Solid Tools
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A question for Dave or others that have tried ver8. Have you used the Boolean tools rb that is available and if so how does it compare to the native tools in ver8? As this is only a hobby I can't see the expense of su pro however I do miss the tools that my previous cad program had for solid add and subtract.
Keith
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Keith, I just did a blog post yesterday about some of the Solid Tools. It was getting too long to cover all of them.
I've got some mixed feelings about the tools. I can see some use for them but probably not as much as some folks would think. I suppose a lot of that has to do with my work which I find very efficient. The Solid tools convert components to groups and the editing done to one component, then, doesn't get applied to the other instances. So for things like mortises in table legs, I'll stick to my preferred method which I still find very fast. At least I don't have to convert the resulting group back to a component, rename it and replace all the other instances with the new one. On the off chance you're interested, you can see an example of my current process in the video, here.
People who use groups for everything instead of components won't have any problem using the Solids tools for things like joinery. It'll actually be more like working with real wood because you'll have to handle every part. But if they are using groups for everything now, they already have to handle every part, anyway.
The cool thing about these tools is that in one step they'll make the intersection and erase what you don't want to keep. Tim Killen shows an example in his blog entry before mine of a cab leg. He draws them by making an extrusion of a front elevation and a side elevation. In the past he would place them so they cross at 90°, run Intersect and spend some time erasing the unwanted bits. Now he can make those extrusions and make them each groups or components. Then he can get the Subtract tool and click on both. The intersection and clean up is done.
I demonstrated that with a turned leg which I wanted to cut out to fit on the corner of a case.
The Solid tools require 'Solid Groups/Components' which means they can't have any holes in the surfaces nor little line segments that are loose or extending off from a corner. The Entity info box will tell you if the selected group/component is solid or not. Unlike Intersect, though, the results of the intersection will also be solid so you don't have to worry about getting little holes as you would with regular old Intersect on complex intersections.
So is it worth the cost to upgrade? Maybe. Probably not just for the Solid tools. It depends upon the type of work you are doing and the way you work. For a project like your desk, I think I would find no use for the Solid tools. For something like the crest rail on a Windsor chair or a Cab leg, the Solid tools would make fast work of it. Overall though, for the work I do, the upgrade to SU8 Pro is big because I use LayOut a lot and LayOut has also been improved.
If you haven't at least moved to SU8 free, you should. There are a few things like Back Edges that would be handy. There are also under-the-hood improvements that will make SketchUp work faster and a number of bugs from 7.1 have been cleared up. Of course you can have both on your computer and use either as you desire.
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Your 'free' can manually make 'boolean operations' using groups, copies and various edit + intersect methods... and then manually deleting the bits that are not needed...
But if you want to automate it then Dale Martens's "BoolTools" [ http://www.smustard.com/script/BoolTools ] works pretty well for a modest cost of only $10 - it works OK for me if the volumes are not too small or complex, and you don't mind making a few manual 'touchup' fixes if there are occasional glitches.
It's certainly cheaper than Sketchup v8 Pro with its new built-in tools - although it does have extras like 'manifold' checking and several other new features too...
It all depends on what you are going to do and how much you want to spend... -
This time, OSCoolean has a toolbar for selecting 2 groups, speed improved and more stable.
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=14773
Oscar
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（New）OSCoolean OCT 2010 version can do trim & split。
http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?f=323&t=14773 -
That's really cool! Thanks, a good alternative to those who don't have the 8 Pro Version.
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For woodworking check out daiku's timber frame rubies.
Lists, part drawings from components, joinery, etc.http://www.northernlightstimberframing.com/su/
I used it occasionally for timber work, but have also used it for furniture scaled objects.
In the case of the TF rubies, you'll be modeling the male joinery components and let the software do the work getting the mortises, holes, peg holes, slots, etc. into the mating timber.And you can build component libraries of joints and oft used pieces parts, just like anything else in SketchUp.
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Thank you for sharing!
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