[Plugin] Coords Text Tag from Datum

[TIG]

Read its Documentation and Release Notes and Download its latest RBZ archive from the SCF PluginStore:
http://sketchucation.com/resources/pluginstore?pln=coordstexttagtoolfromdatum
Or get/install the SketchUcation Plugin Store toolset to AutoInstall plugins and Manage them...
http://sketchucation.com/resources/plugin-store-download

[Dave R]

Thanks TIG. Can those text tags be collected into a CSV file to use for making a table?

[TIG]

@dave r said:

Thanks TIG. Can those text tags be collected into a CSV file to use for making a table?

They could be... you'd just search Entities for Text with the appropriate Attribute ["CoordTool_Datum","text"], and read their Text.text strings ["Coords: 12.34, 56.78, 9.00"], with whatever manipulations you wanted [e.g. strip off 'Coords '], and then 'puts' them into file like a .CSV etc... You could first put them into an Array and then .sort! it before then iterating through it to 'puts' each string into your CSV file...

[watkins]

Dear TIG,

Do you dream in Ruby? I will try out the plugin this evening.

Many thanks,
Bob

[ken]

TIG

Another great plugin. Just a question, would it be possible to set and reset the "Coord Datum" just by left clicking a point after selection the menu option "Set Coord Datum".

Thank you

Ken

[TIG]

@unknownuser said:

TIG
Another great plugin. Just a question, would it be possible to set and reset the "Coord Datum" just by left clicking a point after selection the menu option "Set Coord Datum".
Thank you
Ken

This is v1.0
At the moment the Coords.Tags update every time you open the model or move one.
[I still need to add some extra observers for opening a skp from the menu etc...]
I could introduce a 'freeze' option where you'd remove the update observer/attribute...
I felt that you'd set a Datum once [if even that] and then all you coordinates would be always relative to that?
One thing I can see is that when you model in mm you might want the coords in meters ! or inches >> feet. Then 'freezing them might be useful ?
I await user feedback to get this how 'we' all want it...

[watkins]

Dear TIG,

I tried the plugin last night, and I should like to make a few observations and comments.

First, it either doesn't do what I should like it to do, or I'm not using the plugin properly. When I change the datum to say 5,10,10 (in mm), it adds these numbers to the x,y,z values of the points selected. So, if I hover over a cpoint at say 5,10,10 (the new datum) it reads 10,20,20, which is not what I need. The new datum point should read 0,0,0, and the origin of the World co-ordinate system (SU's default co-ordinate system) should read -5,-10,-10. The ideal would be as follows:

• A dialog box that sets the datum either by entering the x,y,z values, or by clicking on a cpoint. The box should also have a Rest button to reset everything back to the World co-ordinate system. I think cpoints could be used for all points of interest as they make selection easier and unambiguous.

• A dialog box that displays the x,y,z values of the point selected (point and click), with a counter to record the number of points selected, with a box to enter a three character identifier (A01, A02 etc), and a Save/Delete button to either save the data to a spreadsheet (identifier and associated co-ordinates) or to delete the point from the running total.

Thank you for all your efforts.
Kind regards,
Bob

[Gaieus]

Hi TIG,

Excellent so far
(don't listen to Bob - this is exactly what I need).

If I may also have some wishes...

• Now there is this text tag but could you also add a guide point where it is so that I could snap geometry to it?
• Also, it would be wonderful if (from a dialog) I could also enter points manually.
  Say I first set the coords datum to 100,100,100 then relative to this I want to enter a cpoint at 200,200,200 (that would of course just be 100,100,100 from the model origin).

The case is (as it seems) that Bob and I are approaching the problem from different ends.

[Dave R]

I think what Bob would like to do is generate a table as shown on the right in this screen grab. In this drawing, 0,0 is at the upper right corner of the part. I would find that useful from time to time as well.

[watkins]

Dear David,

That is exactly what I should like my friend.

I suppose TIG's plugin would go half way there if I were to insert negative as well as positive numbers into the datum dialogue box. With reference to my previous example, if I had entered -5,-10,-10 instead of 5,10,10, then the point at 5,10,10 would have appeared as 0,0,0 instead of 10,20,20, and so perhaps it just a matter of using the plugin correctly. I will try out the idea tonight.

Another idea: If the datum dialogue box had a 'query' icon/button that one could click on and then query a point, and with the datum field automatically filled after selecting a point, then that would be really helpful. Now, how lazy can one get!!!

Kind regards,
Bob

[Dave R]

Dear Bob,

I figured that would be your goal. So, while we're heaping work on poor TIG...

Suppose the plugin worked something like this:

Open the component for editing.
Select all of the geometry with a triple click of the Select tool.
Start the plugin.
The plugin identfies all of the circles and arcs in the selection and places a cpoint at center.
After that job completes the user clicks on the desired cpoints and the plugin places text tags. the text is A1, A2,...An. Perhaps you hit the up arrow to increment the leading letter in the tags.
All the while the user is clicking and placing tags, the tag and the coordinates are being collected by the plugin.
When the user clicks Enter or something the plugin pops up a message indicating that a CSV file has been saved to the same directory in which the SKP file has been saved.

As always, I can dream them up but it takes a wizard like TIG or Thomas or someone else that isn't me to figure out if and how it can be done.

[Ben Ritter]

TIG, another BIG thank you.

[TIG]

Thanks for the feedback... My new Uni lecturing commitments will delay things until say Wednesday next week - but please post any other comments / ideas in the mean while...

[watkins]

Dear TIG,

What university and waht subject?

Thanks for all your help.

Bob

[TIG]

@watkins said:

Dear TIG,
What university and waht subject?
Thanks for all your help.
Bob

At my old Alma Mata - Newcastle upon Tyne, School of Architecture - it's the 'SketchUp and Ruby Scripting' module for ~16nr year-5/6 'masters' students [I did a little bit last year too] ... it least until the new year... then the funding will probably evaporate with the latest round of 'cut-backs'...

[JClements]

Hi TIG:

1- Running SU8, PC, XP. My VCB doesn't display anything

2- I already have models to which I have used #heightool.rb (and labels).

Could one of the following be done?
Change heighttool.rb so it uses the same model tag variable (converts the old tag to the new).
or
Combines both into one ruby with the option to display the Z value only in the labels? (converts any existing heightool tag to a coordinate tag).

Regards, John

[TIG]

Here's v1.2 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=284829#p284829
It totally revised and updated with many more options and settings.
Please read the note in the linked post...

[TIG]

Here's v1.3 http://forums.sketchucation.com/viewtopic.php?p=284829#p284829
An additional option to Export all of the Coords-Tags to a CSV file is added.
See the notes in the linked post...

[Dave R]

Excellent, TIG. This works quite nicely. I'll bet Bob will be pleased.

[Gaieus]

Thanks TIG again; this CPoint enhancement is very essential for me!

(Now if I could also add CPoints/Coord-tags by inputting into a box the XYZ values...)