[Plugin] Make Tank 1.5 (beta)

dezmo

Hi,
This is my first post, but reading this site since years and registered since months…:-)
However I’m absolutely not an expert of ruby, you will see in the code… , but just I would like to give back something to this nice community. Hope somebody find this small tool useful.
So I’ve just extended the ODM’s Cone tool (conetop1.rb) with my needs. Thanks a lot for this base.

The script will draw simple tank body with legs as component.

I know this is not perfect, but at least works. Maybe later on I’ll make it better….
Just drop extracted maketankX.rb and maketank.png to \Tools or \Plugins folder of Google SketchUp X.
There will be a new menu item “Make Tank 1.x” in “Draw” menu and new Toolbar button after restarting SketchUp.
Tested with 6.4.265 Pro, and 8.0.15158 free.

This is my first code WIP and LIP , so bee patient...
(work in progress and learn in progress)

Usage: See picture!

Have a fun!
Regards, Dezmo

Edit01: Changes: 1.0 >1.1 "Plays nice" (?)
Edit02: Changes: 1.1 >1.2 Units depens on Sketchup active model unit options
Edit03: Changes: 1.2 >1.3 Add cilindrical legs as many as you want inside touch to base circle
Edit04: Changes: 1.3 >1.4 Add volume (bottom cone+cilinder) in liters and in cubic inches and put it as 3D text to top of the tank
(note volume is "real cilindrical" volume of bottom cone+cilinder, not depenst on segments, so it is not accurate if tank is eg. 4 segment)
Now the main Tank group is named and splitted to "pieces" of named groups
The initial values of inputbox is "mm"... sorry
Edit05: Post organized, old verions packed separately, just for reference.
%(#0000BF)[Edit06: Changes: 1.4 >1.5 Place the tank(s) as componet wherever you want. Volume unit (for 3D text) can be selected from imputbox, and only one (or non) volume text displayed (liter, m3, inch3, gallon, gallon(uk) )
Toolbar & button added]

How to...

Actual version:.

Old versions, just for reference...

thomthom

Welcome! And thanks for sharing!

I recommend you read this article I wrote about SketchUp plugin developement: http://www.thomthom.net/thoughts/2012/01/golden-rules-of-sketchup-plugin-development/

It described how you can build plugins to avoid potential clashes with other plugins. I saw the code and noticed you did not have your methods in a namespace module which might cause potential clashes.

dezmo

Thanks for the link. I'll go to read and might change the code accordingly...

raineysky

Dezmo,

This plugin looks very useful. I hope you will find the time to develop it further. Can imperial units be used?

Thanks,

Paul

Gaieus

Hi Dezmo,

I see you keep editing your post (developing/reattaching the plugin?) which keeps it bumbed back to the moderation queue.

All right, next time it will appear instantly as I took you out of the "newly registered members" usergroup.

Are you Hungarian, by the way (as you are in that usergroup, too)

dezmo

Hi,
I'm happy if you find it usefull. I did some changes for you, plase take a look!
In next version, I hope, I can implement some legs..

@raineysky said:

Dezmo,

This plugin looks very useful. I hope you will find the time to develop it further. Can imperial units be used?

Thanks,

Paul

kwistenbiebel

who else was thinking battle tanks before accessing thread?

dezmo

Hi Csaba,
I'm sorry about always changing my post, but somehow need to correct my mistakes...
And yes, I'm Hungarian, currently working in Germany, without kowing german (and ruby) language. Both in progress...

@gaieus said:

Hi Dezmo,

I see you keep editing your post (developing/reattaching the plugin?) which keeps it bumbed back to the moderation queue.

All right, next time it will appear instantly as I took you out of the "newly registered members" usergroup.

Are you Hungarian, by the way (as you are in that usergroup, too)

dezmo

@kwistenbiebel said:

who else was thinking battle tanks before accessing thread?

Looks like I've problem with my English as well...!?

Gaieus

@dezmo said:

...I'm sorry about always changing my post, but somehow need to correct my mistakes...

There's absolutely no problem with that - in fact, I am glad you "listen" to ThomThom as he knows what he is saying and does it helpfully.

It's just usually unusual for very new members to start with a plugin topic. Otherwise this is the "practice" here: plugin authors keep changing the very first post of the topic to keep the plugin up-to-date there.

So welcome!

Krisidious

Pretty kool... I used to do tank inspection and this would have been awesome for it.

dezmo

New fuctions in first post.
Later I'm planning to revise/clear the code...(without scedule), any suggestions are welcome...
Happy sketching!

thomthom

Do you need to provide all the older versions? It's a bit confusing to what file is the latest.

dezmo

@thomthom said:

Do you need to provide all the older versions? It's a bit confusing to what file is the latest.

Ok. Clarified...

Krisidious

@unknownuser said:

who else was thinking battle tanks before accessing thread?

<<<<< This guy was.

mitcorb

Me, too. I guess because of those examples we have seen from time to time.

pbacot

I actually just made some tanks, something it never occured to me I'd need to model (there are some in the warehouse but didn't look like the ones I needed). But this plugin came a day or so late . Might have helped with the basic shapes, but what I ended up doing is scaling and re-using the main components as much as possible to save bytes.

some tanks.png

dezmo

Update in first post...