[Plugin] SectionCutFace

TIG · 19 Oct 2012, 16:10

John

I'm unsure why this might be failing - indeed it looks like it ought to work
It's not perfect, but if you use the settings I suggested then you should get something that is quickly editable/fixable...

nramadhiny · 15 Dec 2012, 00:35

installed the plugin in the right location and the ruby console have successfully loaded it, but when I clicked 'Add section cut face' on the right-click menu, it wouldn't show the dialog option. Even resulted that the command "add section-cut face-parameter" vanished when I moved my cursor somewhere. Help me!

Dave R · 15 Dec 2012, 02:50

@nramadhiny said:

installed the plugin in the right location and the ruby console have successfully loaded it, but when I clicked 'Add section cut face' on the right-click menu, it wouldn't show the dialog option. Even resulted that the command "add section-cut face-parameter" vanished when I moved my cursor somewhere. Help me!

Which Mac version? Do you have both read and write permissions set for the Plugins folder for your username?

TIG · 15 Dec 2012, 12:18

Put the .rb file in the root HD.../plugins folder, NOT the 'users' equivalent.
The 'plugins' folder needs to have full read+write permissions.

I don't understand what you say about the Ruby Console
Once the script is in the correct plugins folder and you restart Sketchup you need do no more...
It auto-loads.
When you have just one Section-Plane selected, then a context-menu entry [which will run the tool] is added to the context-memu's list of commands.
Do NOT try to [re]load or run it from the Ruby Console - this will break things !

On picking the tool from the context-menu... a dialog appears and you choose options, on OK it processes and adds a SectionCutFace group [obviously you need to be cutting through something to get a face forming etc]...

caronte01 · 20 Dec 2012, 15:30

Thanks TIG. I use this plugin a lot with Layout.

duchuy2001 · 17 Jan 2013, 14:11

first of all thank you TIG on this ruby, but I have one small problem like the one below!please fix it, I used SU8

Dave R · 17 Jan 2013, 17:56

I don't see a problem with that. Could you actually explain the problem you are having?

TIG · 17 Jan 2013, 19:42

What problem?
Is it the colors' lists' lengths ?
The list of available colors is all current model-materials and then all 'standard colors'.
The default is 'Black'.
The list will be longer that SketchUp's native inputbox can handle 'on-screen' BUT if you select the field and type the first letter of the color desired - e.g. you want 'White' so press W - it jumps to 'Wheat' then use the up/down arrow-keys to select the one desired - 'White'...
You can always accept the defaults and later edit the grouped faces and give them any color/material you like... Also you can edit the current Style for the SectionCut so the edge color and width are also changed...

mrossk · 18 Jan 2013, 01:37

I wonder if he was joking about your British spelling of "colour"?

TIG · 18 Jan 2013, 10:29

If he really needs 'Color' it'd be easy enough to open the .rb file in Notepad [or a similar plain-text editor] and do a Find/Replace on 'Colour' >> 'Color', indeed he can 'translate' the prompts/dialogs etc to say what ever he wants... 'Couleur' if he were French, 'Farbe' if German, etc...

BUT I suspect something less obscure, and easier to fix ?

duchuy2001 · 20 Jan 2013, 11:06

Actually my english is not so good!
My problem can not open the list to select the color !
Thank TIG !

TIG · 20 Jan 2013, 12:48

I notice that your Sketchup version appears unusual... can you correct it or confirm what version you are actually using... Why not upgrade to a more recent version. Many tools are designed to make use of capabilities only available in newer versions of Sketchup...

The list should simply highlight, and then 'drop-down' [see the earlier tips on access off-screen names - by typing in the first letter and then using the arrow-keys to move the selected item up/down].
Try the tool with the Ruby Console open.
Are there any error messages?

I am at a loss as to why the list is not working...

Do you have any Materials that contain a '|' in their name?
This could break the list[s], because Sketchup uses '|' to separate the items a list.
However, it should only make a list containing non-existent materials as it would be split wrongly.
However, if there are '|' characters in names, try renaming them in the Materials Browser dialog without a '|'.
Then retry the tool.

