[Plugin] Slicer v4.3 20110619

TIG

Look at my Extrude Edges By Rails By Faces
Make the face a 'rib' ?
OR try the simpler EEbyFace and process a 'rib' face just the one curve at a time, useful if the form is not susceptible to a 'meshed' solution...

princedragoncok

Yes that is almost the solution indeed... but what about the slots? Can slots automatically be made at intersections via a plugin? and then laid out nicely like in slicer?

mariocha

One could also try FFD on the grouped slices. No ?

TIG

You want "Slotter"

Run the 'Slotter' tool, you select a shape [group] that has some intersecting forms [groups] (perhaps two 'sliced' sets in two 'planes'), choose whether 'top' or 'bottom' slots required in the selected shape.
It booleans half slots in the selected shape at every intersection [say from the 'top] to match the intersecting forms, and also all of the other forms gets slots added in the other direction, so that then all of the forms will 'slot together' if made in reality...
The slotted shapes would be copied/grouped for safety and laid flat if desired ?

This idea is quite doable... I'll think on it

Any feedback welcome during the 'gestation' phase...

princedragoncok

Slotter... that's exactly it. Don't really know what to add to your description at the moment apart from laying them out neatly after slotting. I have a laser cutter at my disposal at the moment (I work in a model shop) and would love to realise some concept designs with slotter, slicer and slicermodeller. Looking forward to the next upgrade!

xrok1

wtf
we need a smiley of someone tapping there watch.

[edit] guess this will have to do

TIG

I do the impossible immediately, but miracles take a little longer...

princedragoncok

@tig said:

I do the impossible immediately, but miracles take a little longer...

Lol, a slicing miracle... I can't wait

mariocha

@tig said:

If you made a curve along the front edge then the ribs could be angled to match the angle-bisector to each pair of edges at a node, or square at the ends ?

I just encountered a situation where I am asked for ribs that follow the curve, staying perpendicular to it (like radial).

TIG

Noted...

xrok1

@tig said:

@xrok1 said:

@unknownuser said:

I have a [privately written and hopefully paid for] 'Slicer v4' that has such lines added etc for CNC work - watch this space.

hey, are you finally going to make your own and bust that slicemodeler @&&hole

I have written a paid commercial version [private] - Slicer_v4 - for someone for CNC use etc... it [or some of its ideas] might leak out to you too...

any news?

TIG

The news is, no news... I am bogged down with other 'paid stuff' at the moment... BUT it is around 2nd on the list [after some big stuff]

TIG

Here is v3.0 of Slicer.rb.

You can now choose / make its Layer on the fly and select any 'Colour'...

Enjoy...

(see v. 3.1 here instead)

orangutanlibrarian

I am working on a 3D printer so i was thrilled when i found you program. I just wonder if there is a way to save each slice individually?
thanks foe a great program.

TIG

@orangutanlibrarian said:

I am working on a 3D printer so i was thrilled when i found you program. I just wonder if there is a way to save each slice individually?
thanks foe a great program.

I've a new version of Slicer on the back-burner that actually makes the slices as components.
Meanwhile this code snippet will do something for you.
First it converts the slice-groups to component-instances and then it saves them separately as SKPs in a folder called 'Slices' with the Model, each named after "model-name_slice-name.skp"...

def slicerexporter()
  mod=Sketchup.active_model
  pat=mod.path
  (UI.messagebox("Save Model First!");return nil) if pat==''
  sel=mod.selection ### process selection
  gps=[]; sel.each{|e|gps << e if e.class==Sketchup;;Group}
  (UI.messagebox("No Groups Selected!");return nil) if not gps[0]
  fol=File.dirname(pat)
  mna=mod.title
  sfo=File.join(fol,"Slices")
  Dir.mkdir(sfo) if not File.exist?(sfo)
  mod.start_operation("slicerexporter")
  puts "Saving SKPs...\n" 
  gps.each{|grp|
    sleep(1.0)
    nam=grp.name
    ins=grp.to_component
    dfn=ins.definition
    dfn.name=nam
    pat=File.join(sfo, mna+"_"+nam+".skp")
    dfn.save_as(pat)
    puts pat.tr("\\","/")
  }
  sleep(1.0)
  mod.commit_operation ### one step undo group >> compo = 'groups' reverted
  puts "\nDone."
  UI.openURL("file;///"+sfo)
  ### NOTE; Sometimes these SKPs CAN be corruped on save_as ;(
end

Copy+Pase into a file called slicerexporter.rb in Plugins - it should auto-load...
select Slices then in Ruby Console type slicerexporter and watch messages...

Sir

the plugin works great, but the end step is really buggy on my current file, rarely does it give the option to flatten slices for me.

its a large terrain model, 23923 edges, 9696 faces.

its offered to flatten once of ten times or so, and id entered the settings wrong!

any tips on making it work?

thanks TIG!

-edit-
only trying to cut it into 66 slices

infact, it doesnt offer any of the final 3 steps, the xray, hide or flatten options

TIG

Sir

That's still a lot of slices, with complex geometry !
It should always do the steps... BUT obviously it takes ages to process that many slices, and then offer to flatten them.
There are no shortcuts, except waiting....

EDIT: Run it with the Ruby Console open and see if there are any error messages - especially when it gets to the latter stages........

Sir

Error; #<TypeError; reference to deleted Face>
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;454;in `pushpull'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;454;in `calculate'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;453;in `each'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;453;in `calculate'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;363;in `each'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;363;in `calculate'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;804
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;454;in `call'
C;/PROGRA~2/Google/GOOGLE~1/Plugins/Slicer31.rb;454

this was the response

no geom on hidden layers

TIG

OK... sounds like the resulting slices are failing to pushpull because a face isn't 'enduring'...
It's easy enough to trap for that BUT it begs the question - what is the actual problem?

Can you post/PM a zipped version of the surface/volume you want to slice, with some notes about what you want to achieve... and I'll look at it... and report back...

TIG

Here's a new version http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=16689#p16689
Please read the notes - particularly about removing earlier version[s]...
It should now make all slices, even if your 3d form is non-solid and so complex that a meaningful slice cannot be made/faced/extruded; it will no longer stall even if some slices are not made as you might hope... To ensure good results ensure that the form you are slicing is 'solid' or at least simple enough the slice if it's not...
[Sir's recent problem was from an overly complex form... BUT this update does mean that even that doesn't stall part way through the slicing...]