[Plugin] Work Plane

TIG · 25 Sept 2010, 19:53

Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345
It centers the WorkPlane on the 1st picked point - which is more logical.

As Ken said, if you want to have the WorkPlane appear in a different way then make a 'WorkPlaneMaterial' in your current SKP [or default Template] before using the tool so that it's 'yellow' or whatever you prefer...

TIG · 25 Sept 2010, 20:06

Here's v1.3 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345
WorkPlaneMaterial are now made 0.5% opaque and pale-yellow as default, but premade 'WorkPlaneMaterial' remains unchanged.

mitcorb · 25 Sept 2010, 20:17

This looks like a nice innovation to what I usually do on a new file. I form a rectangle oriented from 0,0,0 out in the +x,+y quadrant of the ground plane. If I need it larger, I just move the sides in the xy on the zero plane.
But your script adds some interesting possibilities.
Thank you again, TIG

TIG · 25 Sept 2010, 22:04

Here's v1.4 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345
The toolbar button icon pngs have been brought in line with the point picking, centralizing etc.

TIG · 26 Sept 2010, 10:42

Here's v1.5 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345
There are minor cosmetic tweaks to the toolbar button icons, color of WorkPlaneMaterial and temporary drawn line [now 'orange'], also it 'Transparency' and 'Guides' are 'off' they are switched 'on' - so that you can see through the WorkPlane and see it's edges/grids...

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ · 26 Sept 2010, 14:23

tig. very good idea.
thinking ...
when the plugin generates the plane.
not create a group. create a component.

EarthMover · 26 Sept 2010, 14:24

Wow, it's just getting better and better. Any way to add a lock of some kind to force the plane to extrude perpendicular to the first two points? Perhaps holding Shift? I am having a hard time on some faces pulling the plane out perpendicular. Seems to want to go everywhere but. Even perhaps just a short Cline that appears on the second click that is perpendicular as something to snap to. (This happens moreso if the work plane is drawn in the middle of a face as opposed to an edge)

Also, is a mass "Remove all work planes" toolbar option possible? If you are using work planes to do minor tweaks or adding a lot of little details, you end up with a lot of planes on top of each other and it takes a while to try and go through and select and unlock so you can delete them.

Another thing that would be a great option would be to have a Cline drawn between the two points that work plane intersects the edges of the face it was drawn on.

Thanks again for the updates!

TIG · 26 Sept 2010, 14:56

Adam

The third point will lock axially - e.g. in z/blue - hold down Shift to lock, as in other tools...

I'll have think about the 'Remove All WorkPlanes' option...
As WorkPlanes go on their own layer you can simply switch off all layers except WORLPLANE [or have a Style for it] and then use 'Ctrl+A' to 'Select All' and right-click context-menu 'unlock' and press <delete> - not so onerous ?

EDIT: OR use the Outliner to select all Groups named 'WorkPlane' - then unlock/delete them that way...

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ · 26 Sept 2010, 23:34

Hello Tig.
a question.
if I unlock workplane, and edit (move, rotate or scale).
I can not draw after the workplane coplanar?
Why?

TIG · 27 Sept 2010, 09:34

This is a v7/8 glitch!
You get the very same result if you just make a raking face and group it... You can snap to the grouped face's plane when making a rectangle... BUT move it the snap to face plane is lost...
If the face.plane passes through the origin and face.normal.y==0 it's OK!
Even if you group, move, explode, regroup it then fails to keep the 'snap to face property' in that case - I suspect it's a glitch in SUp v7/8 itself - I've lodged a report.
A 'raw' face [outside of a group] will always take a rectangle with its snap-to-plane as expected...

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ · 27 Sept 2010, 11:33

yes. I register the same error.
generates the same error with any inclined face is grouped or component.
But generate this error with

Rectangle Tool.
Circle generated by two points. (plugins)

Fatal Error
when they solved?

EarthMover · 28 Sept 2010, 01:46

TIG,

This is the issue I was having with getting the plane perpendicular. There is no problem getting it perpendicular when you create the plane by way of clicking on end point vertex or midpoints, however, when you try to use construction lines or non intersecting edges, it becomes almost impossible to pull out perpendicular. Also, being as though creating work planes perpendicular to the first two clicks is going to be 90% of the time for me, would be possible to add a toggle in the initial menu that will allow for automatically perpendicular planes to be generated? This would save a lot of viewport movement and having to draw snapping lines.

