[Plugin] Contour Maker v1.6

pilou · 29 Sept 2010, 15:38

Life is encapsuled (Life)

Keep the good work

CAD Addict · 9 Oct 2010, 09:56

I haven't had time to try it, but I have a question.

Isn't it the same as the Sandbox tools can do?

What does it do better than the standrads sandbox?

Thanks

TIG · 9 Oct 2010, 10:05

@cad addict said:

I haven't had time to try it...
Isn't it the same as [what] the Sandbox [does]...?
What does it do... better...?...

No, it's quite different!
The 'opposite' tool in fact...
The Sandbox tool takes contours supplied to it, that are already set at the correct heights, and makes a mesh surface from them.
The ContourMaker tool takes a mesh surface and it makes [grouped] contours from it.
Your mesh might not have been made from contour data at all, but contours can be very useful when visualizing a complex land-form - this tool lets you add them.

irwanwr · 8 Dec 2011, 23:36

i'd like to try this plugin.
i'd like to see if i can draw (or model) a pond near a tent or a house perhaps.
i just love to draw

thank you

TIG · 9 Dec 2011, 11:15

@irwanwr said:

i'd like to try this plugin.
i'd like to see if i can draw (or model) a pond near a tent or a house perhaps.
i just love to draw

thank you
Get it from the link in the first post in this thread...

irwanwr · 16 Dec 2011, 15:23

umm... i think i still cannot understand how it works and to use it though
need to learn more about instruction, mesh definition, etc.

TIG · 16 Dec 2011, 16:46

The contours are cut through a grouped mesh [e.g. a terrain surface that is a group]...

marvins_dad · 29 Feb 2012, 22:50

Man that is sweet Tig!
Thanks for another great ruby!

mrdcon · 9 Apr 2012, 14:39

@tig said:

The contours are cut through a grouped mesh [e.g. a terrain surface that is a group]...

I've downloaded the plugin and created contours for a meshed terrain model that was generated from Goodle maps. Now that I have contours on the meshed terrain model, other than seeing contours, what else can I do with them. I've tried to manipulate the contours (ie, push /pull, etc.) but they are not editable. Am I missing something?

TIG · 9 Apr 2012, 15:33

@mrdcon said:

@tig said:

The contours are cut through a grouped mesh [e.g. a terrain surface that is a group]...

I've downloaded the plugin and created contours for a meshed terrain model that was generated from Goodle maps. Now that I have contours on the meshed terrain model, other than seeing contours, what else can I do with them. I've tried to manipulate the contours (ie, push /pull, etc.) but they are not editable. Am I missing something?
Use your imagination ?
Perhaps all some people need is some contours drawn over their terrain to help visualize their design...
But if you want a simplified surface mesh made from the contours edit their group and use the Sandbox tool to make a 'surface from contours'.
The coarser you space the contours the more simplified is the new mesh...
You decide what to do with the tool - I only made it

arystoteles · 7 May 2012, 16:04

thank you for the plugin!

However I was wondering if you could suggest a tip to rebuild the curves and make them ultra smooth?

massimo · 7 May 2012, 16:15

Well the smoothness of the curves is related to the smoothness of the mesh.
Here I've used "Artisan" plugin to smooth the terrain.

arystoteles · 7 May 2012, 17:03

Oh I see thank you Massimo!

But regardless of the terrain mesh is there a function in Sketchup to rebuild a curve wit fewer points and therefore smooth it out?

TIG · 7 May 2012, 17:19

If you don't want to mess with the mesh you could use a edge 'smoothing' tool...
I think Thomthom has something in his Edge Tools set - you'll [probably] have to use weld.rb on each connected set of contour-lines to make 'curves' from them firs, since they are made as raw individual edges...

massimo · 7 May 2012, 17:25

You could also use Fredo's bezier spline plugin. Select the curve-->right click-->convert to... ("catmull spline" for example), but as TIG said the curves will intersect with the mesh.

arystoteles · 7 May 2012, 17:42

Thank you guys for very useful and quick reply! (this forum is amazing)

I just had a look at edgetools by Thomthom as TIG suggested but as I have understood simplyfy curves would rather simplyfy the curves into more rugged even further. (but I might definitely use it for some other stuff

Massimo you are my hero! BezierSpline plugin is just what I was looking for. Curves will intersect with terrain a little bit but I hope to fix it the final image by exporting terrain to Layout first and than overlaying curves on top with different file that has terrain hidden...

goatboy · 4 Mar 2014, 22:57

TIG:

Upgraded to 2014. Contourmaker.rb is in my migrated plugins...I don't see it.

Arrgghh! This was my one contribution as an architect to a heavy civil team!

Help!

Box · 4 Mar 2014, 23:00

Do not migrate plugins, install fresh updated versions.

Dave R · 4 Mar 2014, 23:21

Goatboy, the version you have must be old because the last version of it was updated at the end of April of 2013 and it works fine in SU2014. Or you didn't install it correctly or in the right place. As Box said, don't migrate plugins. Install fresh copies. Get the SCF Plugin Store and install it automatically.

goatboy · 4 Mar 2014, 23:32

Yes, that did it. Also in the 2014 thread, Jim corrects some really incorrect instructions from Trimble on how to migrate plug-ins:

@jim said:

@unknownuser said:

On Vista, Win 7, 8:

C;\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

On Win XP:

C;\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Roaming\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

@unknownuser said:

On Windows, we also load plugins from a user-independent support directory.
On Win Vista, 7, 8:

C;\ProgramData\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

On Win XP:

C;\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SketchUp\SketchUp 2014\SketchUp\Plugins

This path is only loaded to the $LOAD_PATH array if the folder exists when on the user's machine when SU starts.

but your way: the SCF Plugin Store is way better. Thanks!