If you are still stuck with 'Black', but you want a different color for the cut-line change that simply in the Style settings after making the 'cut'. Also you can edit the Section-Cut-Face group [double-click], then Select-All [Ctrl+A] and then use the Material paintbucket tool to change the color of the selected faces to anything you wish - from available materials or by making a new material as desired...

vinzdou · 22 Jan 2013, 14:07

wanna see

TIG · 22 Jan 2013, 15:24

@vinzdou said:

wanna see
Please explain yourself sensibly...
You 'want to see' what ?
There is Google Translate readily available to you on the Internet, of you don't speak English... and surely more that two real English words could be strung together to convey something a little more meaningful

Nortti · 31 Jan 2013, 19:50

I have a MacPro OS X 10.6.8 running SketchUp Pro 8. I have used the plugin 'Section-CutFace' a number of times before(in this model even), but now it makes SketchUp crash every time, but only in this model. When I activate the plugin I get a spinning wheel for awhile and then it crashes. The model I am working in is 9.9mb, I have 'disabled' all other plugins, repaired my disk and permissions. Yet, it still will not work! Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

TIG · 31 Jan 2013, 22:12

@Nortti

You give few clues as to what it is you are doing...
What are you trying to 'cut'?
An image would help...

You must appreciate that it's an 'intersection'.
If there are thousands of faces to intersect and form a new set of faces from then it can take some time.
If Sketchup becomes unresponsive it doesn't mean it's crashed.
It's just putting all of its resources into making the new geometry...
What do you mean by crash??
However, a full Bugsplat! does mean issues!!
Limiting the 'on' layers to objects that will be 'cut' is a way of optimizing the processing - every visible object in the section-planes context must be considered for 'cutting' otherwise... even when it's not cut...

Have you also purged-unused and fixed-problems under Model-Info > Statistics ?

Also remember that Sketchup can't cope with very tiny or very very large geometry... does your model include any of this ?

Nortti · 31 Jan 2013, 22:51

Thank you for your timely response and sorry for the lack of information. I was running this plugin on a longitudinal building section for a 1600 sqft. house(stairs, framing members, envelope, etc.). I had visited the model info dialog and purged/fixed as well as everything else I mentioned in my previous post that were suggestions from blogs. What I did not do is limit the 'on' layers . . . and guess what? It worked! Thank you, I am slapping myself for how much time I have spent on this.

Truly appreciated!

P.S. By 'crash' I meant bugsplat.

a33333c · 3 Feb 2013, 10:42

help can't use
sk8 pro

TIG · 3 Feb 2013, 12:18

This tool only appears if just one section-plane is selected - which it is and the face tools is there.

A way to see if it at least works, is to select the section-plane [nothing else] and then open the Ruby Console and copy/paste [or type] this text + an <enter> press, The dialog should now start the tool's processing...
SectionCut.new()
Assuming it can work then I suspect the following issues...

A reason for 'grayed' out context-menus is well known... but 'old' and solvable.
It is fixed in the newer versions of Sketchup v8, but I see you have v7, where it can occur.
It is caused by having too many plugins loading 'commands'.
Sketchup used to have a limit of about 1000 commands [but this is much higher in the newer versions], so if you have assembled lots of plugins that make commands once you reach that limit Sketchup starts 'dumping' commands and so some items get 'grayed' [disabled] in the context-menu [the main menus can also show symptoms in severe cases]...
Although this tool particular does not even make a 'command', its availability can be affected by a surfeit of commands when you have the older systems...
The way to fix it is to upgrade to say v8 free and use that: remember that v7 can coexists if you want its DXF tools etc...
Some older scripts did make multiple commands during a sessions, which exacerbated the problem, as far as I know these are all fixed, so at least make sure that you have the latest versions of your tools...
Another ways to try and fix it is to go through your Preferences > Extensions and disable all of the ones you don't often use... AND also to look through the Plugins folder and take out scripts that you rarely use. Then when restarted Sketchup will be 'leaner' and the old grayed context-menu issues should stop...

Scubadooper · 24 Feb 2013, 13:05

Am I able to use this .rb in SketchUp 8? From what I've learnt .rb is for version 7 and .rbz is for version 8. I've done a search on teh thread for mention of .rbz and haven't found anything. I've tried copying the file to the relevant extensions folder in the programe file (as you would for SketchUp 7) however it doesn't seem to work.

Any ideas?

Thanks