[Plugin] ImageTrimmer

ledisnomad · 17 Apr 2011, 19:30

Thanks for the response, TIG. Always quick and helpful. I'll see if I can convince IT to install Java and give me appropriate rights. No matter how many sources of 2d and 3d people, trees, furniture, cars, backgrounds, textures, etc, I always seem to need/want to find/make some more...

srx · 22 Jun 2011, 23:32

First thanks TIG for one more wonderful plugin. I tried to use it to make some face me components of trees, but for me it was painful slow...I read earlier in this topic that the best thing to do is to make smaller image. I could do that, but I want best resolution SU can handle. So, what I have in mind is - could U make this internal process? I mean, first scale down the image, than the rest of code, than brings back original resolution, all by plugin?

charly2008 · 24 Jul 2011, 15:34

Hi,

for this workflow I have used a very time-consuming method in the past. I have vectorized the "PNG", using an external application and than imported the "DXF" into Sketchup than I erased manually all unwanted edges.

The "TIG" tool seems to be a great tool for this purpose. I've just now taken notice of it. But unfortunately it does not seem to work for me. When I start it the progress bar started also and a window of my compression program opens. The tool works and terminates the operation normally. But the "TrimmedImage" folder is empty. I don't know what is wrong. Any help would be appreciated.

Charly

TIG · 24 Jul 2011, 16:47

Charly

You must have Java enabled and the control-panel preferences set to allow 'jar' files to execute locally - these are needed to execute the code needed to manipulate the image data outside of Ruby...
A 'jar' file is a compiled Java-applet - in this case the various SKM/Image jar files are devised to do individual simple tasks not possible with basic Ruby...
You currently have 'jar' files set to open with you compression program!
These 'jar' files need to be left as executable-files set to open/run with Java...
Edit your compression program options to exclude 'jar' as one of the file types to open with that app' and ensure they run with Java itself... This is my Alzip settings NOT to open 'jar' files when I double-click on them...

charly2008 · 24 Jul 2011, 17:18

Hi TIG,

I had not thought about this simple solution. Now it works as it should. A great tool and a great developer. Thank you very much TIG.

Charly

charly2008 · 29 Sept 2011, 22:41

Hi,

I've used the plugin again with two PNGs. With the EURO PNG it works flawlessly. The second generated PNG with the lady does not work. So I suspect that the Second PNG is flawed. Does anyone know what could be the error in this PNG?

Charly

PNG Files.zip

TIG · 30 Sept 2011, 08:30

First off the time taken to process is related to the number of pixels and although you can't see them there are hundreds around the woman. You could crop it to just her and some background...

If there is even the slightest transparency associated with the woman's pixels they are taken as transparent too, so they could all be ignored when finding edges and therefore there are then no edges to process - hence the error message...
I'll have a look at the woman.PNG and check it out...

TIG · 30 Sept 2011, 08:46

Here goes... I did the following...
Edited the PNG with Gimp.
Auto-cropped it to minimize the background area.
Flattened it to remove all transparency.
Layer > Added Alpha-channel, to allow transparency again.
Selected the now white background with the magic-wand and deleted it.
Saved it.
Used as an Image in a SKP approximating it to the height of a woman.
It ImageTrimmed quite quickly and produced this result...WomanImageTrimmed.skpHere's the edited PNG too

Rich O Brien · 30 Sept 2011, 09:03

Have you any tips for trees?

charly2008 · 30 Sept 2011, 13:34

Hi TIG,

thank you for the explanation and effort. I took the photo in Photoshop and cropped again and it worked so well. Thanks again.

Charly

charly2008 · 30 Sept 2011, 15:14

Hi Rich,

For trees, it basically works just like it "TIG" has described above. Unfortunately, within the image transparent areas may not be present as I noted in a experiment. The edges must first be processed cleanly. The picture shows a try with GIMP.

Charly

Untitled.skp

Rich O Brien · 30 Sept 2011, 15:25

On LoRes .png I don't have an issue but with HiRes it goes for a long think and sometimes crashes SU.

