Drop parts to a plane? Panel optimization.

[Shanta]

I'm a woodworker and exhaustively plan my projects, mostly cabinetmaking, in Sketchup before heading to the shop. I currently make good use of the "Eclate/Deplace" plugin for exploded views, and the Cutlist plug to create, well, a cut list. Cutlist will also do a reasonable job of creating a panel optimization diagram, to help get the most use out of a sheet of plywood. What I don't have is an easy way of printing a diagram of my parts showing all the rabbets and dados. Right now I create a 4x8 plane, lock it, rotate my parts, and drag to snap to the plane. It works, but it's slow, and sometimes the parts don't like snapping so you orbit and try again.

Is there a plugin out there that will drop all my selected parts (groups or components) onto a plane, preferably with the narrowest dimension rotated into the Z axis (i.e. all the sheet goods fall flat to the floor)? Sort of like what the plus Flattery and Unfold do, but for groups instead of faces. Then I could just drag in the X and Y to place my parts on the sheet, drop in dimension lines to spec out the dados, and print an ortho of the top and bottom (since some parts will have dados on both sides). Course, if the plug could align and distribute the parts, all the better!

[mitcorb]

Short answer, I think, yes there is. I want to say it is Smart Drop. First look in Plugins Index above- red button at top of page. Then, if not there, perhaps Ruby Library Depot. You may also be able to do this with Drape? Stamp? in the Sandbox Tools?