things is, would a loop select be ok if it selected the edges of co-planar faces? If they are not planar - then things start to become very odd to estimate...
I think what I need to do with this edge loop thing is make it have more contraints. So what are the most typical types of selections and geometry? (if any)

@earthmover said:

One other request, if doable, is a quad face loop select that would process multiple edges at once? I find this necessary if I am trying to select a quad loop on an extruded arc with multiple segments and multiple quad face loops. It would be nice to select one set of connected edges and select all their quad loops at the same time. Selection memory is a bit tedious.

I'll add it to the list of things to look into.

EarthMover · 13 Jan 2010, 22:53

Must be the sixth sense tingling!

Regarding orientation for loop select....in most cases that I use it, the edges are coplanar, sharing a common axis. Perhaps one way would be to add an option to select connected edges by a given axis, to better define the orientation. This would handle most of my "loop" situations...although ideally a better method would be to glean the orientation of a selected edge and select all connected edges that are running closest to that orientation. You can look at the code here from a Select edges by Z script that I believe Jim helped me put together. (which I'm sure you already know as the code is simple) Only trouble with this one is that it accounts for the whole model so I usually have to group the area first and then I can select a loop by it's Z height. It might be something to consider adding, but also giving the choice to select connected by X & Y.

selectedgesbyZ.rb

pghstone83 · 14 Jan 2010, 01:08

@thomthom said:

No Selection Toys under the Tools menu? that's very odd...
how/where did you install the files?

I sent the file to the plugins folder on my C drive and extracted it there.I also took in the TTLib folder that I thought I needed for the plugin to work. But when I open the TTLib file up there's another selection toys folder in there. I'm thankful for your for your patience. I'm new with this program.I've been trying to download this file for 3 days and I'm ready to lose it. Isn't the process to send these plugins to the plugins folder in C drive and simply hit extract and enable them in sketchup?

Chris Fullmer · 14 Jan 2010, 02:09

The process is to extract the files to your SketchUp plugins folder. It doesn't matter where you save the .zip file as long as you can find it to extract from it. And then extract the contects into the plugins folder. Once you get how to do it, it is very simple and all other plugins work the same.

pghstone83 · 14 Jan 2010, 03:17

@chris fullmer said:

The process is to extract the files to your SketchUp plugins folder. It doesn't matter where you save the .zip file as long as you can find it to extract from it. And then extract the contects into the plugins folder. Once you get how to do it, it is very simple and all other plugins work the same.

Do I have to manually remove every file in the folder or can I just hit "extract"? Some other plugins had to be opened this way for me to get them to work. Also can I just import the "Selection Toys" download or do I also need to bring that TTLib file also?

thomthom · 14 Jan 2010, 07:23

@earthmover said:

Must be the sixth sense tingling!

Regarding orientation for loop select....in most cases that I use it, the edges are coplanar, sharing a common axis.

This is easier, as you can select two edges to define the plane they are co-planar to.

thomthom · 14 Jan 2010, 07:31

@pghstone83 said:

I sent the file to the plugins folder on my C drive and extracted it there.I also took in the TTLib folder that I thought I needed for the plugin to work. But when I open the TTLib file up there's another selection toys folder in there.

There should be no selection toys folder in the TT_Lib folder. Something has gone wrong there.

@pghstone83 said:

Isn't the process to send these plugins to the plugins folder in C drive and simply hit extract and enable them in sketchup?

@pghstone83 said:

Do I have to manually remove every file in the folder or can I just hit "extract"? Some other plugins had to be opened this way for me to get them to work. Also can I just import the "Selection Toys" download or do I also need to bring that TTLib file also?

There things is; "just hit extract" depends on the extraction program you use. Some apps makes an extra unwanted folder - often happens on OSX it appears.

For Selection Toys, the files and folders you want to move to your plugins folder is:
A file named "tt_selection_toys.rb"
A folder named "TT_Select_Toys" and it's containing sub-folders.

For TT_Lib:
A folder containing "TT_Lib" - this folder should contain other *.rb files and a webdialogs folder. If it doesn't contain that, but instead just got another folder named "TT_Lib" - then check out that next "TT_Lib" folder.

Panga · 14 Jan 2010, 09:32

Thanks for this update, and this great plugin !!

pilou · 14 Jan 2010, 10:18

Maybe an image of the arborescence folder/files needing result will be an help for new plugin users?