I was wondering if there was a particular set of guidelines that allow for optimum output with relatively low processing times.

Nice tree Charly

TIG · 30 Sept 2011, 15:27

Don't do it you fool!
"Just step away from the tree... put your mouse down where I can see it..."

But seriously though folks

Spend time up front getting the PNG right.
Crop it tightly so there's minimal transparent background.
Make sure that the outline isn't too complex, e.g. any thin leaves, twigs, branches etc, that are less than ~2pxs wide will be ignored because the edges they define will be considered 'coincident' and therefore won't make a face, BUT they'll still clog up the processing time if they are included in the pixels to look at - so either erase them so they are not considered OR fatten them up so they are used.
The edges of every 'hole' in the PNG have to be individually processed, 'smoothed' etc - so the more holes the longer it'll take to complete.
Be patient - if it whites-out it's almost certainly still working away on things, but it's just taking its time - so have a coffee [or a glass of beer!] or two and chill out...
This palm took too many hours to process in the background while I did something else [>7!]...It has a lot of thin 'fronds' to process...

leminilab · 18 Nov 2011, 21:48

Alright, I might be a little ambitious there but I have this logo which is a perfect example of things I usually would want to outline.
Usually I open these vector logos in Illustrator, export it to dwg, import in SU and make faces et voilà.

But with this one, I get a bad export from Illustrator which I don't know how to clean:

So I turned to ImageTrimmer and blessed TIG and all the ruby programmers one more time ( ).

But, believe it or not, when I open this png logo as an image in SU, save the file and launch ImageTrimmer, the statusbar appears and at the same time it opens my Nokia Ovi Store app ( ), then stops and nothing happens...

What do you think f that (especially the Nokia part )?

Rich O Brien · 18 Nov 2011, 21:55

Is this Nokia thing a Java launcher? I know this plugin is heavily reliant on Java so it could be related to that?

Anyway I'd add any Ruby Console messages here if there are any showing. The thing I've noticed with ImageTrimmer is that it's doing something even when it appears nothing is happening.

leminilab · 18 Nov 2011, 22:02

Rich,

It is an app I'd installed to backup my phone's contacts onmy computer... It's called NOkia Ovi Suite. Made me laugh a while

Here's the Console message from my other computer (which doesn't have the Nokia suite installed... You never know...
Error: #<Errno::ENOENT: No such file or directory - C:\Users\le miniLab\Desktop\TrimmedImages\logo-nb[Edges].dat>
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:238:in readlines' C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:238:in make_edges'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:187:in process_image' C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:164:in initialize'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:769:in new' C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:769 C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:238:in call'
C:/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8/Plugins/SKMtools/ImageTrimmer.rb:238

I think this time Image Trimmer didn't do anything while it looked like it didn't do anything!

TIG · 18 Nov 2011, 22:32

Nicolas

Seems you might not have Java enabled correctly...
Look back through this thread about how it needs to be installed / control-panel etc... and that any .jar files must be executables, and NOT opened by other apps, like zip apps etc...

If Java is properly set up the .jar files will fire and thereby make the files needed for ImageTrimmer to work...

leminilab · 18 Nov 2011, 22:44

Thank you very much TIG, I'll check that tomorrow!

leminilab · 27 Nov 2011, 10:22

Hi!

It works. I had to create an admin account with a password ot get it to work but it worked perfectly.
I also understood what created these unwanted lines on dwg export from Illustrator: There was a clipping mask with a gradient applied to the shape... I ungrouped the shape and the gradient, re-exported and it came out perfect and could use my usual workflow.

Anyway: thank you very much for your time and thanks a lot for this very valuable tool!

unclebim · 29 Nov 2011, 15:12

Hi,

I have been using this plugin and I am very happy with it. But lately I am having problems with some, not all, images, that when processed appear like that. Just very few pixels are included in the component made by the plugin. What could be the reason?