[Plugin][$] Vertex Tools

[Rich O Brien]

Make a selection then choose Select Only Visible it should remove those that are not visible from them selection

[thomthom]

It's a selection modifying command - not a selection mode. It simply filters your existing selection. This is because the function is very slow.

Ignore Backfaces on the other hand is a selection mode you can activate with any of the selection tools. It's fast but relates to the direction, normal, of the connected faces - so it's not the same as what's actually visible.

[thomthom]

Btw, what are you creating there?

[Dave R]

@thomthom said:

Btw, what are you creating there?

I'm guessing a snowman. Like an Alabamian has any idea of snow.

[boofredlay]

Well before I could retract I figured out that I should have checked "Ignore Backfaces" like you say.

I have the blank Dunny open just to play with Vertex Tools.

[boofredlay]

@dave r said:

@thomthom said:

Btw, what are you creating there?

I'm guessing a snowman. Like an Alabamian has any idea of snow.

It is more of a theory.

[panixia]

@thomthom said:

Give me a nudge when you've done the model.

ok, i had a second run at it and now is almost fine for my purposes.. not perfect, but good, i also did a quick test in vray and it renders within a decent amount of ram.. i took some screenshot this time, i'll try to upload/arrange them as soon as possible..

[thomthom]

How did you do the velvet?

[panixia]

did some minor changes to the previuous version. i think 95% of the difference depends on the fact it was taken away from Venus' atmosphere and placed into the actual granny's living room..

---

green velvet.vismat

[thomthom]

[panixia]

X-mas at granny's

---

[thomthom]

Nice!

X-Frog X-Mas tree?

[panixia]

no. i downloaded one from whareouse at first

Error 404 (Not Found)!!1

(sketchup.google.com)

but was looking very poor in the render test so i replaced the components/materials one by one to achieve a decent result..
actually i think this is the easier tree ever modeling wise.. even if you want to draw it from scratch..

[maso]

Another step to beat the maxtodonters made Thanks a lot.

[thomthom]

And more to come!

[natsirht28]

Is there a free version of this plugins? because it seems really helpful but I dont have any credit card..

[thomthom]

Afraid not.

[plot-paris]

Hey Thomthom,

I was just playing with VertexTools, when I thought of two possible improvements; actually one workflow improvement and one major (and possibly impossible) re-design.

1. With SketchUp's native Move-Tool, you can translate an object in two different ways:

• click (object is attached to the curser), move it somewhere else, click again to release it

• click-and-drag to somewhere else and release mouse button to release object
  Right now thats not possible with VertexTools. And because we all love continuity, it would be a tremendous joy to have the plugin behave the same way

1. Use the VertexTools-Icon as a Toggle Button
   while VertexTools is active, it will intercept all the keyboard shortcuts for Move, Rotate and Scale.
   Thus it actually feels like using native SketchUp tools, only with the enhancement of soft selection. In theory it wouldn't even make a difference, once the soft selection is set to zero.

[thomthom]

@plot-paris said:

click (object is attached to the curser), move it somewhere else, click again to release it

This works for single vertices. Did you mean you wanted to pick edges/faces?

@plot-paris said:

click-and-drag to somewhere else and release mouse button to release object

Yea, I've had that on my list. Problem is that SketchUp behaviour will be different depending on user preferences - and currently there is no way to read the user preferences from Ruby. But I might just implement it as an always on feature.

@plot-paris said:

Use the VertexTools-Icon as a Toggle Button
while VertexTools is active, it will intercept all the keyboard shortcuts for Move, Rotate and Scale.
Thus it actually feels like using native SketchUp tools, only with the enhancement of soft selection. In theory it wouldn't even make a difference, once the soft selection is set to zero.

I'm not sure how you are expecting that would work where it differs from what it does now... ? Once you jump into vertex mode and you have assigned the keyboard shortcuts then you stay in Vertex Tools until you exit the tool. Can you elaborate on how you'd like it to work?

[plot-paris]

ah yes, I didn't phrase it clearly enough:

In SketchUp I have the following keyboard shortcuts:

Q = Select
W = Move
E = Rotate
R = Scale

The VertexTools Plugin has a Select, Move, Rotate and Scale tool of its own. But when I make a soft selection and then hit lets say "E" for the Rotate Tool, I will activate SketchUp's Rotate Tool, hence exiting the plugin.

Instead I would like the plugin to intercept this keyboard shortcut, that usually activates SketchUp's Rotate Tool, and enable VertexTools' own Rotate Tool instead.

Only after I exit / toogle off VertexTools, the letter "E" will bring me to SketchUp's Rotate tool.
So I guess what I want, is to completely replace all of SketchUp's manipulation tools with the new ones as long as the "Smooth Selection Mode" is active.

So from a user's point of view activating VertexTools is similar to activating "Show Hidden Geometry". It affects the degree of control you have over the geometry, but you do not have to use a new set of tools...

Of course I am more than uncertain, that this is possible at all in SketchUp (intercepting shortcuts). But it would be such an awesomely integrated experience...