Also, the reason I was asking for a "Clear Work Planes" toggle, was that I was using it for more than just drawing on. I was trying to also use it in conjunction with Vertex Tools to control the manipulation of verticies in a more precise manner. It works really well for this, it just becomes too cluttered to work in a short time and the process of deleting the old planes takes as much time as moving the verticies, so the trade off is not worth it. Perhaps another toggle to switch on an option to have each newly created work plane overwrite the previous, creating only a single work plane on the layer at a time?

jeff hammond · 28 Sept 2010, 02:10

@earthmover said:

TIG,

This is the issue I was having with getting the plane perpendicular. There is no problem getting it perpendicular when you create the plane by way of clicking on end point vertex or midpoints, however, when you try to use construction lines or non intersecting edges, it becomes almost impossible to pull out perpendicular. Also, being as though creating work planes perpendicular to the first two clicks is going to be 90% of the time for me, would be possible to add a toggle in the initial menu that will allow for automatically perpendicular planes to be generated? This would save a lot of viewport movement and having to draw snapping lines.

that's showing the problem i was trying to describe to a few people that want to be able to push/pull an edge... there's no way SU knows which way you want it to go.. the first two clicks are creating a line but what you're really trying trying to do is go perpendicular to the surface but the work plane is only concerned with going parallel to the line of the first two points and needs a 3rd reference.

in that exact scenario, chris' perpendicular face tools would give you what you want with one click (click on a vertical hidden line of the cube and a plane will be drawn perpendicular).. that's my main use of perp.face.tools but maybe tig can borrow some stuff from it

[flash=660,405:l6au5yn7]http://www.youtube.com/v/3p9oON6TeTQ?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1[/flash:l6au5yn7]

[edit- likewise adam, you may actually prefer perpendicular face tools for some of that vertex editing.. at least in some of the scenarios... +, the groups aren't locked so they're easier to delete

pilou · 28 Sept 2010, 07:27

Perpendicular face tool by Chris Fullmer thx Jeff
Ahhhhhhhh! Never thought (or remembered) to click on the segment

That was not explicit due this alert message!

TIG · 28 Sept 2010, 13:31

Here's v1.6 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=274345#p274345
The 'Tab' key now toggles the new WorkPlane between 'planar to the 3picked points' and 'perpendicular to plane of the 3 picked points [pt1/pt2 set the axial alignment], then you press <Enter> or double-click to confirm. Zero dimensions are now trapped in the Settings dialog.

TIG · 28 Sept 2010, 14:30

@unknownuser said:

Why only by Center? And only length and not number of interval?
Sure I can Unlock,move resize, lock but...
or I miss something?

It was originally set by 'corner' at pt1, but due to popular demand it quickly changed to by 'center' at pt1.
It IS more logical.
It is after all a 'Work Plane' and you simply make it as big as you want...
With the new context-menu 'Delete' tools it's easy to remove unneeded ones and make a new one...
If you set the plane's size you can have a grid [optional] with whatever spacing you want - e.g. entering a grid height larger than the plane's height gives just horizontal clines...
You could even make two overlapping WorkPlanes with aligning grids.

pilou · 28 Sept 2010, 14:32

Why only by Center?
And only length and not number of interval? (ok this can be made but ask a calculate

Sure I can Unlock,move resize, lock but...
or I miss something?

EarthMover · 28 Sept 2010, 14:48

Thanks TIG. Brilliant idea to fix the perp plane issue. Works like a charm. Thanks for adding the context menu delete function. Big Help!

Work planes are also great for intersect slicing!

pilou · 28 Sept 2010, 14:54

Yes "It is after all a 'Work Plane'"
It's easy to make intervals and then resize it on the object if I want just gride over my object face

say I want 5 and 7 intervals (I love prime numbers
I enter 5 and 7 width & height, and then 1 and 1 grig width & height

It's rustic but all can works

Ps A 3D working planes?
Ok I can unlock, and copy move multiple, lock
(or better use Grow by...tig

DIEGO-RODRIGUEZ · 28 Sept 2010, 14:56

thanks tig.
excellent option, rotated 90 with the Tab key. and the option to delete