[Plugin] Slicer5

miki71ita · 3 Feb 2012, 00:59

ok...then we have to wait for... SU version n.9!

sketchymick · 17 Mar 2012, 11:55

Hello TIG, thanks for this plugin - you do some fantastic work!

I was just playing around with it an noticed that the slices for x or y axes always seem to be aligned with the original axis orientations, even if the group is aligned differently. So even if I reset the axes with a group, or for the entire model, to get the alignment I'd like - the slices seem to ignore this. Is this right or am I missing something?

thanks

Mick

TIG · 17 Mar 2012, 12:12

THE XYZ axes are the model axes - ignoring any temporary resetting of the axes that you might have done.
Any changing of them cannot be found in the API, as far as I know.
The XY 'angled' slice option could be set to the angle of the XY axes if know ?

sketchymick · 18 Mar 2012, 04:45

@tig said:

THE XYZ axes are the model axes - ignoring any temporary resetting of the axes that you might have done.
Any changing of them cannot be found in the API, as far as I know.
The XY 'angled' slice option could be set to the angle of the XY axes if know ?

Thankyou TIG, that worked (set axis to 'A' and enter the angle in the 2nd dialog box) - just wasn't sure if I was missing something or not. I can't write rubies, but I'm surprised that the API doesn't provide a way to know the group axis settings?

Funny how things work actually, I downloaded your plugin out of curiosity, but almost immediately found a potential application for it - looking at cut and fill cross-sections. I have a idea/suggestion though... what about allowing the user to select a path for which the cross-sections would be aligned? So for my pic below, instead of just following one line, if my shape had a significant bend in it, a central path could be drawn and the cross sections would be aligned along and perpendicular to that path?

In any case thanks for the plugin - nice.

Cheers

Mick

TIG · 18 Mar 2012, 10:08

The API can get the 'local axes' used inside a group/definition... BUT not any reset model axes, to which is what I thought you were referring.
The XYZ slicing always follows the models axis [ignoring any reset].
It easiest [but not essential] if the sliced manifold group/instance is in the model's entities...

pilou · 1 Jun 2012, 11:17

Does it possible to have the Slices of the volume follow the colors (or textures) of the original?
(here with Slicer3 in V6, maybe this exist in the Slicer5? )

TIG · 1 Jun 2012, 11:21

No.

pilou · 1 Jun 2012, 11:27

In the future?

TIG · 1 Jun 2012, 11:28

Perhaps, if I live till I'm 90

pilou · 1 Jun 2012, 11:48

So long life to you!

massimo · 1 Jun 2012, 12:15

@unknownuser said:

Does it possible to have the Slices of the volume follow the colors (or textures) of the original?

@tig said:

No.

@unknownuser said:

In the future?

@tig said:

Perhaps, if I live till I'm 90

@unknownuser said:

So long life to you!

pilou · 19 Jun 2012, 02:43

@unknownuser said:

Does it possible to have the Slices of the volume follow the colors (or textures) of the original?

In fact with the Super Drape that's a beginning
(Take an image from the view Top of the original)

Just to find something for the vertical faces who are unicolor
Maybe 2 pass

pbeseda · 14 Oct 2012, 00:44

TIG, great plugin. You've made architecture students and architects across the world quite happy.

I'm doing a rather complex site model, and I've done simpler site models with great success before. This time, I can't get it to flatten. It seems as if it quits after creating the slice outlines and before it thickens them. Here is the error it throws:

Error; #<TypeError; reference to deleted Face>
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2041;in `pushpull'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2041;in `fatten'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2041;in `each'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2041;in `fatten'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2035;in `each'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;2035;in `fatten'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;1612;in `run'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;793;in `initialize'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;657;in `new'
C;/Program Files (x86)/Google/Google SketchUp 8new/Plugins/TIG-Slicer/TIG-Slicer.rb;657

Anyone have any idea what could be wrong? It works great and fast with simple geometry. My site model is about 10' x 10' and I'm working with 1 inch thicknesses.

TIG · 14 Oct 2012, 16:00

If the terrain results in some tiny edges you can get a failure of the intersection to form full loops which face and extrude into slices, which then cause issues with later operations.
I do have a newer version that traps these errors and lets you complete even if there are some failures -which you might be able to manually fix by drawing in missing bits etc...
It's not down to be issued until after Basecamp this coming week - I am typing this from my hotel room in Boulder !
I'll PM you a version - please treat it confidentially until it's released properly though.
You could perhaps avoid the issue by slicing the terrain at x10 the size you gave [100'] then very small edges and facets are much more unlikely. There is this known issue of SketchUp/OpenGL having problems creating very tiny and very enormous geometry.
You can always scale the model down x0.1 afterwards - tiny facets/edges can exist, it's just the creation that;s an issue...
Several of us will be pretty busy at Boulder over the next few days but we'll check on SCF as time allows...

pbeseda · 15 Oct 2012, 20:07

TIG is the greatest.

I'm running it with the new version. I'll let you know the results. Funny, I was in Boulder yesterday but didn't see your post till this morning. I go to school in Denver.

Cheers!

mohsyn · 16 Oct 2012, 17:05

Thanks for an awesome plugin TIG

Im facing some issues and hope you will be able to help

The flattened components are automatically centered/orientation changed. Is it possible that they are presented where the appear in a whole block and not aligned?

Camera zoom to component function also changes the size of block in output.. can it remain as actual ?

I tried to do that on my own but since i'm not good at scripting i could not do much

Thanks in advance

TIG · 17 Oct 2012, 06:15

I think your issue might be related to your Style - please ensure that Guides are enabled.
To make each zoomed PNG view for each piece the same size guide-points are added at the bounds of the largest piece.
If guides are 'off' the zoom will not be consistently changed...
I need to update the code to force guides to display - they should do but might fail for you ?... but in the meanwhile simply ensuring the current Style displays guides will fix that issue.
It's not possible to reorient the slices as laid flat - the function is based on the slice type [XYZ etc] which then dictates how the slice is transformed flat.

pbeseda · 19 Oct 2012, 17:12

I ended up simplifying my model before slicing it. Of course it works perfectly.

Still having trouble with the really complex model both at my model scale (which forces really tiny edges) and full scale. The data is coming from a topo surface exported from Revit. I'll continue to experiment.

TIG · 20 Oct 2012, 00:18

@pbeseda said:

I ended up simplifying my model before slicing it. Of course it works perfectly.

Still having trouble with the really complex model both at my model scale (which forces really tiny edges) and full scale. The data is coming from a topo surface exported from Revit. I'll continue to experiment.
This is a well known and documented issue...
The native SketchUp tools [and their API coded equivalents] will fail with tiny [or enormous] facets [<~0.1mm] - so when using FollowMe, Solid-Tools, Sandbox-Tools or Intersect etc, it's recommended that you work in 'full-size' [i.e. not the size of the physical-model-you might make from board, glue etc, calculating dialog values to suit that... and finally scale down at the very end], OR you can scale up what you have - say x10 [or more] - do the changes [remembering to make x10 changes to dialog entries too!] and scale back down by say x0.1 afterwards. These problem small facets can 'exist' when they are shrunk back down, but they will fail to be created initially. Since

The Slicer tool uses 'intersect' API tools so this 'tininess' is the culprit - the small facets in the mesh can intersect leaving tiny holes in the intersections' resultant edge-loops, these won't therefore 'hold' a face...

funkenpedro · 23 Oct 2012, 14:30

Hi TIG,
In your usage notes you mention manually applying pilot holes to the flattened version of the slices. I can't figure out how to do that so that they would align.
If i draw holes with reference to the centre of each slice group, would they be aligned?
If so, how would i infer to the centre of the each group and then infer to an offset of that should i want more than one hole that is not centred.

I just finished slicing this model, slice thickness was 5mm and spacing was 10. Some of the geometry it produced was not closed. It's probably an issue with my model but I'll ask anyhow - is this a common issue with an easier solution than manually closing all of the slices?

Nice job on the plugin, I'm notoriously cheap and never pay for software if I can get away with it but for this gem I'm cracking the wallet to donate. Thanks.
Pedro